초록 ▼

Featured are methods for regulating the AC frequency of the electrical power be supplied on an electrical distribution system or grid. Such a method includes electrically coupling an energy storage sub-system to the electrical distribution network, where the energy storage sub-system includes one or

Featured are methods for regulating the AC frequency of the electrical power be supplied on an electrical distribution system or grid. Such a method includes electrically coupling an energy storage sub-system to the electrical distribution network, where the energy storage sub-system includes one or more flywheel energy storage systems. Also featured as devices, systems and apparatuses embodying such methodologies or for use in implementing such methodologies of the present invention.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. In the operation of an electrical utility system having a power distribution grid, said power distribution grid including a plurality of electrical generation facilities and a plurality of electrical loads, which power distribution grid operates based on a conventional method,

What is claimed is: 1. In the operation of an electrical utility system having a power distribution grid, said power distribution grid including a plurality of electrical generation facilities and a plurality of electrical loads, which power distribution grid operates based on a conventional method, for regulating AC frequency of electrical power being distributed through said power distribution grid, the frequency regulation method comprising:configuring said power distribution grid to interconnect said plurality of electrical power generation facilities with one another such that power generated from every one of the power generation facilities is combined, through said grid, to provide said electrical power as a total generated power for distribution, through said grid, to said plurality of electrical loads, and each of said loads exhibits an individual load requirement that varies with time, throughout a given day, at least somewhat independently of at least a number of other ones of said loads, such that all of said loads are combined with one another, through said grid, to define a total system load requirement that varies throughout said given day, and the variation of said total system load requirement includes long term variations defining a daily load curve, and short term variations that fluctuate rapidly, as compared with said long term variations, and at least some of the power generation facilities are adjustable for one of increasing and decreasing said power generated thereby, and each of these adjustable generation facilities exhibits a time lag associated with any adjustment of the power generated thereby, and at least a subset of said adjustable power generation facilities are configured to cooperate with one another for providing an adjustment to said total generated power for at least approximately following said daily load curve, and said adjustment of said total generated power, for following the daily load curve, exhibits a response time, based at least in part on the time lags associated with at least a subset of said adjustable power generation facilities, that is sufficiently long, as compared with at least some of said short term variations, so as to limit an ability of the adjustable power generation facilities to follow the short term variations of said total system load such that said power distribution grid is at least frequently challenged with a conventional mismatch that is caused at least in part by a power difference between said total generated power and said total system load requirement, said power difference having a magnitude that exhibits fluctuations that cause said mismatch to exhibit corresponding fluctuations, at least some of said fluctuations of said power difference being caused by combined variations of a multiplicity of said individual electrical loads, and not by the variation of any single one of said electrical loads, and said independence of the time variations of the individual load requirements causes said fluctuations of said mismatch to be at least generally stochastic such that at least some of the fluctuations of said mismatch are at least generally independent of and uncorrelated with respect to the long term variations of said total load requirement, andrepeatedly, throughout said given day, adjusting the total generated power for at least approximately following the long term variations of said total system load, and for attempting to follow said fluctuations of said mismatch, by(i) monitoring said power distribution grid, at each one of a series of monitoring times throughout said given day, for at least approximately characterizing said mismatch at that time, and(ii) for at least some of said monitoring times throughout said given day at least partially compensating for said mismatch, responsive to said monitoring thereof, to regulate said AC frequency, in a conventional way, by adjusting the total power generated such that said AC frequency is caused to fall within a conventional range of a desired frequency value at least during an interval of time that is initiated by said adjustment,