JP2016019428A - Power generator, power generation system, and power generation method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power generator, power generation system, and power generation method for elongating a life of a plurality of distributed power supplies, as a whole.SOLUTION: A power generator 10A comprises: a power generation unit 12A for generating power to be supplied to a load 200 by interconnecting with a system 100; and a control unit 16A for controlling output of the power generated by the power generation unit 12A. When the total output of power generated by the power generator 10A and other power generators (10B, 10C) connected to the power generator 10A is greater than power consumption of the load 200, the control unit 16A performs, on the basis of information showing degrees of deterioration of the power generator 10A and the other power generators (10B, 10C), control so as to adjust output of power individually generated by the power generator 10A and the other power generators (10B, 10C).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a power generation device, a power generation system, and a power generation method. More particularly, the present invention relates to a power generation device such as a fuel cell that constitutes a distributed power source, a power generation system that connects a plurality of such power generation devices, and a power generation method for such a power generation device or a power generation system. It is.

  In recent years, a power generation system that connects a plurality of distributed power sources such as solar cells and fuel cells as a power generation device and supplies power generated by these power generation devices has been studied. Examples of the power generation apparatus used as such a distributed power source include fuel cells such as a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) and a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). It has been proposed to employ a plurality of such distributed power sources and control the power consumption of the devices constituting the load according to the power that can be supplied by these distributed power sources (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

  Currently, power generated using a distributed power source such as the fuel cell described above cannot be sold to the grid. For this reason, in the current power generation system, when a reverse power flow to a system of power generated by a distributed power source such as a fuel cell is detected, control is performed to reduce the output. Therefore, in a power generation system that operates by connecting a plurality of these distributed power sources, when a reverse power flow is detected, the output of the plurality of distributed power sources is adjusted, and the power output as a whole system does not flow backward So that it is controlled.

JP 2007-20260 A

  As described above, conventionally, in the operation in which a plurality of distributed power sources are connected, the output of each distributed power source is adjusted. For this reason, some of the multiple distributed power sources, for example, those that always perform high output, or conversely, those that always stop output, etc. Bias can occur. In such an operation, a distributed power source that operates at a high load that maintains a high output for a long time has a rapid deterioration and a short life. When the life of a part of the distributed power supply is shortened in this way, the part becomes a bottleneck, so that the power generation system including such a distributed power supply also shortens the life of the entire system.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a power generation apparatus, a power generation system, and a power generation method that extend the life of a plurality of distributed power sources as a whole.

The invention according to the first aspect to achieve the above object is
A power generation unit that generates power to be connected to the grid and supplied to the load;
A control unit that controls an output of electric power generated by the power generation unit, and a power generation device comprising:
When the total output of the power generated by the power generation device and another power generation device connected to the power generation device is larger than the power consumption of the load, the control unit deteriorates the power generation device and the other power generation device. On the basis of the information indicating the degree of power generation, control is performed so as to adjust the output of the electric power generated by the power generation device and the other power generation devices.

  Further, the control unit preferentially generates power from the power generation device and the other power generation device having a high degree of deterioration based on information indicating the degree of deterioration of the power generation device and the other power generation device. You may control to adjust the output of electric power.

  Further, the control unit preferentially generates power from the power generation device and the other power generation device having a low degree of deterioration based on information indicating the degree of deterioration of the power generation device and the other power generation device. You may control to adjust the output of electric power.

  In addition, the control unit, as information indicating the degree of deterioration of the power generation device and the other power generation device, based on information indicating the state of the components constituting the power generation device and the other power generation device, And you may control to adjust the output of the electric power which the said other electric power generating apparatus each generate | occur | produces.

  In addition, the control unit, as information indicating the degree of deterioration of the power generation device and the other power generation device, based on the information indicating the operating time of the components constituting the power generation device and the other power generation device, You may control to adjust the output of the electric power which an apparatus and the said other electric power generating apparatus each generate | occur | produce.

The invention according to the second aspect to achieve the above object is
A power generation system including a plurality of power generation devices capable of controlling the output of electric power supplied to a load connected to a system,
Each of the plurality of power generation devices is information indicating the degree of deterioration of each of the plurality of power generation devices when the total output of the power generated by connecting the plurality of power generation devices is larger than the power consumption of the load. Based on the above, control is performed so as to adjust the output of the power generated by the power generation device.

The invention according to the third aspect for achieving the above object is:
A power generation method using a plurality of power generation devices capable of controlling the output of power supplied to a load connected to a system,
Each of the plurality of power generation devices is information indicating the degree of deterioration of each of the plurality of power generation devices when the total output of the power generated by connecting the plurality of power generation devices is larger than the power consumption of the load. And a control step for controlling to adjust the output of the electric power generated by the power generation device.

  Further, in the control step, based on information indicating the degree of deterioration of the power generation apparatus and the other power generation apparatus, power generation is performed preferentially from the power generation apparatus and the other power generation apparatus having a high degree of deterioration. You may control to adjust the output of electric power.

  Further, in the control step, based on the information indicating the degree of deterioration of the power generation device and the other power generation device, power generation is preferentially performed from the power generation device and the other power generation device having a low degree of deterioration. You may control to adjust the output of electric power.

  Further, in the control step, as the information indicating the degree of deterioration of the power generation device and the other power generation device, the power generation device based on the information indicating the states of the components constituting the power generation device and the other power generation device And you may control to adjust the output of the electric power which the said other electric power generating apparatus each generate | occur | produces.

  Further, in the control step, as information indicating the degree of deterioration of the power generation device and the other power generation device, the power generation based on the information indicating the operation time of the components constituting the power generation device and the other power generation device. You may control to adjust the output of the electric power which an apparatus and the said other electric power generating apparatus each generate | occur | produce.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a power generation device, a power generation system, and a power generation method that extend the life of a plurality of distributed power sources as a whole.

1 is a functional block diagram schematically showing a power generation system including a power generation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the electric power generating apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the reference table which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the electric power generating apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram schematically showing a power generation system including a plurality of power generation devices according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a power generation system 1 including a power generation device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a power generation device 10A, a power generation device 10B, and a power generation device 10C. In FIG. 1, the power generation system 1 shows an example including three power generation devices 10 </ b> A to 10 </ b> C as a distributed power source. However, the power generation system 1 according to the present embodiment can be configured to include an arbitrary plurality of power generation devices configured as the power generation devices 10A to 10C. In the following description, description of elements and function units well known in the art will be simplified or omitted as appropriate.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the power generation device 10A includes a power generation unit 12A, a power conversion unit 14A, and a control unit 16A. In FIG. 1, a thick solid line indicates a power path, and a broken line indicates a signal path for communicating a control signal or various types of information.

  The power generation unit 12 </ b> A generates power that is connected to the system 100 and supplied to the load 200. The system 100 can be a general commercial power system (grid). The power generation unit 12A can be configured by various fuel cells such as a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) or a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). In particular, in the present embodiment, it is preferable that the power generation unit 12 </ b> A generates power that cannot sell the generated power to the system, that is, cannot generate reverse power flow.

  Here, “electric power that cannot be reversely flowed” is electric power based on energy supplied from the infrastructure, such as electric power generated by a fuel cell, for example. Unacceptable power. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the power generation unit 12A is a power generation unit different from that capable of selling the generated power to the system, such as a power generation unit including a solar cell that performs solar power generation. Is preferred. Hereinafter, an example in which the power generation unit 12A is a SOFC will be described. However, the power generation unit according to the present invention is not limited to the SOFC, and can typically be various power generation units including a fuel cell. In particular, the power generation unit 12A is preferably a distributed power source that is not capable of reverse flow.

  The power generation unit 12 </ b> A configured by SOFC can generate power by a fuel cell power generation device that electrochemically reacts gases such as hydrogen and oxygen supplied from the outside, and can supply the generated power. In the present embodiment, the power generation unit 12A starts operation by receiving power from the system 100 at the time of startup, but operates after receiving power from the system 100, that is, is capable of independent operation. May be. In the present embodiment, the power generation unit 12A appropriately includes other functional units such as a reforming unit as required so that the power generation unit 12A can operate independently. In the present embodiment, the power generation unit 12A can be configured by a generally well-known fuel cell, and thus a more detailed description of the fuel cell is omitted.

  The power generated by the power generation unit 12A can be supplied to various loads 200 that consume power through the power conversion unit 14A. Here, in an actual house or the like, the electric power output from the power generator 10A is supplied to the load 200 through a distribution board or the like, but such members are omitted. The load 200 can be various devices such as home appliances used by the user, to which power is supplied from the power generation system 1. In FIG. 1, the load 200 is shown as one member, but is not limited to one member, and can be an arbitrary number of devices.

  The power conversion unit 14A converts the power generated by the power generation unit 12A from direct current to alternating current. More specifically, the power conversion unit 14A boosts or steps down the DC power generated by the distribution unit 12A using a DC / DC converter, and then converts the DC power into AC power using a DC / AC inverter. The power conversion unit 14 </ b> A can be configured using a general inverter or the like, and can have a generally well-known configuration, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The control unit 16A controls and manages the entire power generation apparatus 10A including each functional unit of the power generation apparatus 10A. The control unit 16A can be configured by, for example, a microcomputer or a processor (CPU). Further, the control unit 16A will be described below as including a memory for storing various programs and various information. This memory also stores algorithms for performing data analysis and various arithmetic processing performed by the control unit 16A, and various reference tables such as a lookup table (LUT). In particular, in the present embodiment, the control unit 16A controls the output of power generated by the power generation unit 12A. In order to perform such control, the control unit 16A can control the power generation of the power generation unit 12A or the output of the power conversion unit 14A, for example. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 16A is connected to the power generation unit 12A and the power conversion unit 14A by a control line. Hereinafter, the operation of the control unit 16A related to the control unique to the present embodiment will be mainly described.

  The power generation device 10B includes a power generation unit 12B that generates power to be connected to the system 100 and supplies the load 200, a power conversion unit 14B that converts power generated by the power generation unit 12B from direct current to alternating current, and a power generation unit 12B. And a control unit 16B that controls output of electric power to be generated. The power generation device 10C includes a power generation unit 12C that generates power to be supplied to the load 200 in connection with the system 100, a power conversion unit 14C that converts power generated by the power generation unit 12C from direct current to alternating current, and a power generation unit. And a control unit 16C that controls the output of the electric power generated by 12C.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the power generation apparatuses 10 </ b> A, 10 </ b> B, and 10 </ b> C can have substantially the same configuration, but are not limited thereto, and various configurations can be employed. In the present embodiment, the power generators 10A, 10B, and 10C only need to be able to control the output of the electric power that is connected to the grid 100 and supplied to the load 200. In other words, the power generation system 1 includes a plurality of power generation devices 10A, 10B, and 10C that are connected to the system 100 and can control the output of power supplied to the load 200.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the power generation system 1, the power generation device 10A is connected to the other power generation devices 10B and 10C. As described above, each of the power generation device 10A, the power generation device 10B, and the power generation device 10C can be configured by a distributed power source. In FIG. 1, the DC power generated by the power generation units 10 </ b> A to 10 </ b> C is connected after being converted to AC, but the power generation system 1 according to the present embodiment is not limited to such a mode, and DC power You may connect as it is.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, in the power generation system 1, the power generation apparatuses 10 </ b> A to 10 </ b> C are connected to the corresponding current sensors 18 </ b> A to 18 </ b> C, respectively. The current sensors 18A to 18C may be, for example, CT (Current Transformer). However, any element can be adopted as long as it can detect current.

  The current sensors 18 </ b> A to 18 </ b> C can detect that the power output from the power generation system 1 is flowing backward through the system 100. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 1, the current sensors 18 </ b> A to 18 </ b> C are arranged at positions for detecting the power flowing through the system 100 after being supplied to the load 200 from the power output from the power generation devices 10 </ b> A to 10 </ b> C. The The currents detected by the current sensors 18A to 18C are notified directly or indirectly to the control units 16A to 16C by wireless or wired communication, respectively. Then, the control unit 16A can calculate the reverse flow power from the current detected by the current sensors 18A to 18C.

  In the power generation system 1 according to the present embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the power generation apparatuses 10A and 10B are connected, and the power generation apparatuses 10B and 10C are connected. More specifically, it is preferable that the control units 16A and 16B are connected and the control units 16B and 16C are connected. However, the connection is not limited to such a connection mode. It can be set as the arbitrary connection aspects which can communicate between apparatuses. Further, such a connection can be made by wire or wireless. With such a connection, the power generation apparatuses 10A to 10C can exchange and share various types of information among the power generation apparatuses 10A to 10C.

  Next, the operation of the power generation devices 10A to 10C in the power generation system 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

  When the power generation system 1 according to the present embodiment starts operation, one of a plurality of power generation devices (for example, 10A to C) can be selected and controlled as a main device (master). In this case, among the plurality of power generation devices (for example, 10A to 10C), those not selected as the main device (master) are preferably controlled as the subordinate devices (slave). Hereinafter, as an example, a case will be described in which the power generation device 10A controls the operations of the power generation devices 10B and 10C, which are other subordinate devices (slaves), with the power generation device 10A as a main device (master).

  In the present embodiment, when a reverse power flow occurs, the operating state of each power generator is determined in consideration of the degree of deterioration of each power generator. That is, among the plurality of power generation devices, those having a large degree of deterioration are not operated as much as possible, and those having a small degree of deterioration are operated as much as possible.

  In order to realize such control, the power generation apparatuses 10A to 10C included in the power generation system 1 share information indicating the degree of deterioration of each. Each of the power generation devices 10A to 10C also shares a reference table that defines the output of each power generation device when realizing the output required for the power generation system 1 as a whole. Such information and tables can be stored in the respective control units 16A to 16C in the power generation devices 10A to 10C.

  Here, “information indicating the degree of deterioration (hereinafter abbreviated as“ deterioration information ”)” of the power generation apparatuses 10 </ b> A to 10 </ b> C can be various types of information. Hereinafter, “deterioration information” will be further described.

  For example, the power generation units 12A to 12C include drive parts such as a pump and a fan, and various parts constituting functional units such as a fuel cell power generation module and an internal combustion engine. The degree of deterioration of these parts depends on various factors such as the temperature at which the power generation apparatuses 10A to 10C are used, the rotational speed of movable parts such as fans, the generated power of the power generation apparatuses 10A to 10C, and the power generation efficiency. Change. The degree of deterioration of such various parts affects the life of the power generation apparatuses 10A to 10C.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the control units 16A to 16C have the characteristic parameters related to the deterioration of the predetermined parts constituting the power generation apparatuses 10A to 10C, the state of the parts, the operation time of the parts, and the like. taking measurement. And control part 16A-C estimates a comprehensive deterioration degree based on these measurements, and hold | maintains it as "deterioration information." And this degradation information is made to be shared with other power generators by communication between power generators 10A-C. Furthermore, 10 A of power generators which are main apparatuses (master) create the reference table mentioned later, and transmit to other power generators (in this case 10B and 10C).

  Moreover, the deterioration information mentioned above is information which changes with time. For this reason, it is preferable that the power generators 10A to 10C share the latest deterioration information as much as possible. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is desirable to collect information indicating the degree of deterioration of each of the power generation apparatuses 10A to 10C at a predetermined time interval, for example, and update the above-described reference table. Hereinafter, processing in which the power generation devices 10A to 10C collect information indicating the degree of deterioration and update the reference table will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating reference table update processing in the power generation devices 10A to 10C according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the reference table update process by the power generation device 10A is started, the control unit 16A transmits various information about the power generation device 10A that is the own device to the other power generation devices 10B and 10C (step S11). ). Specifically, in step S11, the control unit 16A determines (1) the maximum output value of power that can be generated by the power generation device 10A, (2) the output value of power that the power generation device 10A is currently generating, (3 ) The deterioration information of the power generation device 10A is transmitted. In order to perform the process of step S11, the control unit 16A performs control so as to acquire the various information in advance at a predetermined time interval, for example.

  Here, (1) the maximum output value of power that can be generated by the power generation device 10A is the maximum output value of the power that can be generated by the power generation device 10A, such as the rated output of the power generation device 10A. Further, (2) the output value of the power currently generated by the power generation device 10A is the value of the power currently output by the power generation device 10A. Further, (3) the deterioration information of the power generation apparatus 10A is, for example, information indicating the state of the parts constituting the power generation apparatuses 10A to 10C as described above, or the operation time of the parts constituting the power generation apparatuses 10A to 10C. It can be used as information indicating. In particular, in the present embodiment, this deterioration information is information such as information indicating the degree of deterioration of components constituting the power generation devices 10A to 10C and information such as deterioration characteristics of components constituting the power generation devices 10A to 10C. Is preferred.

  If various information about the own machine (power generation device 10A) is transmitted to other power generation devices 10B and 10C in step S11, control unit 16A receives the same information from other power generation devices 10B and 10C (step S12). . In Step S11, power generator 10B transmits the above-mentioned various information to power generators 10A and 10C. In Step S11, power generator 10C transmits the above-mentioned various information to power generators 10A and 10B. Therefore, in step S12, each of the power generation devices 10A to 10C can share the information of the power generation devices 10A to 10C included in the power generation system 1 by receiving the above-described various information from the other power generation devices. it can.

  When the power generation device 10A receives various types of information from the other power generation devices 10B and 10C in step S12, the control unit 16A calculates the current total output of the power generated by the power generation system 1 (step S13). In step S13, the control unit 16A obtains the output value of the power currently generated by the power generation devices 10A to 10C, and thus calculates the current total output of the power generated by the power generation system 1 from these pieces of information. can do.

  When the current total output of the power generated by the power generation system 1 is calculated in step S13, the control unit 16A updates the reference table based on the received various information (step S14). At the time of updating the reference table, the control unit 16A determines each operating state in consideration of the degree of deterioration of the power generation devices 10A to 10C. Also, the control unit 16A holds the reference table updated in this way in the memory. In step S <b> 14, each of the power generation devices 10 </ b> A to 10 </ b> C can hold the updated reference table. At this time, the control units 16A to 16C of the power generation devices 10A to 10C may perform update processing of the reference table, respectively, or may transmit the reference table updated by the power generation device 10A to the power generation devices 10B and 10C.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the reference table updated in step S14.

  In step S14, the control unit 16A generates power when the power generation system 1 outputs predetermined power based on the deterioration information of the power generation devices 10A to 10C and the maximum output value of power that can be generated, as shown in FIG. Each of the devices 10A to 10C defines power to be output. In FIG. 3, as an example, the maximum output values of the power generation devices 10A to 10C are assumed to be 3 kW, respectively. Further, in FIG. 3, as an example, it is assumed that the power generation device 10A has the lowest deterioration level and the power generation device 10C has the highest deterioration level. In FIG. 3, as an example, it is assumed that the power generation apparatuses 10A to 10C have a slower deterioration when operated at an output of 2.0 kW, and a faster progress of the deterioration when operated at an output of 2.0 kW or more. doing.

  In FIG. 3, the power x [kW] output from the power generation system 1 as a whole is shown in the left column, and the power to be output by the power generation apparatuses 10A to 10C at that time is shown in a table. Since the power generation device 10A has the lowest degree of deterioration, the priority of operating the power generation system 1 is increased. On the other hand, since the power generation device 10C has the highest degree of deterioration, the priority for operation is lowered during operation of the power generation system 1. By referring to such a reference table, when the power generation system 1 outputs the power x [kW], the control units 16A to 16C can grasp the power that the power generation devices 10A to 10C should output. .

  Next, operations performed by the power generation apparatuses 10A to 10C according to the updated reference table as shown in FIG. 3 will be described.

  In the power generation system 1 shown in FIG. 1, when the demand for the power consumption of the load 200 is larger than the maximum power output from the power generation devices 10 </ b> A to 10 </ b> C, power is purchased from the grid 100. At this time, the current sensors 18A to 18C included in the power generation devices 10A to 10C detect forward currents, respectively. In this way, when the current sensors 18A to 18C detect the forward current, the respective control units 16A to 16C control the power generators 10A to 10C to output the maximum power. Of the demand for power consumption of the load 200, the shortage in the output of the power generation system 1 can be met by purchasing power from the system 100.

  On the other hand, in the power generation system 1, when the maximum power output from the power generation devices 10 </ b> A to 10 </ b> C is larger than the demand for power consumption of the load 200, the current sensors 18 </ b> A to 18 </ b> C included in the power generation devices 10 </ b> A to 10 </ b> C Detect current. In this case, the power generators 10A to 10C perform control according to the present embodiment described below.

  In the present embodiment, when a reverse flow current is generated, the power output from the power generation devices 10A to 10C is reduced according to the current value detected by the current sensors 18A to 18C, so that the total power of the power generation system 1 is reduced. The output is reduced below the power consumption demand of the load 200. At this time, the electric power output from each of the power generators 10A to 10C follows the reference table described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process in which the power generation apparatuses 10A to 10C determine an output target and control the output. Hereinafter, as an example, the process performed by the power generation apparatus 10A will be described, but the power generation apparatuses 10B and 10C can be similarly processed.

  When the process shown in FIG. 4 starts, the control unit 16A of the power generation apparatus 10A determines whether or not the current sensor 18A has detected a reverse flow current (step S21). When the reverse power flow is detected in step S21, the control unit 16A acquires the current value of the reverse power flow detected by the current sensor 18A (step S22).

  When the reverse flow current value is acquired in step S22, the control unit 16A calculates the total power generated by the power generation system 1 from the acquired reverse flow current value and the total power output of the power generation system 1 calculated in step S13. An output target is calculated (step S23). In order to prevent a reverse current flow due to power generation by the fuel cell from occurring beyond a predetermined time, the target of the total power output calculated in step S23 is based on the total power that can be output by each of the power generation devices 10A to 10C. Will also be small.

  After calculating the target of the total power output in step S23, the control unit 16A refers to the reference table (as shown in FIG. 3) stored in the memory (step S24). Thereby, when the power generation system 1 outputs the target power as a whole, the power generation apparatuses 10 </ b> A to 10 </ b> C can grasp the power to be individually output. In this way, by referring to the reference table in step S24, the control unit 16A determines a target of power output from the power generation device 10A that is its own device (step S25).

  When the target of the power output in step S25 is determined, the control unit 16A controls the power generation unit 12A and / or the power conversion unit 14A so that the output of the power generation device 10A becomes the target power (step S26). As described above, the control units 16 </ b> A to 16 </ b> C perform control, respectively, so that the total power output from each of the power generation apparatuses 10 </ b> A to 10 </ b> C is the total power output targeted by the power generation system 1.

  Thus, the control unit 16A generates power based on information indicating the degree of deterioration of the power generation devices 10A to 10C when the total output of the power generated by the power generation devices 10A to 10C is larger than the power consumption of the load 200. Control is performed so as to adjust the output of the electric power generated by each of the devices 10A to 10C.

  At this time, based on the information indicating the degree of deterioration of the power generation devices 10A to 10C, the control unit 16A adjusts the output of the power to be generated preferentially from the power generation devices 10A to 10C having the highest degree of deterioration. You may control to. Further, at this time, the control unit 16A adjusts the output of the power generated preferentially from the power generators 10A to 10C having the low degree of deterioration based on the information indicating the degree of deterioration of the power generators 10A to 10C. You may control to do. In the present embodiment, “adjusting” the output of the current to be generated can be various modes such as increasing, decreasing, suppressing, and maintaining the output.

  Further, in the control unit 16A, the “information indicating the degree of deterioration” of the power generation devices 10A to 10C may be information indicating the states of the components constituting the power generation devices 10A to 10C. In addition, the “information indicating the degree of deterioration” may be information indicating the operation time of the parts constituting the power generation apparatuses 10A to 10C.

  As described above, in this embodiment, a distributed power source with a low degree of deterioration is preferentially operated to reduce the burden on the distributed power source with a high degree of deterioration. For this reason, the lifetimes of the respective distributed power sources are averaged, and the lifetime of the entire power generation system can be extended. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of cases where a power consumer installs a distributed power source that generates low-cost electricity at home or the like in order to cover the power consumed by himself / herself. Considering the introduction cost of the distributed power source, it is desirable to extend the life of the distributed power source as much as possible. Therefore, according to the present invention, the lifetime of an expensive distributed power source can be extended, which is economically advantageous.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various variations and modifications based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these variations and modifications are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the functions included in each functional unit, each means, each step, etc. can be rearranged so that there is no logical contradiction, and a plurality of functional units, steps, etc. are combined or divided into one. It is possible. In addition, each of the embodiments of the present invention described above is not limited to being performed faithfully to each of the embodiments described above, and is implemented by appropriately combining the features or omitting some of the features. You can also.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the control units 16A to 16C have been described as each including a memory and storing a reference table or the like. However, the power generation devices 10A to 10C may be configured to include a storage unit separate from the control units 16A to 16C, respectively.

  Further, in the power generation devices 10A to 10C, the respective control units 16A to 16C do not store the reference table as shown in FIG. 3 in advance, but the power to be output by the power generation devices 10A to 10C, for example, in real time. It may be calculated.

  Further, after step S13 described with reference to FIG. 2, for example, the control unit 16A may perform control so as to correct the reference table by exchanging information of the reference table with the other power generation devices 10B and 10C.

  Further, in the power generation devices 10A to 10C, the respective control units 16A to 16C generate power for the next maintenance inspection in a predetermined short time based on information on the time until maintenance inspection of the components constituting each power generation device. The apparatus may be operated with a high load preferentially from the apparatus.

  The present invention can also be implemented as an invention of the power generation system 1. In this case, each of the plurality of power generation devices 10 </ b> A to 10 </ b> C is connected to the plurality of power generation devices 10 </ b> A to 10 </ b> C when the total output of the generated power is larger than the power consumption of the load 200. Control is performed so as to adjust the output of the electric power to be generated based on the information indicating the degree of deterioration of each of the above.

  In addition, the present invention can also be implemented as a power generation method using a plurality of power generation devices 10A, 10B, and 10C capable of controlling the output of power supplied to the load 200 by connecting to the system 100. For example, the power generation method is such that each of the plurality of power generation devices 10A to 10C generates power when the total output of power generated by connecting the plurality of power generation devices 10A to 10C is larger than the power consumption of the load 200. A control step of controlling to adjust the output of. At this time, in the said control step, it controls so that the output of the electric power to generate | occur | produce may be adjusted based on the information which shows each degradation degree of several electric power generating apparatus 10A-C. In addition, the present invention can be implemented as a method invention corresponding to the invention of the power generation apparatuses 10A, 10B, and 10C and a method invention corresponding to the invention of the power generation system 1.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electric power generation system 10A, 10B, 10C Electric power generation apparatus 12A, 12B, 12C Power generation part 14A, 14B, 14C Power conversion part 16A, 16B, 16C Control part 18A, 18B, 18C Current sensor 100 System 200 Load

Claims (11)

A power generation unit that generates power to be connected to the grid and supplied to the load;
A control unit that controls an output of electric power generated by the power generation unit, and a power generation device comprising:
When the total output of the power generated by the power generation device and another power generation device connected to the power generation device is larger than the power consumption of the load, the control unit deteriorates the power generation device and the other power generation device. A power generator that controls to adjust the output of the power generated by the power generator and the other power generator based on the information indicating the degree of the power.   Based on information indicating the degree of deterioration of the power generation device and the other power generation device, the control unit is configured to preferentially generate power from the power generation device and the other power generation device that has a high degree of deterioration. The power generator according to claim 1, wherein the power generator is controlled to adjust an output.   Based on the information indicating the degree of deterioration of the power generation device and the other power generation device, the control unit is configured to preferentially generate power from the power generation device and the other power generation device having a low degree of deterioration. The power generator according to claim 1, wherein the power generator is controlled to adjust an output.   The control unit, as information indicating the degree of deterioration of the power generation device and the other power generation device, based on information indicating the state of the components constituting the power generation device and the other power generation device, The power generator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the power generator is controlled to adjust an output of electric power generated by each of the other power generators.   The control unit, as information indicating the degree of deterioration of the power generation device and the other power generation device, based on the information indicating the operating time of components constituting the power generation device and the other power generation device, The power generator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the other power generators are controlled so as to adjust an output of electric power generated by each of the other power generators. A power generation system including a plurality of power generation devices capable of controlling the output of electric power supplied to a load connected to a system,
Each of the plurality of power generation devices is information indicating the degree of deterioration of each of the plurality of power generation devices when the total output of the power generated by connecting the plurality of power generation devices is larger than the power consumption of the load. A power generation system that controls to adjust the output of power generated by the power generation device based on the above. A power generation method using a plurality of power generation devices capable of controlling the output of power supplied to a load connected to a system,
Each of the plurality of power generation devices is information indicating the degree of deterioration of each of the plurality of power generation devices when the total output of the power generated by connecting the plurality of power generation devices is larger than the power consumption of the load. A power generation method including a control step of controlling to adjust the output of the power generated by the power generation device based on the above.   In the control step, based on the information indicating the degree of deterioration of the power generation device and the other power generation device, the power generated preferentially from the power generation device and the other power generation device having the highest degree of deterioration. The power generation method according to claim 7, wherein the output is controlled to be adjusted.   In the control step, based on the information indicating the degree of deterioration of the power generation device and the other power generation device, the power generated preferentially from the power generation device and the other power generation device having a low degree of deterioration. The power generation method according to claim 7, wherein the output is controlled to be adjusted.   In the control step, as the information indicating the degree of deterioration of the power generation device and the other power generation device, the power generation device and the other power generation device based on the information indicating the states of the components constituting the power generation device and the other power generation device The power generation method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein control is performed so as to adjust an output of electric power generated by each of the other power generation devices.   In the control step, as the information indicating the degree of deterioration of the power generation device and the other power generation device, the power generation device and the power generation device based on the information indicating the operation time of the parts constituting the power generation device and the other power generation device, The power generation method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein control is performed so as to adjust an output of electric power generated by each of the other power generation devices.

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