WO2011032591A1

WO2011032591A1 - Device for optimizing the electric power supply for homes, offices, industries and the like

Info

Publication number: WO2011032591A1
Application number: PCT/EP2009/062055
Authority: WO
Inventors: Franco Traverso; Fabio Zanoni
Original assignee: Solaris D.O.O.
Priority date: 2009-09-17
Filing date: 2009-09-17
Publication date: 2011-03-24

Abstract

A device (10) for optimizing the electric power supply for users such as homes, offices, industries and the like, comprising an electronic control unit (11) adapted to manage the delivery of electric power to the user (15) from at least one source between the grid (14), an accumulation unit (18b) and an alternative power generation system (18), the device (10) being designed to be installed between the user (15) and the magneto-thermal breaker (20) associated with the grid (14).

Description

DEVICE FOR OPTIMIZING THE ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLY FOR HOMES, OFFICES, INDUSTRIES AND THE LIKE

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a device for optimizing the electric power supply for homes, offices, industries and the like.

Background Art

Currently in homes, offices, banks, businesses and other similar users, the electrical instruments and appliances that require mains power to operate are numerous, and the overall energy demand for the operation of all of such devices vastly exceeds the limits set by the operator of the electrical grid.

Moreover, currently the electronic meters installed by the operator at user premises are far more sensitive than the breakers of the previous generation and trip so as to interrupt the supply of power to the user as soon as the value of the power demand exceeds by a very small amount the preset peak absorption percentage, which defines the actual limit set by the contract.

For this reason, uninterruptible power supplies, which start to operate in case of failure of the grid to supply current, as in the case of a blackout, and are able, albeit in a limited manner and only in certain models, to compensate for user overloads, are becoming widespread in homes and businesses.

Moreover, alternative power generation systems, such as especially but not exclusively photovoltaic systems, are currently increasingly widespread in homes, offices, banks, businesses and other similar users.

Installing a system, for example a photovoltaic one, entails a contract with the operator of the local or national electrical grid in the case of a state incentive.

While such electrical grid operator remunerates the power generated by the system of a private individual or other organization, it does not allow such private user or organization to benefit directly from the generated power, imposing nonetheless thereon the grid utilization limits set by the normal supply contract.

Disclosure of the Invention

The aim of the present invention is to provide a device for optimizing the electric power supply for homes, offices, industries and the like that is capable of compensating user overloads in case of a blackout, with the possibility of integrating the advantages of an alternative power generation system with the advantages of an uninterruptible static power supply.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a device that is capable of compensating user overloads without an interruption of the supply from the grid.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device that is optionally capable of taking over from the grid completely.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device that is easy to install and equally easy to manage.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device that also has the functions of an uninterruptible power supply.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device that can be manufactured with known systems and technologies.

This aim, these objects and others, which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a device for optimizing the electric power supply for users such as homes, offices, industries and the like, characterized in that it comprises an electronic control unit with a microprocessor, with which the following are associated:

- means for measuring and controlling the voltage, current and phase parameters available from the electrical grid and required by the user,

- an electric power accumulation unit,

- an inverter for converting the direct current that originates from the accumulation unit into alternating current available for the user, said electronic control unit being adapted to manage the delivery of electric power to the user from at least one source selected between said grid and said accumulation unit, said device being designed to be installed between the user and the breaker relay that is associated with the grid.

Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment thereof, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a general diagram of the device according to the invention, applied between a user and the grid;

Figure 2 is a diagram of the device according to the invention in its main components.

Ways of carrying out the Invention

With reference to the figures, a device for optimizing the electric power supply for users such as homes, offices, industries and the like according to the invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10.

The device 10 comprises an electronic control unit 11 with a microprocessor 12, with which the following are associated:

- means 13 for measuring and controlling the voltage, current and phase parameters available from an electrical grid 14 and required by a user 15,

- an electric power accumulation unit 18b,

- an inverter 19a for converting the direct current that originates from the accumulation unit 18b or from an alternative power generation system 18 into alternating current available for the user. Preferably, the device 10 further comprises the alternative power generation system 18, which is connected to the inverter 19a by way of regulation and interconnection means 17. The electronic control unit 1 1 is adapted, i.e., programmed, to manage the delivery of electric power to the user 15 from at least one source selected among the grid 14, the accumulation unit 18b and conveniently the alternative power generation system 18.

The device 10 is designed to be installed between the user 15 and a breaker relay 20 associated with the grid 14.

The inverter 19a advantageously comprises a power unit 19, which is connected to a transformer 21.

The transformer 21 is preceded by a first filtering unit 22, which is therefore arranged between the power unit 19 and the transformer 21.

The transformer 21 is interconnected at one end with a battery charging unit 23, which in turn is connected to the inverter 19a, and a second filtering unit 24, which also acts as protection for the control unit 1 1.

The second filtering unit 24 is therefore connected both to the grid 14 and to the control unit 1 1 and the wiring for the user 15 exits from the second filtering unit 24.

Conveniently, a filtering device 16, which conveniently comprises at least one electric capacitor, is arranged between the inverter 19a and the regulation and interconnection means 17.

The accumulation unit 18b conveniently comprises one or more electric batteries arranged between the inverter 19a and the alternative power generation system 18.

A component 25 for managing the inverter 19a and the battery charging unit 23 is also associated with the control unit 1 1 ; the component 25 is interposed between the unit 1 1 and the inverter 19a and between the unit 1 1 and the battery charging unit 23.

A temperature control device 26, with a corresponding cooling fan 27, and a series of user interfaces, both local ones, such as a display 28, a keyboard 29 or another generic peripheral output 30, and remote ones, such as a master/slave control 31 , a serial interface 32, or an additional external and remote display 33, are also associated with the control unit 1 1.

The power unit 19 is formed by a series of semiconductors of the MOSFET type or other similar and equivalent type.

The device 10 also comprises a first shunt 34, i.e., a current shunt, on the line between the battery charging unit 23 and the power unit 19, and a second shunt 35 on the line between the filtering unit 16 and the accumulation unit 18b, or by means of the regulation and interconnection means 17 to the alternative power generation system 18.

The control unit 1 1 , with the inverter 19a, the measurement and control means 13, the transformer 21 , the filtering units 22 and 24, the battery charging unit 23, the management component 25 and the fan 27 are accommodated in a box-like containment and protection body 36, which can be accommodated easily in a small space proximate to the breaker relay 20.

The alternative power generation system 18 is preferably a system with photovoltaic solar panels.

The main operation of the device 10 according to the invention is as follows.

The control unit 1 1 measures the energy demand of the user 15, for example 3800 W, and compares it to the availability of the grid 14, which can be for example 3300 W as per normal supply contract.

The device 10, arranged downstream of the breaker relay 20, intercepts the so-called power demand peak, which exceeds the grid availability by 500 W, and meets this power demand peak by opening the connection of the user 15 either to the accumulation unit 18b or to the alternative power system 18.

Both the accumulation unit 18b and the system 18 supply low-voltage direct current to the inverter 19a.

In particular, the power supplied by the system 18, by way of the regulation and interconnection means 17 and by the accumulation unit 18b, by way of the regulation and interconnection means 17 and the filtering device 16, is conveyed as low-voltage direct current to the power unit 19, which supplies it to the transformer 21 and from there to the second filtering and protection unit 24.

In this manner, the grid continues to supply 3300 W, the accumulation unit 18b or the alternative power system 18 supply the extra 500 W needed, and the user 15 sees its demand met without the breaker relay 20 or the electronic meter interrupting delivery from the grid 14.

When instead the demand of the user 15 is lower than the availability of the grid 14, the power that arrives from the alternative power generation system 18 is diverted by means of the inverter 19a to the battery charging unit 23, which in this case is also supplied by the grid 14, so that the batteries are always at their maximum capacity and are ready for use.

If the alternative power generation system 18 is a solar panel system, it cannot operate at night.

In this case, the peak power required by the user 15 is supplied by the accumulation unit 18b.

A second different possible operation of the device 10 according to the invention entails that the electronic control unit 1 1 is programmed to send to the user 15 power that is drawn either from the accumulation unit 18b or from the alternative power system 18, without drawing power from the grid 14 unless the user 15 requires a higher power absorption than the system 18 and the accumulation unit 18b can provide; in this case, the device 10 ensures that the missing power is drawn from the grid 14 for the time required.

The device 10 according to the invention is to be understood as being programmable and usable also in other similar and equivalent ways, all of which involve the management of the three power sources, which are the grid, the accumulation unit and the alternative power generation system, and all are to be understood as being related to the invention.

In practice it has been found that the invention thus described solves the intended aim and objects.

In particular, the present invention provides a device for optimizing the electric power supply for homes, offices, industries and the like, acting as an energy converter, capable of increasing the advantages of an alternative power generation system, integrating them with the advantages of an uninterruptible power supply.

The device 10 in fact allows the user to choose whether he/she is to be supplied only from the grid or predominantly from the grid and from the accumulation unit or alternative system only in case of overload peaks, or if he/she is to be supplied only from the alternative system and the accumulation unit and from the grid only for overloads.

Therefore, the device according to the invention is capable of withstanding the overloads of the user without an interruption of the supply from the grid, but is also capable of replacing the grid completely.

Not least, the present invention provides a device that can be manufactured with known systems and technologies.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all which are within the scope of the appended claims; all the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

In practice, the materials employed, so long as they are compatible with the specific use, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

1. A device (10) for optimizing the electric power supply for users such as homes, offices, industries and the like, characterized in that it comprises an electronic control unit (1 1) with a microprocessor (12), with which the following are associated:

- means (13) for measuring and controlling the voltage, current and phase parameters available from the electrical grid (14) and required by the user (15),

- an electric power accumulation unit ( 18b),

- an inverter (19a) for converting the direct current that originates from the accumulation unit (18b) into alternating current available for the user,

said electronic control unit (1 1) being adapted to manage the delivery of electric power to the user (15) from at least one source selected between said grid (14) and said accumulation unit (18b), said device (10) being designed to be installed between the user (15) and the breaker relay (20) that is associated with the grid (14).

2. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that said inverter (19a) comprises a power (19), a transformer (21) arranged in output to the power unit ( 19), said transformer (21 ) being preceded by a first filtering unit (22), which is therefore arranged between said power unit (19) and said transformer (21), said transformer (21) being interconnected at one end to a battery charging unit (23), which in turn is connected to the inverter (19a), and at the other end to a second filtering unit (24), which also acts as protection for the control unit (1 1), the wiring for the user device (15) exiting from said second filtering unit (24), which is connected both to the grid (14) and to the control unit (1 1).

3. The device according to the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an alternative power generation system (18), which is connected, by way of regulation and interconnection means (17), to said inverter (19a) to convert the direct current that originates from the alternative power generation system (18) into alternating current available to the user, said electronic control unit (1 1) being adapted to manage the delivery of electric power to the user (15) from at least one source selected among said grid (14), said accumulation unit (18b) and said alternative power generation system (18).

4. The device according to the preceding claims, characterized in that said accumulation unit (18b) is constituted by one or more batteries arranged between the inverter (19a) and the alternative power generation system (18).

5. The device according to the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a filtering device (16), which comprises at least one electric capacitor interposed between said alternative power generation system and said inverter (19a).

6. The device according to the preceding claims, characterized in that a component (25) for managing the inverter (19a) and the battery charging unit (23) is also associated with the control unit (1 1), said component (25) being interposed between the control unit (1 1) and the inverter ( 19) and between said unit (1 1) and the battery charging unit (23).

7. The device according to the preceding claims, characterized in that a temperature control device (26) with a corresponding cooling fan (27) and a series of user interfaces, both local ones, such as a display (28), a keyboard (29) or another generic peripheral output (30), and remote ones, such as a master/slave control (31), a serial interface (32), or a further external and remote display (33), are also associated with the control unit (1 1).

8. The device according to the preceding claims, characterized in that said power unit (19) comprises a series of semiconductors of the MOSFET type or of another similar and equivalent type.

9. The device according to the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a first shunt (34), i.e., a current sham, on the line between the battery charging unit (23) and the power unit (19), and a second shunt (35) on the line between the filtering device (16) and the means (17) for regulation and interconnection to the alternative power generation system (18) and the accumulation unit ( 18b).

10. The device according to the preceding claims, characterized in that said control unit (1 1), the measurement and control means (13), with the inverter (19a), the transformer (21), the filtering units (22, 24), the battery charging unit (23), the management component (25) and the fan (27) are accommodated in a box-like containment and protection body (36).

1 1. The device according to the preceding claims, characterized in that said alternative power generation system (18) is preferably a system with photovoltaic solar panels.