JP2003244843A - Power-purchasing system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power-purchasing system, by which an electric power company can purchase and sell a large amount of electric power from a large number of customers via a network. <P>SOLUTION: The electric power company 2, which sells electric power to indefinite number of the customers through a power line 11 of a system is configured, capable of transmitting signals to a power-generating means (generator) 5 owned by a particular customer via a communication network 1. The company 2 transmits a signal for demanding the increase of the amount of electric power supply to the system to the generator 5 of the preset particular customer, and receives the supply of electric power from the customer who owns the generator 5 configured, capable of supplying generated power to the system. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a power purchase system in which a power company is supplied with electric power from a customer having a power generation unit configured to be capable of supplying generated electric power to a grid.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, general households or companies have been equipped with power generation devices such as thermal power generation, hydraulic power generation, and fuel cells. The electric power generated by these power generators supplies the electric power of the whole or a part of electric equipment such as lighting, air conditioner audio equipment, copying equipment, telephones and machine tools used in homes or companies. In addition, there is a case where electric power such as wind power generation and solar power generation is used to supply electric power to all or part of electric equipment such as lighting, air conditioner audio equipment, copy equipment, telephone, machine tool, etc. used at home or in the office. .

On the other hand, in recent years, a plurality of electric power companies in Japan have been able to carry out the power generation business in general households or companies other than the power company due to the liberalization of the power market by introducing the market principle into the power generation business. It has become possible to sell electric power generated by a general household or company to an electric power company.

[0004]

However, in a general household or company, a part of the amount of power used by purchasing from the power line of the grid of the power company, or in the general household or company In some cases, a power generator with a large power generation capacity that can cover the amount of electric power is installed. In such a general household, the amount of power used by the power generation device is small in many cases during the daytime when the user stays at home for work, and the power generation device such as thermal power generation or a fuel cell uses only part of the power generation capacity. In particular, if the power generation capacity of the power generator is large, the generated power will be wasted even if it is used at home or in a company. Therefore, there is a problem that the operating efficiency of the power generator is extremely poor.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the problems of the related art, and an electric power company provides a power purchase system capable of purchasing a large amount of power from a large number of customers via a network. The purpose is to do.

[0006]

That is, in the power purchase system of the present invention, an electric power company is supplied with electric power from a customer having a power generation unit configured to be capable of supplying generated power to a grid. In addition to transmitting a signal via a communication network, a signal requesting an increase in the amount of power supplied to the grid is transmitted to a predetermined specific customer's power generation means.

Further, the power purchase system according to claim 2 is
In addition to the above, the signal transmitted from the electric power company maximizes the amount of power generated by the power generation means.

The power purchase system according to claim 3 is
In addition to claim 1 or claim 2, the network uses the Internet.

Further, the power purchase system according to claim 4 is
In addition to claim 1 or claim 2, the network uses a network using a power line of the system.

According to the present invention, in a power purchase system in which a power company is supplied with electric power from a customer having a power generation unit configured to be capable of supplying generated power to a grid, a signal can be transmitted to the power generation unit via a communication network. In addition, the power company sends a signal requesting an increase in the amount of power supplied to the grid to the power generation means of a predetermined specific customer, so that the power company uses the network to generate power from the power generation means owned by the specific customer. The amount of power supplied to the grid can be increased without bothering the customer. This allows
The electric power company can use the network to purchase a large amount of electric power from the power generation means owned by a large number of customers. Therefore, it is only necessary for the electric power company to send a signal requesting an increase in the amount of electric power supplied to the grid to the power generation means of a specific customer,
For example, customers can purchase surplus power from their own power generation means and significantly increase the power of the power lines of the grid, and electric power companies do not need to install new power generation means for the large amount of power purchased from many customers. Therefore, it is possible to significantly reduce the cost.

According to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the above,
For example, the signal sent from the power company maximizes the amount of power generated by the power generation means. Therefore, for example, the power company purchases maximum power from the power generation means owned by a large number of customers who use the network. Is possible. As a result, the electric power company can purchase a large amount of electric power by using the network, and the customer can significantly improve the operation efficiency of the power generation means owned by the customer. Therefore, for example, the customer can sell the surplus power of the power generation means that he / she owns to the maximum, so that the operating efficiency of the power generation means can be significantly improved, and the customer can sell the power generation means by selling the power. The cost can be significantly reduced.

[0012] In particular, by selling surplus power that can be generated by the power generation means owned by the customer, the customer can direct the profit to the power generation means. As a result, it becomes possible to install a power generation means that exceeds the maximum power generation capacity used by the customer. Therefore, it is expected that the power generation means will be widely spread, and the profits of both the customer and the electric power company can be greatly increased as a whole.

According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to claim 1 or claim 2, since the network uses the Internet, the electric power company buys power to the power generation means owned by many customers at the same time via the Internet. A request signal can be transmitted. This eliminates the need to make a purchase request to each customer by telephone or fax, for example. Therefore, the electric power company can very easily make a power purchase request to the customer, and at the same time, can send a power purchase request signal to all the specific customers who have contracts with the electric power company. Therefore, the electric power company can purchase electric power from the customer only in the required amount of electric power in the time period in which the electric power needs to be purchased, and the electric power can be efficiently purchased.

According to the invention of claim 4, in addition to claim 1 or claim 2, since the network uses the network using the power line of the grid, the customer generates power at the place where the power line of the grid is installed. If the owner owns the means, the purchase request signal can be transmitted to the power generation means owned by the customer anywhere. Thereby, for example, it becomes possible to purchase electric power from the power generation means owned by the customer without using a communication network other than the electric power company. Therefore, the convenience of both the customer and the electric power company can be greatly increased.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A power purchase system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG.
1 is a network such as the Internet that communicates by a communication network using a telephone line, cable TV, or an optical cable, 2 is a power company that mainly sells generated power, and 3 is a home owned by a customer It is a server, and the power company 2 and the home server 3 are the network 1
It is connected to the. The customer owns the power generation device 5 as a power generation means to be described later and uses the indoor wiring 11A for L
An AN (LAN using a power line) is provided, and the home server 3 and the power generation device 5 are connected to the LAN.

The power generator 5 is used by a customer at home, for example, a lighting fixture, a washing machine, a microwave oven, an oven,
Electric generators, air conditioners, heaters, fans, refrigerators, televisions, audio equipment such as video, copy equipment, generators that can generate power consumption of all electric equipment such as telephones or machine tools, or customers can use it at home It is a generator that can generate a part of the amount of power used by all electrical equipment used in.
Further, the customer may be a general electric power consumer who purchases all the electric power of the electric appliance used by the customer at home or a part of the electric power from the electric power line of the grid of the electric power company 2. More specifically, the customer is an unspecified number of general individuals or companies (in this case, the power supply from the power company 2 is usually used to purchase the power consumption of the electric device used in the home from the power company 2). The general household that owns a private power generator without buying electricity, including companies) etc.

Here, the network 1 is a power line 1 of a system other than the Internet, which is a communication network for performing communication using a telephone line, a cable television, or an optical cable.
A network using 1 may be used. In this case, the power company 2 can use the power line 11 of the grid for the network 1, so that the customer owns the power generation device 5 even in a place where a telephone line, a cable TV, an optical cable or the like is not installed. If so, the power purchase request signal can be transmitted to the power generation device 5 owned by the customer anywhere.

The electric power company 2 is configured to be able to supply electric power to the customer from the electric power line 11 of the system, and exchanges signals with a specific customer who has a contract with the electric power company 2 by using the network 1. Is configured to be possible. The power company 2
Although not shown in the figure, there is provided a server equipped with a microcomputer, and this server has a specific signal predetermined to request a customer who owns the power generation device 5 to increase the amount of power supplied to the power line 11 of the grid. It is provided with a program for transmitting to the power generation device 5 of the customer.

Further, the home server 3 is provided with a microcomputer, and the microcomputer of the home server 3 is provided with a signal receiving means 3B composed of a program capable of exchanging signals with the electric power company 2 via the network 1.
Is equipped with. A storage device 4 for storing data is connected to the home server 3, and programs and data are stored in the storage device 4. Then, when a signal requesting an increase in the amount of power supplied to the grid from the power company 2 (hereinafter referred to as a power purchase request signal) is transmitted to the power generation device 5 owned by the customer, the signal receiving means. 3B receives the power purchase request signal, and the home server 3 controls the power generation device 5 based on the power purchase request signal from the power company 2 to increase the amount of power supply to the power line 11 of the grid. Has been done.

On the other hand, the power generator 5 may be a power generator such as a thermal power generator, a hydraulic power generator, a wind power generator, a solar power generator, a gas turbine power generator, or a fuel cell power generator. In addition, in the power generation device 5 of the present embodiment,
A power generation device 5 including a cogeneration system such as a thermal power generation device, a gas turbine power generation device, or a fuel cell power generation device is used.

The power generator 5 is also provided with a controller 5A, and this controller 5A is configured to be able to send and receive signals to and from the home server 3. When the signal receiving means 3B of the home server 3 receives the power purchase request signal transmitted from the server of the electric power company 2, the home server 3 transmits the power purchase request signal to the controller 5A. In response to this power purchase request signal, the controller 5A controls the operation of the power generation device 5, such as operation, stop, and increase / decrease in operation capacity. Also, a current transformer (C / T in the figure) described later
When the controller 5A receives the signal detected by the controller 8, the home server 3 is configured to control the controller 5A to control the power generator 5 such as operation, stop, and increase / decrease in operation capacity ( (Fig. 2).

That is, when the signal reception means 3B receives the power purchase request signal transmitted from the server of the electric power company 2 via the network 1, the home server 3 controls the controller 5A to generate power. To increase. The power generator 5 is connected to an inverter 7 via a rectifying / smoothing circuit 6, and the inverter 7 is connected to an indoor wiring 11A via a current transformer 8 as a current detector and a distributor 9.
It is connected to the.

The current transformer 8 detects the current flowing through the indoor wiring 11A of the home, that is, the total amount of electric power consumed at home, and sends a signal of the detected amount of electric power to the controller 5A. Although not shown in the indoor wiring 11A,
Indoor lighting equipment, washing machine, microwave oven, oven, electric heater, air conditioner, heating equipment, fan, refrigerator,
Connected to the load is an audio device such as a television, a video device, a copying device, a telephone, or an electric device such as a machine tool.
The power generation status data generated by the power generator 5 is transmitted to the server of the electric power company 2 via the network 1 in the home server 3, and the electric power company 2 grasps the electric power supplied to the electric power line 11 of the grid. it can.

The rectifying / smoothing circuit 6 rectifies the AC power generated by the power generator 5 and converts it into DC power. The inverter 7 converts the DC power rectified by the rectifying / smoothing circuit 6 into a voltage of 100 V or 200 V having a frequency of AC 50 Hz or 60 Hz which can be used in general households. In addition, the distributor 9 supplies power by dividing the home into a plurality of parts in order to prevent the power supply to the entire home from being stopped due to a large amount of power flowing through a part of the indoor wiring in the home. At the same time, it is a device that distributes the amount of electric power according to the place of use in order to prevent an electric accident from occurring due to a large amount of electric power flowing through part of the indoor wiring. still,
Since the technique of converting the DC power into the frequency and voltage that can be used in general households by the inverter 7 is a well-known technique, detailed description thereof will be omitted. Further, since the power generation device 5 such as the solar power generation device and the fuel cell power generation device directly outputs DC power, the rectification / smoothing circuit 6 does not perform rectification.

Further, the home server 3 is provided with means for supplying power to the power line 11 of the system. The means for supplying power to the power line 11 of this system is generated by the power generation device 5 owned by the customer when the signal reception means 3B of the home server 3 receives the power purchase request signal transmitted from the server of the power company 2. The voltage of the power converted by the inverter 7 is
The voltage is set higher than the voltage of the power flowing through the power line 11 of the grid by a predetermined voltage. As a result, the electric power generated by the power generation device 5 flows through the power line 11 of the grid, so that the power generated by the power generation device 5 owned by the customer can be sold to the electric power company 2. Note that the technique of selling power to the power company 2 by supplying the power generated by the power generator 5 and rectified by the rectifying / smoothing circuit 6 and converted by the inverter 7 to the power line 11 of the system is a well-known technique. Detailed description is omitted.

Further, the home server 3 has a power failure detection function, and is connected to the power line 1 of the grid from the power generator of the power company 2.
In the case of a power failure in which power is not supplied to 1, the power generated by the power generation device 5 owned by the customer cannot be supplied to the power line 11 of the grid. In this case, the power line 11 of the grid
When the power of the power generation device 5 owned by the customer is supplied to the power line 11 of the grid at the time of the power outage, the power company 2 cuts the power line 11 of the grid and is constructing the power line 11. There is a risk of electric shock to people who are working on the power line 11, so when the power line 11 of the grid is out of order, the power generator 5 owned by the customer should not be able to sell power to the power line 11 of the grid of the power company 2. Is configured. Note that the technique for detecting the power flowing through the power line 11 of the grid by the power failure detection function is a well-known technique in the related art, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The current transformer 8 is connected to the controller 5A. A waveform detector (A / D) 10 is branched from between the inverter 7 and the current transformer 8, and the output of the waveform detector 10 is connected to the controller 5A. Then, when the generated power generated by the power generator 5 is sold, the controller 5A allows the customer to use the power line 1 of the grid.
Frequency of power purchased from 1 (50Hz or 60
(Hz) in phase (synchronization) with the control operation of the power generation device 5 and the output voltage of the inverter 7 from the voltage of the power purchased from the power company 2 by means for supplying power to the power line 11 of the grid. Increase the specified voltage. The home server 3 detects the current flowing from the current transformer 8 to the indoor wiring 11A via the controller 5A, and controls the inverter 7 when the output frequency of the inverter 7 fluctuates due to the load fluctuation condition. The output frequency of the inverter 7 is synchronized with the frequency of the power that is purchased from the power line 11 of the second system and flows through the indoor wiring 11A.

In addition, the inverter 7 and the current transformer 8
While branching from the space and connecting the electricity purchase meter 12,
The power purchase meter 12 is connected to the power line 11 of the system via the power sale meter 13. The power purchase meter 12 is a meter that represents the amount of power purchased when the customer purchases power from the power company 2, and the power selling meter 13 supplies the power generated by the customer to the power line 11 of the grid of the power company 2. It is a meter showing the amount of electric power sold when the electric power is sold. in this case,
When the customer purchases power from the power company 2, the power purchase meter 12 operates, and when the power generated by the power generation device 5 owned by the customer is sold to the power company 2, the power sale meter 1
3 is configured to operate.

On the other hand, the home server 3 is provided with a database 3A.
In A, the customer name for identifying the customer, the customer's address, the telephone number of the customer's contact information, and the name of the electric device used by the customer (for example, a refrigerator, an air conditioner, a microwave oven, an electric heater, ...
.. etc.) is entered and saved (Fig. 3). Further, the storage device 4 stores and stores data such as the maximum power generation amount of the power generation device 5 owned by the customer, the current power generation amount, the purchaseable power amount, the planned power sale amount, and the like. The inner server 3 controls the controller 5 </ b> A based on these data to control and operate the power generation device 5.

It should be noted that the planned electric power sales amount is expected to increase the noise of the power generation device 5 when the power generation device 5 is always operated at the maximum capacity. It is configured so that noise can be reduced without operating the device 5 at maximum capacity. If the customer does not sell the power generated by the power generator 5, if the value is set to 0, the power is not sold. Further, if the power generator 5 operates at maximum capacity and no malfunction occurs, it is not necessary to set the planned amount of electric power to be sold.

The server of the power company 2 requests the power generation device 5 (home server 3) owned by a specific customer who has a contract with the power company 2 to purchase power through the network 1. It is configured to be able to transmit signals. The server of the electric power company 2 is provided with a database 2A, and the name of the customer who has a contract with the electric power company 2 and contact information (address, telephone number, etc.) in the database 2A,
The name of the electric device connected to the indoor wiring 11A of the customer's home, whether or not the customer purchases power from the power company 2, and whether the power generated by the power generator 5 owned by the customer is sold to the power company 2. Data such as whether or not only the power generated by the power generation device 5 is sold to the power company 2 is stored in the order of addresses (FIG. 4).

Specifically, in the database 2A of the electric power company 2, the customer name is AAAA at address 0001, contact information such as address and telephone number, electric equipment such as air conditioner and refrigerator, contract relationship such as power purchase and power sale. Data is saved. Address 0002 stores contact information such as an address and a telephone number, a customer name such as BBBB, electric equipment such as an air conditioner and a refrigerator, and contract-related data such as power purchase and sale. In the address 0003, contact information such as an address and a telephone number, electric equipment such as an air conditioner and a refrigerator, and contract-related data such as power purchase and sale of power are stored under a customer name of CCCC. Address 0004 stores contact information such as an address and a telephone number, a customer name such as DDDD, electric equipment such as an air conditioner and a refrigerator, and contract-related data such as power purchase and sale. The electrical equipment is not limited to air conditioners, refrigerators, etc.
Other electric devices such as TVs and machine tools may be used.

Although not shown, the server of the electric power company 2 is provided with an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse and a display device 21 such as a liquid crystal display and a CRT (FIG. 5). The display device 21 has a correction button 2 for correcting the data stored in the database 2A.
3, an add button 22 for adding data to the database 2A, a send button 24 for transmitting a power purchase request signal to the customer, a stop button 25 for stopping the power purchase request,
A determination button 26 and the like for determining those processes are provided. Further, the display device 21 displays customer name, contact information, power generation status (current power generation amount / maximum power generation amount), power purchaseable power, contract-related data such as power purchase in the order of address No. (in this case, customer name It may be displayed in order)
To be done.

When adding a new customer to the database 2A, the mouse cursor is moved to the add button 22 and clicked, and the customer is input from the input device (keyboard) based on the material with which the customer has a power purchase contract. First name (AAA
A, ..., Contact information (** prefecture ***)
), And the data such as the contract relationship of power purchase (power purchase or power sale, ..., Only power purchase), and the like, and the cursor is clicked with the mouse cursor on the OK button 26. Thereby, a new customer can be added to the database 2A. Note that the power generation amount of the power generation device 5 owned by the customer (current power generation amount / maximum power generation amount = 50/100, ...), power amount that can be purchased by the power company 2 (50, ...・) Is automatically transmitted from the home server 3 on the customer side at the start of power purchase.

When the home server 3 (signal receiving means 3B) receives a power purchase request signal from the server of the power company 2, the maximum power generation amount of the power generation device 5 becomes the total power amount used by the customer. On the other hand, if there is a surplus, the power generation device 5 generates power with the maximum capacity and is not used by the customer.
The surplus power of is supplied (sold) to the power line 11. As a result, the customer can sell surplus power of the amount of power generated by the power generation device 5 to the power company 2 and obtain a profit. The technique of supplying the electric power generated by the power generator 5 to the electric power line 11 is a well-known technique, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted. In addition, the power charge that the customer generates with the power generator 5 and sells to the power company 2 is lower than the power charge that the customer buys from the power company 2, and the power charge that the power company 2 buys from the customer is The price is lower than the price of power generated by the power company 2 by the power generator.

Next, the operation of the power purchase system will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. It is assumed that the electric power company 2 has a power purchase contract with many customers who own the power generation device 5. Further, when the power generation device 5 owned by the customer is always operated at the maximum capacity, the noise of the power generation device 5 is expected to increase, so that the power generation power of the power generation device 5 is limited in order to limit problems such as noise level. Even when there is a margin, the planned power sales amount is set in advance without operating the power generation device 5 at the maximum capacity.

First, in step S1, the home server 3 detects the current flowing through the indoor wiring 11A by the current transformer 8 provided between the power purchase meter 12 and the distributor 9.
As a result, the home server 3 detects all the amount of power used in the customer's home and proceeds to step S2, where the home server 3 uses the amount of power detected by the current transformer 8 to determine the current value of the generator 5. The power generation amount g is calculated.

By the way, the server of the electric power company 2 has a maximum power generation amount of the power generation device owned by the electric power company 2, for example, in a hot time zone (for example, 1:00 pm in the summer) when the power consumption amount in summer is large. If it is predicted that the ratio of power demand will exceed the specified power consumption during 3:00 pm), place the mouse cursor on the send button 24 and click to purchase the power contract. It is programmed to transmit a power purchase request signal via the network 1 to a large number of connected customers.

That is, the electric power company 2 places the mouse cursor on the send button 24 displayed on the display device 21 and clicks the mouse, thereby using the network 1 to send a purchase request signal to each customer's home. Sent to server 3 ... The server of the power company 2 is programmed to automatically calculate the demand power amount with respect to the maximum power generation amount of the power generation device owned by the power company 2 so that the power consumption increases and the power consumption increases. If it is predicted that the demand will exceed the predetermined power consumption, it is possible to connect to a large number of customers who have contracted with the network without hovering and clicking the send button 24 with the mouse cursor. 1 may be used to automatically transmit a power purchase request signal. In this case, the electric power company 2 can automatically transmit the power purchase request signal to a large number of specific customers who have contracts via the network 1, and the transmission work of the power purchase request signal can be automated. .

Then, a signal is transmitted from the server of the power company 2 to a specific customer who has a power purchase contract, and in step S3, the home server 3 (signal receiving means 3
B) receives the signal transmitted from the server of the power company 2. Next, in step S4, in the home server 3, the signal from the power company 2 received by the signal receiving unit 3B is a power purchase request signal, and the power generation capacity (generated power amount) of the power generation device 5 owned by the customer is surplus power. If there is an amount, the process proceeds to step S5, A (electric power purchase request amount) is added to the deviation Δg of the generated power, and the process proceeds to step S6. In step S4, if the home server 3 (signal receiving means 3B) does not receive a signal from the server of the power company 2 and does not receive the signal, the server 3 of the power company 2 waits until the signal is transmitted from the server of the power company 2.

Next, in step S6, the home server 3
Sets the power generation amount G of the power generation device 5 to the current power generation amount g plus the deviation Δg of the power amount according to the power purchase request signal transmitted from the power company 2 and proceeds to step S7. Therefore, the home server 3 transmits a control signal of the power generation device 5 to the controller 5A, and the controller 5A controls the operation of the power generation device 5. Next, in step S8, the home server 3 determines that the power purchase request signal (power purchase request power amount) requested by the power company 2 is equal to or more than the surplus power of the power generation device 5 owned by the customer. In the case of the amount of electric power, the deviation Δg of the generated electric power is controlled to be the maximum value of the power generation capacity of the power generation device 5. The in-home server 3 controls the operation of the power generation device 5 at the maximum value of the planned amount of power sold by the customer or the maximum value of the power generation device 5 owned by the customer.

In this case, in the embodiment, the home server 3
Controls the operation of the power generation device 5 with the maximum value of the deviation Δg of the planned power sales amount considering the noise of the power generation device 5 owned by the customer. In addition, the customer operates the power generator 5 at the maximum value of the deviation Δg of the amount of electric power sold, or increases the deviation Δg of the amount of electric power generated by a predetermined amount without considering the noise of the power generator 5 owned by the customer. The generator 5 may be operated near the maximum deviation Δg. Further, the home server 3 uses the power purchase request signal (power purchase request power amount) requested by the power company 2.
However, when the power amount is less than or equal to the maximum power amount of the power generation device 5 owned by the customer, the deviation Δg of the generated power amount becomes the deviation Δg of the power amount.

The means for supplying power to the home server 3 uses the output voltage of the inverter 7 as the power line 11 of the system.
Power supply meter 12,
The power generated by the power generator 5 is supplied to the power line 11 of the system via the power sale meter 13. As a result, the electric power company 2 has a large number of power generation devices 5 owned by a large number of contracted customers.
・ ・ Because it is possible to purchase a large amount of power generated by the system, even if it is expected that the power consumption will increase and the proportion of the power demand will exceed the prescribed power usage, It becomes possible to replenish a large amount of electric power to the electric power line 11 of FIG. In addition, the customer can generate power by the power generation device 5 and sell power to the power company 2 by the amount of power measured by the power sales meter 13, so that the customer can earn income according to the amount of power sold to the power company 2. Is possible.

In step S4, the home server 3
If the signal received by the signal receiving unit 3B from the power company 2 is not the power purchase request signal, the process proceeds to step S9. If the signal received by the signal receiving unit 3B from the power company 2 is the power purchase canceling signal, the process proceeds to step S10. Going forward, deviation Δg of generated power
Add 0 (power sold). Next, proceeding to step S6, the home server 3 sets the amount of power G of the power generation device 5 to the current amount of power generation g, and the deviation Δg of the amount of power in the power purchase request signal (power purchase request power amount) from the power company 2. In step S7, the home server 3 transmits a control signal for the power generator 5 to the controller 5A, and the controller 5A controls the operation of the power generator 5 at a predetermined power generation amount.

If the signal transmitted from the electric power company 2 in step S8 is a power purchase cancellation signal, the home server 3
Does not set the deviation Δg of the power generation amount of the power generation device 5 to the maximum value and controls the operation of the power generation device 5 with the current power generation amount. In step S9, if the signal received by the signal receiving means 3B from the power company 2 is not the power purchase cancellation signal, the home server 3 proceeds to step S6. Home server 3
When the signal received by the signal receiving means 3B from the electric power company 2 is not the power purchase request signal or the power purchase cancellation signal, the power generation amount G of the power generation device 5 is not changed, and thereafter step S
7. The process of step S8 is performed.

As described above, the power purchase system is the power generation device 5
Since it is configured to be capable of transmitting a signal via the network 1 and to transmit a signal requesting an increase in the amount of power supply to the grid to the power generation device 5 of a predetermined specific customer, the power company 2 By using the network 1, surplus power of the power generation device 5 owned by the customer can be purchased. In this case, the electric power company 2 can purchase a large amount of electric power from a large number of customers on the network 1 that has a power purchase contract, and can replenish the electric power line 11 of the grid with a large amount of electric power. Becomes This allows
Since the electric power company 2 does not need a new power generator 5 for the purchased electric power, the cost can be significantly reduced.

Further, in the power purchase system, the signal transmitted from the power company 2 to the customer via the network 1 makes the power generation amount of the power generation device 5 owned by the customer almost maximized. When it is expected that the proportion of power demand will exceed a certain amount of power usage during hot hours (for example, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm) when power consumption is high, power generation by a large number of customers will occur. It becomes possible to purchase a large amount of electric power from the device 5. As a result, the electric power company 2 does not need a new facility for the power generator 5 for the large amount of electric power purchased from the customer, and thus can significantly reduce the cost.

Further, since the power generation amount of the power generation device 5 owned by the customer is almost maximum, the operation efficiency of the power generation device 5 can be greatly improved. As a result, for example, the customer can sell the surplus power of the power generation device 5 that he owns to the electric power company 2 to the maximum extent, so that the customer can significantly improve the operation efficiency of the power generation device 5. The cost of the power generator 5 can be significantly reduced by electricity.

In particular, the customer can direct the profit to the power generation device 5 by selling the surplus power that can be generated by the power generation device 5 owned by the customer. As a result, it is possible to provide the power generation device 5 having a capacity higher than the maximum generated power used by the customer. Therefore, it can be expected that the power generation device 5 will be widely spread, and the profits of both the customer and the electric power company 2 can be greatly increased as a whole.

Since the network 1 uses the Internet, the electric power company 2 can conclude a power purchase contract with an unspecified number of customers nationwide who own the power generator 5. As a result, the electric power company 2 can purchase a large amount of electric power when the amount of electric power consumption increases, and the electric power company 2 can prevent a shortage of purchased electric power. Therefore, the electric power company 2 does not need a new facility for the power generator 5 for the large amount of electric power purchased from the customer.

Since the network uses the network using the power line 11 of the grid, the power line 11 of the grid is used.
If the customer owns the power generation device 5 at the place where the power generation device 5 is installed, the power company 2
Can send a power purchase request signal. In this case, if a telephone line other than the electric power company 2, a cable television, or a communication network such as an optical cable is not used and only the power line 11 of the grid is installed, the power is purchased from the power generation device 5 owned by the customer. Is possible. As a result, the convenience of both the customer and the electric power company can be greatly increased.

In the embodiments, the customers are ordinary households and companies, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is also effective for companies that own small-scale power generators.

When the home server 3 receives a power purchase request signal from the electric power company 2 while the power generation device 5 is operating, the home server 3 operates the power generation capability of the power generation device 5 at the maximum value or the power generation capability. Power generation device 5
The operation of is not limited to this, and even when the power generation device 5 is stopped without being operated, when the home server 3 receives a predetermined power purchase request signal from the power company 2, the power generation device 5 starts operation. It is possible to operate at the maximum value of the power generation capacity or to increase the power generation capacity by a predetermined amount.

[0054]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, in a power purchase system in which a power company is supplied with electric power from a customer having a power generation unit configured to be capable of supplying generated power to a grid, a communication network is used for the power generation unit. It is possible to transmit a signal via the network and also to transmit a signal requesting an increase in the amount of power supplied to the grid to a predetermined power generation means of a specific customer. It is possible to increase the amount of power supplied to the grid without the customer having to bother with the amount of power generated by the owning power generation means. As a result, the electric power company can purchase a large amount of electric power from the power generation means owned by a large number of customers using the network. Therefore, if the electric power company only sends a signal requesting an increase in the amount of power supplied to the grid to the power generation means of a specific customer, for example, the customer purchases the surplus power of the power generation means owned by the customer and the power of the power line of the grid. The power company will be able to significantly reduce costs by eliminating the need for equipment for new power generation means for the large amount of power purchased from many customers. .

According to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the above, the signal transmitted from the electric power company makes the amount of power generation of the power generation means almost maximum. Therefore, for example, the electric power company uses a network. It is possible to purchase the maximum amount of power from the power generation means owned by many existing customers. As a result, the electric power company can purchase a large amount of electric power by using the network, and the customer can significantly improve the operation efficiency of the power generation means owned by the customer. Therefore, for example, the customer can sell the surplus power of the power generation means that he / she owns to the maximum, so that it is possible to significantly improve the operation efficiency of the power generation means, and at the same time, the customer sells the power generation means. The cost can be significantly reduced.

In particular, by selling surplus power that can be generated by the power generation means owned by the customer, the customer can direct the profit to the power generation means. As a result, it becomes possible to install a power generation means that exceeds the maximum power generation capacity used by the customer. Therefore, it is expected that the power generation means will be widely spread, and the profits of both the customer and the electric power company can be greatly increased as a whole.

According to the invention of claim 3, claim 1
Alternatively, in addition to claim 2, since the network uses the Internet, the electric power company can simultaneously transmit power purchase request signals to the power generation means owned by many customers via the Internet. This eliminates the need to make a purchase request to each customer by telephone or fax, for example.
Therefore, the electric power company can very easily make a power purchase request to the customer, and at the same time, can send a power purchase request signal to all the specific customers who have contracts with the electric power company. Therefore, the electric power company can purchase electric power from the customer only in the required amount of electric power in the time period in which the electric power needs to be purchased, and the electric power can be efficiently purchased.

According to the invention of claim 4, claim 1
Alternatively, in addition to claim 2, since the network uses the network using the power line of the grid, if the customer owns the power generation means at the place where the power line of the grid is installed, the customer owns it anywhere. The power purchase request signal can be transmitted to the power generation means. Thereby, for example, it becomes possible to purchase electric power from the power generation means owned by the customer without using a communication network other than the electric power company. Therefore, the convenience of both the customer and the electric power company can be greatly increased.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an entire power purchase system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main part of the power purchase system of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an example of data in a customer database.

FIG. 4 is an example of data in a database of an electric power company.

FIG. 5 is a display screen of a display device of an electric power company.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the power purchase system of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 network 2 power companies 2A database 3 home servers 3A database 3B signal receiving means 4 storage devices 5 generator 5A controller 6 Rectification / smoothing circuit 7 inverter 8 current transformer 9 distributors 10 Waveform detector (A / D) 11 power lines 11A indoor wiring 12 Power purchase meter 13 Electricity sales meter

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Masaaki Takezawa             2-5-3 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture             Within Yo Denki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazuhiko Arai             2-5-3 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture             Within Yo Denki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Toshito Yakushima             2-5-3 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture             Within Yo Denki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Noboru Onodera             2-5-3 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture             Within Yo Denki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yoshitomo Nakayama             2-5-3 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture             Within Yo Denki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shigemi Koiso             2-5-3 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture             Within Yo Denki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazuhiro Enomoto             2-5-3 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture             Within Yo Denki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Takatoshi Matsuo             2-5-3 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture             Within Yo Denki Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 5G064 AA04 AA09 AB03 AC05 AC09                       BA02 CB08 CB12 DA01                 5G066 AA02 AA05 AA20 AE03 AE07                       AE09

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A power purchase system in which a power company is supplied with electric power from a customer having a power generation unit configured to be capable of supplying generated power to a grid, and a signal can be transmitted to the power generation unit via a communication network. A power purchase system characterized by transmitting a signal requesting an increase in the amount of power supplied to the grid to a power generation means of a predetermined specific customer. 2. The power purchase system according to claim 1, wherein the signal transmitted from the power company maximizes the amount of power generated by the power generation means. 3. The power purchase system according to claim 1, wherein the network is the Internet. 4. The power purchase system according to claim 1, wherein the network is a network using a power line of a grid.