DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 03/11/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The Applicant’s Amendment filed on 02/03/2026 in which claims 1 and 7 have been amended, claims 4 and 14 have been canceled and entered of record.
Claims 1-3, 5-13, and 15 are pending for examination.
Response to Argument
Applicant's arguments filed on 02/03/2026 with respect to the amended claims 1 and 7 have been considered but are not persuasive because the arguments are based substantially on the newly added limitations by the applicant to the independent claims. Please see the rejection below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-13, and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by VARMA, US Patent Publication 20220166223; hereinafter “VARMA”.
Regarding claim 1, VARMA discloses a method for controlling a renewable energy park (Fig. 1-7) comprising of at least two renewable energy resources (Fig. 1, Solar Farm and Wind Farm), the method comprising:
- measuring a power output of the renewable energy park at a point of measurement (Fig. 1, VS) [0112] [0113];
- obtaining at least one required utility grid parameter at a point of interconnection [0112];
- determining an electrical power offset based on line losses between the point of measurement and the point of interconnection for compensating the line losses and for matching with the at least one required utility grid parameter [0110]- [0116]; and
- adding the electrical power offset to a control set point of the at least two renewable energy resources at a renewable energy park controller for controlling the at least one renewable energy resource [0110]- [0116],
wherein
electrical power is active power or reactive power [0083], and
a number of renewable energy resources depends on determined electrical power offset based on a difference between provided and required power output at the point of interconnection [0110]- [0116] (the total output power of the wind farm is based on the number of renewable energy resources; wherein power is based on P=V2/R).
Regarding claim 2, VARMA discloses the method of claim 1 above, VARMA also discloses the method further comprising:
calculating the line losses based on at least one measurement and at least one line parameter of a high voltage or middle voltage line connecting to at least one pooling substation [0110]- [0116] (Fig. 1, shows the power generation facility (pooling substation) is a 12.7kV middle voltage).
Regarding claim 3, VARMA discloses the method of claim 2 above, VARMA also discloses the at least one line parameter is resistance, impedance, susceptance, length, or a combination thereof [0110]- [0116].
Regarding claim 5, VARMA discloses the method of claim 1 above, VARMA also discloses the method further comprising:
calculating the at least one utility grid parameter at the point of interconnection [0110]- [0116].
Regarding claim 6, VARMA discloses the method of claim 1 above, VARMA also discloses the at least one utility grid parameter comprises grid voltage at the point of interconnection, power factor at the point of interconnection, reactive power at the point of interconnection, or a combination thereof [0110]- [0116].
Regarding claim 7, VARMA discloses a renewable energy park controller (Fig. 1) [0015] comprising:
- a measuring unit for measuring a power output of renewable energy park at the point of measurement (Fig. 1, VS) [0112] [0113] [0153]- [0154] (to measure, a measurement unit is required);
- an obtaining unit for obtaining at least one required utility grid parameter at the point of interconnection [0112] [0153]- [0154] (to measure, an obtaining unit is required);
- a determination unit for determining electrical power offset based on line losses between the point of measurement and the point of interconnection for compensating the line losses and for matching with the at least one required utility grid parameter [0110]-[0116];
- a summation unit for adding electrical power offset to a control set point of at least renewable energy resource [0110]-[0116]; and
- wherein
electrical power is active power or reactive power [0083], and
the number of renewable energy resources depends on determined electrical power offset based on a difference between provided and required power output at the point of interconnection [0110]- [0116] (the total output power of the wind farm is based on the number of renewable energy resources; wherein power is based on P=V2/R).
Regarding claim 8, VARMA discloses the renewable energy park controller of claim 7 above, VARMA also discloses the renewable energy park controller is connected to each of the at least two renewable energy resources (Fig. 1, Solar Farm and Wind Farm).
Regarding claim 9, VARMA discloses a method for operating a renewable energy park (Fig. 1, Solar Farm and Wind Farm) [0015] comprising the renewable energy park controller of claim 7 above.
Regarding claim 10, VARMA discloses the method of claim 9 above, VARMA also discloses the method further comprising:
operating at least one of the renewable energy resources with power offset to compensate the line losses [0110]- [0116].
Regarding claim 11, VARMA discloses the method of claim 9 above, VARMA also discloses the at least one of the renewable energy resources is operated with reactive power offset [0110]- [0116].
Regarding claim 12, VARMA discloses a renewable energy park (Fig. 1, Solar Farm and Wind Farm) comprising:
the renewable energy park controller of claim 7 above; and
at least two renewable energy resources (Fig. 1, Solar Farm and Wind Farm).
Regarding claim 13, VARMA discloses the renewable energy park (Fig. 1, Solar Farm and Wind Farm) of claim 12 above, VARMA also discloses the renewable energy park further comprising at least one:
a wind turbine park having at least one wind turbine (Fig. 1, Wind Farm);
a photovoltaic park having at least one photovoltaic device;
a biomass park having at least one biomass device;
a hydro park having at least one hydro device; or
a combination thereof as renewable energy resource.
Regarding claim 15, VARMA discloses a processor-readable memory storing nontransitory instructions that, when executed, cause a processor [0154] to implement the operations of the method according to claim 1 above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THAI H TRAN whose telephone number is (571)270-0668. The examiner can normally be reached M - F 8:30 - 5:00.
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/THAI H TRAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2836
/REXFORD N BARNIE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2836