Patent ID: 11870261
Assignee: POWER ENGINEERS, INCORPORATED
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H  Y | IPC H

Claim 7:
8. A method comprising:
providing two or more energy generation facilities, each of the two or more energy generation facilities including an energy generation facility control unit for controlling the energy generation sources that are associated with that energy generation facility to provide a desired electrical energy output from that energy generation facility;
providing a power transmission system;
providing Points Of Interconnection (POIs) for each of the two or more energy generation facilities to the power transmission system;
providing two or more energy generation facility output monitoring lines for collecting energy generation facility output data from each of the two or more energy generation facilities at their respective POIs, the energy generation facility output data including data indicating the output voltage of each of the two or more energy generation facilities at their respective POIs;
providing at least one Point Of Utilization (POU);
providing a POU monitoring line for collecting POU data from at least one POU, the POU data including data indicating the voltage of at least one POU;
providing two or more control signal lines for relaying control signals to each of the two or more energy generation facilities, the control signals including output voltage control signals for each of the two or more energy generation facility;
providing a Master Grid Controller (MGC), the MGC controller being a dedicated MGC for two or more energy generation facilities that is separate and distinct from energy generation facility control units for each of the two or more energy generation facilities, the MGC controller providing control signals to the respective energy generation facility control units of the two or more energy generation facilities, the MGC including an MGC data collection module, an MGC analysis module, and an MGC control signal transfer module;
operatively coupling the MGC data collection module to the two or more energy generation facility output monitoring lines to receive the energy generation facility output data,
operatively coupling the MGC data collection module to the POU monitoring line to receive the POU data;
operatively coupling the MGC data analysis module to the MGC data collection module to receive the POU data and energy generation facility output data;
using the MGC data analysis module to monitor and analyze the POU data to determine if a voltage of at least one POU is within a desired POU voltage band;
generating control signals to be sent to the respective energy generation facility control units of each of the two or more energy generation facilities if the MGC data analysis module determines the voltage of at least one POU is not within the desired POU voltage band, the control signals being used to adjust voltage control set points of each of the two or more energy generation facilities at their respective POIs in a manner necessary to bring the voltage of at least one POU into the desired POU voltage band;
using the MGC data analysis module to monitor and analyze the energy generation facility output data to identify where reactive power is being exchanged between any of the two or more energy generation facilities;
generating control signals to be sent to the respective energy generation facility control units of the identified energy generation facilities if the MGC data analysis module identifies reactive power is being exchanged between any of the two or more energy generation facilities, the control signals being used to reduce the exchanged reactive power and to balance the reactive power produced between each of the two or more energy generation facilities;
operatively coupling the MGC control signal transfer module to receive the output voltage control signals and reactive power control signals;
operatively coupling the MGC control signal transfer module to the two or more control signal lines for relaying the control signals to the respective energy generation facility control units of each of the two or more energy generation facilities;
relaying the control signals to the respective energy generation facility control units of each of the two or more energy generation facilities; and
using the control signals and the respective energy generation facility control units of each of the two or more energy generation facilities to control energy generation sources and output voltages for the two or more energy generation facilities.