JP2023177474A - Power management system and power management method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a power management system that appropriately adjusts power demand.SOLUTION: A power management system 100 includes a control unit that selects a consumer to be subject to demand adjustment when adjusting electricity demand in a predetermined area, and the control unit preferentially targets a large-scale consumer 30 whose power adjustment capacity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value as a target for demand adjustment. The control unit selects a large-scale consumer 30 to be subjected to demand adjustment on the basis of the predicted value of power consumption and the power adjustment ability of the large-scale consumer 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a power management system and the like.

As a technique related to power demand adjustment, for example, the technique described in Patent Document 1 is known. In other words, Patent Document 1 states, ``The value of the ideal energy demand at each time is proportional to the value of the energy demand predicted for the customer at each time, or according to the actual energy demand of the customer. "The energy demand is divided proportionally and presented as a value for each time of the target energy demand for the consumer."

Patent No. 6900563

In the technology described in Patent Document 1, energy demand is adjusted to achieve optimal operation of the plant (power supply side), but there is room for improvement in terms of increasing the ability of the consumer side to adjust energy (power). There is.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a power management system and the like that appropriately adjusts power demand.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a power management system according to the present invention includes a control unit that selects a consumer to be subjected to demand adjustment when performing power demand adjustment in a predetermined area, and the control unit includes: It was decided that large-scale consumers whose power adjustment capacity is above a predetermined value would be targeted for demand adjustment preferentially.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a power management system and the like that appropriately adjusts power demand.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram including a power management system according to an embodiment. 1 is a block diagram including a hardware configuration of a power management device included in a power management system according to an embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a power management device included in the power management system according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of customer/equipment information in the power management system according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of device operation information in the power management system according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of operation schedule information in the power management system according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of operation plan information in the power management system according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a demand-side management device in the power management system according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram regarding indoor comfort level in the power management system according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram regarding power adjustment ability in the power management system according to the embodiment. 3 is a flowchart of processing performed by the power management device of the power management system according to the embodiment. It is a flowchart of processing performed by the demand-side management device of the power management system according to the embodiment.

≪Embodiment≫
<Configuration of power management system>
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram including a power management system 100 according to an embodiment.
The power management system 100 is a system that manages adjustment of the power supply and demand balance. Before explaining the power management system 100, the power supply system 200 that supplies power to the demand side will first be briefly described.

In the example of FIG. 1, the power supply system 200 includes renewable energy power generation facilities such as a solar power plant 21 and a wind power plant 22, other power generation facilities 23 (thermal power plants and nuclear power plants), and power distribution facilities. 24. Further, the power supply system 200 includes, in addition to the above-described configuration, a plurality of large-scale consumers 30, a plurality of small-scale consumers 40, and a power company terminal 50.

Note that although FIG. 1 shows a solar power plant 21 and a wind power plant 22 as examples of renewable energy power generation facilities, the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, as renewable energy power generation equipment, for example, power generation equipment such as biomass power generation, geothermal power generation, tidal power generation, and temperature difference power generation may be provided. Furthermore, although the example in FIG. 1 shows three large-scale consumers 30 and two small-scale consumers 40, in reality, each of the large-scale consumers 30 and small-scale consumers 40 There are many in a given area.

In addition to the solar power plant 21 and the wind power plant 22, a power generation facility 23, a power distribution facility 24, a plurality of large-scale consumers 30, and a plurality of small-scale consumers 40 are connected in a predetermined manner via a power transmission line L1. . Then, the power generated by the solar power plant 21, the wind power plant 22, and the power generation equipment 23 is supplied to large-scale consumers 30 and small-scale consumers 40 in a predetermined manner via the power distribution equipment 24 and the power transmission line L1. It looks like this. The power company terminal 50 shown in FIG. 1 is a computer of a power company that operates the power generation equipment 23 and the like. The power company terminal 50 is connected to a solar power plant 21, a wind power plant 22, a power generation facility 23, and a power distribution facility 24 via communication lines (dashed lines in FIG. 1).

The power management system 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a power management device 10 and a plurality of demand-side management devices 31. The power management device 10 manages the power supply and demand balance, and transmits a predetermined signal regarding power demand adjustment to the plurality of demand-side management devices 31 as necessary. Entities that operate such a power management device 10 include, for example, local governments, power generation companies, and developers.

As shown in FIG. 1, the power management device 10 is connected to each demand-side management device 31 via a communication line (broken line in FIG. 1), and is also connected to an electric power company terminal 50 via a communication line. has been done. Furthermore, "demand adjustment" for electricity refers to the use of electricity on the demand side to prevent the balance of electricity demand and supply from being disrupted when a shortage or excess of the total amount of electricity that can be supplied to each consumer in a given area is predicted. To reduce or increase power.

For example, on hot days in summer or cold days in winter, the amount of electric power used for air conditioning and the like tends to increase from moment to moment. On the other hand, the power generated by renewable energy sources such as the solar power plant 21 and the wind power plant 22 fluctuates depending on natural conditions such as weather and wind speed. If it is predicted that the amount of electricity used in a given area will exceed the amount of electricity that can be supplied, it is necessary to reduce the amount of electricity used on the demand side compared to normal times to avoid disrupting the balance between supply and demand. desirable. Furthermore, when it is predicted that the power supplied to a predetermined area will exceed the power demand, it is desirable to promote consumption and storage of power on the demand side so as not to disrupt the balance of power supply and demand.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when power demand adjustment is required, the power management device 10 preferentially selects the large-scale consumer 30 as a target for demand adjustment. This is because the large-scale consumer 30 is often able to continuously supply a large amount of adjustment power compared to the small-scale consumer 40. In other words, rather than when a large number of small-scale consumers 40 individually perform demand adjustment, by having the large-scale consumers 30 mainly perform demand adjustment, greater adjustment power can be achieved at a predetermined timing based on the operation plan. I can demonstrate it. Note that the "adjustability" of power is the ability to adjust the magnitude of power demand when attempting to stabilize the power system.

Moreover, the large-scale consumer 30 is a consumer whose power adjustment power (for example, the average value of adjustment power in a past predetermined period) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Examples of such large-scale consumers 30 include commercial facilities such as department stores, department stores, and supermarkets, as well as hotels, city halls, ward offices, schools, sports facilities, and factories. The other small-scale consumer 40 is a consumer that does not correspond to the large-scale consumer 30.

The demand-side management device 31 shown in FIG. 1 controls devices (devices that consume power) provided in the large-scale consumer 30 based on data received from the power management device 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the demand-side management device 31 is installed in each of a plurality of large-scale consumers 30 and a plurality of small-scale consumers 40 existing in a predetermined area, and is connected via a communication line (broken line in FIG. 1). and is connected to the power management device 10. Note that it is not particularly necessary that all the large-scale consumers 30 and small-scale consumers 40 existing in a predetermined area are provided with the demand-side management device 31, and even if some large-scale consumers 30 etc. are provided with the demand-side management device 31, good.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram including the hardware configuration of the power management device 10.
Note that, in FIG. 2, illustration of the demand-side management device 31 provided in the small-scale consumer 40 (see FIG. 1) is omitted. As shown in FIG. 2, the power management device 10 includes a storage section 11, a memory 12, a processor 13, an input section 14, an output section 15, and a communication section 16 as a hardware configuration. . The storage unit 11 stores an OS (Operating System) and predetermined programs in advance. As such a storage unit 11, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory is used.

Predetermined programs and data are stored in the memory 12. The memory 12 includes a nonvolatile memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a register. The processor 13 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), reads a program stored in the memory 12, and executes predetermined processing.

The input unit 14 is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a predetermined button, or a pointing device operated by the user. The output unit 15 is, for example, a display or a speaker. Note that, like a touch panel, the output unit 15 that performs display etc. may also have a data input function. The communication unit 16 performs predetermined communication with the demand-side management device 31 via a wired or wireless network N1. As such a communication unit 16, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) adapter is used.
Note that the power management device 10 may be configured with one computer, but may also be configured with a plurality of computers (not shown) connected in a predetermined manner via a signal line or a network.

As shown in FIG. 2, the demand-side management device 31 provided in each large-scale consumer 30 is connected to the power management device 10 via the network N1. Note that the hardware configuration of the demand-side management device 31 is the same as that of the power management device 10, so a description thereof will be omitted.

The smart meter 61 shown in FIG. 2 detects the momentary power consumption (power demand) of the large-scale consumer 30. Note that a plurality of smart meters 61 may be installed in one large-scale consumer 30. Although not shown in FIG. 2, a smart meter 61 is also installed at the small-scale consumer 40 (see FIG. 1).

The thermal sensation detector 62 shown in FIG. 2 detects a thermal sensation value indicating the degree of heat/coldness felt by a person based on the detected values of temperature and humidity in the room of the large-scale consumer 30. Such a thermal sensor 62 is provided, for example, in one or more air-conditioned rooms (not shown) in which an air conditioner (not shown) is installed in the large-scale consumer 30.

Note that the sensors provided in the large-scale consumer 30 are not limited to the smart meter 61 and the thermal detector 62. For example, a sensor may be provided to detect the degree of crowding of people at the large-scale consumer 30 (department store, hotel, public facility, etc.). Further, a sensor may be provided to detect the amount of heat stored in the frame (framework such as concrete) of the large-scale consumer 30. Detection values of sensors including the smart meter 61 and the thermal sensor 62 are output to the demand-side management device 31. Further, at least the detected value of the smart meter 61 is transmitted to the power management device 10 via the demand-side management device 31 and the network N1 in sequence.

Alternatively, the power management device 10 may acquire predetermined external data via the network N1. Examples of such external data include meteorological information including weather forecasts, as well as statistical data regarding power demand in a predetermined area. Further, the external data may include data on survey results of a road traffic census (national road/street traffic situation survey) in addition to map data of a predetermined area and data indicating traffic volume. In addition, the external data may include human flow data based on location information of residents in a predetermined area, and data related to a predetermined area exchanged via SNS (Social Networking Service). In addition, in the following description, the reference numerals of the large-scale consumers 30 may be omitted as appropriate.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the power management device 10 included in the power management system.
As shown in FIG. 3, the power management device 10 includes a storage section 17, a control section 18, and a communication interface 19 as its functional configuration. The storage unit 17 stores customer/equipment information 17a, equipment operation information 17b, operation schedule information 17c, and operation plan information 17d. The control unit 18 includes a data acquisition unit 18a and a customer selection unit 18b.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of consumer/equipment information 17a in the power management system.
The customer/equipment information 17a shown in FIG. 4 (see also FIG. 3) is information regarding customers in a predetermined area and equipment installed at the customers. The "consumer ID" shown in FIG. 4 is identification information assigned to each consumer in a predetermined area. Further, "scale of consumer" is data indicating whether the consumer is a large-scale consumer or a small-scale consumer.

The "device ID" shown in FIG. 4 is identification information assigned to a device installed at a consumer. Furthermore, the "type of equipment" is the type of equipment installed at the customer. In the example of FIG. 4, the devices are classified into three categories: "air conditioner," "water heater," and "others" (lighting, computer, etc.). The "rated power" shown in FIG. 4 is the value of the rated power of equipment installed in the consumer. Such consumer/equipment information 17a is provided, for example, from the consumer's demand-side management device 31 (see FIG. 1) to the power management device 10 (see FIG. 1), and is stored in advance in the storage unit 17 (see FIG. 3). Stored.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the device operation information 17b in the power management system.
The equipment operation information 17b shown in FIG. 5 (see also FIG. 3) is information indicating equipment actually in operation at the customer. Note that the "consumer ID", "consumer scale", "equipment ID", and "equipment type" shown in FIG. 5 are the same as the above-mentioned consumer/equipment information 17a (see FIG. 4). Therefore, the explanation will be omitted. The "operating status" shown in FIG. 5 is data indicating the actual operating status (in operation or stopped) of the device at the present time (at the time of acquiring the device operating information 17b). Further, "power consumption" is the actual power consumption of each device at the current time. Note that the power consumption of each device is detected by a smart meter 61 (see FIG. 2).

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the operation schedule information 17c in the power management system.
The operation schedule information 17c shown in FIG. 6 (see also FIG. 3) is data including the predicted power demand of the consumer in each future time period. Note that the "consumer ID" and "consumer scale" shown in FIG. 6 are the same as the above-mentioned consumer/equipment information 17a (see FIG. 4), so their explanation will be omitted. The "prediction target date" and the "prediction target time" shown in FIG. 6 are dates and time periods targeted when predicting the power demand of a predetermined consumer. For example, for the time period from 0:00 to 0:30 on January 1, 2022, the prediction target time is shown as "00:30".

The "predicted power demand" shown in FIG. 6 is a predicted value of the power demand at a predetermined consumer. In addition to the weather in each time zone, the operation schedule information 17c also includes data indicating weekday/holiday distinction. The power demand for each time period (predicted power demand) is then predicted based on past power demand history, weather, weekday/holiday distinction, predicted temperature, presence or absence of a predetermined event, etc. It has become so. Such operation schedule information 17c is individually created by the demand-side management device 31 (see FIG. 1) of each consumer and transmitted to the power management device 10 (see FIG. 1).

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of operation plan information in the power management system.
Note that the horizontal axis of each time chart in FIG. 7 is time, and the vertical axis is an estimated value of power used (consumed) by the device. For example, in the winter operation plan for an air conditioner with device ID M0001, the air conditioner is operated at rated power XXX1 (see also customer/equipment information 17a in Figure 4) during the time period from 8:00 to 21:00. be done. For example, in the operation plan of an air conditioner whose equipment ID is M0002, the rated power XXX2 (consumer/equipment information 17a in Figure 4 (see also) drives the air conditioner.

Although FIG. 7 shows the operation plan for three devices (air conditioners) with device IDs M0001, M0002, and M0003, in reality, the operation plan for each of the consumer's devices (see also FIG. 4) is shown. A driving plan has been set. Furthermore, each device at the consumer is not necessarily operated according to the operation plan, and the devices may be operated or stopped at a time different from the operation plan. In addition, operation plans may be changed in response to requests for demand adjustment. In such a case, the operation plan information 17d (see FIG. 3) after changes due to demand adjustment is associated with the customer ID and transmitted from the demand-side management device 31 (see FIG. 1) of the customer to power management. A device 10 (see FIG. 1) is provided.

The data acquisition unit 18a shown in FIG. 3 acquires predetermined data from the demand-side management device 31 (see FIG. 1) or the like via the communication interface 19. When the customer selection unit 18b shown in FIG. 3 receives a request for demand adjustment from the electric power company terminal 50 (see FIG. 1), it selects a customer to be subjected to demand adjustment. The communication interface 19 shown in FIG. 3 performs predetermined data communication with the electric power company terminal 50 (see FIG. 1) and the plurality of demand-side management devices 31 (see FIG. 1).

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of the demand side management device 31.
As shown in FIG. 8, the demand side management device 31 includes a storage section 311, a control section 312, and a communication interface 313 as its functional configuration. The storage unit 311 stores equipment information 311a, equipment operating information 311b, operating schedule information 311c, operating condition information 311d, indoor comfort level information 311e, and operation plan information 311f. The control unit 312 includes a data acquisition unit 312a, a demand calculation unit 312b, a demand adjustment unit 312c, an indoor comfort level determination unit 312d, an operation plan creation unit 312e, and a device control unit 312f.

The device information 311a shown in FIG. 8 is, for example, data in which the device ID of a device provided at a consumer is associated with the type and rated power of the device. Note that the equipment information 311a is the same as the customer/equipment information 17a ( (see FIG. 4).
Furthermore, the equipment operation information 311b, operation schedule information 311c, and operation plan information 311f shown in FIG. 8 are provided from the demand-side management device 31 to the power management device 10 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, the equipment operation information 311b, operation schedule information 311c, and operation plan information 311f shown in FIG. 7), so its explanation will be omitted.

The operating condition information 311d shown in FIG. 8 is data indicating conditions for stopping or suppressing the output of a predetermined device in demand adjustment. Note that "output curtailment" refers to reducing the output of a device compared to when demand adjustment is not performed. For example, in large-scale customers, in order to save energy, the number of air conditioners in operation is often controlled to increase or decrease the number of air conditioners in operation according to the size of the air conditioning load. Data regarding such number control may be included in the operating condition information 311d.

Further, in the demand adjustment, the operating condition information 311d may be set in consideration of indoor comfort when some of the plurality of air conditioners are stopped. For example, in addition to the magnitude of the adjustment force when performing demand adjustment, there is also a data table that shows the type and number of equipment to be stopped during demand adjustment in association with the time period of demand adjustment and the value of indoor thermal sensation. The operating condition information 311d is set in this format.

The indoor comfort level information 311e shown in FIG. 8 is data including a predicted value of the indoor comfort level. The indoor comfort level is a numerical value indicating the degree of comfort of the air conditioning in the customer's room. For example, if some air conditioners are stopped due to demand adjustment, the effectiveness of the air conditioner may deteriorate and the level of indoor comfort may decrease. Therefore, in this embodiment, the control unit 312 predicts the indoor comfort level when the demand adjustment is performed, and stops the equipment or suppresses the output so that the predicted indoor comfort level is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. That's what I do.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram regarding indoor comfort level.
Note that the horizontal axis in FIG. 9 is the operation target value (output target value) when the maximum output of the air conditioner is "1". Note that the driving target value at the left end of the horizontal axis is "1" (maximum output), and the driving target value decreases toward the right side of the horizontal axis. The vertical axis in FIG. 9 is the indoor comfort level indicating the degree of comfort of air conditioning. A plurality of circles shown in FIG. 9 are plots of the indoor comfort level when the air conditioning operation is performed at a predetermined operation target value. A curve C1 shown in FIG. 9 is a curve in which the indoor comfort level is modeled in a predetermined manner based on a plurality of points (marked with circles). Such indoor comfort data is obtained in advance based on prior experiments and the like. For example, the indoor comfort level is predicted based on the operating target value of the air conditioner when performing demand adjustment.

The data acquisition unit 312a shown in FIG. 8 acquires predetermined data from the power management device 10 (see FIG. 1) via the communication interface 313. When there is a demand adjustment request from the power management device 10 (see FIG. 1), the demand calculation unit 312b calculates the minimum amount of energy (required energy ) is calculated.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram regarding power adjustment ability.
Note that the vertical axis in FIG. 10 is energy (power) that can be used in a predetermined area. This energy includes necessary energy, adjustment power, and renewable energy sales. The "total amount of energy required" shown in FIG. 10 is the minimum total amount of energy required for each customer to perform work and maintain indoor comfort in a predetermined area. When power saving is performed in accordance with demand adjustment, each device of a consumer is stopped or its output is suppressed in a predetermined manner so that the necessary energy is secured.

The "total amount of adjustment power" shown in FIG. 10 is the ability to adjust the magnitude of power demand in a predetermined region in order to stabilize the power system. Demand adjustment is performed by consumers in a predetermined region providing part or all of their adjustment power to the power system. The "total amount of renewable energy sold" shown in FIG. 10 is the total amount of renewable energy sold in a predetermined area.

The demand adjustment unit 312c shown in FIG. 8 adjusts each device of the customer based on the adjustment power allocated to a predetermined customer as demand adjustment, the required energy of the customer, and the operating condition information 311d described above. Select the equipment to be stopped or output suppressed.
The indoor comfort level determination unit 312d shown in FIG. 8 determines whether the indoor comfort level of the room (air conditioned room) when demand adjustment is performed at the consumer is equal to or higher than a predetermined value.

The operation plan creation unit 312e shown in FIG. 8 creates an operation plan for a plurality of devices such as large-scale consumers targeted for demand adjustment based on the processing results of the demand adjustment unit 312c. The operation plan information 311f created by the operation plan creation section 312e is stored in the storage section 311, and is also transmitted to the power management device 10 (see FIG. 2) via the network N1 (see FIG. 2).
The equipment control unit 312f shown in FIG. 8 stops or suppresses the output of the equipment selected by the demand adjustment unit 312c during a predetermined time period based on the operation plan.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of processing performed by the power management device (see also FIG. 3 as appropriate).
In step S101, the power management device 10 determines whether there is a request for demand adjustment. Such a request for demand adjustment is transmitted to the power management device 10 from the power company terminal 50 (see FIG. 1), for example. Note that when renewable energy such as solar power generation or wind power generation is sold in a predetermined area, demand adjustment may be performed in order to achieve the contract power at the time of power sale.

If there is a request for demand adjustment in step S101 (S101: Yes), the process of the power management device 10 proceeds to step S102. Further, if there is no request for demand adjustment in step S101, the power management device 10 ends the series of processing (END).
In step S102, the power management device 10 acquires the device operation information 311b and the like. That is, the power management device 10 acquires equipment operation information 311b for each consumer in a predetermined region as well as data regarding the future adjustment capacity of each consumer from the respective demand-side management devices 31.

In step S104, the power management device 10 selects consumers to be subjected to demand adjustment, and distributes adjustment power. First, the control unit 18 (consumer selection unit 18b in FIG. 3) of the power management device 10 selects a consumer to be subjected to demand adjustment when adjusting the demand for electricity in a predetermined area (consumer selection process). . Here, the control unit 18 preferentially targets large-scale consumers existing in a predetermined area for demand adjustment. For example, the control unit 18 selects a large-scale consumer to be subjected to demand adjustment based on the predicted value of power consumption and the power adjustment ability of the large-scale consumer. In this way, by giving priority to large-scale consumers as targets for demand adjustment, it becomes easier to ensure the ability to adjust electricity. Furthermore, since large-scale consumers often have a large number of multiple types of equipment, they can provide a large amount of adjustment power to the power system while avoiding excessive production adjustments and demand suppression.

Then, the control unit 18 distributes the total amount of adjustment power required to adjust the power demand in a predetermined area to a plurality of large-scale consumers (part of S104). For example, the control unit 18 increases the proportion of the adjustment power distributed to the large-scale consumer from the total amount of adjustment power, as the adjustment power of the large-scale consumer increases. This is because the larger the adjustment power, the more adjustment power can be provided from large-scale consumers to the power system during demand adjustment.
It is assumed that the magnitude of the adjustment power allocated to a large-scale consumer is smaller than the upper limit of the actual adjustment power of that large-scale consumer. Further, the magnitude of the adjustment power allocated to large-scale consumers etc. does not particularly need to be constant in each time period (each time period included in demand adjustment).

In step S105, the power management device 10 transmits data including the value of the adjusted power after distribution to the demand side management device 31 (see FIG. 1). That is, the power management device 10 transmits predetermined data in which the value of the adjusted power after distribution is associated with the customer ID to the demand side management device 31 (see FIG. ). After performing the process in step S105, the power management device 10 ends the series of processes (END). In this way, when adjusting power demand in a predetermined region, the power management device 10 distributes the total amount of adjustment power required for the predetermined region to a plurality of large-scale consumers, and the power management device 10 of the large-scale consumers Send data including the value of the adjustment force after distribution to.

Note that it is not particularly necessary to request demand adjustment from all large-scale consumers existing in a predetermined area, and some large-scale consumers may be targeted for demand adjustment. Further, in addition to large-scale consumers, demand adjustment may also be requested to small-scale consumers.

In addition, when it is predicted that there will be a shortage in the generated power of renewable energy supplied to a predetermined area, the control unit 18 will act as a large-scale consumer who saves the generated power of the shortage through demand adjustment. Consumers may be selected preferentially. By adding the adjustment power supplied by large-scale consumers to the power generated by renewable energy, it becomes possible to supply more power than the predetermined contract power.

In addition, when it is predicted that there will be a surplus in the generated power of renewable energy to be supplied to a predetermined area, the control unit 18 will control the large-scale demand as a consumer who consumes the surplus generated power in demand adjustment. A house may be selected preferentially. Large-scale consumers are often able to consume relatively large amounts of power for air conditioning, etc., making it easier to maintain the supply-demand balance in the power system.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of processing performed by the demand-side management device (see also FIG. 8 as appropriate).
Note that the series of processes shown in FIG. 12 is performed by each of the demand-side management devices 31 of a plurality of consumers for whom demand adjustment is requested.
In step S201, the demand-side management device 31 determines whether or not it has received data including the value of the distributed adjustment power (adjustment power requested from consumers for demand adjustment) from the power management device 10 (see FIG. 1). Determine whether If data including the value of the adjusted power after distribution has not been received from the power management device 10 (S201: No), the demand side management device 31 repeats the process of step S201. Further, when data including the value of the adjusted power after distribution is received from the power management device 10 (S201: Yes), the process of the demand side management device 31 proceeds to step S202.

In step S202, the demand-side management device 31 uses the demand calculation unit 312b to calculate the required energy of the consumer. As described above, the required energy is the minimum amount of energy (electric power) required for a consumer to perform its duties and maintain indoor comfort. Such required energy is calculated based on the type and number of devices at the consumer, the current time of day, the detected value of the thermal sensor 62 (see FIG. 2), the distinction between weekdays and holidays, and the like.

In step S203, the demand-side management device 31 uses the demand adjustment unit 312c to select devices whose output is to be stopped or whose output is to be suppressed in each time period. That is, the demand-side management device 31 selects the equipment to be stopped or output curtailed among the equipment of the consumer in each future time period (each time period included in the demand adjustment) based on the operating condition information 311d. do. At this time, the demand-side management device 31 selects equipment to be stopped or output suppressed so that the required energy calculated in step S202 is satisfied.

For example, power can often be saved by reducing the number of air conditioners in operation or changing the set temperature. Therefore, when the demand adjustment unit 312c selects a device whose output is to be stopped or whose output is to be suppressed, it may preferentially select the device from among the air conditioners installed in the customer. In this way, the demand adjustment unit 312c selects a device whose output is to be stopped or whose output is curtailed during at least part of the demand adjustment period among the plurality of devices of a large-scale consumer targeted for demand adjustment, according to the type of the device. Choose based on. As a result, it is possible to appropriately select devices to be stopped or output suppressed during demand adjustment, and the processing time of the demand adjustment unit 312c can be shortened.

Furthermore, when selecting equipment to be stopped for at least part of the demand adjustment period in a large-scale consumer, the demand adjustment unit 312c may preferentially select equipment whose number can be controlled. Examples of such devices include air conditioners, cogeneration generators, and heat source boilers. By performing the rated operation of the devices in such number control, the power consumption of the devices can be suppressed. The demand adjustment unit 312c calculates the number of operating devices in each time period in the number control based on the value of adjustment power allocated to large-scale consumers and the like. Then, the demand adjustment unit 312c determines which of the remaining devices in the large-scale consumer will be stopped or whose output will be suppressed in each time period.

Next, in step S204, the demand-side management device 31 uses the indoor comfort level determination unit 312d to determine whether the indoor comfort level of the air-conditioned room is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. That is, the demand-side management device 31 determines whether the indoor comfort level in the air-conditioned room of the consumer is equal to or higher than a predetermined value in each future time period (each time period included in the demand adjustment). The above-mentioned "predetermined value" is a threshold value that serves as a criterion for determining whether or not there will be a problem with the customer's work or comfort, and is set in advance. Note that the indoor comfort level is calculated based on, for example, the output value of the air conditioner (the operating target value in FIG. 9). In step S204, if the indoor comfort level of each air-conditioned room is equal to or higher than the predetermined value (S204: Yes), the process of the demand-side management device 31 proceeds to step S205.

Further, in step S204, if there is an air-conditioned room whose indoor comfort level is less than the predetermined value (S204: No), the process of the demand-side management device 31 returns to step S203. Then, in step S203, the demand-side management device 31 reselects the device to be stopped or output suppressed. For example, the demand-side management device 31 may increase the number of air conditioners in operation during a predetermined time period. This increases the indoor comfort level in the air conditioned room. In this way, when selecting equipment to be stopped or output curtailed for at least part of the demand adjustment period in a large-scale consumer, the demand adjustment unit 312c Equipment is selected so that the indoor comfort level of the consumer's air conditioned room is equal to or higher than a predetermined value.

In step S205, the demand-side management device 31 uses the operation plan creation unit 312e to create and transmit an operation plan for the equipment. That is, the demand-side management device 31 creates an operation plan that includes the output of each device as well as the operation or stopping of each device in each future time period (time period included in demand adjustment) based on the processing result of step S203. create. Then, the demand-side management device 31 transmits the operation plan information 311f to the power management device 10 (see FIG. 1). Thereby, the power management device 10 (see FIG. 1) can grasp a specific operation plan when a predetermined consumer responds to demand adjustment.

Next, in step S206, the demand side management device 31 controls the equipment based on the operation plan using the equipment control unit 312f. That is, the demand-side management device 31 stops or suppresses the output of the equipment selected in step S203 in a predetermined time period in accordance with the operation plan created in step S205. Note that in the process of step S206, there is no particular need for the consumer (for example, a manager or an employee) to manually control the equipment. Therefore, in addition to reducing the work burden on the consumer side, it is also possible to reliably execute an operation plan in accordance with demand adjustment. After performing the process of step S206, the demand side management device 31 ends the series of processes (END).

Although not shown in FIG. 12, when demand adjustment is being performed at a predetermined large-scale consumer, the number of people who leave their seats in the room where desk work is performed at the large-scale consumer, or If the number of people moving in the room increases by a predetermined value or more since the start of demand adjustment, the device control unit 312f may perform the following process. That is, the equipment control unit 312f may ease or interrupt the demand adjustment at the large-scale consumer and increase the number of operating air conditioners included in the equipment. This is because if people feel that the air conditioning is not working, they tend to leave their desks or move around.
Note that "relaxation" of demand adjustment refers to reducing the adjustment power that consumers provide to the power system. Further, it is assumed that a camera (not shown) that recognizes people and pinpoints their positions is installed in the room of the large-scale consumer. The equipment control unit 312f eases or suspends demand adjustment and increases the number of operating air conditioners, which improves the effectiveness of air conditioning at the consumer, and thus can suppress a decline in air conditioning comfort.

In addition, after the demand adjustment is performed, the manager of the large-scale customer conducts a questionnaire survey of employees etc. regarding productivity and air conditioning comfort during the demand adjustment, and the results are sent to the indoor comfort level determination unit 312d (see Fig. It may also be reflected in the modification of the program (see 8). In such an evaluation method, the indoor comfort level may be expressed by an index such as PMV (Predicted Mean Vote). Further, the control unit 312 (see FIG. 8) may determine whether there is a decrease in productivity at a consumer such as a factory based on the energy consumption amount at the consumer in addition to the movement data of people in the room. good. Then, when the amount of decrease in productivity exceeds a predetermined value, the control unit 312 may ease or interrupt the demand adjustment.

<Effect>
According to this embodiment, when performing demand adjustment in a predetermined area, the power management device 10 preferentially selects large-scale consumers as targets for demand adjustment. This makes it possible to supply a large amount of adjustment power from large-scale consumers to the power system, making it easier to secure the adjustment power required for demand adjustment.
Further, the demand-side management device 31 selects the equipment to be stopped or output suppressed so that the indoor comfort level is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of problems in the performance of business operations and the comfort of air conditioning at large-scale customers.

In addition, in this embodiment, in addition to demand adjustment when it is predicted that the supplied power will be in excess (so-called DR: Demand Response), demand adjustment when the supplied power is predicted to be in short supply (so-called lower DR). DR) can also be dealt with appropriately.
In addition, when there is a request for demand adjustment from an electric power company, etc., the power management device 10 allocates a predetermined adjustment power to large-scale consumers, etc., and the demand side management device 31 handles detailed processing such as stopping each device and suppressing output. will do. According to such a configuration, the processing load on the power management device 10 can be reduced. Further, since the processing is performed in parallel by the plurality of demand-side management devices 31, the time required for the entire processing (the processing in FIGS. 11 and 12) can be significantly shortened.

≪Modification example≫
Although the power management system 100 and the like according to the present invention have been described above in each embodiment, the present invention is not limited to these descriptions, and various changes can be made.
For example, in the embodiment, a case has been described in which the device control unit 312f (see FIG. 8) of the demand side management device 31 (see FIG. 8) controls each device of a consumer when performing demand adjustment. do not have. That is, a person may manually operate or stop the equipment based on a predetermined operation plan.

Further, in the embodiment, a case has been described in which renewable energy is supplied to a predetermined area from the solar power plant 21 (see FIG. 1) or the wind power plant 22 (see FIG. 1), but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the embodiment can be applied even when the source of power supply to a predetermined area is a thermal power plant or a nuclear power plant, and no renewable energy power generation equipment is specifically included.

Furthermore, in the embodiment, a case has been described in which the equipment installed at a consumer is classified into three types: an air conditioner, a water heater, and other equipment, but the method of classifying the equipment can be changed as appropriate. Moreover, a storage battery may be included in the equipment provided at the consumer. For example, if the supplied power is insufficient, the storage battery may stop storing electricity (or reduce the amount of electricity stored per unit time). On the other hand, if the supplied power is excessive, charging of the storage battery may be started (or the amount of stored power per unit time may be increased). Note that the storage battery described above also includes a battery for a mobile object such as an electric vehicle.

Further, the processing results of the power management device 10 and the demand-side management device 31 may be transmitted to the user's information terminal (not shown) via the network N1 (see FIG. 2). Smartphones, mobile phones, tablets, personal computers, wearable terminals, and the like are used as such information terminals.

Further, in the embodiment, a case has been described in which the power management system 100 (see FIG. 1) includes the power management device 10 and the demand-side management device 31, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the power management device 10 may also have the function of the demand-side management device 31, and the demand-side management device 31 may be omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, the processing load on the demand-side management device 31 may be reduced by having the power management device 10 take charge of some of the functions of the demand-side management device 31 described in the embodiment.

Further, the embodiments can also be applied to a virtual power plant (VPP) that secures power supply capacity in a predetermined area.
Further, the program for the power management method executed by the power management system 100 can be provided via a communication line, or can be written on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM and distributed.

Further, each embodiment is described in detail to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to having all the configurations described. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace some of the configurations of the embodiments with other configurations. Further, the mechanisms and configurations described above are those considered necessary for explanation, and not all mechanisms and configurations are necessarily shown in the product.

100 Power management system 10 Power management device 17 Storage unit 17a Customer/equipment information 17b Equipment operation information 17c Operation schedule information 17d Operation plan information 18 Control unit 18a Data acquisition unit 18b Customer selection unit 19 Communication interface 31 Demand side management device 311a Equipment information 311b Equipment operating information 311c Operating schedule information 311d Operating condition information 311e Indoor comfort information 311f Operation plan information 312a Data acquisition unit 312b Demand calculation unit 312c Demand adjustment unit 312d Indoor comfort level determination unit 312e Operation plan creation unit 312f Equipment control unit 30 Large-scale consumer (consumer)
40 Small scale consumer (consumer)
50 Electricity company terminal

Claims (12)

Equipped with a control unit that selects consumers to be subjected to demand adjustment when adjusting electricity demand in a predetermined area,
The control unit is a power management system that preferentially targets large-scale consumers whose power adjustment power is equal to or higher than a predetermined value as targets for demand adjustment. The control unit selects the large-scale consumer to be subjected to demand adjustment based on the predicted value of power consumption and the power adjustment ability of the large-scale consumer. Power management system. The control unit distributes a total amount of adjustment power required for adjusting power demand in the predetermined area to the plurality of large-scale consumers,
The power management system according to claim 1, wherein the greater the adjustment power of the large-scale consumer, the higher the proportion of the adjustment power distributed to the large-scale consumer from the total amount of the adjustment power. A demand adjustment unit is provided that selects equipment whose output is to be stopped or output curtailed during at least part of the demand adjustment period from among the plurality of equipment of the large-scale consumer that is subject to demand adjustment, based on the type of the equipment. The power management system according to claim 1, characterized in that: 4. The demand adjustment unit, when selecting devices to be stopped for at least part of the demand adjustment period in the large-scale consumer, preferentially selects devices whose number can be controlled. The power management system described in . When the demand adjustment unit selects equipment to be stopped or output curtailed for at least part of the demand adjustment period at the large-scale consumer, the demand adjustment unit determines whether the large-scale consumer The power management system according to claim 4, wherein the equipment is selected such that the indoor comfort level of the air-conditioned room is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. an operation plan creation unit that creates an operation plan for the plurality of devices of the large-scale consumer targeted for demand adjustment based on the processing result of the demand adjustment unit;
The power management system according to claim 4, further comprising: an equipment control unit that stops or suppresses output of the equipment selected by the demand adjustment unit during a predetermined time period based on the operation plan. When demand adjustment is being carried out at a given large-scale consumer, the number of people who leave their desks in the room where desk work is performed at the large-scale consumer or the number of people who are moving in the room is the demand If the demand has increased by a predetermined value or more since the start of the adjustment, the equipment control unit eases or suspends the demand adjustment at the large-scale consumer and increases the number of operating air conditioners included in the equipment. The power management system according to claim 7. When it is predicted that there will be a shortage in the generated power of renewable energy supplied to the predetermined area, the control unit will control the large-scale customer as a consumer who saves the generated power for the shortage through demand adjustment. The power management system according to claim 1, wherein a consumer is selected preferentially. When it is predicted that there will be a surplus in the generated power of renewable energy to be supplied to the predetermined area, the control unit is configured to control the large-scale demand as a consumer who consumes the surplus generated power in demand adjustment. The power management system according to claim 1, wherein a house is selected preferentially. A demand-side management device provided in each of the plurality of large-scale consumers existing in the predetermined area,
A power management device having the control unit and communicating with each of the demand-side management devices,
When adjusting power demand in the predetermined region, the power management device distributes the total amount of adjustment power required for the predetermined region to the plurality of large-scale consumers, and distributes the total amount of adjustment power required for the predetermined region to the power management device of the large-scale consumers. Send data including the adjustment force value after distribution,
The power management system according to claim 1, wherein the demand-side management device creates an operation plan for a plurality of devices installed at the large-scale consumer based on the value of the distributed adjustment power. When performing electricity demand adjustment in a given area, when selecting consumers to be subject to demand adjustment, large-scale consumers whose electricity adjustment capacity is greater than a predetermined value are prioritized as targets for demand adjustment. A power management method including house selection processing.

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