JP2022114962A - Power demand management device, power demand management system, and power demand management method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a power demand management device, a power demand management system, and a power demand management method efficiently and surely executing a demand responce (DR).SOLUTION: A power demand management device requesting and executing DR to a plurality of user sites receiving power supply through a power transmission line, has: a database for managing power usage information regarding a history of a past power usage amount of a plurality of user sites; a user site extracting unit for extracting at least one or more user sites based on the power usage information per user site referring to the database, according to a command regarding the DR; a DR request unit for transmitting a DR request notice to an information communication terminal device related to the extracted user site for a DR request; and a current amount upper limit value changing unit for controlling to change a current amount upper limit value in a permitted user site with respect to the DR request according to a permission/non-permission notice transmitted from the information communication terminal device in response to the DR request notice.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a power supply and demand management device, a power supply and demand management system, and a power supply and demand management method.

Power (that is, electricity) generated at each power plant (centralized power source) is sent to consumption areas through transmission lines via several large and small substations, and finally from transformers through distribution lines. and sent to consumers such as general households. A system that integrates power generation, transformation, transmission and distribution is generally referred to as a power system. Since electric power in such a power system cannot be stored, it is necessary to constantly balance the amount of demand and the amount of supply. If this supply-demand balance is disrupted, the quality of electricity, such as voltage and frequency, will decline, and in some cases, there is a risk of large-scale power outages.

In order to maintain a balance between power supply and demand, electric power companies have conventionally adjusted the operation status of power generation facilities based on the concept of matching the amount of power supplied to the amount of demand. However, in this case, the electric power company is required to prepare a surplus of power generation equipment, which increases management and operation costs, resulting in a rise in electricity charges.

In addition, although the introduction of renewable energy such as solar and wind power generation has progressed in recent years, the amount of power generated by these sources depends on natural conditions such as the weather, making it impossible to control the amount of supply. In parallel with these trends, distributed energy resources that are introduced on the consumer side, such as cogeneration such as photovoltaic power generation and household fuel cells, storage batteries, electric vehicles, and so-called negawatts, are becoming widespread.

Against this background, the conventional energy supply system, which relies on large-scale power plants centered on electric power companies, is being reconsidered. It is Specifically, a management system called an aggregator utilizes the IoT (Internet of Things) to remotely and comprehensively control the distributed energy resources of each facility, such as factories and homes. A scheme to adjust the supply and demand balance of electricity has been proposed. Such a scheme is called a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) because it functions as if it were a single power plant.

Furthermore, in recent years, the concept of matching the demand for electricity with the supply has been adopted, and operations are being carried out to maintain a balance between the demand and the supply through demand response (DR). In other words, demand response is a system that allows consumers to curb the use (consumption) of electricity in response to the setting of electricity rates or the payment of incentives when market prices soar or when the reliability of the power system declines. It means changing the demand pattern.

Such virtual power plants and demand responses are expected to be solutions to problems such as power load leveling in electric power systems, absorption of renewable energy oversupply, and supply during power shortages. Several systems have been proposed for demand response.

For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses that it is possible to easily request execution of demand response to a consumer, calculate an appropriate amount of compensation for the consumer who executes the demand response, and adjust power by the consumer. It discloses a demand response system capable of making the amount as planned.

Further, Patent Literature 2 listed below discloses a device for easily grasping an increase or decrease in power demand when a demand response is requested. Specifically, Patent Literature 2 expresses fluctuations in a predetermined time period in the amount of power demand assumed when there is no request for demand response, corresponding to time, and also expresses the power demand in response to the request for demand response. Disclosed is a power information creation device provided with a baseline screen creation unit that creates screen display information for displaying a baseline screen showing fluctuations in demand response in a request time period in correspondence with time.

Further, Patent Literature 3 below discloses a device that enables appropriate processing of controlled equipment of a consumer. Specifically, Patent Document 3 discloses an acquisition unit that acquires predetermined information used to determine processing related to a controlled device of a multiple consumer, and a controlled device of the consumer based on the predetermined information acquired by the acquisition unit. Disclosed is an information processing device that includes a determination unit that determines service content corresponding to a control device, and an execution unit that executes processing related to the consumer's controlled device based on the service content determined by the determination unit. .

JP 2018-170925 A JP 2019-170101 A JP 2020-054053 A

In order to effectively implement demand response, it is important to identify a consumer who can reliably respond to a request for demand response from the power supply side, and to obtain approval from the consumer. In the past, when an imbalance in the supply and demand balance was predicted in the power system, for example, the person in charge of the electric power company would call the so-called large-volume consumers with large contracted power amounts and request their approval to reduce their power consumption. In response to the request, large-scale consumers reduced their power consumption by stopping the operation of electrical equipment. However, none of the above Patent Documents 1 to 3 considers the problem of requesting demand response from any consumer within a specific consumption area and obtaining approval more quickly.

Therefore, the present invention provides an electric power supply and demand management apparatus and electric power supply and demand management capable of effectively extracting consumers who can respond to a request for demand response from within a specific electric power consumption area and promptly obtaining approval or rejection from the said consumers. An object of the present invention is to provide a system and a power supply and demand management method.

The present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems includes the matters specifying the invention or the technical features described below.

The present invention according to a certain aspect can be a power supply and demand management device that requests and executes demand responses to a plurality of customer sites that receive power supply via transmission lines. The power supply and demand management device includes a database that manages power usage information related to past power usage history of each of the plurality of consumer sites, and a demand response command that refers to the database to a customer site extraction unit for extracting at least one or more of the customer sites based on the power usage information of each site; and the at least one or more customer sites extracted for the demand response request. and a demand response request unit that transmits a demand response request notification to the information communication terminal device associated with the and a amperage upper limit value changing unit that performs control to change the amperage upper limit value at the customer site that is licensed to the customer site.
Power supply and demand management device.

The customer site extraction unit may extract the customer site based on the power usage of the customer site in a past specific time period.

Further, the consumer site extracting unit may extract the consumer sites where the power consumption is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

Also, the customer site extracting unit may extract a predetermined number of customer sites based on the total amount of electric power requested to be reduced indicated by the command.

The power supply and demand management device may further include a power reduction request amount determination unit that determines a power reduction request amount for the customer site according to the extracted contracted amperage of the customer site.

Further, the power supply and demand management apparatus may further include a demand response permission summarizing unit that calculates an expected power reduction amount based on the power reduction request amount of the approved consumer site.

The demand-response consent aggregation unit can compare the calculated expected reduction power amount with the total power amount requested to be reduced, and determine whether or not the expected power amount to be reduced has reached the total power amount requested to be reduced. . Then, when the demand response permission summarizing unit determines that the expected reduction power amount has not reached the reduction request total power amount, the consumer site extraction unit refers to the database and Home sites can be further extracted.

Further, when determining that the expected reduction power amount has reached the reduction-requested total power amount, the demand-response-approved aggregation unit is a demand-response current amount for executing a demand response to the approved customer site. A demand-response implementation list may be created that includes upper limits.

In addition, the demand-response permission totalizing unit can transmit a notification to the effect that acceptance of the demand-response request has been completed to the consumer sites that have not yet transmitted the permission approval/disapproval notification.

The current amount upper limit value change unit may transmit a first current amount upper limit value change command designating the demand response current amount upper limit value to the consumer site according to the demand response implementation list.

Further, the current amount upper limit value changing unit changes a second current for returning the demand response current amount upper limit value at the consumer site to the original current amount upper limit value at the end of the demand response according to the command. A volume cap change command may be sent to the customer site.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power supply and demand management apparatus for requesting and executing a demand response from a plurality of customer sites receiving power supply via a power transmission line, and and an information communication terminal device. The power supply and demand management device includes a database that manages power usage information related to past power usage history of each of the plurality of consumer sites, and a demand response command that refers to the database to a customer site extraction unit for extracting at least one or more of the customer sites based on the power usage information of each site; and the extracted at least one or more customer sites for the demand response request. and a demand response request unit that transmits a demand response request notification to the information communication terminal device associated with the and a current amount upper limit value changing unit that performs control to change the current amount upper limit value at the customer site licensed to the customer site. According to the received demand response request notification, the information communication terminal device has a user interface prompting the user to select whether or not to approve the demand response request, and the permission based on the selected approval or disapproval. a transmission unit (communication unit) that transmits a permission notification to the power supply and demand management device.

Furthermore, the present invention according to another aspect can be a power supply and demand management method by a power supply and demand management apparatus that requests and executes demand responses to a plurality of customer sites that receive power supply via transmission lines. The method comprises: accumulating and managing power usage information regarding past power usage history of each of the plurality of consumer sites in a database; receiving a command regarding demand response; , referring to the database and extracting at least one or more of the customer sites based on the power usage information of each of the plurality of customer sites; transmitting a demand response request notification to the information communication terminal device associated with the at least one consumer site; and receiving a permission approval/disapproval notification transmitted from the information communication terminal device in response to the demand response request notification. and performing control so as to change the upper limit value of current amount at the customer site that has been permitted in response to the request for the demand response, according to the received notification of approval or disapproval.

The present invention may also be a computer program for causing a computing device to execute the method or a computer-readable recording medium carrying the same non-temporarily.

In this specification and the like, "means" does not simply mean physical means, but also includes the case where the functions of the means are realized by software. Also, the function of one means may be realized by two or more physical means, or the functions of two or more means may be realized by one physical means. In addition, "system" refers to a logical assembly of multiple devices (or functional modules that implement specific functions), and whether or not each device or functional module is in a single housing does not matter.

According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively extract a consumer who can respond to a demand response request from within a specific power consumption area, and quickly obtain approval or rejection from the consumer.

Other technical features, objects, effects or advantages of the present invention will be made clear by the following embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The effects described in this specification are only examples and are not limiting, and other effects may also occur.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a power supply and demand management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a functional model of the power supply and demand management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the database in the power supply and demand management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a reduction request power amount determination table in the power supply and demand management apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a demand response request notification by the power supply and demand management apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a consumer site in the power supply and demand management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information communication terminal device in the power supply and demand management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on the user interface of the information communication terminal device in the power supply and demand management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on the user interface of the information communication terminal device in the power supply and demand management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a sequence chart for explaining an example of the flow of overall processing in the power supply and demand management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11A is a flowchart for explaining an example of DR execution processing of the power supply and demand management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11B is a flowchart for explaining an example of DR execution processing of the power supply and demand management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example hardware configuration of a computing device in the system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below are merely examples, and are not intended to exclude various modifications and application of techniques not explicitly described below. The present invention can be implemented in various modifications (for example, by combining each embodiment) without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, in the description of the drawings below, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. The drawings are schematic and do not necessarily correspond to actual dimensions, proportions, and the like. Even between the drawings, there are cases where portions with different dimensional relationships and ratios are included.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a power supply and demand management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the power supply and demand management system 1 schematically includes a power supply command device 10, a power supply and demand management device 20, and a plurality of customer sites 30, which are connected to a communication network 40. communicatively connected to Electric power generated at a power plant (not shown) is stepped down to a predetermined voltage via substation S and transmission lines and/or distribution lines (hereinafter simply referred to as “transmission lines”) EL. are supplied to a plurality of consumer sites 30. In the power supply and demand management system 1 of the present disclosure, as will be described in detail below, the power supply and demand management device 20 balances the supply and demand of power through demand response (hereinafter referred to as “DR”) to the customer site 30. .

The power supply command device 10 issues a DR-related command (hereinafter referred to as "DR command") indicating the amount of power to be reduced according to the prediction of the power supply and demand balance in the power system. The DR command includes, for example, the total amount of electric power to be reduced by implementing demand response for adjusting the balance of supply and demand (hereinafter referred to as "total amount of electric power requested to be reduced"). For example, the DR command includes information such as the execution date and time of the demand response "January xx, 2020 17:00 to 19:00" and the maximum usable power amount "1 MW" (current amount upper limit value "10,000 A") . The power supply command device 10 is managed and operated by, for example, an electric power company, a power transmission/distribution business operator, a business operator called an aggregation coordinator (sometimes simply called an aggregator), or the like, but is not limited to this. The DR command from power supply command device 10 is transmitted to power supply and demand management device 20 via communication network 40 .

The power supply and demand management device 20 remotely and integrally controls each consumer site 30 to adjust the power supply and demand balance. For example, in accordance with the DR command from the power dispatching device 10, the power supply and demand management device 20, in order to secure the amount of power to be reduced by a plurality of customer sites 30 in the region under its jurisdiction, may supply at least some of the approved demand Remotely adjust and/or control the maximum available power (ie, maximum amperage) for the home site 30 . The power supply and demand management device 20 is operated and managed by, for example, an aggregator, but is not limited to this. An aggregator may be, for example, a utility company, a power transmission and distribution utility and/or a retail utility.

The power supply and demand management device 20 includes a database 220 for managing various types of information (hereinafter referred to as “power usage information”) regarding power usage at the customer site 30 . The power usage information includes, for example, a history of past power usage of the customer site 30 . The power supply and demand management apparatus 20 may be physically built on one or logically one computing device, or may be distributed and built on several computing devices. Although the hardware configuration of such a computing device is illustrated in FIG. 11, it is not limited to this, and since it is known, its detailed description is omitted. The power supply and demand management device 20 can construct a secure communication session with the power dispatching device 10 and the consumer site 30 via the communication network 40, for example, by using secure communication technology such as SSL/TSL.

For example, upon receiving the DR command from the power supply dispatching device 10, the power supply and demand management device 20 refers to the database 220 and extracts at least one or more consumer sites 30 that are effective in securing the power reduction amount. Send a DR request (that is, a request to change the maximum usable power amount (current upper limit) according to a predetermined schedule, a so-called down DR request) to the consumer site 30, and obtain the permission from the consumer site 30. . Then, after obtaining permission from the customer site 30 , the power supply and demand management device 20 transmits to the customer site 30 an instruction to set the maximum usable power amount.

The customer site 30 is a customer side site that uses power supplied through the transmission line EL. Consumers are typically classified into high-voltage large-volume consumers, high-voltage small-volume consumers, and low-voltage consumers, according to the amount of contracted power in an electric power contract with an electric power company or the like. In the present disclosure, the consumer is assumed to be a low-voltage consumer such as a general household, but is not limited to this. The contract power is also called so-called contract ampere.

The consumer site 30 includes, for example, a measuring instrument 320, a circuit breaker, a distribution board (not shown), and various electric devices (so-called load devices) required for commercial use of power supplied from the power system. Configured. In the present disclosure, the customer site 30 further includes a current amount adjusting device 330 (see FIG. 6). The current amount adjustment device 330 can operate under remote control of the power supply and demand management device 20 . For example, the current amount adjustment device 330 temporarily changes the upper limit of the available power amount within the range of contracted amperes for the customer site 30 according to the setting instruction of the maximum available power amount received from the power supply and demand management apparatus 20. obtain.

In the present disclosure, the consumer site 30 is described as the site receiving the DR request, but is configured to include power generation equipment so as to function as an energy resourcer (i.e., distributed small-scale power plant) in the VPP. May be. Power generation equipment may include, for example, solar power generation equipment, wind power generation equipment, and cogeneration equipment such as gas power generation.

The consumer site 30 also includes an information communication terminal device 340 for interactive operation by an administrator who manages the consumer site 30 (or a user who is a consumer who uses power). The information communication terminal device 340 , for example, receives a DR request notification from the power supply and demand management device 20 , and in response to this, transmits to the power supply and demand management device 20 whether permission is granted. The information communication terminal device 340 is associated with the customer site 30 by, for example, a common identification code so as to be recognized as part of the customer site 30 by the aggregator.

Typically, the information communication terminal device 340 is a computing device that has a communication function and can be interactively operated by an administrator, such as a desktop computer, notebook computer, tablet computer, smart phone, feature phone, and others. Intelligent devices include, but are not limited to: In the present disclosure, information communication terminal device 340 is assumed to be a smart phone capable of touch operation.

That is, the information communication terminal device 340 can be configured including hardware resources such as a CPU (processor), chipset and memory, communication module, user interface, etc., and an operating system (for example, kernel, various device drivers, standard libraries, etc.). (hereinafter referred to as "OS"). The information communication terminal device 340 executes various application programs on the OS under the control of the processor to realize desired functions. In the present disclosure, the information communication terminal device 340 is, for example, one of the application programs, a DR client program including a group of instructions or a module for making the information communication terminal device 340 function as a user interface for responding to DR requests. can be implemented. Alternatively, the information communication terminal device 340 may be configured such that a browser program is installed as one of the application programs, and the above functions are realized by a browser add-on program realized by the browser program.

Communication network 40 may be, for example, a mobile communication network conforming to a mobile communication system standard. Communication network 40 may be an IP-based computer network instead of or in addition to a mobile communication network. Alternatively, the communication network 40 may be constructed by using a transmission line EL, that is, by a communication method in which communication data is superimposed on the transmission line EL. The communication network 40 can be a network of any protocol that enables communication between the power supply and demand management device 20 and the consumer site 30 and/or the information communication terminal device 340 as nodes.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a functional model of the power supply and demand management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, among the various components (components) of the power supply and demand management device 20, the components particularly related to the present disclosure are shown, and other components are omitted as appropriate to avoid complication. . That is, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the power supply and demand management device 20 is roughly configured including a communication unit 210, a database 220, and a DR execution unit 230. FIG. These components can be implemented in cooperation with various hardware components by the hardware components themselves or by the processor of the power supply and demand management device 20 executing the DR management program on the OS.

The communication unit 210 is a communication interface for exchanging various types of information with external devices, especially the power supply commanding device 10 and each consumer site 30 via the communication network 40 . As an example, communication unit 210 receives a DR command from power supply command device 10 and passes it to DR execution unit 230 . As another example, the communication unit 210 periodically or irregularly receives the power usage amount from each customer site 30 and transfers it to the DR execution unit 230 for accumulation in the database 220 . As yet another example, the communication unit 210 transmits a notification regarding a DR request (hereinafter referred to as “DR request notification”) to specific customer sites 30, and some of the customer sites 30 respond to the request. Receive a notification indicating whether or not permission has been granted (hereinafter referred to as a "permission approval or disapproval notification").

The database 220 manages various types of information regarding the power usage of each consumer site 30 as described above. For example, the database 220 accumulates and manages power usage information for each consumer site 30 .

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the database in the power supply and demand management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, for example, each record in the database 220 may include fields such as consumer site ID, email address, contracted amperage, incentive, DR permission status, and power usage information, but is not limited to these fields. . Although not shown, each record may further include fields relating to attribute information of the customer site 30, such as the name and address of the customer site 30, telephone number, and passcode.

Referring to the figure, the customer site ID is an ID for identifying each customer site 30 . The e-mail address indicates the e-mail address of the administrator of the consumer site 30 for the power supply and demand management device 20 to send the DR request. The e-mail address can be used as a user ID for customer site 30 (ie, administrator). The contracted ampere indicates the contracted power amount based on the power contract between the customer site 30 and the electric power company. The incentive indicates a reward or the like given to the customer site 30 that has granted permission in response to the DR's request. The DR permission status indicates whether or not the DR request is permitted. The power usage information is history data indicating the amount of power usage at each consumer site 30 at each predetermined time interval in the past. The power usage can be obtained from, for example, the measuring instrument 320 installed at the consumer site 30, but is not limited to this, and may be provided from an electric power company, a power transmission and distribution business operator, or the like. The power usage information is, for example, an average value of power usage for every 30 minutes or 1 hour, but is not limited to this. For example, the power usage information may be a peak value of power usage for every 30 minutes or 1 hour.

Returning to FIG. 2, the DR execution unit 230 requests and executes a DR for a specific customer site 30 in the region under its jurisdiction, according to the DR command. In the present disclosure, the DR executing unit 230 includes, for example, a consumer site extracting unit 231, a reduction request power amount determining unit 232, a DR requesting unit 233, a DR permission totalizing unit 234, and a current amount upper limit value changing unit 235. It consists of

The customer site extraction unit 231 refers to the database 220 based on the total amount of electricity requested to be reduced indicated by the DR command, and extracts one or more customer sites 30 that can effectively implement DR. . That is, the consumer site extracting unit 231 extracts the power usage information for each consumer site 30 in the database 220 according to the total power consumption reduction request in a specific time zone on the DR implementation date indicated by the DR command. A predetermined number of consumer sites 30 that are expected to consume a large amount of power are extracted based on a predetermined threshold value. The number of customer sites 30 to be extracted may be determined according to, for example, the total power amount requested to be reduced.

For example, the consumer site extraction unit 231 acquires the power consumption of the consumer site 30 in the time zone of the day corresponding to one week before the implementation date indicated by the DR command, and the value (or average value) is A predetermined number of large consumer sites 30 are extracted in order. As a specific example, when the DR command is the implementation date “17:00 to 19:00 on January xx, 2020” and the total power amount requested to be reduced is “1 MW”, the consumer site extraction unit The customer sites 30 whose power consumption was 4 kW or more from 17:00 to 19:00 on the day one week before the xx day are extracted.

Alternatively, for example, the consumer site extraction unit 231 aggregates the power consumption of the consumer sites 30 in the same time zone for each day in the most recent fixed period from the implementation date indicated by the DR command, and obtains the value (or A predetermined number of customer sites 30 with a large average value) are extracted in order. As a specific example, when the DR command is the implementation date “17:00 to 19:00 on January xx, 2020” and the total power amount requested to be reduced is “1 MW”, the consumer site extraction unit The customer sites 30 where the average value of the power consumption from 17:00 to 19:00 on each day in the most recent week from the xx day is 4 kW or more are extracted.

In addition, as will be described later, the consumer site extraction unit 231 determines that the expected reduction power amount calculated based on the individual reduction requested power amounts of the customer sites 30 that have accepted the DR request has reached the reduction requested total power amount. If not, the customer site 30 that is the target of the DR request is further extracted.

The reduction-requested power amount determination unit 232 determines individual reduction-requested power amounts for each of the extracted customer sites 30 according to, for example, a reduction-requested power amount determination table 2321 as shown in FIG. For example, the reduction-requested power amount determining unit 232 refers to the database 220 to identify the extracted contracted amperage of the customer site 30 and determines the reduction-requested power amount according to the reduction-requested power amount determination table 2321 . For example, if the contracted amperage of a certain customer site 30 is 40A, the power amount for 30A (that is, 3 kW if the effective voltage is 100V) is determined as the power amount to be reduced for the customer site 30 . The reduction-requested power amount determination unit 232 creates a DR request list indicating the extracted power reduction-requested power amounts for the customer sites 30 , and transfers the DR request list to the DR request unit 233 and the DR permission aggregation unit 234 .

As a specific example, it is assumed that the customer site extraction unit 231 was able to extract 200 customer sites 30 (contract ampere is 40 A) whose actual value of power consumption in the past was 4 kW or more. In this case, assuming that the power amount requested to be reduced to each consumer site 30 is 3 kW,
3 kW * 200 houses = 600 kW
, and there is still a shortage of 400 kW with respect to the total amount of electric power requested for reduction of 1000 kW. Therefore, the consumer site extraction unit 231 further extracts the consumer sites 30 whose past power consumption was 3 kW or more and less than 4 kW in order to further secure 400 kW. In this case, if the customer site extraction unit 231 is able to extract, for example, 400 customer sites 30, the total amount of electricity requested to be reduced is:
2 kW * 400 houses = 800 kW
As a result, a total of 1,400 kW for 600 households will be secured.

The DR requesting unit 233 creates a DR request notification for each customer site 30 according to the DR request list handed over from the customer site extracting unit 231, and sends it to the information communication terminal device 340 associated with the customer site 30. and start accepting DR requests. The DR request notification includes, for example, the DR implementation date and time (start date and time and end date and time), the current contracted amperage, the upper limit usable amperage at the implementation date and time, and the like, as shown in FIG. When the consumer site 30 (that is, the information communication terminal device 340 in this example) receives the DR request notification, it selects whether or not to approve the request under the interactive operation of the administrator or according to automatic response processing, A notification indicating whether or not the permission is granted (hereinafter referred to as “approval permission notification”) is transmitted to the power supply and demand management device 20 .

Upon receiving a notification of approval or rejection of the DR request from the customer site 30, the DR permission totalizing unit 234 totalizes the requested reduction power amount of the customer site 30 that has approved the request, and calculates the current expected reduction power amount. . The DR permission aggregation unit 234 compares the calculated expected reduction power amount with the total power amount requested to be reduced, and if it determines that the calculated expected power amount to be reduced has reached the total power amount requested to be reduced, the DR permission aggregation unit 234 grants Based on the content of the permission for the DR request from the consumer site 30 , a DR implementation list indicating the details of DR implementation is created and handed over to the current amount upper limit value changing unit 235 . The DR implementation list may include, for example, the customer site 30 that has granted the DR request list and the DR current amount upper limit value associated therewith.

Note that when the DR permission aggregation unit 234 determines that the calculated expected reduction power amount has reached the reduction request total power amount, the DR permission aggregation unit 234 , a notification to the effect that the acceptance of the DR request has been completed.

On the other hand, when the DR permission aggregation unit 234 determines that the calculated expected reduction power amount has not reached the total power amount requested to be reduced, the unachieved amount (shortage) is used as an additional power amount requested to be reduced. The extraction unit 231 is notified. The DR permission aggregation unit 234 instructs the customer site extraction unit 231 to extract the customer site 30 and make a request to the customer site 30 until the calculated expected reduction power amount reaches the reduction request total power amount. Notice.

The amperage upper limit value changing unit 235 remotely controls the setting or change of the amperage upper limit value for the consumer site 30 that has accepted the DR request based on the reduction requested power amount according to the DR implementation schedule. . For example, when the DR start date and time come, the amperage upper limit value changing unit 235 sends a amperage upper limit value change command designating the DR amperage upper limit value to the amperage adjusting device 330 of each customer site 30 according to the DR execution list. Send. In response to this, the current amount adjusting device 330 of the consumer site 30 changes the current upper limit of current amount to the upper limit of DR current amount.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a consumer site in the power supply and demand management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, among various components (components) of the consumer site 30, components related to the technology according to the present disclosure are shown. That is, in the example shown in the figure, the customer site 30 includes, for example, a control device 310, a measuring device 320, and a current amount adjusting device 330. FIG. The customer site 30 also includes the information communication terminal device 340 for interactive operation by the administrator of the customer site 30, as described above.

The control device 310 centrally controls the power used at the consumer site 30 . In the present disclosure, control device 310 is configured to be able to control current amount adjustment device 330 . Also, the control device 310 can control an electric device (load device). Such a control device 310 is sometimes called a HEMS (Home Energy Management System).

The control device 310, the measuring instrument 320, the current amount adjusting device 330, and the like can be connected via, for example, a data communication line. The data communication line may be wired or wireless. An example of a wireless data communication line that connects the measuring instrument 320 and the current amount adjusting device 330 may be, for example, a so-called B route, but the present invention is not limited to this.

Also, the control device 310 is communicably connected to the power supply and demand management device 20 via the communication network 40 (eg, 4G or 5G mobile communication system). In the present disclosure, control device 310 is configured to be able to receive a current amount upper limit value change command. Also, the control device 310 can be associated with and communicatively connected to the information communication terminal device 340 . The control device 310 is communicably connected to the information communication terminal device 340 by, for example, the WiFi (registered trademark) standard, but is not limited to this.

Upon receiving the amperage upper limit value change command from the power supply and demand management device 20, the control device 310 changes the current amperage upper limit value to the DR amperage upper limit value specified by the amperage upper limit value change command. Control the regulator. In addition, the control device 310 controls the current amount adjusting device so as to return the DR current amount upper limit value to the current amount upper limit value, which is the original contracted ampere, at the end date and time of the DR according to the current amount upper limit value change command. Alternatively, when the DR end date and time come, the power supply and demand management device 20 transmits to the customer site 30 a current amount upper limit value change command for returning the changed current amount upper limit value to the contract ampere, and in response to this, The consumer site 30 may restore the current upper limit of current amount to the original upper limit of current amount.

The meter 320 can measure the amount of power (commercial power) supplied from the power grid. The meter 320 transmits the measured power usage to the control device 310 via a wireless data communication line, for example, at predetermined time intervals. The amount of power used is transmitted to the power supply and demand management device 20 . Note that the measuring instrument 320 may have a function of directly communicating with the power supply and demand management apparatus 20 . A smart meter that digitally measures power usage and has a communication function is one aspect of the meter 320 .

The current amount adjustment device 330 adjusts the current upper limit value at the consumer site 30 . In the present disclosure, the current amount adjusting device 330 is configured to include the circuit breaker 332, but is not limited to this. When the current amount adjustment device 330 determines that the current value based on the power usage amount by the load device at the customer site 30 exceeds the current upper limit value, the current amount adjustment device 330 controls the circuit breaker 332 to cut off the current from the power system. The current upper limit value is normally equal to the contracted ampere, but is set as the DR current upper limit value during DR implementation.

For example, the current amount adjustment device 330 changes the current upper limit current value to the DR current upper limit value indicated by the current amount upper limit value change command under the control of the control device 310 . For example, when the customer site 30 whose contract ampere is 60A grants a DR request for a DR current upper limit value of 45A, the current amount adjustment device 330 changes the current upper limit value from 60A to Change to 45A. When the current amount adjustment device 330 determines that the current value based on the current power consumption by the load device exceeds the current current upper limit value 45A, it controls the circuit breaker 332 to cut off the current. In addition, when the DR end date and time come, current amount adjustment device 330 changes the current upper limit current value (DR current upper limit value) to the current upper limit value indicated by the original contract ampere under the control of control device 310 .

In addition, in the present disclosure, an example in which the current amount adjustment device 330 is configured separately from the control device 310 is shown. May be.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information communication terminal device in the power supply and demand management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. The information communication terminal device 340 functions as a terminal device for interactive operation by the manager of the consumer site 30 . In the figure, among the various components (components) of the information communication terminal device 340, the components particularly related to the present disclosure are shown, and the other components are omitted as appropriate to avoid complication. In the example shown in the figure, the information communication terminal device 340 includes a control section 341 , a storage section 342 , a user interface section 343 and a communication section 344 . Such a component can be realized by the hardware component itself, or by cooperating with various hardware resources, for example, by the processor of the information communication terminal device executing the DR client program on the OS.

The control unit 341 is a component for overall control of the information communication terminal device 340, and typically includes a processor and an OS (including various device drivers) and a DR client program of the information communication terminal device 340. etc. In other words, the information communication terminal device causes the information communication terminal device 340 to function as a DR client application by the processor executing the DR client program on the OS.

The storage unit 342 is a component that stores various programs and data sets, and typically includes a memory device that is used by the processor of the information communication terminal device 340 . As an example, the storage unit 342 stores an operating system, DR client program, and customer site profile. The DR client program can be configured to include a subprogram or module for prompting the administrator to accept or reject the request based on the DR request notification transmitted by the power supply and demand management device 20 . The customer site profile is data or information relating to the customer site 30, and may include, for example, a customer site ID, customer site attribute information, DR permission status, current current upper limit value, and other data. .

The user interface unit 343 is a component that enables the administrator to interactively operate the information communication terminal device 340, and includes, for example, a touch panel integrated with a display and a position input mechanism, and an input/output device such as a speaker. can be configured. As an example, the user interface unit 343 displays a screen for inputting whether or not to approve the DR request notification from the power supply and demand management device 20 in response to a predetermined operation on the user interface unit 343 by the administrator. As another example, the user interface unit 343 displays the current power consumption of the consumer site 30 itself on the screen.

The communication unit 344 is a component that transmits and receives various data to and from the power supply and demand management device 20 and other external devices via the communication network 40, and typically includes a communication interface circuit or chipset. Configured. A transmitter and/or receiver is one aspect of the communication unit 344 .

Upon receiving the DR request notification, the information communication terminal device 340 configured as described above displays a DR request notification screen 800 as shown in FIG. let me know it has arrived. In response to this, the administrator operates the user interface unit 343 to display, for example, a DR request approval approval/disapproval screen 900 shown in FIG. The DR request permission approval/disapproval screen 900 shows, for example, the DR implementation date, the start time, the end time, the power reduction request amount, the incentive, and the like. The administrator selects "yes" on such a DR request approval screen 900 to cooperate (permit) with the DR request, or select "Yes" , select "No". As a result, the information communication terminal device 340 transmits to the power supply and demand management device 20 a permission approval/disapproval notification indicating permission or non-permission.

In this example, the information communication terminal device 340 is configured to display the DR request permission permission/prohibition screen 900 upon receipt of the DR request notification and to prompt the administrator to input permission/prohibition of permission, but the configuration is not limited to this. Alternatively, the administrator may set a permission condition in advance, and if the permission condition is satisfied, the permission of the DR request may be automatically selected, and the notification of whether or not permission is permitted may be transmitted.

The administrator inputs, for example, whether or not to approve the DR request notification to such information communication terminal device 340 . As another example, the administrator can operate the user interface unit 343 to display the current power consumption of the consumer site 30 itself on the screen for confirmation.

FIG. 10 is a sequence chart for explaining an example of the flow of overall processing in the power supply and demand management system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the figure, in order to enable participation in the power supply and demand plan by the DR provided by the power supply and demand management device 20, the consumer site 30 concludes a DR license agreement with the power supply and demand management device 20 (S1001). ). Such a conclusion may be made via writing or, for example, by electronic inspection. For example, the administrator operates the user interface unit 343 of the information communication terminal device 340, downloads the DR client program, executes it, accesses the power supply and demand management device 20, and electronically browses the contract document. , may enter into a DR licensing agreement. As a result, the power supply and demand management device 20 registers the customer site 30 in the database 220 as a DR request candidate.

When the power supply command device 10 formulates a DR implementation plan according to the prediction of the power supply and demand balance in the power system (S1002), it transmits a DR command indicating the total power amount requested to be reduced to the power supply and demand management device 20 (S1003).

Upon receiving the DR command, the power supply and demand management device 20 refers to the database 220 and extracts one or more customer sites 30 in order to secure the total power amount requested for reduction (S1004). The power supply and demand management device 20 determines the reduction requested power amount for the DR request to the extracted consumer site 30 (S1005), and transmits a DR request notification to each consumer site 30 (S1006). Transmission of the DR request notification may be push-type transmission to the mailer of the information communication terminal device 340 using the registered mail address, or push-type transmission to the DR client application.

When the consumer site 30 (that is, the information communication terminal device 340) receives the DR request notification, it displays a permission approval/disapproval screen to prompt the administrator to enter whether or not to approve the request. is selected (S1007). As a result, the information communication terminal device 340 transmits a permission approval/disapproval notification to the power supply and demand management device 20 (S1008).

When the power supply and demand management device 20 receives the notice of approval or rejection from each customer site 30, it aggregates the power amounts requested to be reduced by the approved customer sites 30, and calculates the expected power amount to be reduced (S1009). When the power supply and demand management device 20 is able to secure the expected power reduction amount equal to or greater than the total power amount requested for reduction, the power supply and demand management device 20 stops accepting approval approval/disapproval notifications from the consumer site 30, and does not yet transmit approval approval/disapproval notifications. A notification to the effect that the reception of the DR request has been completed is transmitted to the customer site 30 that does not have the DR request.

Subsequently, the power supply and demand management device 20 implements DR according to the DR implementation plan (S1010), thereby transmitting a current amount upper limit change command to the authorized consumer site 30 (S1010).

When receiving the amperage upper limit value change command, the consumer site 30 changes the current amperage upper limit value to the DR amperage upper limit value based on the received amperage upper limit value change command, and implements DR (S1012). ). In addition, the consumer site 30 restores the current upper limit of current amount to the original upper limit of current amount (that is, the contracted ampere) when the DR end time comes. Alternatively, when the DR end time comes, the power supply and demand management device 20 transmits to the customer site 30 a current amount upper limit value change command for returning the changed current amount upper limit value to the contract ampere, and in response to this, The consumer site 30 may restore the current upper limit of current amount to the original upper limit of current amount.

11A and 11B are flowcharts showing an example of DR execution processing of the power supply and demand management device according to one embodiment of the present invention. The processing shown in the figure is realized in cooperation with various hardware components by the processor of the power supply and demand management device 20 executing the DR management program.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the power supply and demand management device 20 is on standby until it receives a DR command from the power supply command device 10 (S1101). When the power supply and demand management device 20 receives the DR command from the power supply command device 10 (Yes in S1101), the consumer site extraction unit 231 refers to the database 220 based on the total power amount requested to be reduced indicated by the DR command. , extract one or more customer sites 30 that can effectively implement DR (S1102).

Next, the reduction-requested power amount determination unit 232 determines individual reduction-requested power amounts for each of the extracted customer sites 30 (S1103). For example, the reduction-requested power amount determining unit 232 refers to the database 220 and determines the reduction-requested power amount according to the extracted contracted amperage of the customer site 30 . In addition, the reduction requested power amount determination unit 232 creates a DR request list indicating the reduction requested power amount for the extracted consumer sites 30 .

The DR requesting unit 233 creates a DR request notification for each customer site 30 according to the created DR request list, and transmits it to the information communication terminal device 340 of the customer site 30 (S1104). This allows the administrator to know that the aggregator has requested DR cooperation. When the information communication terminal device 340 receives the DR request notification, the administrator operates the user interface unit 343 of the information communication terminal device 340 to select whether or not to approve the request. transmits a notice of approval or rejection to the power supply and demand management device 20 .

The power supply and demand management device 20 waits until it receives a permission approval/disapproval notification for the DR request from the consumer site 30 (S1105). When the power supply and demand management device 20 receives the approval approval/disapproval notification from the customer site 30 (Yes in S1105), the DR approval totaling unit 234 totals the reduction requested power amount of the customer site 30 that has approved the request, and the current is calculated (S1106).

Subsequently, the DR permission tallying unit 234 determines whether or not the calculated expected reduction power amount is greater than or equal to the reduction request total power amount (whether or not it has reached) (S1107). If the DR permission totalizing unit 234 determines that the calculated expected reduction power amount is not equal to or greater than the reduction request total power amount (No in S1107), it calculates the shortage (S1108), and the consumer site extraction unit 231 In order to further extract other customer sites 30, the process returns to S1102.

On the other hand, when the DR permission totalizing unit 234 determines that the calculated expected reduction power amount is greater than or equal to the reduction requested total power amount (Yes in S1107), the content of the permission for the DR request of the licensed consumer site 30 (S1109 in FIG. 11B), whereby the power supply and demand management device 20 waits until the DR implementation date (S1110). The DR implementation list can include, for example, the DR current amount upper limit for each customer site 30 that has been granted a DR request list.

On the DR implementation date, the amperage upper limit value changing unit 235 changes the amperage upper limit value to remotely control the setting of the amperage upper limit value for the customer site 30 that has accepted the request according to the DR implementation list. A change command is transmitted (S1111). As a result, the consumer site 30 that has received the amperage upper limit value change command changes the current amperage upper limit value to the DR amperage upper limit value. It should be noted that the amperage upper limit value changed by the DR amperage upper limit value is changed to the amperage upper limit value, which is the original contracted ampere, upon completion of the DR.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, based on the DR command from the power supply commanding device 10, the power supply and demand management device 20 transmits a DR request notification to the consumer site 30 in the area under its jurisdiction, By setting the DR current upper limit value to the consumer site 30 that has responded and approved the DR request, it is possible to implement DR efficiently and reliably. In particular, according to the present embodiment, the power supply and demand management apparatus 20 extracts the consumer sites 30 that are expected to use a large amount of power on the DR implementation day, based on the power usage information accumulated in the database 220. Therefore, the implementation of DR can be effectively realized. Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, the administrator (user) of the consumer site 30 selects whether or not to approve the DR request by a simple operation using the information communication terminal device 340 such as a smartphone. be able to. This improves the response rate from the administrator, and makes it easier to secure the reduction-requested total power amount more efficiently and reliably.

Each of the above embodiments is an example for explaining the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention only to these embodiments. The present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the gist thereof.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, in the power supply and demand management system 1, the power supply and demand management device 20 controls the entire consumer site 30 in response to a demand response request to limit the upper limit of the amount of current. However, control may be performed to limit the current amount upper limit for a predetermined electrical device at the consumer site 30 . For example, the control device 310 of the consumer site 30 configured as an HEMS follows the current amount upper limit value change command from the power supply and demand management device 20, for electronic devices with large power consumption (for example, air conditioners, IH devices, etc.) , may implement a forced lower DR. Furthermore, the control device 310 may implement an increased DR for the storage battery, the solar battery, the cogeneration system, etc. at the customer site 30 under the control of the power supply and demand management device 20 .

Also, in the methods disclosed herein, steps, actions or functions may be performed in parallel or in a different order without contradicting the results. The steps, acts and functions described are provided as examples only and some of the steps, acts and functions may be omitted or combined together without departing from the scope of the invention. one, and other steps, operations, or functions may be added.

In addition, although various embodiments are disclosed in this specification, specific features (technical matters) in one embodiment may be added to other embodiments or Certain features in the embodiments can be substituted and such forms are included in the gist of the invention.

1... Power supply and demand management system 1
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 power supply command device 20 power supply and demand management device 210 communication unit 220 database 230 demand response execution unit 231 consumer site extraction unit 232 reduction requested power amount determination unit 233 demand response request unit 234 demand response permission Aggregating unit 235 Current amount upper limit changing unit 30 Customer site 310 Control device 320 Measuring instrument 330 Current amount adjusting device 332 Circuit breaker 340 Information communication terminal device 341 Control unit 342 Storage unit 343 User Interface unit 344 Communication unit 40 Communication network

Claims (13)

A power supply and demand management device that requests and executes a demand response from a plurality of consumer sites that receive power supply via a power transmission line,
a database for managing power usage information relating to past power usage history of each of the plurality of consumer sites;
a customer site extracting unit for extracting at least one or more of the customer sites based on the power usage information of each of the plurality of customer sites, referring to the database in accordance with a demand response command;
a demand response request unit configured to transmit a demand response request notification to an information communication terminal device associated with the extracted at least one consumer site for the demand response request;
Control is performed to change the upper limit value of current amount at the customer site that has been permitted in response to the demand response request, in accordance with the notification of approval or rejection transmitted from the information communication terminal device in response to the demand response request notification. and a current amount upper limit value changing unit,
Power supply and demand management device. The customer site extraction unit extracts the customer site based on the power usage amount of the customer site in a past specific time period.
The power supply and demand management device according to claim 1. wherein the consumer site extracting unit extracts the consumer sites where the power usage is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold;
The power supply and demand management device according to claim 1 or 2. The customer site extraction unit extracts a predetermined number of the customer sites based on the total amount of electric power requested to be reduced indicated by the command.
The power supply and demand management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Further comprising a reduction request power amount determination unit that determines a reduction request power amount for the customer site according to the extracted contract amperage of the customer site,
The power supply and demand management device according to claim 4. Further comprising a demand response permission aggregation unit that calculates an expected reduction power amount based on the reduction request power amount of the approved consumer site,
The power supply and demand management device according to claim 5. The demand-response consent aggregation unit compares the calculated expected reduction power amount with the total power amount requested to be reduced,
The customer site extracting unit refers to the database and extracts data from other customer sites when the demand response permission totalizing unit determines that the expected reduction power amount has not reached the total power amount requested for reduction. further extract the
The power supply and demand management device according to claim 6. The demand-response permission aggregation unit compares the calculated expected reduction power amount with the total power amount requested to be reduced, and when determining that the expected power amount to be reduced has reached the total power amount requested to be reduced, creating a demand response execution list including a demand response current upper limit value for executing the demand response at the authorized consumer site;
The power supply and demand management device according to claim 6 or 7. The demand-response permission aggregation unit transmits a notification to the effect that acceptance of the demand-response request has been completed to the consumer site that has not yet transmitted the notification of approval or rejection.
The power supply and demand management device according to claim 8 . The current amount upper limit value changing unit transmits a first current amount upper limit value change command specifying the demand response current amount upper limit value to the consumer site according to the demand response implementation list.
The power supply and demand management device according to claim 8 . The amperage upper limit value changing unit sets a second amperage upper limit value for returning the demand response amperage upper limit value at the consumer site to the original amperage upper limit value when the demand response according to the command ends. sending a value change command to the consumer site;
The power supply and demand management device according to claim 10. Power supply and demand management comprising: a power supply and demand management device for requesting and executing demand responses from a plurality of consumer sites receiving power supply via transmission lines; and an information communication terminal device associated with the consumer sites. a system,
The power supply and demand management device
a database for managing power usage information relating to past power usage history of each of the plurality of consumer sites;
a customer site extracting unit for extracting at least one or more of the customer sites based on the power usage information of each of the plurality of customer sites, referring to the database in accordance with a demand response command;
a demand response request unit configured to transmit a demand response request notification to an information communication terminal device associated with the extracted at least one consumer site for the demand response request;
Control is performed to change the upper limit value of current amount at the customer site that has been permitted in response to the demand response request, in accordance with the notification of approval or rejection transmitted from the information communication terminal device in response to the demand response request notification. and a current amount upper limit value changing unit,
The information communication terminal device
a user interface prompting a user to select whether or not to approve the demand response request according to the received demand response request notification;
a transmitting unit configured to transmit to the power supply and demand management device the approval approval/disapproval notification based on the approval/disapproval of the selected approval;
Power supply and demand management system. A power supply and demand management method by a power supply and demand management device for requesting and executing a demand response from a plurality of customer sites receiving power supply via a power transmission line,
accumulating and managing power usage information related to past power usage history of each of a plurality of consumer sites in a database;
receiving instructions for demand response;
referring to the database according to the received command and extracting at least one or more of the customer sites based on the power usage information of each of the plurality of customer sites;
transmitting a demand response request notification to an information communication terminal device associated with the extracted at least one consumer site for the demand response request;
Receiving a permission approval/disapproval notification transmitted from the information communication terminal device in response to the demand response request notification;
controlling to change the upper limit value of current amount at the customer site that has been permitted in response to the request for the demand response, according to the received notification of approval or disapproval;
Power supply and demand management method.

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