US 2017/0285720 A1 - Method And System For Mitigating Transmission Congestion Via Distributed Computing And Blockchain Technology - The Lens

Method And System For Mitigating Transmission Congestion Via Distributed Computing And Blockchain Technology

Published: Oct 5, 2017
Earliest Priority: May 07 2017
Family: 1
Cited Works: 0
Cited by: 4
Cites: 0
Additional Info: Full text

Abstract

A method and a system for mitigating transmission congestion are provided. The computer-implemented method uses distributed computing technology to convert electricity to useful work when determined beneficial to the electricity grid or grid assets. The method also includes an arrangement and prioritization of nodes to perform such work, whether located remotely or within a designated facility.

Claims

A method for power grid balancing, comprising the steps of:
analyzing the data of a power system with at least one node to determine whether a power grid problem exists; and

coordinating the control of at least one distributed computing resource associated with the at least one node, to mitigate the grid problem.
A method according to claim 1, wherein the power system data includes at least one of a power node location, power demand at the power node location, power flow magnitude at the power node location, maximum power flow allowed through the power node, and locational marginal price of electricity at the power node.
A method according to claim 1, wherein the control of at least one distributed computing resource further comprises the steps of:
determining the availability of the distributed computing resource;

calculating a reliability level for the distributed computing resource;

associating an energy and financial cost to run the distributed computing resource; and

prioritizing the distributed computing resources based on any of the aforementioned steps.
A method according to claim 1, wherein the grid problem is a negative locational marginal price event.
A method according to claim 1, wherein the distributed computing resources increase power consumption levels by running blockchain distributed ledgers to mitigate or eliminate the grid problem.
A method according to claim 1, wherein the distributed computing resources are financially rewarded based on the calculated amount of work performed during the grid problem event time.
A method according to claim 1, further comprising a financial reward for mitigating or eliminating the grid problem, the financial reward being shared between the owner of the distributed computing resource and at least one other party participating in the operation of the power grid.
A method according to claim 1, wherein the distributed computing resources;
receive an activation signal; and

determine a participation level for work to perform based on the activation signal.
A method according to claim 1, wherein the distributed computing resource has a specified network architecture to allow for communication and control of the available computational resources, comprising:
a priority metric approach based on system constraints;

a fairness metric so that resources can be equally utilized in terms the priority metric;

an accounting method to allocate credit among distributed computing resource participants;

a recovery module to recover from system connectivity disruptions;

a thermal adjustment metric to account for thermal losses when running the distributed computing resource; and

a power grid node location associated with the distributed computing resource.
A power grid comprising:
a plurality of distributed computing resources at a number of power grid node locations in the power grid, each having;

a controller for control of the distributed computing resource and for communication with the other distributed computing resources within a local group of distributed computing resources to enable coordinated response of the other distributed computing resources within the respective local group of distributed computing resources;

a processor that receives a control signal from the controller and reacts by performing a computational procedure; and

a transceiver for communication with the controller to receive commands to start and stop the processor, to communicate the outcome of the computational process and to receive instructions and associated data for new computational processes.
The power grid of claim 10, wherein the plurality of distributed computing resources are grouped into nodes, and each of the plurality of distributed computing resources being associated with at least one power grid node.
The power grid of claim 10, wherein the power grid has at least one of a locational marginal price, power transmission or distribution line, energy generation source, distributed computing resource, and power demand load.
The power grid of claim 10, further comprising a computational process run by the distributed computing resource, wherein the computational process:
performs a blockchain proof of work calculation;

has an associated financial reward;

wherein the associated reward is shared between the owner of the distributed computing resource and at least one other party participating in the operation of the power grid.
The power grid of claim 10, wherein the distributed computing resources run computational operations to consume power during negative locational marginal pricing events and reduce or eliminate the negative locational marginal pricing event.
The power grid of claim 10, wherein the plurality of distributed computing resources utilize their excess capacity during grid events by asynchronously accepting computational work requests.
A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for a method for power grid balancing, comprising the steps of:
receiving, over a network, a plurality of power system data over time of at least two power system nodes;

determining, using at least one computing device, the locational marginal price of the at least two power system nodes;

determining, using at least one computing device, whether a more suitable combination of locational marginal prices can be achieved;

calculating grid parameter changes required to fix the grid abnormality;

coordinating the control of at least one distributed computing resource associated with the power system node; and

transmitting an activation signal to the distributed computing resource.
The computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising the steps of:
calculating the availability of the distributed computing resources;

recalculating the locational marginal price of the at least two power system nodes to see if a beneficial change occurred; and

calculating the amount of work performed by the distributed computing resource during the grid problem event time.
The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the power system data includes at least one of a power node location, power demand at the power node location, power flow magnitude at the power node location, maximum power flow allowed through the power node, and price of electricity at the power node.
The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the distributed computing resources run blockchain distributed ledgers to mitigate or eliminate the grid problem.
The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the distributed computing resources are financially rewarded based on the calculated amount of work performed during the grid problem event time.