JP6701312B2 - Control device, energy management system, water heater control method and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device, an energy management system, a water heater control method, and a program.

  In recent years, a technology utilizing natural energy represented by sunlight and wind power has attracted attention, and in many cases, a customer himself owns a power generation facility for generating power from natural energy. Such a consumer can consume power generated by the power generation equipment by himself, and can supply surplus power to the commercial power grid and sell it to the electric power company. As a result, the consumer can reduce the power purchased from the commercial power grid and obtain an economic profit.

  On the other hand, a reverse power flow in which power is supplied from a power generation facility of a customer to the commercial power system may disrupt the supply and demand balance of the commercial power system. For example, on a clear holiday, the power demand on the commercial power grid decreases and the amount of power generated by the solar power increases, so that the power supply from the power generation equipment of the consumer to the commercial power grid increases.

  In order to prevent such instability of the electric power system due to an increase in reverse power flow, a technology has been proposed for reducing the reverse power flow by consuming the generated power as much as possible by the customer. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique of predicting a time period when the reverse power amount reaches a peak and operating the heat pump hot water supply/room heating device during the predicted time period.

International Publication No. 2012/090365

  By the way, apart from the viewpoint of stabilizing the power system as described above, the customer who is the owner of the power generation facility, that is, the user generally makes the surplus power of the power generation facility reverse-flow (in other words, sells it). It is hoped that the choice will be made based on one's own preference (for example, whether to prioritize economics or environmental priority), whether to charge electricity or to consume at home.

  On the other hand, since the surplus power and the power required in the house change every moment, it is not easy to utilize the surplus power as requested by the user.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a control device and the like for realizing utilization of surplus power that is as close to the user's preference as possible.

In order to achieve the above object, the control device according to the present invention,
A control device for controlling the boiling operation of a hot water storage type water heater,
A requesting means for accepting a request for use of surplus power and the strength of the request ,
When the request indicates the consumption of the surplus power, the amount of power generated by the power generation facility installed in the demand area is an amount obtained by subtracting the power consumption of the water heater from the total power consumption in the demand area. Water heater control means for instructing the water heater to start the boiling operation on condition that the amount is larger than the amount of power added based on the rating of the water heater.

  According to the present invention, a request for using surplus power is accepted. If the received request indicates consumption of surplus power, the amount of power generated by the power generation equipment is the total amount of power consumption minus the amount of power consumption of the water heater, plus the amount of power based on the rating of the water heater. If it is larger than the amount, the hot water heater is instructed to start the boiling operation. For this reason, it becomes possible to realize the utilization of the surplus power as closely as possible to the user's intention.

It is a figure showing the whole energy management system composition concerning an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the control apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the secondary memory|storage device with which a control apparatus is equipped. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of a control apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of a request reception screen. It is a flow chart which shows the procedure of the judgment processing at the time of power selling priority. It is a flow chart which shows the procedure of the judgment processing at the time of consumption priority. It is a figure which shows the example of the monitoring screen displayed at the time of power sale priority. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a water heater control process. It is a figure which shows the example (the 1) of the notification screen displayed when a water heater does not operate|move according to the instruction|indication from a control apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example (the 2) of the notification screen displayed when a water heater does not operate|move according to the instruction|indication from a control apparatus. It is a figure which shows the modification of a request reception screen. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the energy management system which concerns on other embodiment.

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

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an energy management system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The energy management system 1 is a so-called HEMS (Home Energy Management System) that manages electric power used in a general home. The energy management system 1 includes a control device 2, an operation terminal 3, a power measuring device 4, a water heater 5, and a power generation facility 6.

  The control device 2 is installed in an appropriate place in the house H, monitors the power consumed in the house H, that is, the demand area, and displays the power consumption status via the operation terminal 3. The control device 2 also controls the operation of the water heater 5 and the plurality of devices 7 (devices 7-1, 7-2,...) And monitors the operating state. Details of the control device 2 will be described later.

  The operation terminal 3 is a mobile device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal, which includes an input device such as a push button, a touch panel, and a touch pad, a display device such as an organic EL display and a liquid crystal display, and a communication interface. .. The operation terminal 3 communicates with the control device 2 according to a well-known communication standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Wi-SUN (registered trademark), or a wired LAN. The operation terminal 3 receives an operation from the user and transmits information indicating the received operation content to the control device 2. Further, the operation terminal 3 receives the information transmitted from the control device 2 for presenting to the user, and displays the received information. In this way, the operation terminal 3 plays a role as an interface (user interface) with the user.

  The power measuring device 4 measures the value of the power transmitted through each of the power lines D1 to D3 arranged in the house H. The power line D1 is arranged between the commercial power source 8 and the distribution board 9, the power line D2 is arranged between the power generation equipment 6 and the distribution board 9, and the power line D3 is arranged between the distribution board 9 and the hot water supply. It is disposed between the machine 5.

  The power measuring device 4 is connected to each of the CTs (Current Transformers) 1 to 3 connected to the power lines D1 to D3 via a communication line. CT1 to 3 are sensors that measure alternating current. The electric power measuring device 4 measures the electric power value on the electric power line D1, that is, the total electric power consumption in this home, based on the measurement result of CT1. Similarly, the electric power measurement device 4 measures the electric power value in the electric power line D2 based on the measurement result of CT2, in other words, the electric power generated by the power generation facility 6, and the electric power value in the electric power line D3 in other words, based on the measurement result of CT3. The power consumption of the water heater 5 is measured.

  The power measuring device 4 has a wireless communication interface, and is communicably connected to the control device 2 via a wireless network (not shown) built in the house H. This wireless network is, for example, a network based on Echonet Lite. The power measuring device 4 may be connected to the wireless network via an external communication adapter (not shown).

  In response to the request from the control device 2, the power measurement device 4 generates measurement data in which the measured power value of the power line D1 is stored and transmits it to the control device 2. The device ID of the power measuring device 4, the power line ID of the power line D1, and the measurement time are also stored in this measurement data. The device ID is an ID (identification) for identifying a device or the like (power measuring device 4, water heater 5, devices 7-1, 7-2,...) Connected to the control device 2. The power line ID is an ID for identifying the power line.

  Similarly, the power measuring device 4 responds to the request from the control device 2 to generate measurement data in which the measured power values of the power lines D2 and D3 are stored, and transmit the measurement data to the control device 2. It should be noted that the power measurement device 4 may generate measurement data in which the power values of the power lines D1 to D3 are collectively stored in response to a request from the control device 2 and transmit the measurement data to the control device 2.

  The water heater 5 is a hot water storage type water heater including a heat pump unit 50 and a tank unit 51. The heat pump unit 50 and the tank unit 51 are connected by a pipe 52 through which hot water flows. Details of the water heater 5 will be described later.

  The power generation facility 6 is a photovoltaic power generation facility including a PV (photovoltaic panel) panel 10 and a PV-PCS 11 that is a power conditioning system. The power generation facility 6 converts the electricity generated by the PV panel 10 from DC power to AC power by the PV-PCS 11, and supplies the electricity to the distribution board 9 via the power line D2.

  The devices 7 (devices 7-1, 7-2,...) Are electric devices such as an air conditioner, an illuminator, a floor heating system, a refrigerator, an IH (Induction Heating) cooker, and a television. The devices 7-1, 7-2,... Are installed in the house H (including the site), and are connected to the power lines D4, D5,. Each device 7 is communicably connected to the control device 2 via the above-described wireless network (not shown). Note that each device 7 may have a specification of being connected to this wireless network via an external communication adapter (not shown).

  In response to the request from the control device 2, each device 7 transmits to the control device 2 data (operating state data) in which the device ID, the current time, and information indicating the current operating state are stored.

≪Heat pump unit 50≫
Although not shown, the heat pump unit 50 of the water heater 5 includes a compressor, a first heat exchanger, an expansion valve, a second heat exchanger, a blower, a control board, and the like. The compressor, the first heat exchanger, the expansion valve, and the second heat exchanger are connected in a ring shape, and a refrigeration cycle circuit (also referred to as a refrigerant circuit) for circulating a refrigerant is formed.

  A compressor compresses a refrigerant and raises temperature and pressure. The compressor includes an inverter circuit that can change the capacity (the amount of feed per unit) according to the drive frequency. The compressor changes the above capacity according to an instruction from the control board.

  The first heat exchanger is a heating source for heating the city water to a target boiling temperature (also called hot water storage temperature). The first heat exchanger is a plate-type or double-pipe type heat exchanger, and performs heat exchange between the refrigerant and water (in other words, low temperature water). Due to the heat exchange in the first heat exchanger, the refrigerant radiates heat to lower the temperature, and the water absorbs heat to raise the temperature.

  The expansion valve expands the refrigerant to lower the temperature and pressure. The expansion valve changes the valve opening degree according to an instruction from the control board.

  The second heat exchanger exchanges heat between the outside air sent by the blower and the refrigerant. Due to the heat exchange in the second heat exchanger, the refrigerant absorbs heat to raise the temperature, and the outside air radiates heat to lower the temperature.

  The control board includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a communication interface, a readable/writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, and the like. The control board is communicatively connected to each of the compressor, the expansion valve, and the blower via a communication line, and controls their operations. Further, the control board is communicatively connected to a hot water supply controller 511 of the tank unit 51, which will be described later, via a communication line (not shown).

≪Tank unit 51≫
The tank unit 51 includes a hot water storage tank 510, a hot water supply controller 511, a pump 512, a mixing valve 513, and the like. These components are housed in a metal outer case.

  Hot water storage tank 510 is formed of metal such as stainless steel or resin. A heat insulating material (not shown) is arranged outside the hot water storage tank 510. Accordingly, high temperature hot water (hereinafter referred to as high temperature water) can be kept warm in hot water storage tank 510 for a long time.

  The hot water supply controller 511 is configured to include a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a communication interface, a readable/writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, etc. (none of which is shown), and controls the hot water supply device 5 in a centralized manner. The hot water supply controller 511 is communicably connected to the control board of the heat pump unit 50 via a communication line (not shown). Further, hot water supply controller 511 is communicably connected to remote controller 53 via communication line 54. Further, the hot water supply controller 511 is communicably connected to the control device 2 via the above-mentioned wireless network built in the house H.

  The pump 512 conveys the low temperature water from the lower part of the hot water storage tank 510 to the first heat exchanger of the heat pump unit 50. Pump 512 is provided with an inverter circuit, and can change the water flow rate at the time of conveyance by changing the drive rotation speed according to the control value instructed from hot water supply controller 511.

  The mixing valve 513 is provided for mixing the hot water in the upper part of the hot water storage tank 510 with the city water so that the hot water supplied to the hot water supply terminal 55 (the shower 550 or the faucet 551) has a temperature desired by the user. ing.

≪Remote control 53≫
The remote controller 53 is installed in the bathroom of the house H, and receives a user's operation input regarding boiling, hot water supply, and the like, and displays the operating state and hot water storage state of the water heater 5 and presents it to the user. It is a dedicated terminal device.

  Although not shown, the remote controller 53 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a readable and writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, input devices such as push buttons, a touch panel, and a touch pad, an organic EL display, a liquid crystal display, and the like. A display device and a communication interface are provided.

Next, the basic operation of the water heater 5 will be described. The water heater 5 roughly performs a boiling operation and a hot water supplying operation.
<<Boiling operation>>
At the start of the boiling operation, the high temperature water in the hot water storage tank 510 is consumed, and low temperature water near the temperature of city water is stored in the lower portion of the hot water storage tank 510. When the pump 512 is operated by the hot water supply controller 511, this low-temperature water enters the above-described first heat exchanger of the heat pump unit 50 and is heated by heat exchange with the refrigerant to become high-temperature water. This high-temperature water is returned to the upper part of the hot water storage tank 510, and in the hot water storage tank 510, high temperature water is retained in the upper part and low temperature water is retained in the lower part to form a temperature stratification, and a temperature boundary is formed between the high temperature water and the low temperature water. A layer is created.

  When the boiling amount increases and the area of the high-temperature water increases, the temperature boundary layer approaches the lower part of the hot water storage tank 510, and the temperature of the water entering the first heat exchanger (inlet temperature) gradually rises.

<<Hot water supply operation>>
A hot water outlet pipe is connected to an upper portion of the hot water storage tank 510, and high temperature water discharged from the hot water storage tank 510 via the hot water outlet pipe is mixed with city water by a mixing valve 513. As a result, hot water having a temperature desired by the user (for example, 40° C.) is supplied to the hot water supply terminal 55. At this time, in the hot water storage tank 510, city water is supplied from the water supply pipe connected to the lower part due to the volume of the high temperature water flowing out from the upper part and the water pressure. As a result, the temperature boundary layer moves upward in the hot water storage tank 510. When the amount of high temperature water decreases, the water heater 5 performs additional boiling.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 2 includes a CPU 20, a communication interface 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, and a secondary storage device 24. These components are connected to each other via a bus 25. The CPU 20 controls the control device 2 as a whole. Details of the functions realized by the CPU 20 will be described later.

  The communication interface 21 is a NIC (Network Interface Card controller) for wirelessly communicating with the power measuring device 4, the water heater 5, and each device 7 via the above-described wireless network, and is for wireless or wired communication with the operation terminal 3. The NIC is included.

  The ROM 22 stores a plurality of pieces of firmware, data used when these pieces of firmware are executed, and the like. The RAM 23 is used as a work area of the CPU 20.

  The secondary storage device 24 is composed of an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), a readable/writable nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as a flash memory, a hard disk drive, and the like.

  The secondary storage device 24 stores an electric power DB 240 and a parameter table 241 as shown in FIG. A power DB (power database) 240 is a database for holding a history of measurement results on each power line. The CPU 20 updates the electric power DB 240 based on the measurement data from the electric power measuring device 4 acquired at regular time intervals.

  The parameter table 241 is a parameter used to determine whether to request the water heater 5 to start the boiling operation or to stop the boiling operation, based on the user's request regarding the use of the surplus power. Is a set data table. Details of the parameter table 241 will be described later.

  In addition to this, the secondary storage device 24 is used for monitoring the power consumed in this home, a program for controlling the operation of each device 7, and a program used for executing these programs. Data, etc.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the control device 2. Functionally, the control device 2 includes a user interface unit 200, a power value acquisition unit 201, a water heater control unit 202, a power amount calculation unit 203, a necessity determination unit 204, and a display screen generation unit 205. And a display instruction unit 206. Each of these functional units is realized by the CPU 20 executing one or a plurality of programs stored in the secondary storage device 24.

  The user interface unit 200 (reception means) performs a user interface process via the operation terminal 3. That is, the user interface unit 200 receives an operation from the user via the operation terminal 3. The user interface unit 200 also transmits information to be presented to the user to the operation terminal 3.

  As a function peculiar to the present invention, the user interface unit 200 receives a request from the user regarding the use of surplus power. Here, the surplus electric power refers to the electric power generated by the power generation facility 6 that is not consumed by this household and remains. The user interface unit 200 causes the operation terminal 3 to display a screen (request reception screen) for receiving a request for use of surplus power from the user as shown in FIG.

  In this request reception screen, three usage patterns of “none”, “power sale priority”, and “consumption priority” are presented for the use of surplus power, and a check box is provided corresponding to each usage pattern. There is. The user can input a request for use of surplus power by checking the check boxes corresponding to the usage patterns that match the user's request.

  When the user inputs a request for use of surplus power and presses the OK button, the user interface unit 200 acquires the input request and stores information indicating the acquired request in the parameter table 241.

  The power value acquisition unit 201 performs a process of acquiring the measured power value from the power measuring device 4. Specifically, the power value acquisition unit 201 requests the power measurement device 4 to transmit the above-described measurement data corresponding to each power line at regular time intervals (for example, 30-second intervals). The power value acquisition unit 201 acquires the measurement data for each power line sent from the power measurement device 4 in response to the request. The power value acquisition unit 201 updates the power DB 240 based on each acquired measurement data.

  The water heater control unit 202 (water heater control means) communicates with the hot water controller 511 of the water heater 5 to control the operation of the water heater 5 and acquire the operating state of the water heater 5. More specifically, water heater control unit 202 transmits a command for requesting start or stop of the boiling operation to water heater 5, according to the determination result of necessity determination unit 204 described later.

  Further, water heater control unit 202 acquires the operating state of water heater 5 by transmitting a command for requesting the operating state to water heater 5 at regular intervals (for example, every 30 seconds). The operation state of the water heater 5 acquired by the water heater control unit 202 includes information on whether or not the boiling operation is being performed.

  Furthermore, water heater control unit 202 acquires the rated value of water heater 5 by transmitting a command for requesting the rated value to water heater 5 at regular intervals (for example, every 10 minutes). Here, the rated value of the water heater 5 refers to the amount of power consumption during the boiling operation of the water heater 5. The rated value of water heater 5 is calculated by hot water controller 511 based on the boiling temperature preset by the user and a predetermined calculation formula.

  As a rated value of the water heater 5, a preset value is stored in the secondary storage device 24, and the water heater control unit 202 reads the value to obtain the rated value of the water heater 5. You can Alternatively, the control device 2 obtains the rated value of the water heater 5 from another device (for example, the distributor of the water heater 5 or the server managed by the controller of the controller 2) through wide area communication such as the Internet. Good.

  The power amount calculation unit 203, based on the history of the measurement results of each power line stored in the power DB 240 at regular time intervals (for example, every 30 minutes), the total power consumption and the power generation during the last 30 minutes. The amount and the power consumption of the water heater 5 are calculated. More specifically, the power amount calculation unit 203 calculates the total power consumption amount based on the power value of the power line D1 read from the power DB 240 and measured in the past 30 minutes.

  In addition, the power amount calculation unit 203 calculates the amount of power generated by the power generation facility 6 based on the power value of the power line D2 read from the power DB 240 and measured in the past 30 minutes. Further, power amount calculation unit 203 calculates the power consumption amount of water heater 5 based on the power value of power line D3 read from power DB 240 and measured in the past 30 minutes.

  The power amount calculation unit 203 stores the calculated total power consumption amount, power generation amount, and power consumption amount of the water heater 5 in the parameter table 241.

  The necessity determination unit 204 determines whether or not the boiling operation control for the water heater 5 is necessary at regular intervals (for example, every 30 minutes). More specifically, the necessity determination unit 204 executes the previously received determination process according to the user's request regarding the use of surplus power.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the determination process executed by the necessity determination unit 204 when the received request of the user indicates “power sale priority”. First, the necessity determination unit 204 reads and acquires the power generation amount, the total power consumption amount, and the power consumption amount of the water heater 5 from the parameter table 241 (step S101).

  The necessity determination unit 204 determines whether or not the power generation amount is larger than the total power consumption minus the power consumption of the water heater 5 (step S102). When the power generation amount is larger than the total power consumption minus the power consumption of the water heater 5 (step S102; YES), the necessity determination unit 204 sets the stop request flag to ON (step S103). The stop request flag is a flag indicating whether or not the boiling operation of the water heater 5 needs to be stopped, and is stored in the RAM 23.

  On the other hand, when the power generation amount is not larger than the amount obtained by subtracting the power consumption amount of the water heater 5 from the total power consumption (step S102; NO), the necessity determination unit 204 sets the stop request flag to OFF (step S104). ).

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the determination process executed by the necessity determination unit 204 when the received user request indicates “consumption priority”. First, the necessity determination unit 204 reads and acquires the power generation amount, the total power consumption amount, the power consumption amount of the water heater 5, and the rated value from the parameter table 241 (step S201).

  Necessity determination unit 204 determines whether the amount of power generation is greater than the amount obtained by subtracting the power consumption amount of water heater 5 from the total power consumption and adding the rated value (step S202). When the power generation amount is larger than the total power consumption minus the power consumption of the water heater 5 plus the rated value (step S202; YES), the necessity determination unit 204 sets the start request flag to ON. Yes (step S203). The start request flag is a flag that indicates whether or not it is necessary to start the boiling operation of the water heater 5, and is stored in the RAM 23.

  On the other hand, when the power generation amount is not greater than the total power consumption minus the power consumption of the water heater 5 plus the rated value (step S202; NO), the necessity determination unit 204 sets a start request flag. It is set to OFF (step S204).

  When the above determination process ends, the necessity determination unit 204 notifies the water heater control unit 202 that the determination process has ended.

  Upon receiving the above notification, the water heater control unit 202 refers to the stop request flag or the start request flag in accordance with the received request of the user, and when set to ON, stops or starts the boiling operation. The command for requesting is sent to the water heater 5. Specifically, when the user's request indicates “priority on power sale”, the stop request flag is referred to. If this flag is set to ON, a command for requesting stop of the boiling operation is issued by the water heater 5. Send to.

  On the other hand, when the user's request indicates "consumption priority", the start request flag is referred to, and when this is set to ON, a command for requesting the start of the boiling operation is transmitted to the water heater 5.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the display screen generation unit 205 (screen generation means) receives a monitoring screen for monitoring the power consumption state, the operating state of each device 7, and the like, and accepts various settings and information input from the user. Generates the operation screen and so on. For example, the display screen generation unit 205 generates a monitoring screen as shown in FIG. This monitoring screen shows that the water heater 5 is being controlled in accordance with the user's request "priority on power sale".

  The display instructing unit 206 instructs the operation terminal 3 to display the screen generated by the display screen generating unit 205 via the user interface unit 200.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the water heater control process executed by the control device 2. This hot water supply device control process is repeatedly executed at regular time intervals (for example, every 30 minutes). In addition, the control device 2 may be configured to repeatedly execute the hot water supply device control processing at regular time intervals only within a predetermined time period (for example, 6:00 to 18:00). In this case, it is preferable that the above-mentioned time zone can be changed depending on the season, such as from 5:00 to 19:00 in summer and from 7:00 to 17:00 in winter.

  In step S301 of FIG. 9, the necessity determination unit 204 acquires, from the parameter table 241, information indicating the accepted user request. When the user's request indicates “power sale priority” (step S302; YES), the necessity determination unit 204 executes the above-described power sale priority determination process illustrated in FIG. 6 (step S303).

  When the determination process for the power sale priority is completed, the water heater control unit 202 determines whether the stop request flag is ON (step S304). As a result, when the stop request flag is ON (step S304; YES), the water heater control unit 202 transmits a command for requesting the stop of the boiling operation to the water heater 5 (step S305). On the other hand, when the stop request flag is not ON, that is, when it is OFF (step S304; NO), the control device 2 ends the water heater control process in this loop.

  When the user's request indicates “consumption priority” (step S306; YES), the necessity determination unit 204 executes the above-described consumption priority determination processing shown in FIG. 7 (step S307). On the other hand, when the user's request is not "consumption priority" (step S306; NO), the control device 2 ends the hot water supply device control process in this loop.

  When the determination process at the time of consumption priority ends, the water heater control unit 202 determines whether the start request flag is ON (step S308). As a result, when the start request flag is ON (step S308; YES), the water heater control unit 202 transmits a command for requesting the start of the boiling operation to the water heater 5 (step S309). On the other hand, when the start request flag is not ON, that is, when it is OFF (step S308; NO), the control device 2 ends the water heater control process in this loop.

  As described above, in the energy management system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the control device 2 receives a request from the user regarding the use of surplus power. When the user's request indicates “priority to power sale”, the water heater 5 is heated on condition that the power generation amount is larger than the total power consumption amount minus the power consumption amount of the water heater 5. Command the stop of the raising operation. If the user's request indicates "consumption priority", the amount of power generation is greater than the total power consumption minus the power consumption of the water heater 5 plus the rated value. , Commands the water heater 5 to start the boiling operation. For this reason, it becomes possible to realize the utilization of the surplus power as closely as possible to the user's intention.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can of course be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, even when a command requesting the start or stop of the boiling operation is transmitted from the control device 2 to the water heater 5 by the water heater control process as described above, the internal state of the water heater 5 Depending on the situation, hot water supply controller 511 may not follow the received command. Specifically, when the operating time of the compressor included in the heat pump unit 50 is shorter than the shortest operating time (for example, 30 minutes), the hot water supply controller 511 performs the boiling operation even if the command indicating the stop request is received. Do not stop. The shortest operating time is a time preset based on the specifications of the water heater 5 in order to prevent breakdown and malfunction. Further, when the user performs a boiling operation start operation via remote controller 53, hot water supply controller 511 does not stop the boiling operation even if it receives a command indicating a stop request.

  Regarding the start of the boiling operation, when the user performs a stopping operation of the boiling operation via the remote controller 53, the hot water supply controller 511 issues a command indicating a start request until a predetermined standby time elapses. Even if it receives it, the boiling operation will not start. When a predetermined amount of high-temperature water is stored in hot water storage tank 510, hot water supply controller 511 does not start the boiling operation even when it receives a command indicating a start request.

  In such a case, it is desirable to notify the user that the water heater 5 is not operating according to the user's request (see FIG. 5). Therefore, the control device 2 may include a user notification unit (notification unit) that notifies the user in the above case. For example, when the hot water supply device 5 does not stop the boiling operation even though the command indicating the stop request is transmitted in the “power sale priority”, the user notification unit displays the notification screen as shown in FIG. 3 may be displayed.

  Alternatively, when the water heater 5 does not start the boiling operation even though the command indicating the start request is transmitted in the "consumption priority", the user notification unit displays the notification screen as shown in FIG. May be displayed on the screen.

  In the determination process during power sale priority shown in FIG. 6, the necessity determination unit 204 turns on the stop request flag when the power generation amount is larger than the total power consumption minus the power consumption of the water heater 5. Set. As a modified example, from the viewpoint of preventing hunting, the necessity determination unit 204 determines that the power generation amount is an amount obtained by adding an adjustment value (for example, 100 W) to the amount obtained by subtracting the power consumption of the water heater 5 from the total power consumption. If it is larger, the stop request flag may be set to ON. It should be noted that the adjustment value may be 0 (W) when the command indicating the stop request is transmitted in the water heater control process of the previous loop (that is, the water heater control process 30 minutes before). .

  Similarly, as a modification of the determination process at the time of consumption priority shown in FIG. 7, the necessity determination unit 204 determines that the amount of power generation is the total power consumption minus the power consumption of the water heater 5 and the rated value. The start request flag may be set to ON when it is larger than the amount obtained by adding the adjustment value (for example, 100 W). In the hot water heater control process of the previous loop, when the command indicating the start request is transmitted, the adjustment value may be 0 (W).

  Further, when the water heater 5 includes a power measuring unit that measures its own power consumption, the control device 2 communicates with the water heater controller 511 of the water heater 5 at a fixed time interval (for example, every 30 seconds). The power consumption of the water heater 5 may be acquired at. In this way, the power measuring device 4 does not require a configuration for measuring the power value of the power line D3 shown in FIG. 1, and the cost can be reduced.

  In the above embodiment, by requesting the user to select any one of “none”, “power sale priority” and “consumption priority” on the request reception screen as shown in FIG. It was accepted. However, it goes without saying that more detailed requests may be accepted from the user. FIG. 12 shows a modification of the request reception screen. In this request reception screen, two check boxes of "strong" and "normal" are provided corresponding to the usage patterns of "power sale priority" and "consumption priority".

  The user can select "power sale priority" or "consumption priority" as well as "strong" or "normal" via the request reception screen of FIG. For example, when the user selects “power sale priority” and “strong”, the control device 2 performs control so that surplus power can be sold more reliably. Specifically, the control device 2 does not execute the above-described hot water supply device control process (see FIG. 9), and does not perform the boiling operation in a predetermined time period (for example, 7 to 23:00). To control. Further, the control device 2 instructs the water heater 5 to reduce the threshold value of the stored amount of high-temperature water that triggers additional boiling.

  Further, when the user selects “consumption priority” and “strong” via the request reception screen of FIG. 12, the control device 2 performs control for more surely consuming the surplus power in the house. I do. Specifically, the necessity determination unit 204 of the control device 2 does not perform the determination like the step S202 of FIG. 7 in the determination process at the time of consumption priority in the above-described water heater control process (see FIG. 9), but the generated power amount. Is determined to be greater than 0 (Wh). Then, the necessity determination unit 204 sets the start request flag to ON when the power generation amount is larger than 0 (Wh).

  In the above-described embodiment, the operation terminal 3 plays a role of an interface between the control device 2 and the user. However, the control device 2 provides an input device for receiving an operation from the user and information to the user. It may be configured to include a display device for presenting.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the control device 2 is installed in the house H has been described, but a device having the same function as the control device 2 may be installed outside the house H.

  An example of this case is shown in FIG. In this example, a router 12 is installed in the house H instead of the control device 2. On the other hand, outside the house H, a server 13 that is communicatively connected to the router 12 via the Internet is installed. In this case, the router 12 and the server 13 cooperate to play the role of the control device 2.

  In the above-described embodiment, each functional unit (see FIG. 4) of the control device 2 is realized by executing one or a plurality of programs stored in the secondary storage device 24 by the CPU 20. However, all or some of the functional units of the control device 2 may be realized by dedicated hardware. The dedicated hardware is, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof.

  The present invention can be applied not only to a house but also to an energy management system installed in, for example, an office building or a factory.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the program executed by the control device 2 is a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), an MO (Magneto-Optical Disk), a USB memory, a memory card, or the like. It is also possible to store it in a computer-readable recording medium and distribute it. Then, by installing such a program in a specific or general-purpose computer, it is possible to cause the computer to function as the control device 2 in the above embodiment.

  Further, the above program may be stored in a disk device or the like included in a server device on a communication network such as the Internet, and may be superposed on a carrier wave and downloaded to a computer, for example. The above-described processing can also be achieved by activating and executing the program while transferring the program via the communication network. Further, the above processing can be achieved by executing all or part of the program on the server device and executing the program while the computer transmits and receives information regarding the processing via the communication network.

  When the OS (Operating System) shares the above functions, or when the OS and applications cooperate with each other, only the part other than the OS is stored in the recording medium and distributed. Alternatively, it may be downloaded to a computer.

  The present invention is capable of various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope. Further, the above-described embodiments are for explaining the present invention, and do not limit the scope of the present invention. That is, the scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the scope of the invention equivalent thereto are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention can be suitably employ|adopted for the system etc. which manage the electric power used in a building.

  1 energy management system, 2 control device, 3 operation terminal, 4 electric power measuring device, 5 water heater, 6 power generation equipment, 7 (7-1, 7-2, ...) equipment, 8 commercial power supply, 9 distribution board, 10 PV panel, 11 PV-PCS, 12 router, 13 server, 20 CPU, 21 communication interface, 22 ROM, 23 RAM, 24 secondary storage device, 25 bus, 50 heat pump unit, 51 tank unit, 52 piping, 53 remote control, 54 communication line, 55 hot water supply terminal, 200 user interface section, 201 power value acquisition section, 202 hot water supply controller, 203 power amount calculation section, 204 necessity determination section, 205 display screen generation section, 206 display instruction section, 240 power DB, 241 parameter table, 510 hot water storage tank, 511 hot water supply controller, 512 pump, 513 mixing valve, 550 shower, 551 faucet, D1-D5 power line, N wide area network

Claims (7)

A control device for controlling a boiling operation of a hot water storage type water heater,
Requesting means for accepting a request for use of surplus power and the strength of the request ,
When the request indicates the consumption of the surplus power, the amount of power generated by the power generation facility installed in the demand area is an amount obtained by subtracting the power consumption of the water heater from the total power consumption in the demand area. A water heater control means for instructing the water heater to start the boiling operation on condition that it is larger than the amount of power added based on the rating of the water heater.   The control device according to claim 1, further comprising a screen generation unit that generates a screen indicating that the water heater is operating in accordance with the received request.   The control device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: notifying means for notifying a user of the fact that the water heater is not operating according to the instruction from the water heater control means. The desired strength includes a first strength and a second strength that is higher than the first strength,
The water heater control means,
If the demand is indicative of consumption of the surplus power,
When the desired intensity is the first intensity, the power generation amount is less than the total power consumption amount less the power consumption amount of the water heater plus the power amount based on the rating of the water heater. On condition that it is large, command the water heater to start the boiling operation,
If the intensity of the demand is the second intensity, on the condition that the power generation amount is greater than zero, the commands the start of the boiling-up operation to the water heater, to any one of claims 1 to 3 The control device described. A hot water storage type water heater,
An energy management system comprising: the controller according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , which controls a boiling operation of the water heater. A water heater control method for controlling the boiling operation of a hot water storage type water heater,
We accept requests for the use of surplus power and the strength of the requests ,
When the request indicates the consumption of the surplus power, the amount of power generated by the power generation facility installed in the demand area is an amount obtained by subtracting the power consumption of the water heater from the total power consumption in the demand area. A water heater control method for instructing the water heater to start the boiling operation on condition that the amount is larger than the amount of power added based on the rating of the water heater. Computer,
Receiving means for receiving a request regarding the use of surplus power and the strength of the request ,
When the request indicates the consumption of the surplus power, the amount of power generated by the power generation facility installed in the demand area is an amount obtained by subtracting the power consumption of the water heater from the total power consumption in the demand area. A program that causes the water heater to function as water heater control means for instructing the start of the boiling operation on condition that it is larger than the amount of power added based on the rating of the water heater.

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