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 .
Response to Amendment
The Applicant’s Amendment filed on 11/26/2025 in which claims 1 and 7 have been amended, claims 2, 4 and 14-15 have been canceled and entered of record.
Claims 1, 3, and 5-13, are pending for examination.
Response to Argument
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the amended claims 1 and 7 have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection below.
Claim Objections
The limitation in line 3 recites “at least two renewable energy resources” which already recited in claim 7. Applicant should cancel this limitation.
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, and 5-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by BROMBACH (US 20210151985 A1), hereinafter BROMBACH.
Regarding claim 1, BROMBACH discloses a method for controlling a renewable energy park (Figs. 3-4) comprising of at least two renewable energy resources (302), the method comprising:
- measuring a power output of the renewable energy park at a point of measurement (transformer point 310) [0016] “another reference point, such as for example the transformer point”);
- obtaining at least one required utility grid parameter [0028] [0057] [0103] at a point of interconnection (grid link point 304);
- calculating line losses (Z3) between the point of measurement (transformer point 310) and the point of interconnection (grid link point 304) based on at least one measurement [0095] [0096] and at least one line parameter [0095] [0096] of a high voltage line or middle voltage line connecting to at least one pooling substation [0089] [0099];
- determining an electrical power offset based on the calculated line losses or compensating the line losses and for matching with the obtained at least one required utility grid parameter [0045]-[0056] [0071]; and
- adding the determined 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 [0045]-[0056] [0071],
wherein
electrical power is active power or reactive power [0045]-[0056] [0071], and
a number of renewable energy resources depends on the determined electrical power offset based on a difference between provided power output and required power output at the point of interconnection [0086] (the total output power of the wind farm is based on the number of renewable energy resources and the higher power output the higher the power loss thus the higher the offset; wherein power is based on P=V2/R or I2R).
Regarding claim 3, BROMBACH discloses the method of claim 1 above, BROMBACH also discloses the at least one line parameter is resistance [0095] [0096], impedance, susceptance, length, or a combination thereof.
Regarding claim 5, BROMBACH discloses the method of claim 1 above, BROMBACH also discloses the method further comprising:
calculating the at least one utility grid parameter at the point of interconnection [0028] [0057] [0103].
Regarding claim 6, BROMBACH discloses the method of claim 1 above, BROMBACH also discloses the at least one utility grid parameter comprises grid voltage at the point of interconnection [0028] [0057] [0103], power factor at the point of interconnection, reactive power at the point of interconnection, or a combination thereof.
Regarding claim 7, BROMBACH discloses a renewable energy park controller (Figs. 3-4) ([0058] [0086] “central controller for the farm 112”) comprising:
- a measuring unit [0016] [0028] for measuring a power output of renewable energy park at the point of measurement (transformer point 310) ([0016] “another reference point, such as for example the transformer point” [0028]);
- an obtaining unit [0028] [0057] [0103] for obtaining at least one required utility grid parameter [0028] [0057] [0103] at the point of interconnection (grid link point 304);
- a determination unit ([0086] “central controller for the farm 112”) 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 [0045]-[0056] [0071];
- a summation unit ([0058] [0086] “central controller for the farm 112”) for adding electrical power offset to a control set point [0056]-[0058] [0117] of at least two renewable energy resource (302); and
- wherein
electrical power is active power or reactive power [0045]-[0056] [0071],
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 [0086] (the total output power of the wind farm is based on the number of renewable energy resources and the higher power output the higher the power loss thus the higher the offset; wherein power is based on P=V2/R or I2R), and
calculation of the line losses (Z3) is based on at least one measurement [0095] [0096] and at least one line parameter [0095] [0096] of a high voltage line or middle voltage line connecting to at least one pooling substation [0089] [0099].
Regarding claim 8, BROMBACH discloses the renewable energy park controller of claim 7 above, BROMBACH also discloses the renewable energy park controller is connected to each of the at least two renewable energy resources ([0058] [0086] “central controller for the farm 112” controlling each 302).
Regarding claim 9, BROMBACH discloses a method for operating a renewable energy park (Figs. 3-4) comprising the renewable energy park controller of claim 7 above.
Regarding claim 10, BROMBACH discloses the method of claim 9 above, BROMBACH also discloses the method further comprising:
operating at least one of the renewable energy resources with power offset to compensate the line losses [0045]-[0056] [0071].
Regarding claim 11, BROMBACH discloses the method of claim 10 above, BROMBACH also discloses the at least one of the renewable energy resources is operated with reactive power offset [0045]-[0056] [0071].
Regarding claim 12, BROMBACH discloses a renewable energy park (Figs. 3-4) comprising:
the renewable energy park controller of claim 7 (Figs. 3-4) ([0058] [0086] “central controller for the farm 112”) above; and
at least two renewable energy resources (302).
Regarding claim 13, BROMBACH discloses the renewable energy park of claim 12 above, BROMBACH also discloses the renewable energy park further comprising at least one:
a wind turbine park (302) having at least one wind turbine (302);
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.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Rexford Barney can be reached at 571-272-7492. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/THAI H TRAN/Examiner, Art Unit 2836
/REXFORD N BARNIE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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