JP2005341798A - Power supply system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide building of a business model, relating to power supply which is indispensable to expanded use of new energy for a fuel cell system or the like. <P>SOLUTION: The building of the model is characterized, by providing a first power supply source 16 supplying electric power to a load, a second power supply source 30 generating power on the basis of resources to supply the electric power to the load, a power detection part 62 for detecting information relating to consumption of the electric power supplied to the load from the first power supply source 16, a resource detecting part 62 for detecting information relating to consumption of the resources supplied to the second power supply source 30, and a display part 48 for displaying information relating to consumption of the power and/or information relating to the consumption of the resources. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a power supply technique, and more particularly to a power supply system including a fuel cell system and a method for displaying the information.

  Although it has become an era when new technologies such as IT and biotechnology are deployed on a global scale, the energy industry is still one of the largest core industries. Recently, expectations for so-called new energy are increasing with the spread of environmental awareness including prevention of global warming. In addition to environmental properties, new energy can be produced in a distributed manner in close proximity to power consumers, so there are advantages in terms of transmission loss and power supply security. In addition, the development of new energy can be expected to have a secondary effect of creating new peripheral industries.

  New energy initiatives began in earnest with the oil crisis about 30 years ago, and now, renewable energy such as solar power generation, recycling energy such as waste power generation, high-efficiency energy such as fuel cells, and clean energy Energy such as new field energy represented by cars is in the stage of development for practical application.

Among them, fuel cells are one of the industry's most noticeable energies. A fuel cell is a by-product of power generation that generates electricity and heat simultaneously by chemically reacting hydrogen produced by mixing water vapor with hydrocarbon fuels such as natural gas and methanol, and oxygen collected from the atmosphere. Is only water, is highly efficient even in low power ranges, and power generation is stable without being affected by the weather. The polymer electrolyte fuel cell is regarded as one of the next generation standard power supplies for both stationary and in-vehicle applications including residential use.
JP 2000-268090 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-049552 JP 2001-103622 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 03-270651 Hitoshi Enomoto, Yasuhiro Fukui, Junichi Yoshitake, “Load centralized control system verification test (interim report)”, IEEJ Transactions B, The Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan, Vol. 117, No. 12, (1997.11.20), p. 1520-1528, Patent Office reference number: JP-N4-04-001320 Shinichiro, “Future Perspective of Urban Energy System”, System / Control / Information, Society of Systems Control, July 15, 2000, Vol. 7, No. 7, pp. 8-14 Yoshitomo Toyoshin, Shingo Suzuki, Hiromichi Abe, Hitachi's efforts and examples of energy service business “ESCO business”, Hitachi review, Japan, Hitachi criticism company, June 1, 2000, Volume 82, Issue 6 Pp. 49-52 Matsumoto Tamotsu, Ichinohiro Hiroshi, Ito Katsuji, Kachi Juno, Otsubo Takao, Kasahara Univ., “Distribution Integrated Automation System-System Development and Optical Transmission Equipment”, Furukawa Electric Times, Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd., No. 85, (1989.12) .28), p. 131-139, Patent Office reference number: CS-NH-1999-00229-004

  Currently, power generation systems using solid polymer fuel cells are in the process of being prototyped and put into practical use. The spread of fuel cells depends on how the cost can be reduced. Although the initial cost is an issue on the development side, the operational cost or merit depends on the relationship between the system using the fuel cell and the commercial power system.

  Therefore, in order to spread fuel cells, it is necessary not only to improve the technology of the fuel cells themselves, but also to build an environment that uses them as a business model. It is necessary to highlight the merits of all concerned parties.

  The present invention has been made from such a background, and an object thereof is to provide a technique for promoting introduction and use of a power supply system such as a fuel cell.

  One embodiment of the present invention relates to a distributed power generation system (hereinafter simply referred to as a distributed power generation system). This system has a power generation device, and a consumption detection unit that detects consumption of power and gas used by a user of the power generation system, and displays the power and gas consumption on a display device in an integrated manner. And an information presentation unit. The “power generation device” may be arbitrary, but a fuel cell that uses gas for power generation is one suitable example. The “display device” may be a liquid crystal screen integrally included in the power generation device.

  In general, a distributed power generation system is supplied with gas from a gas system of a gas company in a place where the distributed power generation system is installed, for example, a residence or a building. “Power consumption” refers to the total consumption for each user including both the amount of power supplied and consumed by the power generation of this system and the amount of power supplied and consumed from a commercial power system. “Gas consumption” refers to the total consumption for each user including both the amount of gas used for power generation by the fuel cell and the amount of gas consumed for other purposes. Electricity charges and gas charges are determined based on the supply amount from the electric power system or gas system, and this is borne by a consumer, that is, a user of this system (hereinafter also simply referred to as a user).

  The power meter of this distributed power generation system is also used to measure the power supplied from the power system, and the gas flow detector such as a mass flow meter is also used to measure gas consumption other than for power generation. By displaying on the screen, unified management of power and gas becomes possible. Further, measurement and display of water consumption may be added and displayed centrally.

  A distributed power generation system according to another aspect of the present invention includes a consumption detection unit that detects consumption of power used by a user of the power generation system, an information storage unit that records power consumption in time series, An information presentation unit that reads a history of power consumption from the information storage unit and displays the history on the display device. The information presenting unit may display the consumption amount on a display device that is electronically connected while maintaining a physically separated state from the power generation system. The “display device” here is, for example, a liquid crystal screen of a remote controller that is separate from the power generation device, a screen of a television or personal computer installed in the home, and the like.

  A distributed power generation system according to still another aspect of the present invention includes a consumption detection unit that detects a consumption amount of a gas used by a user of the power generation system, and an information accumulation unit that records the consumption amount of the gas in time series. An information presentation unit that reads a gas consumption history from the information storage unit and displays the history on the display device. The information presenting unit may also display the consumption amount on a display device that is electronically connected while maintaining a physically separated state from the power generation system.

  Yet another aspect of the present invention is an energy management system. This system includes a management device that is connected to a distributed power generation system having a power generation device via a network and that can remotely check the amount of power consumed by a user of the distributed power generation system. This management device exchanges practical information including information related to power consumption with a user of the distributed power generation system via a display device connected to the distributed power generation system. The “information related to consumption” may be information such as a consumption of an arbitrary month for the user, a difference from the consumption of another month, and a charge based on the consumption. “Practical information” is information for a user that can be selected based on the consumption and charge trends, such as tips on how to save power, information useful for life, and advertisements. The “network” may be the Internet.

  The management device may manage the power consumption or gas consumption trend of the user based on the consumption amount, and may display practical information corresponding to the consumption trend on the display device. The management device may classify users according to consumption trends, select an advertisement according to the classification, and display the advertisement on the display device as practical information.

  The energy management system according to still another aspect of the present invention is a gas consumption amount that is connected to a distributed power generation system having a power generation device that uses gas for power generation via a network and is used by a user of the distributed power generation system. Including a management device that can be remotely confirmed. This management device exchanges practical information including information related to gas consumption with a user of the distributed power generation system via a display device connected to the distributed power generation system.

  This management device also manages the user's power or gas consumption trend based on consumption, and may display practical information corresponding to the consumption trend on the display device, or use it according to the consumption trend. After the person is classified, an advertisement corresponding to the classification may be selected and displayed on the display device as practical information.

  An energy management system according to still another aspect of the present invention is connected to a distributed power generation system having a power generation device via a network, and consumes at least a part of resources used by a user of the distributed power generation system via the network. Information that contributes to saving of charges may be selected according to the amount of consumption and displayed on the screen of the distributed power generation system while being managed remotely. “Resources” may include electric power, gas, and water. “Information that contributes to saving of charges” may be practical information or advertisement.

  Yet another aspect of the present invention is an information distribution method. This method detects a consumption trend related to at least a part of a resource used by a user of a distributed power generation system having a power generation device, classifies the user of the distributed power generation system into a plurality of types according to the consumption trend, The advertisement is distributed according to the classification. The “type” may be categorized based on, for example, the estimated number of households, life cycle, life style, and the like.

  It should be noted that any combination of the above-described constituent elements, or those obtained by replacing the constituent elements and expressions of the present invention with each other among methods, apparatuses, systems, computer programs, recording media storing computer programs, and the like are also included in the present invention. It is effective as an embodiment of

  According to the present invention, information relating to energy can be effectively utilized.

  FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of an energy management system 10 according to an embodiment. The figure shows a general electronic network, not a network for power distribution, gas distribution, and water distribution.

  In the energy management system 10, a management company 22 including a plurality of distributed power generation systems 12 and a management device 24 that collectively manages them is connected via the Internet 20. The management company 22 is connected to a power company 28, a gas company 26, a water company 29, an advertising agent 25, and an advertisement providing company 27 through a dedicated line, and performs a business commissioned by these companies. The electric power company 28 supplies electric power to the homes and buildings of consumers having the distributed power generation system 12 through the electric power system 16. Similarly, the gas company 26 supplies gas through the gas system 14, and the water utility 29 supplies water through the water system 18. The distributed power generation system 12 includes a fuel cell system that uses gas and water for power generation. The advertising agent 25 and the advertisement providing company 27 transmit information related to the advertisement to the management device 24.

  The basic feature of the energy management system 10 is that the consumption of electric power, gas, and clean water is confirmed for each user and displayed on each display device in a unified manner. These consumption amounts are collected in the management device 24, and practical information and advertisements according to consumption trends for each user are selected and distributed. Conventionally, notifications regarding consumption and charges have only been sent separately from the power company, gas company, and water service company about once a month. According to the present embodiment, the user can check the consumption amount and the charge at any time, and can collectively grasp electricity, gas, and water. In addition, the user's awareness of energy saving can be raised by comparison of each period based on the history and various practical information.

  FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the distributed power generation system 12. The fuel cell system 30 includes a reformer 34 that obtains hydrogen by reacting a hydrocarbon fuel such as natural gas or methanol with water vapor generated from clean water, and reacts the hydrogen and oxygen to obtain water and a direct current voltage. A fuel cell 36, an inverter 38 that converts the voltage into alternating current, and a control unit 32 that controls them are provided. Whether to use the electric power from the fuel cell system 30, to purchase electric power from the electric power system 16, or to use them together is generally determined by the user.

  The first switch 40 is inserted in the power system 16 and the path 72 of the indoor electrical equipment, and is brought into a conductive state when purchasing power from the power system 16. The second switch 44 is inserted in the path 74 of the fuel cell system 30 and the indoor electrical equipment, and is brought into a conductive state when supplying power from the fuel cell system 30 to the indoor electrical equipment. Gas is supplied from the gas system 14 to the reformer 34 and the indoor gas equipment through paths 66 and 64, respectively, and the water system 18 is connected to the reformer 34 and the indoor water equipment respectively to the paths 70 and 70. Clean water is supplied through the path 68.

  The consumption detection unit 62 detects the power consumption due to power purchase and power generation from the paths 72 and 74, detects the gas consumption from the paths 66 and 64, and detects the water consumption from the paths 70 and 68. Each consumption detected by the consumption detection unit 62 is stored in the information storage unit 60 and transmitted to the management device 24 via the communication unit 46 by the transmission processing unit 58. The information presentation unit 50 causes the display device 48 to display each consumption amount stored in the information storage unit 60. Each consumption amount of electric power, gas, and clean water may be displayed in an integrated manner, or may be displayed in a form of arranging them in time series or comparing each time. The information presentation unit 50 may receive practical information and advertisements described later from the management device 24 via the Internet 20 and display them on the display device 48.

  The processing device 52 including the communication unit 46, the information presentation unit 50, the transmission processing unit 58, and the information storage unit 60 can be realized in terms of hardware by a CPU of a microcomputer, a memory, and other LSI, and in terms of software. This is realized by a data processing program or the like, but here, only the functions based on these linkages are shown in blocks. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized by various combinations of hardware and software.

  FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the consumption detector 62. The consumption detector 62 includes a power detector 80, a gas detector 82, and a water detector 84. The electric energy detector 80 is a wattmeter and measures the electric energy in the paths 72 and 74 of FIG. The gas amount detector 82 is a mass flow meter and measures the gas flow rate in the paths 64 and 66. The water amount detector 84 is also a mass flow meter, and measures the water flow rate in the paths 68 and 70. These wattmeters and mass flow meters are known configurations that are also provided in conventional fuel cell systems, but they measure the power output from the fuel cell system or the gas and clean water supplied to the fuel cell system. In addition to being used for energy consumption, it is used to measure the overall consumption by the user, thereby realizing comprehensive energy management.

  FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the information storage unit 60. The information storage unit 60 holds the power consumption 120, the gas consumption 122, and the water consumption 124 in time series. For example, the year, month, day, day of the week, time, etc. may be accumulated. From here, the information presentation part 50 reads the consumption in arbitrary time, and displays it on the display apparatus 48. FIG. When the charge is constant, each consumption may be converted into a charge and held.

  FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the management device 24. This configuration is also realized by a combination of hardware and software including a microcomputer. The communication unit 90 communicates with the distributed power generation system 12 via the Internet 20 and directly communicates with the power company 28, the gas company 26, the water company 29, the advertising agent 25, and the advertisement providing company 27. Data transmission / reception with the distributed power generation system 12 is performed using a connection type transport layer protocol such as TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol).

  The consumption confirmation unit 92 confirms each consumption amount for each user from each of the plurality of distributed power generation systems 12 and records it in the information storage unit 94. The information storage unit 94 has a function corresponding to the information storage unit 60 of FIG. 2 and holds each consumption trend for each user. The user list is stored in the user list 96.

  The power confirmation unit 102 acquires the power consumption from the distributed power generation system 12 and records it in the power consumption trend 108. The gas confirmation unit 104 acquires the gas consumption amount from the distributed power generation system 12 and records it in the gas consumption trend 110. The water supply confirmation unit 106 acquires the water consumption from the distributed power generation system 12 and records it in the water consumption consumption trend 112.

  The advertisement receiving unit 118 receives an advertisement from the advertisement agent 25 or the advertisement providing company 27 and stores it in the advertisement holding unit 100. The selection unit 98 selects practical information and advertisement from the practical information holding unit 99 and the advertisement holding unit 100 based on any one of the power consumption trend 108, the gas consumption trend 110, and the water consumption trend 112. The user management unit 114 classifies the users into a plurality of types based on the power consumption trend 108, the gas consumption trend 110, and the water consumption trend 112 and records them in the user list 96 in advance. The selection unit 98 may select practical information or an advertisement. The selected practical information and advertisement are displayed on the display device 48 connected to the user's distributed power generation system 12 by the information presentation unit 116. The information presentation unit 116 has a function corresponding to the information presentation unit 50 of FIG.

  The user management unit 114 may take preferential treatment for each charge of electric power, gas, and tap water in order to return the advertising revenue by this system to the user. In this case, the distributed power generation system 12 or the management device 24 may have a configuration for acquiring the number of times and times when the user actually viewed the advertisement. Points may be given to the user according to the number of times and time, and recorded in the user list 96. Each fee is discounted or refunded according to the number of points. In order to adapt the selection of advertisement according to the user's request, the preferences and attributes of each user may be acquired in advance and recorded in the user list 96, and the advertisement may be selected based on the preferences and attributes.

  FIG. 6 schematically illustrates the internal configuration of the information storage unit 94. Each consumption trend for each user stored in the information storage unit 94 is an average consumption amount for each time zone regarding each of electric power, gas, and clean water, and is described in a graph with time taken on the horizontal axis. . For example, the power consumption trend of the user “003” peaks from “18:00 to 21:00”, and the power consumption trend of the user “052” peaks from “0 to 3 o'clock”. These peaks vary depending on the user, and peak times may vary among power, gas, and water. There is also a difference in peak consumption and the amount of increase / decrease in consumption during peak hours and other times. These may be stored for each season, or may be stored separately for weekdays and holidays.

  Each consumption trend can be grasped as a feature of each user, and based on this, information such as the number of households, life cycle, and lifestyle can be estimated. For example, when the amount of consumption is large as a whole, it can be determined that “the number of households is large”, and a specific number of people may be determined based on statistics. For example, when the daytime consumption is extremely smaller than at night, it may be determined as “the tendency to go out during the daytime”, and when there is a large amount of consumption at midnight, it may be determined as “the tendency to live at night”. For households that tend to live at night, information on the evening meal menu sold at so-called convenience stores may be distributed. For example, if there is a specific day of the week that is extremely less than the normal usage of electric power or gas in the evening on weekdays in a single household, the day is determined to be a day for learning or circle activities. Such users may refrain from distributing information during times when the amount of power or gas used is low, or may distribute information useful for learning or circle activities during other times.

  FIG. 7 shows the internal structure of the user list 96. In the user list 96, a type in which users are classified is recorded for each user. For example, the user “003” is classified into the types of “large number of households” and “high power consumption”.

  FIG. 8 shows an internal configuration of the practical information holding unit 99. The practical information stored in the practical information holding unit 99 is recorded by associating the consumption trend and type conditions of the user with the practical information. Thus, for example, for a user who satisfies the condition “the amount of power at midnight is large”, the practical information “It is advantageous to use the midnight discount system” is selected.

  FIG. 9 shows an internal configuration of the advertisement holding unit 100. The advertisement stored in the advertisement holding unit 100 is recorded by associating the advertisement with the consumption trend or type condition of the user. As a result, for example, for a user who satisfies the conditions of “single-person household” and “night type”, an advertisement of “Bank A 24-hour convenience store caching” is selected.

  FIG. 10 illustrates the display screen 150 of the display device 48 connected to the energy management system 10. The display screen 150 includes a consumption display area 152, a practical information display area 154, and an advertisement display area 156. The consumption amount display area 152 displays at least one of the consumption amount of power, gas, and clean water. The consumption amount at any time can be displayed through the user's operation, and a comparison with other months may be displayed. Electricity charges, gas charges, and water charges may be displayed, or comments regarding consumption and charges may be added.

  In the practical information display area 154, practical information such as “It is effective to close the curtain while using the air conditioner” selected based on the consumption trend of the user is displayed. The advertisement display area 156 displays an advertisement such as “B car” selected based on the consumption trend of the user. Thus, the user can receive useful information distribution.

  The present invention has been described based on the embodiments. This embodiment is an exemplification, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the combination of each component and each processing process, and such modifications are within the scope of the present invention. . Such an example is described below.

  The user management unit 114 in the management device 24 may calculate and manage an electricity charge, a gas charge, or a water charge, or may have a configuration for processing charging for these charges.

  Any of the electric power company 28, the gas company 26, the water company 29, the advertising agent 25, and the advertisement providing company 27 and the management company 22 may be realized by substantially the same entity, and a series of processes may be integrated. . In that case, a system may be operated by constructing a Web server or other host inside each company.

  The electric power company 28, the gas company 26, the water company 29, the advertising agent 25, the advertisement providing company 27 and the management company 22 do not necessarily have to be dedicated lines, and the Internet 20 can be used. The design depends on the degree of security required for communication between the two.

  The screen example shown in FIG. 10 mainly assumes a dedicated display device 48. When displaying such information on a television screen, it may be displayed in the form of subtitles such as breaking news at the top or bottom of a normal screen. Further, as a display format to be particularly emphasized, the video display area may be reduced to generate a margin around it, and captions may be displayed on the margin. This subtitle may be displayed with a contrast like white characters on a black background.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of an energy management system according to an embodiment. 1 is a configuration diagram of a distributed power generation system according to an embodiment. It is a block diagram of the consumption detection part in a distributed power generation system. It is a block diagram of the information storage part in a distributed power generation system. It is a block diagram of the management apparatus in a management company. It is an internal block diagram of the information storage part in a management apparatus. It is an internal block diagram of the user list in a management apparatus. It is an internal block diagram of the practical information holding part in a management apparatus. It is an internal block diagram of the advertisement holding part in a management apparatus. It is a figure which illustrates the display screen of the display apparatus connected to the energy management system.

Explanation of symbols

10 Energy management system 12 Distributed power generation system (power supply system)
14 Gas system 16 Power system (first power supply source)
18 Water Supply System 20 Internet 22 Management Company 24 Management Device 25 Advertising Agent 26 Gas Company 27 Advertising Provider 28 Power Company 29 Water Utility 30 Fuel Cell System (Second Power Supply Source)
32 Control Unit 34 Reformer 36 Fuel Cell 38 Inverter 40 First Switch (Power Control Unit)
44 Second switch (power control unit)
46 Communication unit 48 Display device (display unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 50 Information presentation part 52 Processing apparatus 58 Transmission processing part 60 Information storage part 62 Consumption detection part 64, 66 Gas path 68, 70 Water supply path 72, 74 Electric path 80 Electric energy detector (electric power detection part)
82 Gas quantity detector (resource detection unit)
84 Water detector (Resource detection unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 90 Communication part 92 Consumption confirmation part 94 Information storage part 96 User list 98 Selection part 99 Practical information holding part 100 Advertisement holding part 102 Power confirmation part 104 Gas confirmation part 106 Water supply confirmation part 108 Power consumption trend 110 Gas consumption trend 112 Top Water consumption trend 114 User management unit 116 Information presentation unit 118 Advertisement reception unit 120 Power consumption 122 Gas consumption 124 Water consumption 150 Display screen 152 Consumption display area 154 Practical information display area 156 Advertisement display area

Claims (3)

A first power supply for supplying power to the load;
A second power supply source that generates power based on resources and supplies power to the load;
A power detection unit for detecting information related to consumption of power supplied from the first power supply source to the load;
A resource detection unit for detecting information related to consumption of resources supplied to the second power supply source;
A display unit for displaying information relating to the consumption of power and / or information relating to consumption of the resource;
A power supply system comprising: The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein
The power supply system, wherein the second electrode supply source includes a fuel cell. The power supply system according to claim 1 or 2,
A power supply system comprising a power control unit that is interposed between the first power supply source, the second power supply source, and the load, and that controls power supplied to the load.

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