JP6846863B2 - Water heater management equipment, gateway equipment, water heater management system, and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a water heater management device, a gateway device, a water heater management system, and a program that manage the operation of the water heater.

In an apartment house where an electric water heater with a hot water storage tank is installed in each dwelling, when multiple electric water heaters boil up during midnight hours when electricity charges are low, operating noise is added to the lives of neighboring residents. There is the issue of influencing.

The hot water storage type hot water supply device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a first operation mode and a second operation mode in which a start time and / or a stop time are different. By operating multiple hot water storage type hot water supply devices in an apartment house in a distributed manner in the first operation mode and the second operation mode, the multiple hot water storage type hot water supply devices concentrate on the same time zone to perform boiling operation. Suppress.

When the hot water storage type hot water supply device receives power from a power generation system whose power generation amount changes depending on the weather conditions in addition to the power supply system of the electric power company, the hot water storage type hot water supply device disclosed in Patent Document 1 reverses power flow to the power supply system. The amount of electricity generated varies depending on the weather conditions.

In the power storage system disclosed in Patent Document 2, in order to equalize the reverse power flow, the generated power of the distributed power source is charged to the battery during the light load time including the night, and the heavy load time including the daytime. By discharging the stored power of the battery, the power corresponding to the load power is backflowed to the commercial power supply system. In the household photovoltaic power generation system disclosed in Patent Document 3, surplus power during the day is stored in a storage battery, and the generated power is used for power consumption after sunset.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-137200 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-175360 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-295090

Since the method for leveling the reverse power flow disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 requires a storage battery, the cost of installing the storage battery is high. In addition, power loss may occur when the storage battery is charged and discharged, and a part of the surplus power may be wasted.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to suppress fluctuations in reverse power flow with a simpler configuration.

In order to achieve the above object, the water heater management device according to the present invention is an electric water heater having a hot water storage tank, which receives power from a power generation system whose power generation amount changes depending on weather conditions, and is the temperature of hot water in the hot water storage tank. It is a water heater management device that manages the operation of the electric water heater including the boiling operation that raises the temperature to the specified temperature, and includes a communication unit, a weather information acquisition unit, a surplus power prediction unit, and a required power calculation unit. includes a time zone detection unit, and a schedule determining unit. The communication unit is connected via communication to the power data acquisition unit that acquires power data including the power generation performance of the power generation system and the power consumption performance of the electric equipment and the electric water heater that receive power from the power generation system. Operation data acquisition that receives the power data from the data acquisition unit via communication, connects to the electric water heater via communication , and acquires operation data including the operating state of the electric water heater, the amount of remaining hot water, and the temperature of the remaining hot water. It is connected to the unit via communication, and receives the operation data from the operation data acquisition unit via communication. The meteorological information acquisition unit acquires the meteorological conditions at the installation location of the power generation system from an information source outside the water heater management device via communication. The surplus power prediction unit calculates the predicted value of surplus power in the future period from the power data and the weather conditions. The required power calculation unit calculates the required power, which is the power required for the boiling operation of the electric water heater, and the required time required to complete the boiling operation from the operation data according to the characteristics of the electric water heater. The time zone detector detects the first time zone, which is the time zone in which the electric water heater can be boiled by the surplus power, within the future period from the predicted value of the surplus power, the required power, and the required time. Outputs information indicating the first time zone. Schedule determination unit is configured to output to create a schedule that shows the time of day to perform the boiling operation of the electric water heater in the future period. The communication unit transmits information indicating the completion time zone, which is the time zone in which the boiling operation of the electric water heater can be completed according to the first time zone, to the terminal device operated by the user via communication, and the user's Information indicating the allocated time zone, which is the time zone assigned to the boiling operation of the electric water heater according to the operation, is received from the terminal device via communication. The schedule determination unit creates a schedule indicating the time zone for the boiling operation of the electric water heater in the future period from the information indicating the required power, the required time, and the allocated time zone.

According to the present invention, the reverse power flow power is generated by detecting and outputting the first time zone, which is the time zone in which the electric water heater having the hot water storage tank can be heated by the surplus electric power, in the future period. It is possible to suppress fluctuations.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the electric power system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the arrangement example of the water heater management system which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the configuration example of the gateway device which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the water heater which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the other structural example of the water heater which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the configuration example of the water heater management apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the operation data stored in the storage part in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the data of the electric power generation record stored in the storage part in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the data of the actual power consumption stored in the storage part in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the meteorological condition which is stored in the storage part in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the characteristic of the water heater in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the flow of the data acquisition process in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the flow of the data acquisition process in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation of the surplus power prediction performed by the water heater management apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation of time zone detection performed by the water heater management apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the predicted value of the generated power in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the predicted value of the power consumption in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the predicted value of the power consumption in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the predicted value of surplus power in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the flow of the schedule determination process in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the display screen of the terminal apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the display screen of the terminal apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the predicted value of surplus power in Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the display screen of the terminal apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the predicted value of surplus power in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the predicted value and integrated value of surplus power in Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the display screen of the terminal apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the display screen of the terminal apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows the configuration example of the hardware of the water heater management device and the gateway device which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the figure, the same or equivalent parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a power system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The electric power system 100 receives electric power from the power supply system 200 of the electric power company, and reverse-feeds the electric power generated by the power generation system 101 to the power supply system 200. The electric power system 100 has a consumer equipment 102 including a water heater 6. In the example of FIG. 1, two consumer equipment 102 are described, but the number of consumer equipment 102 included in the electric power system 100 is an arbitrary number. In the first embodiment, a case where the electric power system 100 includes a plurality of consumer equipment 102 will be described. In FIG. 1, the flow of power is indicated by a solid arrow, and the flow of control signals and data is indicated by a dotted arrow. The electric power from the power supply system 200 is supplied to the electric device 5 and the water heater 6 via the electric power meter 23 and the distribution board 8. The electric device 5 and the measuring device 7 for measuring the generated power of the water heater 6 and the power generation system 101 and the power consumption of the electric device 5 are electrically connected to the distribution board 8. The number of electrical devices 5 is arbitrary. The water heater 6 is an electric water heater having a hot water storage tank.

The power generation system 101 is a power generation system whose amount of power generation changes depending on the weather conditions, and is, for example, a solar power generation system or a wind power generation system. The electric power generated by the power generation device 21 is converted into AC electric power by the power conditioner 22, and is supplied to the electric device 5 and the water heater 6 via the distribution board 8. When the generated power of the power generation system 101 exceeds the power consumption of the electric device 5 and the water heater 6, and surplus power is generated, a reverse flow is performed to the power supply system 200 via the power conditioner 22 and the power meter 23. When the generated power of the power generation system 101 is less than the power consumption of the electric device 5 and the water heater 6, power is supplied from the power supply system 200 to the electric device 5 and the water heater 6.

As will be described later, the water heater management system 103 includes a gateway device 3 that acquires data from a communication device 4 connected to an electric device 5, a water heater 6, and a measuring device 7, and a gateway connected via a network 2. A water heater management device that detects and outputs a time zone during which boiling operation is possible to raise the temperature of hot water in the hot water storage tank of the water heater 6 to a predetermined temperature based on the data acquired from the device 3. 1 is provided. The gateway device 3 acquires an allocated time zone, which is a time zone allocated to the boiling operation of the water heater 6, among the time zones in which the boiling operation by surplus electric power is possible, and the water heater management device 1 acquires the allocated time zone. A schedule showing the time zone for the boiling operation of the water heater 6 is created and output according to the above. The gateway device 3 controls the water heater 6 according to the schedule created by the water heater management device 1. In the first embodiment, the gateway device 3 is provided for each of the plurality of consumer equipment 102, and the water heater management system 103 uses the data acquired from the plurality of gateway devices 3 and the plurality of gateway devices 3 as data. Based on this, each of the water heaters 6 is provided with a water heater management device 1 that detects and outputs a time zone during which boiling operation by surplus electric power is possible.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an arrangement example of the water heater management system according to the first embodiment. As described above, the water heater management system 103 has a plurality of gateway devices 3 connected to the water heater management device 1 and the water heater management device 1 via a network 2. The communication method of the network 2 is a wireless method, a wired method, or a combination thereof. The network 2 is the Internet, a leased line, or a combination thereof. In the example of FIG. 2, the gateway device 3 is installed in each of the N dwellings.

A communication device 4 is connected to each of the electric device 5, the water heater 6, and the measuring device 7, and the communication device 4 is connected to the gateway device 3 via the home network. When the electric device 5, the water heater 6 and the measuring device 7 have a communication function, the communication device 4 may not be provided. The electric device 5 includes, for example, a television, a DVD recorder, an air purifier, an air conditioner, a dishwasher, a rice cooker, an IH cooker, lighting, a ventilation fan, a microwave oven, a refrigerator, a personal computer, floor heating, an electric window, an electric blind, and the like. The device 4 is any device that can be connected or has a communication function. The communication method of the home network is a wireless method, a wired method, or a combination thereof. As the home network, a network conforming to ECHONET Lite (registered trademark) can be used. The power generation device 21 may be provided in each dwelling shown in FIG. 2, or a shared power generation device 21 may be provided in a plurality of dwellings as shown in FIG.

From the terminal device 9, information indicating a time zone in which the water heater 6 can be boiled by surplus electric power, which will be described later, is output. The terminal device 9 may display the information on the screen or output the information by voice. The terminal device 9 has a communication function and is connected to the gateway device 3 via the home network. The terminal device 9 may be a wall-mounted terminal provided for each residence, or a mobile terminal connected to the water heater management device 1 via the network 2 and can be used outside the residence. The terminal device 9 may be provided with a display function of an operating state of the electric device 5, an operation function of the electric device 5, and the like. In that case, the terminal device 9 is connected to a server that enables remote access to the electrical device 5. By storing the identification information of the terminal device 9 and the gateway device 3 or the information for identifying the resident of the residence in the server, the server performs the authentication procedure with the terminal device 9 and performs the authentication procedure between the terminal device 9 and the water heater management device. Communication with 1 and between the terminal device 9 and the gateway device 3 can be established.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the gateway device according to the first embodiment. The gateway device 3 is an operation data acquisition unit 31 that acquires operation data including the operation state of the water heater 6, the amount of remaining hot water, and the temperature of the remaining hot water, the actual generated power of the power generation system 101, and the power consumption of the electric device 5 and the water heater 6. The power data acquisition unit 32 that acquires the actual results, the gateway communication unit 33 that transmits power data, operation data, and information indicating the allocated time zone described later, and information and schedule indicating the time zone during which the boiling operation is possible, which will be described later. , The water heater control unit 34 that controls the water heater 6 according to the schedule, the time zone output unit 35 that outputs information indicating the time zone during which the boiling operation is possible to the terminal device 9, and the assigned time zone from the terminal device 9. The allocation time zone acquisition unit 36 for acquiring the indicated information is provided.

The operation data acquisition unit 31 acquires operation data including the operating state of the water heater 6, the amount of remaining hot water, and the temperature of the remaining hot water from the communication device 4. The operation data acquisition unit 31 may further acquire information indicating the operation results of the electric device 5.

The power data acquisition unit 32 acquires power data from the measuring device 7, including the actual power generated by the power generation system 101 and the actual power consumption of the electric device 5 and the water heater 6 that receive power from the power generation system 101. The measuring device 7 may acquire the actual power consumption of the electric device 5 and the water heater 6 from the communication device 4 connected to the electric device 5 and the water heater 6 via the home network, or the distribution board 8 The actual power consumption may be acquired for each branch circuit in the consumer equipment 102 by using the current sensors provided in the internal branch circuits of the above. By using the current sensor provided in the branch circuit, it is possible to obtain the actual power consumption of electrical equipment (not shown) that is not connected to the home network.

When the operation data acquisition unit 31 acquires information indicating the operation results of the electric device 5, the power data acquisition unit 32 includes information indicating the operation results of the electric device 5 and a predetermined power consumption per fixed time. The actual power consumption of the electric device 5 may be calculated based on the information indicating the above. The power data acquisition unit 32 holds, for example, information about the power consumption when the TV is on, so that the operation record of the TV, that is, whether the TV is on or off can be determined. Based on the information shown, it is possible to calculate the actual power consumption of the TV. Further, when the actual power consumption of the electric device 5 can be obtained from the communication device 4 connected to the electric device 5, the measuring device 7 needs to measure the power consumption of the electric device 5 connected to the home network. Absent.

The gateway communication unit 33 attaches the data acquisition date and time to the operation data acquired by the operation data acquisition unit 31 and the power data acquired by the power data acquisition unit 32, and transmits the data acquisition date and time to the water heater management device 1 via the network 2. .. The data acquisition date and time may be assigned by the operation data acquisition unit 31 and the power data acquisition unit 32. The gateway communication unit 33 receives from the water heater management device 1 information indicating a first time zone, which is a time zone in which the water heater 6 can be boiled, which will be described later. The time zone output unit 35 transmits information indicating the first time zone received from the water heater management device 1 by the gateway communication unit 33 to the terminal device 9.

The terminal device 9 displays on the screen the time zone in which the boiling operation of the water heater 6 can be completed according to the information indicating the first time zone, and the user selects the time zone in which the boiling operation is completed. The terminal device 9 transmits information indicating an allocated time zone, which is a time zone allocated to the boiling operation of the water heater 6, to the allocated time zone acquisition unit 36 in response to a user operation.

The allocated time zone acquisition unit 36 acquires information indicating the allocated time zone, and the gateway communication unit 33 transmits the information indicating the allocated time zone to the water heater management device 1. The gateway communication unit 33 acquires a schedule indicating a time zone for boiling the water heater 6 generated by the water heater management device 1 according to the information indicating the allocated time zone. The water heater control unit 34 controls the water heater 6 by switching the operation of the water heater 6 and adjusting the output according to the acquired schedule.

When the terminal device 9 is connected to the water heater management device 1 without going through the gateway device 3, the gateway device 9 is not connected by giving the terminal device 9 some functions of the gateway device 3. 3 does not have to include the time zone output unit 35 and the allocated time zone acquisition unit 36. In this case, the terminal device 9 acquires the information indicating the first time zone from the water heater management device 1 and displays it on the screen, and the water heater management device 9 acquires the information indicating the allocated time zone acquired according to the operation of the user. Send to 1.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the water heater according to the first embodiment. In the water heater 6, the heat pump type heater 60 and the hot water storage tank 65 are connected by a water flow path 66, and water flows through the water flow path 66 in the direction indicated by the solid arrow. In the heat pump type heater 60, the medium moves in the direction indicated by the solid arrow. The heat in the air is absorbed by the medium in the evaporator 61, and the medium is compressed by the compressor 62 to raise the temperature. The medium that has released heat in the radiator 63 is expanded by the expansion valve 64 and liquefied. The water guided to the radiator 63 by the circulation pump 67 is heated by the heat released by the medium and supplied to the hot water storage tank 65.

The hot water storage tank 65 is composed of a single division or a plurality of divisions divided in the height direction, and in the example of FIG. 4, the hot water storage tank 65 is composed of divisions 651a, 651b, 651c, 651d, 651e. The sections 651a, 651b, 651c, 651d, and 651e are provided with temperature sensors 652a, 652b, 652c, 652d, and 652e that detect the water temperature, respectively. The number of divisions and the division method of the hot water storage tank 65 and the number of temperature sensors are arbitrary. Hot water is supplied to the bathroom or kitchen from the hot water outlet pipe 653 provided in the hot water storage tank 65, and water is supplied to the hot water storage tank 65 from the water supply pipe 654. The operation data acquisition unit 31 acquires operation data from the heat pump type heater 60 and the temperature sensors 652a, 652b, 652c, 652d, 652e. The water heater control unit 34 controls the heat pump type heater 60.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing another configuration example of the water heater according to the first embodiment. The water heater 6 shown in FIG. 5 is a water heater having a hot water supply function and a heating function, and includes a flow path switching valve 68, a radiator 69, and a floor heating device 70 in addition to the configuration of FIG. According to the control of the flow path switching valve 68, the hot water heated by the heat pump type heater 60 is supplied to the hot water storage tank 65 or the heating device including the radiator 69 and the floor heating device 70. The operation data acquisition unit 31 acquires the direction of the valve from the flow path switching valve 68, which indicates whether the water heater 6 functions as a hot water supply device or a heating device. The water heater control unit 34 controls the flow path switching valve 68. In the examples of FIGS. 4 and 5, the water heater 6 includes a heat pump type heater 60, but the water heater 6 may include an electric heater.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the water heater management device according to the first embodiment. The water heater management device 1 receives power data, operation data, weather conditions, and information indicating the allocated time zone, and transmits information indicating the first time zone and a schedule. Meteorological information acquisition unit 12 that acquires predicted values, storage unit 14 that stores actual and predicted values of power data, operating data, and weather conditions, surplus power prediction unit 13 that predicts surplus power, and boiling water heater 6. The required power calculation unit 15 for calculating the required power and the required time for the raising operation, the time zone detection unit 16 for detecting the first time zone, and the schedule determination unit 17 for creating the schedule are provided.

The communication unit 11 acquires operation data and power data from the gateway device 3. The acquired operation data, the actual power generation of the power generation system 101 included in the electric power data, and the actual power consumption of the electric device 5 and the water heater 6 included in the electric power data are stored in the storage unit 14, respectively. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of operation data stored in the storage unit according to the first embodiment. The acquisition date and time are the dates and times assigned to the operation data by the gateway communication unit 33. In the example of FIG. 7, the operation data is the operating state indicating whether or not the boiling operation is performed, and the temperature Ta, Tb, Tc, Td, Te (unit:) detected by the temperature sensors 652a, 652b, 652c, 652d, 652e. : Degree), and the amount of residual hot water Va, Vb, Vc, Vd, Ve (unit: liter) of the categories 651a, 651b, 651c, 651d, 651e.

In the example of FIG. 7, the dwelling ID of the dwelling 1 is 0001, the device ID of the water heater 6 provided in the dwelling 1 is 0101, the dwelling ID of the dwelling 2 is 0002, and the device ID of the water heater 6 provided in the dwelling 2 is It is 0102. As of 7:30 am on October 7, 2015, the water heater 6 installed in the residence 1 was not in boiling operation, and the temperature Ta = 65 degrees, the temperature Tb = 40 degrees, and the temperature Tc = The temperature is 20 degrees, the temperature Td = 20 degrees, the temperature Te = 20 degrees, and the amount of residual hot water in each category is 60 liters. As of 8:00 am on October 7, 2015, the water heater 6 installed in the residence 1 was not in boiling operation, and the temperature Ta = 60 degrees, the temperature Tb = 35 degrees, and the temperature Tc = 20 degrees. , Temperature Td = 20 degrees, temperature Te = 20 degrees, and the amount of residual hot water in each category is 60 liters. As of 7:30 am on October 7, 2015, the water heater 6 installed in the residence 2 was not in boiling operation, and the temperature Ta = 65 degrees, the temperature Tb = 30 degrees, and the temperature Tc = The temperature is 20 degrees, the temperature Td = 20 degrees, the temperature Te = 20 degrees, and the amount of residual hot water in each category is 36 liters. As of 8:00 am on October 7, 2015, the water heater 6 installed in the residence 2 was not in boiling operation, and the temperature Ta = 60 degrees, the temperature Tb = 25 degrees, and the temperature Tc = 20 degrees. , Temperature Td = 20 degrees, temperature Te = 20 degrees, and the amount of residual hot water in each category is 36 liters.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of data of actual power generation power stored in the storage unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of data of actual power consumption stored in the storage unit according to the first embodiment. The acquisition date and time are the dates and times assigned to the power data by the gateway communication unit 33. The data of the actual power generation (unit: kW) of the power generation system 101 and the data of the actual power consumption (unit: kW) of the electric device 5 and the water heater 6 acquired at regular intervals are stored in the storage unit 14. The timing of acquiring power data in the gateway communication unit 33 is arbitrary. In the example of FIG. 8, the actual power generation of the power generation device 21 from 7:00 am to 7:30 am on October 7, 2015, in which the power generation device ID is 0001 every 10 minutes, is 1.2 kW. In the example of FIG. 9, the power consumption of the electric device 5 having the device ID of 0001 at 7:00 am and 7:10 am on October 7, 2015 is 0.1 kW, and the power consumption is 0.1 kW on October 7, 2015. The power consumption of the electric device 5 having the device ID 0002 at 7:00 am and 7:10 am is 0.2 kW, and at 7:00 am and 7:10 am on October 7, 2015. The power consumption of the water heater 6 whose device ID is 0101 is 1.0 kW.

The meteorological information acquisition unit 12 acquires the actual value and the predicted value of the meteorological conditions at the installation location of the power generation system 101 from a meteorological information source (not shown) via the communication unit 11. The acquired actual value and predicted value of the weather condition are stored in the storage unit 14. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of weather conditions stored in the storage unit according to the first embodiment. In the example of FIG. 10, the meteorological conditions are temperature, humidity, and weather, but the meteorological conditions acquired from the meteorological information source can be arbitrarily determined. The meteorological information source is, for example, a meteorological information providing server of the Japan Meteorological Agency, a private meteorological information providing service, or a device for a weather forecaster to input meteorological data. The data stored in the storage unit 14 may be associated with the date and time when the water heater management device 1 acquired the data.

The surplus power prediction unit 13 was generated by the power generation system 101 that can be used for the boiling operation of the water heater 6 in the future period according to the power data stored in the storage unit 14 and the actual value and the predicted value of the weather conditions. Predict surplus power, which is power. The surplus power prediction unit 13 sends the calculated surplus power to the time zone detection unit 16. The future period can be set arbitrarily. The surplus power prediction unit 13 may predict the surplus power every unit time arbitrarily determined in the future period. The surplus power prediction unit 13 reads out the predicted value of the weather condition for each unit time in the future period from the storage unit 14, and detects the past unit time in which the predicted value of the weather condition and the weather condition are similar. The surplus power prediction unit 13 calculates the predicted value of the generated power and the predicted value of the power consumption based on the actual power generation of the power generation system 101 and the actual power consumption of the electric device 5 in the past unit time. The surplus power prediction unit 13 performs an operation of subtracting the predicted value of the power consumption from the predicted value of the generated power every unit time. The surplus power prediction unit 13 calculates the larger value among the calculation result and 0 as the predicted value of the surplus power. Even if the surplus power prediction unit 13 calculates the predicted value of the generated power and the predicted value of the power consumption based on the actual power generation of the power generation system 101 and the actual power consumption of the electric device 5 on a day when the weather conditions are similar to the future period. Good.

A case where the surplus power prediction unit 13 predicts the surplus power based on the actual power generation of the power generation system 101 and the actual power consumption of the electric device 5 for the last 5 days with similar weather conditions will be described as an example. The surplus power prediction unit 13 reads the data of the power generation record of the power generation system 101 and the power consumption record of the electric device 5 for the last 5 days having similar weather conditions from the storage unit 14. The surplus power prediction unit 13 calculates the average value of the actual power generation and the actual power consumption for each unit time on each day, and calculates the predicted value of the generated power and the predicted value of the power consumption. The surplus power prediction unit 13 performs an operation of subtracting the predicted value of the power consumption from the calculated predicted value of the generated power, and calculates the large value among the calculation result and 0 as the predicted value of the surplus power. The surplus power prediction unit 13 may use the minimum value of the actual generated power as the predicted value of the generated power and the maximum value of the actual power consumption as the predicted value of the power consumption for each unit time. The method of determining the data used for predicting the surplus power and the number of data to be read can be arbitrarily determined. The surplus power prediction unit 13 calculates the predicted value of the generated power based on the data of the actual power generation for the last 5 days with similar weather conditions, and based on the data of the actual power consumption for the last 5 days with the same day. The predicted value of power consumption may be calculated. That is, the data used for calculating the predicted value of the generated power and the data used for calculating the predicted value of the power consumption may be different. The surplus power prediction unit 13 may predict the surplus power based on the actual power generation of the power generation system 101 and the actual power consumption of the electric device 5 in the unit time or day when the weather conditions are most similar.

When the power data acquisition unit 32 acquires the power consumption of the entire house, the actual power consumption stored in the storage unit 14 is the actual power consumption of the electric device 5 and the actual power consumption of the water heater 6. It is the added data. In this case, the surplus power prediction unit 13 supplies hot water based on the operation data and the characteristics of the water heater 6 based on the actual power consumption stored in the storage unit 14 while the water heater 6 is in the boiling operation. The value obtained by subtracting the rated power consumption of the vessel 6 is used as the actual power consumption of the electric device 5, and while the water heater 6 is not in the boiling operation, the actual power consumption of the entire house stored in the storage unit 14 is used. Is used as the actual power consumption of the electric device 5, and the predicted value of the power consumption is calculated. When the power generation device 21 is installed in each of the dwellings shown in FIG. 2, and the predicted value of the power consumption is calculated based on the daily data with similar weather conditions, the entire N dwellings _{, The predicted value Pc T of the} power consumption of the electric device 5 in the time zone T is expressed by the following equation (1). In the following equation (1), Pa _iT is the actual power consumption of the entire dwelling i (1 ≦ i ≦ N) in the time zone T on the day when the weather conditions are similar, and _PbiT is the day when the weather conditions are similar. This is the rated power consumption of the water heater 6 installed in the residence i in the time zone T.

When calculating the predicted value of power consumption based on the data of multiple days with similar weather conditions, the predicted value Pc _{T of the} power consumption of the electric device 5 in the time zone T in the entire N houses is as follows. It is represented by equation (2). In the following equation (2), d is a number for identifying days with similar weather conditions, 1 ≦ d ≦ ds, and ds is the total number of multiple days with similar weather conditions. Pa [d] _iT is the actual power consumption of the entire dwelling i (1 ≦ i ≦ N) in the time zone T of the dth day among a plurality of days with similar weather conditions, and Pb [d] _iT is This is the rated power consumption of the water heater 6 installed in the dwelling i in the time zone T on the dth day among the plurality of days with similar weather conditions.

_{When the power generation device 21 is installed in each of the houses shown in FIG. 2, the predicted value Ps T} of the surplus power calculated by the surplus power prediction unit 13 in the time zone T in the entire N houses is as follows ( As represented by the equation 3), it is a _{value obtained by subtracting the predicted value Pc T of the} power consumption of the electric device 5 from _{the predicted value Pg T} of the generated power of the power generation device 21 and a larger value among 0.

The required power calculation unit 15 changes from the residual hot water temperature and the remaining hot water amount included in the operation data according to the characteristics of the water heater 6 to the required power required for the boiling operation of the water heater 6 and the completion of the boiling operation. Calculate the required time, which is the time required for. The required power calculation unit 15 sends the calculated required power and required time to the surplus power prediction unit 13 and the time zone detection unit 16. Further, the required power calculation unit 15 sends the calculated required time to the schedule determination unit 17. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the characteristics of the water heater according to the first embodiment. In the example of FIG. 11, the characteristics of the water heater 6 are the hot water storage capacity (unit: liter), the boiling output (unit: kW), and the rated power consumption (unit: kW) for boiling determined according to the outside air temperature. Is. Since the heat exchange efficiency of the heat pump type heater 60 is higher when the outside air temperature is high, the error in the calculation of the required power is reduced by determining the rated power consumption according to the outside air temperature. In the example of FIG. 11, two types of rated power consumption are defined when the outside air temperature is 10 degrees or higher and when the outside air temperature is less than 10 degrees, but the types of rated power consumption are not limited to two types. The characteristics of the water heater 6 may be stored in the storage unit 14 in advance, or may be periodically transmitted as operation data to the water heater management device 1 and stored in the storage unit 14.

The required power calculation unit 15 calculates the required power, which is the power required for boiling, from the characteristics of the water heater 6 and the outside air temperature. The required power calculation unit 15 calculates the amount of heat required for boiling from the remaining hot water temperature, the remaining hot water amount, and the hot water storage capacity of the water heater 6, and calculates the required time, which is the time required to obtain the calculated heat amount. When the amount of remaining hot water and the set amount of hot water at the time of boiling match, the time required for the boiling operation th is expressed by the following equation (4). In the following equation (4), Tw is the set boiling temperature, and Va, Vb, Vc, Vd, Ve are the remaining hot water amounts of the categories 651a, 651b, 651c, 651d, 651e, and Ta, Tb, Tc. , Td, Te are the temperatures detected by the temperature sensors 652a, 652b, 652c, 652d, 652e, and Ph is the boiling output of the heat pump type heater 60. If there is a difference between the amount of remaining hot water and the set amount of hot water, the value obtained by multiplying the difference by the difference between the boiling temperature Tw and the temperature of the supplied water is added to the numerator of the following equation (4).

The time zone detection unit 16 uses the surplus power to boil the water heater 6 within a future period from the surplus power calculated by the surplus power prediction unit 13 and the required power and the required time calculated by the required power calculation unit 15. The first time zone, which is a possible time zone, is detected, and information indicating the first time zone is sent to the communication unit 11 and the schedule determination unit 17. The future period to be processed by the time zone detection unit 16 is a period included in the future period to be processed by the surplus power prediction unit 13. The time zone detection unit 16 detects as a first time zone a time zone in which the time zone in which the surplus power becomes equal to or longer than the required power continues for the required time or longer. That is, the time zone detection unit 16 determines whether or not the following equation (5) holds in the time zone T, detects the time during which the unit time for which the following equation (5) holds is continuous, and determines whether the following equation (5) holds. When the required time is a continuous unit time for which is satisfied, the continuous time is detected as the first time zone. In the following equation (5), Pd is the required power.

The communication unit 11 transmits information indicating the first time zone to the gateway device 3. As described above, the time zone output unit 35 transmits the information indicating the first time zone to the terminal device 9, the allocated time zone acquisition unit 36 acquires the information indicating the allocated time zone, and the gateway communication unit 33 is the water heater. Information indicating the allocated time zone is transmitted to the management device 1. The communication unit 11 receives the information indicating the allocated time zone and transmits it to the surplus power prediction unit 13 and the schedule determination unit 17.

The schedule determination unit 17 creates a schedule indicating the time zone for boiling operation of the water heater 6 in the future period from the information indicating the required power, the required time, and the allocated time zone, and transmits the schedule to the communication unit 11. The future period to be processed by the schedule determination unit 17 is a period included in the future period to be processed by the time zone detection unit 16. The communication unit 11 transmits the schedule to the gateway device 3.

When the surplus power prediction unit 13 acquires the information indicating the allocated time zone, the surplus power prediction unit 13 predicts the surplus power _{by subtracting Pd from the predicted value Ps T} of the surplus power in the allocated time zone for the boiling operation of the water heater 6. Update the value. The time zone detection unit 16 detects the first time zone again according to the updated surplus power. The communication unit 11 transmits the detected first time zone to the gateway device 3. When the communication unit 11 acquires the allocated time zone corresponding to the first time zone detected again, the schedule determination unit 17, the surplus power prediction unit 13, and the time zone detection unit 16 repeat the above-mentioned processing.

In the case of creating a 24-hour schedule from 8:00 am to 8:00 am the next day as a future period in the power system 100 in which the power generation device 21 and the water heater 6 are provided in each of the N units shown in FIG. The details of the operation of each part of the water heater management system 103 will be described with reference to a sequence diagram and a flowchart. The interval between the acquisition times of the operation data and the power data is 1 minute, and the unit time is 30 minutes.

FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing a flow of data acquisition processing according to the first embodiment. The gateway device 3 of the residence 1 acquires the operation data of the water heater 6, the power generation record of the power generation system 101, and the power data including the power consumption record of the electric device 5 and the water heater 6 (step Sq1). The gateway device 3 of the residence 1 transmits the acquired data to the water heater management device 1 (step Sq2). The water heater management device 1 acquires data and stores the acquired data in the storage unit 14 (step Sq3). When the water heater management device 1 transmits a data request to the meteorological information source (step Sq4), the meteorological information source transmits the meteorological conditions to the water heater management device 1 (step Sq5). The water heater management device 1 stores the acquired weather conditions in the storage unit 14 (step Sq6).

Similarly, the gateway device 3 of the residence 2 acquires the operation data of the water heater 6, the power generation record of the power generation system 101, and the power data including the power consumption record of the electric device 5 and the water heater 6 (step Sq7). The gateway device 3 of the residence 2 transmits the acquired data to the water heater management device 1 (step Sq8). The water heater management device 1 acquires data and stores the acquired data in the storage unit 14 (step Sq9). When the water heater management device 1 transmits a data request to the meteorological information source (step Sq10), the meteorological information source transmits the meteorological conditions to the water heater management device 1 (step Sq11). The water heater management device 1 stores the acquired weather conditions in the storage unit 14 (step Sq12).

When the time T1 elapses from step Sq1, the gateway device 3 of the residence 1 again performs the operation data of the water heater 6, the power generation record of the power generation system 101, and the power data including the power consumption record of the electric device 5 and the water heater 6. (Step Sq13). Time T1 is any time shorter than the unit time.

The processing described later is the same, and the gateway device 3 of the residence 1 transmits the acquired data to the water heater management device 1 (step Sq14). The water heater management device 1 acquires data and stores the acquired data in the storage unit 14 (step Sq15). When the water heater management device 1 transmits a data request to the meteorological information source (step Sq16), the meteorological information source transmits the meteorological conditions to the water heater management device 1 (step Sq17). The water heater management device 1 stores the acquired weather conditions in the storage unit 14 (step Sq18).

As shown in FIG. 12, the gateway device 3 may sequentially transmit the acquired operation data and power data, or may operate in a fixed period longer than the data acquisition interval stored in the memory provided in the gateway device 3. Data and power data may be transmitted to the water heater management device 1 at regular intervals. The gateway device 3 performs arithmetic processing, such as averaging or integration, on the operating data and the electric power data stored in the memory for a certain period of time, and transfers the calculated operating data and the electric power data to the water heater management apparatus 1. You may send it. The fixed period that is the target of arithmetic processing is a time shorter than the unit time.

The water heater management device 1 may request data from the gateway device 3 at regular intervals. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing a flow of data acquisition processing according to the first embodiment. The water heater management device 1 transmits a data request to the gateway devices 3 of the dwelling 1 and the dwelling 2 after a certain period of time has elapsed from the time of the previous data acquisition (steps Sq21 and Sq24). Upon receiving the data request, the gateway device 3 in the residence 1 acquires the operation data of the water heater 6, the power generation record of the power generation system 101, and the power data including the power consumption record of the electric device 5 and the water heater 6 ( Step Sq22). The gateway device 3 of the residence 1 transmits the acquired data to the water heater management device 1 (step Sq23). Similarly, when the gateway device 3 of the residence 2 receives the data request, it acquires the operation data of the water heater 6, the power generation record of the power generation system 101, and the power data including the power consumption record of the electric device 5 and the water heater 6. (Step Sq25). The gateway device 3 of the residence 2 transmits the acquired data to the water heater management device 1 (step Sq26).

The water heater management device 1 acquires data and stores the acquired data in the storage unit 14 (step Sq27). When the water heater management device 1 transmits a data request to the meteorological information source (step Sq28), the meteorological information source transmits the meteorological conditions to the water heater management device 1 (step Sq29). The water heater management device 1 stores the acquired weather conditions in the storage unit 14 (step Sq30).

In the examples of FIGS. 12 and 13, when the water heater management device 1 receives the operation data and the power data from the gateway device 3, the actual value of the meteorological conditions at the time of reception is acquired from the weather information source, and the operation data and the power are obtained. The data and the actual value of the weather condition are linked and stored in the storage unit 14. As shown in FIG. 13, by requesting data from the water heater management device 1 to the gateway device 3, the timing of the operation data and the power data can be matched, and the variation in the weather conditions associated with the operation data and the power data can be adjusted. It can be reduced.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the surplus power prediction performed by the water heater management device according to the first embodiment. The surplus power prediction unit 13 reads out the predicted value of the weather condition in the prediction target period of the target residence from the storage unit 14 (step S11). The surplus power prediction unit 13 detects a past period corresponding to the prediction target period (step S12). The past period corresponding to the forecast period is the past period in which the weather is similar to the weather in the forecast period, and the total time when the weather is sunny is similar to the total time when the weather is sunny in the forecast period. Period, etc. The surplus power prediction unit 13 reads out the power data of the house to be predicted in the past period corresponding to the prediction target period from the storage unit 14 (step S13). The surplus power prediction unit 13 determines the predicted value of the surplus power based on the data of the actual power generation of the power generation system 101 and the data of the actual power consumption of the electric device 5 included in the power data for each unit time of the prediction target period. Calculate (step S14). When the process of step S14 is completed, the surplus power prediction unit 13 ends the surplus power prediction process. The surplus power prediction unit 13 performs the above-mentioned processing for each house to be predicted.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the time zone detection operation performed by the water heater management device according to the first embodiment. Steps S21 to S31 are loop processes for detecting a time zone in which the surplus power is equal to or greater than the required power for each house. The required power calculation unit 15 reads out the operation data and the characteristics of the water heater 6 from the storage unit 14 (step S22). The required power calculation unit 15 calculates the required power for the boiling operation of the water heater 6, and calculates the required time for the boiling operation using the above equation (4) (step S23).

Steps S24 to S30 are loop processes for determining whether or not the water heater 6 can be heated by the surplus electric power for each unit time. Since the schedule creation target period is 24 hours and the unit time is 30 minutes, the number of unit times subject to loop processing is 48. _{The time zone detection unit 16 determines whether or not the predicted value Ps T} of the surplus power is equal to or greater than the required power Pd in the time zone T, and if the predicted value Ps _T of the surplus power is equal to or greater than the required power Pd. (Step S25; Y), 0.5 is added to the _{parameter AT i} indicating the integrated value of the boiling possible time (step S26). The parameter AT _i is initialized to 0 at the start of the time zone detection process. The time zone detection unit 16, the parameter AT _i is raised determines whether a required time th or more operating boiling, when it is the time required th or more heating operation parameter AT _i (step S27; Y ), The time zone T is detected as the boiling completion time zone, which is the time when the boiling operation is completed in the first time zone (step S28). Since the first time zone can be specified by the boiling completion time zone and the time required for the boiling operation, the boiling completion time zone is information indicating the first time zone. If the parameter AT _i is less than the time required for the boiling operation th (step S27; N), the process of step S28 is not performed. When the predicted value Ps _T of the surplus power is less than the required power Pd (step S25; N), the parameter AT _i is reset to 0 (step S29). When the process of steps S21 to S31 is completed, the water heater management device 1 ends the process of detecting the time zone.

In the example of FIG. 15, after the required power calculation unit 15 calculates the required power and the required time for the boiling operation of the water heater 6 for the residence i, the time zone detection unit 16 surpluses the residence i for each unit time. It is determined whether or not the water heater 6 can be boiled by electric power. The time zone detection process is not limited to the above example, and after the required power calculation unit 15 calculates the required power and required time for the boiling operation of the water heater 6 for each of the N houses, the time zone detection unit 16 performs. For each of the N dwellings, it may be determined whether or not the water heater 6 can be heated by the surplus electric power every unit time.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a predicted value of the generated power according to the first embodiment. The horizontal axis is the time, and the vertical axis is the predicted value (unit: kW) of the generated power. 17 and 18 are diagrams showing an example of the predicted value of the power consumption in the first embodiment. The horizontal axis is the time, and the vertical axis is the predicted value of power consumption (unit: kW). FIG. 17 is a predicted value of the power consumption of the electric device 5 in the dwelling 1, and FIG. 18 is a predicted value of the power consumption of the electric device 5 in the dwelling 2. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a predicted value of surplus power in the first embodiment. The horizontal axis is the time, and the vertical axis is the predicted value of surplus power (unit: kW). FIG. 19 is obtained by subtracting the predicted value of the power consumption of the electric device 5 shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 from the predicted value of the generated power of the power generation system 101 shown in FIG.

The characteristics of the water heater 6 of the dwelling 1 and the dwelling 2 are as shown in FIG. 11, and the setting of the boiling temperature of the water heater 6 will be described by taking the case where the temperature is 85 degrees and the outside air temperature is 19 degrees as an example. The required power Pd1 for the boiling operation of the water heater 6 of the residence 1 is 1.3 kW, and the required time th1 is about 4 hours as represented by the following equation (6). The required power Pd2 for the boiling operation of the water heater 6 of the residence 2 is 0.95 kW, and the required time th2 is about 2.5 hours as represented by the following equation (7).

In FIG. 19, _{the time zone in which the predicted value Ps T} of the surplus power becomes the required power Pd1 or more of the water heater 6 of the residence 1 is the time zone from 9:30 to 15:30, and the required time th1 or more. , The first time zone is the time zone from 9:30 to 15:30, and the boiling completion time zone is detected in step S28 of FIG. 15 from 13:30 to 15:30. It is a time zone. In FIG. 19, _{the time zone in which the predicted value Ps T} of the surplus power becomes the required power Pd2 or more of the water heater 6 of the residence 2 is the time zone from 9:00 to 16:00, and the required time th2 or more, so that the first The time zone is from 9:00 to 16:00, and the time zone detected as the boiling completion time zone in step S28 of FIG. 15 is the time zone from 11:30 to 16:00.

The process of creating a schedule indicating the time zone in which the boiling operation of each house is performed according to the first time zone will be described. FIG. 20 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the schedule determination process according to the first embodiment. The water heater management device 1 transmits information indicating a boiling completion time zone, which is a time zone from 13:30 to 15:30, to the residence 1 (step Sq41). The water heater management device 1 transmits information indicating a boiling completion time zone, which is a time zone from 11:30 to 16:00, to the gateway device 3 of the residence 2 (step Sq42). The gateway device 3 of the residence 1 receives the information indicating the boiling completion time zone, and outputs the information indicating the boiling completion time zone from 13:30 to 15:30 from the terminal device 9 (step Sq43). The gateway device 3 of the residence 1 receives the information indicating the boiling completion time zone, and outputs the information indicating the boiling completion time zone from 11:30 to 16:00 from the terminal device 9 (step Sq44).

21 and 22 are diagrams showing an example of a display screen of the terminal device according to the first embodiment. A time division 91 corresponding to a unit time is displayed on the display screen 90 of the terminal device 9, and a check box 92 is provided in the time division 91. Further, the display screen 90 is provided with a decision button 93 and a clear button 94. In the example of FIG. 21, the check boxes 92 from the time division 91 at 13:30 to the time division 91 at 15:30 are displayed in black, and the boiling operation is performed during the time zone from 13:30 to 15:30. Indicates that can be completed. Similarly, in the example of FIG. 22, the check boxes 92 from the time division 91 at 11:30 to the time division 91 at 16:00 are displayed in black, and the boiling operation is performed during the time zone from 11:30 to 16:00. Indicates that it can be completed. The user selects a desired time division 91 from the time divisions 91 in which the check box 92 is displayed in black, and operates the enter button 93. The display method of the time zone in which the boiling operation can be completed on the display screen is not limited to the above example, and the time zone in which the boiling operation can be completed and other time zones can be displayed by any method that can be distinguished. ..

The gateway device 3 of the residence 1 acquires an instruction time zone according to the user's operation from the terminal device 9 (step Sq45 in FIG. 20). When the user selects the check box 92 of the time division 91 at 15:00, the gateway device 3 acquires information indicating the time zone of 15:00 as the instruction time zone from the terminal device 9. Since the allocated time zone, which is the time allocated to the boiling of the water heater 6, can be specified from the indicated time zone and the time required for the boiling operation, the designated time zone indicates the allocated time zone. Information. The gateway device 3 of the residence 1 transmits the designated time zone to the water heater management device 1 (step Sq46). The water heater management device 1 acquires a designated time zone from the gateway device 3 of the dwelling 1, and performs a boiling operation of the water heater 6 of the dwelling 1 from the designated time zone and the time required for boiling the water heater 6 of the dwelling 1. The time zone is determined (step Sq47). In the above example, since the indicated time zone is the time zone of 15:00 and the required time is 4 hours, the assigned time zone is from 11:00 to 15:00, and the water heater management device 1 is from 11:00 to 15:00. Up to is determined as the time zone for the boiling operation of the water heater 6 of the residence 1.

The water heater management device 1 updates the predicted value of the surplus power according to the time zone in which the water heater 6 of the residence 1 is operated to boil, and detects the first time zone again (step Sq48). The water heater management device 1 transmits the completion time zone corresponding to the rediscovered first time zone to the gateway device 3 of the residence 2 (step Sq49).

The gateway device 3 of the residence 2 receives the boiling completion time zone again, and outputs the boiling completion time zone again from the terminal device 9 (step Sq50). The gateway device 3 of the residence 2 acquires an instruction time zone from the terminal device 9 in response to an operation of the terminal device 9 by the user (step Sq51). The gateway device 3 of the residence 2 transmits the designated time zone to the water heater management device 1 (step Sq52). The water heater management device 1 acquires a designated time zone from the gateway device 3 of the dwelling 2, and performs a boiling operation of the water heater 6 of the dwelling 2 from the designated time zone and the time required for boiling the water heater 6 of the dwelling 2. The time zone is determined (step Sq53). The water heater management device 1 updates the predicted value of the surplus power according to the time zone in which the water heater 6 of the residence 2 is operated to boil, and detects the first time zone again (step Sq54).

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a predicted value of surplus power in the first embodiment. The horizontal axis is the time, and the vertical axis is the predicted value of surplus power (unit: kW). The predicted value of the surplus power shown in FIG. 23 is a value obtained by subtracting the required power Pd1 of the water heater 6 of the dwelling 1 from the predicted value of the surplus power shown in FIG. 19 from 11:00 to 15:00. The updated predicted value Ps _{T of} surplus power becomes equal to or higher than the required power Pd2 of the water heater 6 of the residence 2 during the time period from 9:00 to 13:30, and the boiling is completed in step S28 of FIG. The time zone detected is the time zone from 11:30 to 13:30.

When the user selects the check box 92 of the time division 91 at 13:00, the gateway device 3 of the residence 2 acquires information indicating the time zone of 13:00 as the designated time zone from the terminal device 9. In this case, since the indicated time zone is the time zone of 13:00 and the required time is 2.5 hours, the water heater management device 1 boiled the water heater 6 of the residence 2 from 10:30 to 13:00. Determined as the time zone for driving.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the terminal device according to the first embodiment. In the example of FIG. 24, the check boxes 92 from the time division 91 at 11:30 to the time division 91 at 13:30 are displayed in black, and the boiling operation is performed during the time zone from 11:30 to 13:30. Indicates that can be completed.

The water heater management device 1 creates a schedule based on the time zone during which the water heater 6 of the dwelling 1 and the dwelling 2 is operated to boil (step Sq55 in FIG. 20). The water heater management device 1 transmits a schedule to the gateway device 3 of the dwelling 1 and the dwelling 2 (steps Sq56, Sq57). The gateway device 3 of the residence 1 receives the schedule and sets the schedule (step Sq58). The gateway device 3 of the residence 2 receives the schedule and sets the schedule (step Sq59). After that, at 10:30, the gateway device 3 of the residence 2 instructs the water heater 6 to start the boiling operation (step Sq60), and at 11:00, the gateway device 3 of the residence 1 instructs the water heater 6 to start the boiling operation. Instruct the start (step Sq61).

In the above example, each time the information indicating the allocated time zone is received from the gateway device 3, the water heater management device 1 determines the time zone for the boiling operation of the water heater 6 and updates the predicted value of the surplus power. And the first time zone was rediscovered, but the water heater management device 1 receives information indicating the allocated time zone from at least some of the gateway devices 3, and then according to the priority of the water heater 6. , The time zone for boiling the water heater 6 may be determined.

As described above, according to the water heater management device 1 according to the first embodiment, the first time zone, which is the time zone in which the water heater 6 can be heated by the surplus electric power, is detected in the future period. However, it is possible to suppress fluctuations in reverse power flow by determining the time zone for boiling operation of the water heater 6 according to the completion time zone selected by the user in the first time zone. is there. By presenting the first time zone to the user, it is possible to make the user aware that the electric power generated by the power generation system 101 is effectively used.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, the time zone for the boiling operation of the water heater 6 is determined based on the first time zone in which the boiling operation of the water heater 6 is possible only by the surplus electric power. In the second embodiment, the time zone for the boiling operation of the water heater 6 is determined by using the second time zone in which the boiling operation of the water heater 6 is possible by the system power and the surplus power. The configuration of each part of the electric power system 100 according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. The operation of the water heater management device 1 which is different from the first embodiment will be described.

The time zone detection unit 16 is a time zone whose length coincides with the required time of the boiling operation, and integrates a small value among the predicted value of the surplus power and the required power of the boiling operation over the time zone. The second time zone is detected, which is a time zone in which the value obtained is equal to or greater than the value obtained by multiplying the required electric energy, which is the amount of electric power required for the boiling operation, by the ratio of positive numbers less than 1.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a predicted value of surplus power according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The horizontal axis is the time, and the vertical axis is the predicted value of surplus power (unit: kW). The characteristics of the water heater 6 are the same as those in the first embodiment, the time required for the boiling operation of the water heater 6 in the residence 1 is 4 hours, and the required power Pd1 is 1.3 kW. In the example of FIG. 25, the time when the predicted value of the surplus power is Ps _T equal to or more than the required power Pd1 is less than 4 hours.

The time zone detection unit 16 _{integrates a smaller value of the predicted value Ps T} of the surplus power and the required power Pd of the boiling operation over the required time. _{The time zone detection unit 16 integrates a smaller value among the predicted value Ps T} of the surplus power and the required power Pd for each unit time of 30 minutes over M unit times corresponding to the required time. For each time zone T, the integrated value PsMT over M unit times immediately before the time zone _T is represented by the following equation (8).

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of a predicted value and an integrated value of surplus power in the second embodiment. FIG. 26 shows an example of an integrated value (unit: kWh) over a required time of 4 hours. The integrated value corresponding to the 12 o'clock time zone is the integrated value of the predicted value of the surplus power and the required power Pd from the 8 o'clock time zone to the 11:30 time zone. ..

The time zone detection unit 16 determines whether or not the following equation (9) holds for each unit time. In the following equation (9), α is a ratio that is a positive number less than 1.

Assuming that α is 0.5, M = 8 corresponding to the required time of 4 hours for the residence 1, so the right side of the above equation (9) is 1.3 × 4 × 0.5 = 2.6 (unit:: kWh). In the example of FIG. 26, the integrated value is 2.6 or more from the time zone of 12:00 to the time zone of 17:00. The time detection unit 16 detects the time zone from 12:00 to 17:00 as the second boiling completion time zone, which is the time when the boiling operation in the second time zone is completed. Since the second time zone can be specified by the second boiling completion time zone and the time required for the boiling operation, the second boiling completion time zone is information indicating the second time zone. The communication unit 11 transmits the second boiling completion time zone, which indicates the second time zone, to the gateway device 3. The time zone output unit 35 transmits the second boiling completion time zone to the terminal device 9.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the terminal device according to the second embodiment. In the example of FIG. 27, the check boxes 92 for the time division 91 from 12:00 to 17:00 are displayed with diagonal lines, and the system power and surplus power are used for boiling during the time zone from 12:00 to 17:00. Indicates that the operation can be completed.

The gateway device 3 acquires an instruction time zone according to the user's operation from the terminal device 9. The indicated time zone is information indicating the allocated time zone, which is the time allocated to the boiling of the water heater 6 in the second time zone.

The ratio α is not limited to one type, and two or more types may be used. The time zone detection unit 16 detects the second boiling completion time zone when α is 0.3 and the second boiling completion time zone when α is 0.7, and causes the gateway device 3 to detect the second boiling completion time zone. The gateway device 3 transmits two types of second boiling completion time zones to the terminal device 9. The terminal device 9 displays the second boiling completion time zone when α is 0.3 as the time zone when the generated power is used by 30% or more, and the second when α is 0.7. The boiling completion time zone may be displayed as a time zone in which 70% or more of the generated power is used.

In the above example, the first time zone did not exist, but when the first time zone and the second time zone exist, the display screen 90 shows the first boiling completion time zone and the first boiling completion time zone. Both of the boiling completion time zones of 2 may be displayed. The allocated time zone is a time zone allocated to the boiling operation of the water heater 6 from at least one of the first time zone and the second time zone. The method of displaying the time zone on the display screen is not limited to the above example, and the boiling completion time zone corresponding to the first time zone, the second boiling completion time zone, and other time zones can be distinguished arbitrarily. It can be displayed by the method of.

As described above, according to the water heater management device 1 according to the second embodiment, the water heater 6 can be boiled by the system power and the surplus power in the future period in addition to the first time zone. Time to detect the second time zone, which is the time zone, and to perform the boiling operation of the water heater 6 according to the time zone selected by the user from at least one of the first time zone and the second time zone. By determining the band, it is possible to effectively use the surplus power.

(Embodiment 3)
In the third embodiment of the present invention, when the peak power consumption is expected to exceed the contracted power due to the boiling operation, the water heater management device 1 transmits to that effect to the gateway device 3 and the gateway device. 3 outputs from the terminal device 9 that the peak power consumption exceeds the contracted power. The configuration of each part of the electric power system 100 according to the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. The operation of the water heater management device 1 which is different from the first embodiment will be described.

As represented by the following equation (10), the surplus power prediction unit 13 subtracts the predicted value of the generated power of the power generation system 101 from the predicted value of the power consumption of the electric device 5 and 0 for each unit time. The larger value is calculated as the predicted value PeT of the system power consumption.

The time zone detection unit 16, as represented by the following equation (11), for each unit time, a value obtained by adding the power requirements of the heating operation to the predicted value Pe _T usage of the system power contract power Pmax Determine if it does not exceed. Equation (11) below is a positive number to ensure that the contract power is not exceeded, and a value close to 0 is desirable.

If the time required for the boiling operation of the water heater 6 of the residence 1 is 3 hours and the above equation (11) holds in the time zone of 8:00 pm, the time zone detection unit 16 operates from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm Is detected as the third time zone. The communication unit 11 transmits information indicating the third time zone to the gateway device 3. The gateway device 3 transmits information indicating the third time zone to the terminal device 9.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the terminal device according to the second embodiment. The terminal device 9 displays on the screen from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm as an unusable time zone as shown in FIG. 28, based on the acquired information indicating the third time zone. In the terminal device 9, the third time zone may not be selectable. The method of displaying the time zone on the display screen is not limited to the above example, and the boiling completion time zone, the second boiling completion time zone, the third time zone, and other times corresponding to the first time zone are not limited to the above examples. The bands can be displayed in any distinguishable way.

As described above, according to the water heater management device 1 according to the third embodiment, it is the third time zone in which it is predicted that the contracted power will be exceeded due to the boiling operation of the water heater 6 within the future period. By detecting and outputting the time zone of, it is possible to suppress an increase in system power consumption.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a configuration example of hardware of the water heater management device and the gateway device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The water heater management device 1 and the gateway device 3 include a processor 111, a memory 112, and an interface 113 as hardware configurations for controlling the respective devices. Each function of these devices is realized by the processor 111 executing a program stored in the memory 112. The interface 113 is for connecting each device and establishing communication, and may be composed of a plurality of types of interfaces as needed. Although FIG. 29 shows an example in which the processor 111 and the memory 112 are each configured by one, the plurality of processors 111 and the plurality of memories 112 may cooperate with each other to execute each function.

In addition, the above hardware configuration and flowchart are examples, and can be arbitrarily changed and modified.

The central part of the control process including the processor 111, the memory 112, and the interface 113 can be realized by using a normal computer system without using a dedicated system. For example, a computer program for performing the above operation is stored and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium (flexible disk, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.), and the computer program is installed on the computer. The water heater management device 1 and the gateway device 3 that execute the above-mentioned processing may be configured accordingly. Further, the water heater management device 1 and the gateway device 3 may be configured by storing the computer program in a storage device of a server device on a communication network such as the Internet and downloading it by a normal computer system.

Further, when the functions of the water heater management device 1 and the gateway device 3 are realized by sharing the OS (operating system) and the application program, or by coordinating the OS and the application program, only the application program part is recorded as a recording medium. Or stored in a storage device.

It is also possible to superimpose a computer program on a carrier wave and distribute it via a communication network. For example, the computer program may be posted on a bulletin board system (BBS: Bulletin Board System) on the communication network, and the computer program may be distributed via the communication network. Then, the computer program may be started and executed in the same manner as other application programs under the control of the OS so that the above processing can be executed.

The embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The location where the water heater 6 is installed is not limited to a residence, but may be a commercial facility or a public facility. In the above example, the configuration in which the power generation device 21 and the water heater 6 are provided in each dwelling has been described, but the power generation device 21 may be provided in only a part of the dwellings. Further, the water heater management device 1 may be configured to directly acquire the electric power data from the measuring device 7 and the operation data from the water heater 6.

The present invention allows for various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present invention. Moreover, the above-described embodiment is for explaining the present invention, and does not limit the scope of the present invention. That is, the scope of the present invention is indicated not by the embodiment but by the claims. Then, various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the equivalent meaning of the invention are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

1 Water heater management device, 2 network, 3 gateway device, 4 communication device, 5 electrical device, 6 water heater, 7 measuring device, 8 distribution board, 9 terminal device, 11 communication unit, 12 weather information acquisition unit, 13 surplus Power prediction unit, 14 storage unit, 15 required power calculation unit, 16 time zone detection unit, 17 schedule determination unit, 21 water heater, 22 power conditioner, 23 power meter, 31 operation data acquisition unit, 32 power data acquisition unit, 33 Gateway communication unit, 34 Water heater control unit, 35 time zone output unit, 36 Allocated time zone acquisition unit, 60 Heat pump type heater, 61 Evaporator, 62 Compressor, 63 Dissipator, 64 Expansion valve, 65 Hot water storage tank, 66 water flow path, 67 circulation pump, 68 flow path switching valve, 69 radiator, 70 floor heating equipment, 90 display screen, 91 time division, 92 check box, 93 enter button, 94 clear button, 100 power system, 101 power generation system, 102 Consumer equipment, 103 Water heater management system, 111 processor, 112 memory, 113 interface, 200 power supply system, 651a, 651b, 651c, 651d, 651e division, 652a, 652b, 652c, 652d, 652e temperature sensor, 653 hot water pipe , 654 water supply pipe.

Claims (8)

For an electric water heater having a hot water storage tank, which receives power from a power generation system whose power generation amount changes depending on weather conditions, the electric hot water supply including a boiling operation for raising the temperature of hot water in the hot water storage tank to a predetermined temperature. It is a water heater management device that manages the operation of the vessel.
The electric power data is connected via communication to an electric power data acquisition unit that acquires electric power data including the electric power generation results of the power generation system, the electric equipment receiving power from the power generation system, and the power consumption results of the electric water heater. Operation data that receives the power data from the acquisition unit via communication, is connected to the electric water heater via communication , and acquires operation data including the operating state, the amount of remaining hot water, and the temperature of the remaining hot water of the electric water heater. A communication unit that is connected to the acquisition unit via communication and receives the operation data from the operation data acquisition unit via communication.
A meteorological information acquisition unit that acquires the meteorological conditions at the installation location of the power generation system from an external information source of the water heater management device via communication, and
A surplus power prediction unit that calculates a predicted value of surplus power in the future period from the power data and the weather conditions.
The required power to calculate the required power, which is the power required for the boiling operation of the electric water heater, and the required time, which is the time required to complete the boiling operation, from the operation data according to the characteristics of the electric water heater. Calculation part and
From the predicted value of the surplus power, the required power, and the required time, a first time zone, which is a time zone in which the boiling operation of the electric water heater can be performed by the surplus power, is detected in the future period. , A time zone detection unit that outputs information indicating the first time zone ,
And a schedule determining unit for creating and outputting a schedule that shows the time of day to perform the boiling operation of the electric water heater in the previous Symbol future periods,
Equipped with a,
The communication unit transmits information indicating a completion time zone, which is a time zone in which the boiling operation of the electric water heater can be completed according to the first time zone, to a terminal device operated by the user via communication. Then, in response to the operation of the user, information indicating the allocated time zone, which is the time zone allocated to the boiling operation of the electric water heater, is received from the terminal device via communication.
The schedule determination unit creates a schedule indicating a time zone in which the electric water heater is to be heated in the future period from the required power, the required time, and the information indicating the allocated time zone.
Water heater management device. When the communication unit receives the information indicating the allocated time zone, the surplus power prediction unit subtracts the required power from the predicted value of the surplus power in the allocated time zone to predict the surplus power. Update the value
The time zone detection unit detects the first time zone according to the updated predicted value of the surplus power, and outputs information indicating the first time zone.
The water heater management device according to claim 1. The time zone detection unit is a time zone whose length coincides with the required time, and the value obtained by integrating the predicted value of the surplus power and the smaller value of the required power over the time zone is the said. The second time zone, which is the time zone equal to or greater than the value obtained by multiplying the required power amount, which is the amount of power required for the boiling operation, by the ratio of positive numbers less than 1, is detected, and the second time zone is set. Output the information to be shown
The communication unit transmits information indicating the completion time zone corresponding to at least one of the first time zone and the second time zone to the terminal device, and transmits the first time zone and the second time zone. Receives the allotted time zone corresponding to at least one of the time zones from the terminal .
The water heater management device according to claim 1 or 2. The time zone detection unit calculates a predicted value of system power consumption, which is power supplied from the power system of the power company in the future period, from the predicted value of the generated power and the predicted value of the power consumption. A third time zone in which the predicted value of the grid power consumption is equal to or greater than the value obtained by multiplying the threshold value determined by the contracted power with the electric power company by a positive number less than 1 is detected, and the third time zone is indicated. Output information,
The water heater management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The time zone detection unit outputs the third time zone as a time zone during which the boiling operation of the electric water heater is impossible.
The water heater management device according to claim 4. It is connected to the water heater management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 via a network, and is connected to the water heater management device.
For an electric water heater having a hot water storage tank, which receives power from a power generation system whose power generation amount changes depending on weather conditions, the electric hot water supply including a boiling operation for raising the temperature of hot water in the hot water storage tank to a predetermined temperature. It is a gateway device that controls the operation of the device.
The power generated by the power generation system, the electric equipment supplied with power from the power generation system, and the measurement data of the measurement equipment for measuring the power consumption of the electric water heater are received, and based on the received measurement data, the power generation system of the power generation system A power data acquisition unit that acquires power data including the actual power generated, the electric equipment that receives power from the power generation system, and the actual power consumption of the electric water heater.
An operation data acquisition unit that acquires operation data including the operating state, the amount of remaining hot water, and the temperature of the remaining hot water from the electric water heater via communication.
A time zone output unit that outputs information indicating a first time zone, which is a time zone in which the boiling operation of the electric water heater is possible by surplus electric power, in a future period.
The first of the time period, the electric water heater the boiling information indicating allocation time zone is a time zone to be allocated as a time to perform the operation of, you get from the terminal device operated by a user split With the current time zone acquisition department,
The operation data and the power data are transmitted to the water heater management device, and information indicating the first time zone detected based on the operation data and the power data is received from the water heater management device. A communication unit that transmits information indicating the allocated time zone to the water heater management device and receives a schedule indicating the time zone for performing the boiling operation of the electric water heater in the future period from the water heater management device.
A water heater control unit that controls the electric water heater according to the schedule,
Bei obtain,
Gateway device. The water heater management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The gateway device according to claim 6 and
Water heater management system equipped with. For an electric water heater having a hot water storage tank, which receives power from a power generation system whose power generation amount changes depending on weather conditions, the electric hot water supply including a boiling operation for raising the temperature of hot water in the hot water storage tank to a predetermined temperature. A program for managing the operation of a device, which is a computer
The electric power data is connected via communication to an electric power data acquisition unit that acquires electric power data including the electric power generation record of the power generation system, the electric equipment receiving power from the power generation system, and the electric power consumption record of the electric water heater. A communication unit that receives the power data from the acquisition unit via communication,
It is connected to the electric water heater via communication, and is connected to an operation data acquisition unit that acquires operation data including the operating state, the amount of remaining hot water, and the temperature of the remaining hot water of the electric water heater via communication, and acquires the operation data. Communication unit that receives the operation data from the unit via communication,
A meteorological information acquisition unit that acquires the meteorological conditions at the installation location of the power generation system from an information source outside the computer.
Surplus power prediction unit that calculates the predicted value of surplus power in the future period from the power data and the weather conditions.
The required power to calculate the required power, which is the power required for the boiling operation of the electric water heater, and the required time, which is the time required to complete the boiling operation, from the operation data according to the characteristics of the electric water heater. Calculation unit,
From the predicted value of the surplus power, the required power, and the required time, a first time zone, which is a time zone in which the boiling operation of the electric water heater can be performed by the surplus power, is detected in the future period. , A time zone detector that outputs information indicating the first time zone ,
Schedule determination unit for creating and outputting a schedule that shows the time of day to perform the boiling operation of the electric water heater in the previous Symbol future periods,
To function as,
The communication unit transmits information indicating a completion time zone, which is a time zone in which the boiling operation of the electric water heater can be completed according to the first time zone, to a terminal device operated by the user via communication. Then, in response to the operation of the user, information indicating the allocated time zone, which is the time zone allocated to the boiling operation of the electric water heater, is received from the terminal device via communication.
The schedule determination unit creates a schedule indicating a time zone in which the electric water heater is to be heated in the future period from the required power, the required time, and the information indicating the allocated time zone.
program.

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