JP7165613B2 - Energy management controller - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an energy management control device that manages energy demand including power demand mainly for air conditioners and heat demand mainly for floor heating and hot water supply.

A cogeneration system, for example, a domestic fuel cell cogeneration system (sometimes called Ene-Farm) is a system in which a hot water storage unit and a fuel cell unit are installed together.

The fuel cell unit continues to consume city gas for the purpose of power generation, and the heat associated with the power generation heats the water in the hot water storage unit to generate hot water.

In the fuel cell unit, electricity is generated by reforming methane in city gas, purifying hydrogen, and reacting it with oxygen in the atmosphere. The generated power is supplied to power consuming devices (eg, air conditioners, etc.) (power demand).

When generating electricity in a fuel cell unit, heat is generated. The heat generated by this power generation is recovered by a heat exchanger and effectively used to heat the water stored in the hot water storage tank of the hot water storage unit, thereby constructing a domestic fuel cell cogeneration system.

In addition, the hot water storage unit is equipped with a backup heat source, and when heat is not enough to warm the water in the hot water storage tank due to heat generation, the backup heat source will supplement the necessary heat and supply hot water. (heat demand). The heat demand includes hot water supply that consumes hot water as well as hot water in a hot water storage tank that is circulated as floor heating.

In a domestic fuel cell cogeneration system, when the temperature of the water in the hot water storage tank reaches or exceeds a predetermined temperature, heat generated by power generation cannot be recovered any more, and power generation by the power generation unit may be stopped.

In Patent Document 1, when air conditioning is performed in combination with an air conditioner and floor heating, each device is controlled independently, so the set temperature of the floor heating and the set room temperature become too high, which impairs energy saving and comfort. With this as an issue, the equipment control device detects the thermal characteristics of the room when checking the floor temperature rise using the floor temperature sensor during the test run, predicts the surface temperature of the floor, and connects it to the network. It is described that when floor heating and an air conditioner are used together, energy saving, low cost, or low CO2 emissions are controlled within a range that does not impair comfort.

That is, in Patent Document 1, the indoor heat loss coefficient is calculated from the operation control information of the equipment and the information of the indoor floor area and ceiling height, and the indoor floor surface temperature is calculated based on the calculated heat loss coefficient. By doing so, it is configured to control the device.

For reference, in Patent Document 2, in HEMS (home energy management system), equipment in the home that uses electricity, gas, water, etc. is monitored, these are controlled according to the purpose, weather conditions that change daily It is described that an operation plan is generated taking into consideration the revised power rate and the operation plan, and the equipment and devices in the home are controlled based on the operation plan. In addition, Patent Document 2 is characterized by a countermeasure when it falls into a state where the operation plan of the equipment is not updated.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-55102 JP 2018-042348 A

However, for example, in the heating of a room, the actual situation is that the choice of whether to use an air conditioner or floor heating is entrusted to the consumer, and energy demand management considering energy saving or comfort is Not established.

In Patent Literature 1, by comprehensively controlling the equipment to be heated, the energy efficiency and comfort of the room are taken into consideration, but the balance of the overall energy demand is not taken into consideration.

In Patent Document 2, a daily operation plan is generated by HEMS, but it mainly plans how to use the generated electricity (electricity consumption, electricity sales, etc.), and considers the balance with the demand for hot water supply. is not.

In other words, energy saving or comfort is greatly influenced by the balance between energy demand including power demand by air conditioners and heat demand by floor heating and hot water supply. Here, energy saving refers mainly to the degree of cost reduction that depends on energy consumption, and comfort refers to the degree of deterioration in air conditioning performance due to the reduction in consumption of energy sources.

In addition, fluctuations in energy saving performance or comfort due to the balance of energy demand appear particularly conspicuously in the above household fuel cell cogeneration device (system A) with power generation capacity, but not limited to system A, which is equipped with a gas engine. A gas cogeneration system for home use (System B), a latent heat recovery type gas water heater (System C) that does not have power generation capacity but uses exhaust heat, and a relatively easy nighttime electricity that does not have power generation capacity and can be used during the night The same can be said for other hot water supply systems typified by a heat pump type water heater (system D) that heats water in a hot water storage tank.

For reference, the types of hot water supply systems that should be considered for energy demand balance are shown.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an energy management controller that monitors energy demand, including power demand by power consuming equipment and heat demand by heat consuming equipment, to optimize the energy demand balance.

An energy management control device of the present invention is an energy management control device that manages energy demand including power demand by a power consumption device and heat demand by a heat consumption device, comprising: an air conditioner that is a part of the power consumption device; and at least one of a floor heating device as the heat consuming device and operating it, an air conditioning control unit that controls the temperature of the indoor space, the past power demand status of the power consuming device, and the heat consuming device A database for accumulating history information about the heat demand situation, and based on the history information accumulated in the database for a certain period of time in the past, the number of power consumption equipment when the air conditioning control by the air conditioning control unit is performed by the floor heating device A prediction unit that predicts power consumption, and the air conditioner and the floor heating for the total energy demand in the air conditioning control unit based on the difference between the target power consumption set in advance and the predicted power consumption predicted by the prediction unit. and a setting unit for setting the ratio of energy demand with the device.

According to the present invention, power consumption equipment and heat consumption equipment are used together, and energy demand is managed comprehensively. For example, it is necessary to manage the balance of energy demand depending on whether energy saving or comfort is prioritized.

By the way, in the air conditioning control unit, an air conditioner (power consumption device) and a floor heating device (heat consumption device) may be used together for the same purpose, that is, as devices for controlling the temperature of the indoor space.

In the present invention, whether to use an air conditioner or a floor heating system to control the temperature of the indoor space is related to the past power demand status of the power consuming equipment stored in the database and the heat demand status of the heat consuming equipment. Managed based on historical information.

That is, the prediction unit predicts the power consumption of the power consumption equipment when the air conditioning control is performed by the floor heating system based on the history information accumulated in the database for a certain period of time in the past (predicted power consumption).

Based on the difference between the target power consumption set in advance and the predicted power consumption predicted by the prediction unit, the setting unit sets the ratio of the energy demand of the air conditioner and the floor heating system to the total energy demand of the air conditioning control unit. do.

This can maintain an energy demand balance based on energy efficiency or comfort.

In the present invention, a fuel cell unit that generates power by reforming a raw material gas, purifying hydrogen, and reacting with oxygen in the atmosphere, and heat generated by power generation in the fuel cell unit are used to generate the heat. and a hot water storage unit for generating and storing hot water for supplying hot water to consuming equipment, wherein the target power consumption is output at maximum power generation efficiency in power generation by the fuel cell unit. It is characterized by being the power that is

Since the target power consumption is the power output at the maximum power generation efficiency in power generation by the fuel cell unit, by controlling the operating state of the air conditioner, the power generation in the fuel cell unit is brought closer to the power generation at the maximum power generation efficiency. can be done. For example, by generating power in the state of maximum power generation efficiency, it is possible to reduce consumption of raw material gas and improve energy saving without impairing comfort (decreased air conditioning performance due to reduced consumption of raw material gas, etc.).

In the present invention, the fuel cell unit further includes a power generation stop control section that stops power generation when the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank in the hot water storage unit reaches or exceeds a predetermined value, and the setting section sets: The power consumption of the air conditioner is corrected based on the temperature of hot water in the hot water storage tank.

To avoid stopping power generation in a fuel cell system due to temperature information of hot water in a hot water storage tank exceeding a predetermined temperature by monitoring the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank and controlling the power consumption of an air conditioner to reduce. (promoting the use of hot water for floor heating equipment). If the power consumption of the air conditioner can be corrected to a large extent, the amount and temperature of hot water in the hot water storage tank can be appropriately maintained (suppression of use of hot water in the floor heating system).

As described above, the present invention can optimize the energy demand balance including power demand and heat demand, and can maintain the maximum power generation efficiency when a fuel cell is installed, for example.

In the present invention, an air conditioner (hereinafter referred to as an air conditioner) is representative of an air conditioning control unit that controls the temperature of an indoor space by circulating a heat medium other than water. On the other hand, a floor heating system is representative of an air conditioning controller that controls the temperature of a room by circulating water as a heat medium. Both are installed for the purpose of heating the indoor space.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is effective in being able to monitor the energy demand including the electric power demand by an electric power consumption apparatus, and the heat demand by a heat consumption apparatus, and to optimize energy demand balance.

1 is a schematic diagram of a cogeneration system (ENE-FARM) according to an embodiment; FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a controller according to this embodiment; FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing processing for energy management control executed by the controller according to the embodiment; FIG. In the controller, it is a flow chart showing an energy demand situation accumulation routine for acquiring energy demand situation from the HEMS controller and accumulating it. 4 is a flow chart showing a predictive control routine according to the embodiment; 4 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between predicted power demand and fuel cell output in Example 1 in which power is distributed to the air conditioner in the heating mode and the floor heating device in the controller according to the present embodiment. FIG. According to Example 2 of the present embodiment, the amount of hot water used, the amount of hot water stored in the hot water storage tank, and the amount of power generation when the power distribution to the air conditioner in the heating mode and the floor heating system is incorporated into a general household life pattern. It is a timing chart showing transition.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a home-use fuel cell cogeneration system according to the present embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "ENE-FARM 10" in the present embodiment) as an example of the cogeneration system of the present invention. It is shown.

The Ene-Farm 10 is a system in which a hot water storage unit 12 and a fuel cell unit 14 are installed side by side. It should be noted that juxtaposition is not limited to physical adjacency, but means mutual cooperation. That is, the hot water storage unit 12 and the fuel cell unit 14 may be installed separately and connected by piping, electrical wiring, or the like.

In the Ene-Farm 10, the hot water storage unit 12 has the function of supplying hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 32, and the fuel cell unit 14 has the function of generating electricity based on hydrogen produced using city gas as a raw material. (described later in detail), respectively, are controlled by the controller 16 .

(Configuration of controller 16)

As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 16 comprises a microcomputer 44 comprising a CPU 34, a RAM 36, a ROM 38, an I/O 40, and a bus 42 such as a data bus and a control bus connecting them.

The control target device 12D of the hot water storage unit 12 and the control target device 14D of the fuel cell unit 14 are connected to the I/O 40, and their respective operations are controlled by the control of the controller 16. FIG.

A remote control panel 46 and a mass storage device 52 are also connected to the I/O 40 . The large-scale storage device 52 functions as an energy demand history database, which will be described later, in addition to its original function of storing various data.

Further, the I/O 40 is connected with a plurality of thermistors 51 (not shown in FIG. 1) for detecting the temperature of hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 32 .

The water temperature in the hot water storage tank 32 (see FIG. 1) is classified into a plurality of temperature layers. Water gets hotter in higher layers. Therefore, the temperature of the water in the hot water storage tank 32 is high (high temperature) in the uppermost layer, decreases toward the lower layers, and is low (low temperature) in the lowest layer.

The thermistor 51 detects the temperature of each layer in the hot water storage tank 32 (for example, when classified into four layers, each of the four layers). Based on the temperature detected by the thermistor 51, the controller 16 controls the timing and amount of water supply from the water pipe 33 (see FIG. 1).

A HEMS controller 56 that manages HEMS (home energy management system) is connected to the I/O via an I/F 54 .

HEMS is a system that connects with home appliances and electric equipment, "visualizes" the amount of electricity, gas, etc. used on a monitor screen, etc., and executes automatic control of load equipment (household appliances, etc.). This automatic control is collectively managed.

That is, the HEMS controller 56 is connected to the power consumption device 24 (a smart home appliance including the heating mode air conditioner 24A that functions as the power consumption device of the present invention), the microcomputer gas meter 50 and the smart meter 63 .

In other words, the controller 16 can acquire history data of energy demand information by communicating with the HEMS controller 56 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , the hot water storage unit 12 includes a hot water storage tank 32 . The fuel cell unit 14 also includes a fuel processor 20 that takes in gas (for example, city gas 13A) from a gas supply pipe 18 and refines hydrogen, and a process centered on reforming with hydrogen and oxygen to generate power and It is provided with a stack 22 that stores electricity, and an inverter 28 that converts the power (direct current) stored in the stack 22 into alternating current and supplies it to power consuming devices 24 such as home appliances (household appliances) and lighting in a house 48 . .

Representative examples of the power consumption device 24 include home electric appliances such as air conditioners, lighting fixtures, televisions, washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, dishwashers, and rice cookers. It refers to the controlled devices 12D and 14D related to the farm 10, the controlled devices 12D and 14D related to the ENE-FARM 10 (see FIG. 2), the remote control panel 46, and the like. Some or all of the home appliances are managed by the HEMS controller 56 and may be called so-called smart home appliances.

Here, in the ENE-FARM 10, the fuel cell unit 14 generates heat when the stack 22 generates power, so it needs to be cooled.

On the other hand, in the ENE-FARM 10, the hot water storage unit 12 takes tap water or the like from the water pipe 33 into the hot water storage tank 32 (water supply), and uses it to supply hot water to the hot water supply equipment 49 (shower, bath, sink, etc.). It is necessary to heat (warm).

For this reason, the fuel cell unit 14 is provided with a heat exchanger 30. In the heat exchanger 30, the high heat generated by the power generation in the stack 22 is mixed with the hot water storage tank provided in the hot water storage unit 12 through the water pipe 33. Heat is exchanged with the low heat of the water supplied in 32 .

The inverter 28 forming part of the fuel cell unit 14 is connected to a switching section 62 that controls switching with the commercial power source 60 . The switching unit 62 switches the power supply source (power generated by the fuel cell unit 14 or power from the commercial power source 60 ) based on instructions from the controller 16 .

A smart meter 63 is attached to the downstream side of the switching unit 62 as a meter for monitoring the power consumption state.

The power generated by the fuel cell unit 14 or the power from the commercial power supply 60 is input to the smart meter 63 depending on the switching by the switching unit 62, and supplied to the power consumption device 24. . In other words, when the user uses the power consuming device 24, the power consuming device 24 can be used without any problem because any power is supplied.

The smart meter 63 is connected to the controller 16 and the power source is displayed on the remote control panel 46 controlled by the controller 16 .

On the other hand, a microcomputer gas meter 50 is attached to the gas supply pipe 18 . A branch pipe 18 A is provided downstream of the microcomputer gas meter 50 , and one of the branch pipes 18 B serves as a pipeline for supplying gas to the fuel processor 20 and the backup heat source device 58 .

The other branch pipe 18C is used as a pipeline for supplying gas to a gas consuming device 66 (stove, gas fan heater, etc.) in the house 48 .

The backup heat source device 58 has a backup function of heating the hot water supplied to the hot water supply equipment 49 and the like when the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank 32 (the temperature of each layer detected by the thermistor 51) does not reach a predetermined reference temperature. It has

The backup heat source device 58 also has a function of heating the heat medium (water) circulating in the floor heating device 64 .

The floor heating device 64 includes a floor heating panel 64A laid on the floor surface forming the indoor space. A heat radiation pipe (not shown) is embedded in the floor heating panel 64A.

Hot water is repeatedly supplied to and recovered from the backup heat source device 58 through the circulation pipe 65 to the heat radiation pipe (circulation structure), and the air in the indoor space is warmed by the heat radiation from the heat radiation pipe. , heated.

(Regarding heat consumption equipment and power consumption equipment)

Here, the air conditioner 24A in the heating mode, which exhibits the same function as the floor heating device 64, may be used together.

The backup heat source device 58, which is the main component of the floor heating device 64, is a heat consuming device that burns city gas to heat circulating water, and the floor heating device 64 controls the temperature of the living room space (heating control It can be called a heat consuming device among air conditioners. Strictly speaking, it consumes the power of the pump for circulation, but since the power consumption is so small, it is not considered here.

On the other hand, the air conditioner 24A in the heating mode controls heating of the room space similarly to the floor heating device 64, and consumes power to circulate a heat medium (other than water) to exchange heat. The air conditioner 24A in the heating mode can be said to be a power consumption device among the air conditioners that control the temperature of the living room space (heating control) in contrast to the floor heating device 64 that is a heat consumption device.

(Power generation by fuel cell unit 14)

For the fuel cell unit 14, an output at which power generation efficiency is maximized (maximum power generation efficiency output) is determined based on its rating. For example, if the rated output is 700W, the maximum power generation efficiency output is 500W.

In the operation (power generation) of the fuel cell unit 14, it is desirable to generate power with the maximum power generation efficiency output as a target (power consumption control).

However, when the heat consumption is low and the temperature of the water in the hot water storage tank 32 reaches the upper limit, the heat generated by the power generation cannot be recovered in the heat exchanger 30, and power generation by the power generation unit must be stopped.

On the other hand, when the heat consumption is high and the temperature of the water in the hot water storage tank 32 does not reach the upper limit, power generation (fuel cell output) is continued.

In other words, poor balance between power consumption and heat consumption (energy demand) adversely affects both energy saving and comfort. As an example, if the air conditioner 24A is used frequently, the temperature in the hot water storage tank 32 becomes high and power generation is likely to stop, resulting in reduced power generation efficiency and loss of energy saving. On the other hand, if the frequency of use of the floor heating device 64 is high, the hot water generated by the power generation cannot be heated in time, and the air-conditioning performance is lowered, resulting in a loss of comfort.

For example, it is possible to predict energy demand for the future by learning AI, etc., but conventionally, no means has been established to reflect the predicted results and optimize the energy demand balance.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, as air conditioning control units applied for the same purpose (temperature control (heating control) in the living room space), the air conditioner 24A in the heating mode, which is represented by the power consumption equipment, and the heat consumption equipment, Focusing on the presence of the representative floor heating device 64, control for optimizing the energy demand balance was established by dividing the operation (output control) between the air conditioner 24A and the floor heating device 64.

(Energy management control by controller 16)

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing processing for energy management control executed by controller 16 according to the present embodiment. Some or all of the blocks are classified according to function, and the hardware configuration is not limited.

The energy demand information acquisition unit 100 is connected to the HEMS controller 56 and acquires energy demand information from the HEMS controller 56 . Although the interval at which the energy demand information is taken is not particularly limited, it is preferable to take it in, for example, every 10 minutes.

The energy demand information captured by the energy demand information capturing unit 100 is stored in the large-scale storage device 52 (history database). In another storage area of the large-scale storage device 52, the value of the maximum power generation efficiency output Wmax is stored in advance. The maximum power generation efficiency output Wmax depends on the specifications of the fuel cell unit 14 . For example, when the rated output is 700W, the output at which the power generation efficiency is maximized is about 500W.

The controller 16 has a clock section 102 . The timer 102 serves as a trigger for executing energy management control. The timer unit 102 is connected to the history reading unit 104 and the floor heating heat demand setting unit 106, and at predetermined time intervals (for example, every hour), the history reading unit 104 and the floor heating heat demand setting unit 106 Instruct to start.

When the timer unit 102 instructs the history reading unit 104 to start up, the history reading unit 104 accesses the large-scale storage device 52 to read the energy demand information for a certain period of time (for example, one week) in the past. Send to

Power demand prediction unit 108 predicts future power demand Wcal based on past energy demand information, and outputs a start signal to maximum power generation efficiency output reading unit 110 .

The power demand prediction unit 108 and the maximum power generation efficiency output reading unit 110 are each connected to a first comparison unit 112 .

Power demand prediction unit 108 predicts future energy demand based on energy demand information for the past one week, and sends predicted power demand Wcal to first comparison unit 112 .

Also, maximum power generation efficiency output reading unit 110 accesses large-scale storage device 52 in response to a start signal from maximum power generation efficiency output reading unit 110 , reads maximum power generation efficiency output Wmax, and sends it to first comparison unit 112 . .

On the other hand, when the timer unit 102 instructs the floor heating heat demand setting unit 106 to start, the room temperature information and the room temperature set value information are taken in, and based on the temperature difference, the required heat amount ( Set the heat demand, unit "joule").

The amount of heat (joule) set by the floor heating heat demand setting unit 106 is sent to the floor heating output conversion unit 114 and converted into a power value (floor heating output Wjoule).

The floor heating output conversion unit 114 sends the converted floor heating output Wjoule to the output distribution unit 118 and the second comparison unit 120, which will be described later.

First comparison unit 112 compares maximum power generation efficiency output Wmax with predicted power demand Wcal (Wmax:Wcal).

The first comparison section 112 is connected to the output margin calculation section 116 and the output allocation section 118, and changes the signal output destination based on the comparison result.

If the comparison result of the first comparison unit 112 is Wmax>Wcal, an instruction signal is output to the output margin calculation unit 116, and if Wmax≦Wcal, a distribution instruction signal 1 is output to the output allocation unit 118. be.

The output margin calculation unit 116 calculates the excess output Wm (=Wmax−Wcal) and sends it to the second comparison unit 120 .

The second comparison unit 120 compares the excess output Wm and the floor heating output Wjoule (Wm:Wjoule).

The second comparison section 120 is connected to the difference calculation section 122 and the output distribution section 118, and changes the signal output destination based on the comparison result.

If the result of comparison by the second comparison unit 120 is Wm>Wjoule, the distribution instruction signal 2 is output to the output distribution unit 118, and if Wm≦Wjoule, the instruction signal is output to the difference calculation unit 122.

The difference calculation unit 122 calculates the difference ΔW (=Wjoule−Wm), and sends the distribution instruction signal 3 to the output distribution unit 118 together with the difference ΔW.

Here, in the output distribution unit 118, any of the distribution instruction signal 1 from the first comparison unit 112, the distribution instruction signal 2 from the second comparison unit 120, and the distribution instruction signal 3 from the difference calculation unit 122 will receive

As shown in Table 2, the output distribution unit 118 sets the output value to the floor heating control system based on the type of the distribution instruction signal received, and also sets the output value of the air conditioner 24A in the heating mode to the HEMS controller 56. to direct.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flow charts of FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an energy demand accumulation routine for acquiring and accumulating energy demand conditions from the HEMS controller 56 in the controller 16 . 4 is interrupted every 10 minutes during execution of main control (operation control of the hot water storage unit 12 and the fuel cell unit 14) in the controller 16, for example.

Step 150 accesses the HEMS controller 56, then proceeds to step 152 to retrieve energy demand information from the HEMS controller 56, proceeds to step 154 to store to mass storage device 52 (historical database), and this routine ends.

Although the flowchart of FIG. 4 is executed every 10 minutes, the shorter the interrupt time interval, the more real-time information can be obtained, but the capacity increases. Also, the longer the interrupt time interval, the more real-time performance is lost, but the capacity can be reduced.

Therefore, rather than using a fixed interval, the interval should be set relatively short during times when it is expected that there will be a lot of changes (time in the morning when preparing to go out, several hours after returning home in the evening, etc.). The intervals may be relatively long during periods (daytime hours, midnight, etc.).

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a predictive control routine according to this embodiment. The flow chart of FIG. 5 is interrupted every hour during execution of main control (operation control of the hot water storage unit 12 and the fuel cell unit 14) in the controller 16, for example.

At step 160 , for example, energy demand information for the past week or so is read from the history database of the large-scale storage device 52 , and the process proceeds to step 162 .

In step 162, based on the read past energy demand information (for example, for one week), the power demand, hot water supply demand, and space heating demand are predicted for each unit time, and the average value of each is calculated. Obtain the predicted value Wcal.

In the next step 164 , the output Wmax that maximizes the power generation efficiency in the fuel cell unit 14 is read from the large-scale storage device 52 . This power generation efficiency maximum output Wmax is a fixed value that depends on the specifications of the fuel cell unit 14 . For example, when the rated output is 700W, the standard power generation efficiency maximum output Wmax is 500W.

In the large-scale storage device 52, only the rated output of the fuel cell unit 14 is stored in anticipation that the power generation efficiency maximum output Wmax will fluctuate (deviate from the standard) over time. Wmax may be obtained by calculation taking into account a correction coefficient that depends on deterioration over time.

In the next step 166, the heat demand output Wjoule required for floor heating using the floor heating device 64 is converted from the heat demand (Joule heat). Specifically, the heat demand is set based on the difference between the current temperature (room temperature) of the indoor space to be floor-heated and the set temperature, and the set heat demand is converted into electric power demand (eg, Wjoule=300 W).

In the next step 168, the maximum power generation efficiency output Wmax and the power demand forecast value Wcal are compared.

In step 168, if it is determined that Wmax≤Wcal, it is determined that the power demand is high and there is no margin for supplying the power output of the fuel cell unit 14 to the air conditioner 24A in the heating mode, and the process proceeds to step 170. The HEMS controller 56 is instructed to set the air conditioner output to "0" W (that is, the air conditioner is turned off). The routine ends.

If it is determined that Wmax>Wcal in step 168, it is determined that the power demand is small and that there is a margin for supplying the power output of the fuel cell unit 14 to the air conditioner 24A in the heating mode, and the process proceeds to step 174.

At step 174 , the output margin Wm is calculated (Wm=Wmax−Wcal), and the process proceeds to step 176 .

In step 176, the output margin Wm is compared with the heat demand output Wjoule required for floor heating.

If it is determined in step 176 that Wm>Wjoule, it is determined that all the electric power corresponding to the output margin Wm can be consumed, and the process proceeds to step 178 to output heat demand to the HEMS controller 56 as air conditioner output. The output Wjoule is instructed, then the process proceeds to step 180 to set the floor heating output of the floor heating device 64 to "0" W (that is, the floor heating device 64 is turned off), and this routine ends.

If it is determined in step 176 that Wm≤Wjoule, it is determined that the power consumption is limited, and the process proceeds to step 182 to calculate the difference ΔW between the heat demand output Wjoule and the output margin Wm, Go to step 184 . This difference ΔW becomes the power that can be consumed.

At step 184, difference Wm is instructed to HEMS controller 56 as the air conditioner output, then the routine proceeds to step 186 to set the floor heating output of floor heating device 64 to difference ΔW, and this routine ends.

In the present embodiment, the maximum power generation efficiency output Wmax of the fuel cell unit 14 and the predicted power demand Wcal are compared (first comparison unit 112 shown in FIG. 3), and the output margin Wm and the floor heating output Wjoule are compared. (second comparison unit 120 shown in FIG. 3), and distributed the energy demand (output) to the air conditioner 24A and the floor heating device 64, but depending on the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank 32, the output You may make it correct|amend.

As a result, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank 32 from reaching the power generation stop temperature. Conversely, when the amount of hot water supplied increases rapidly and the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank 32 is extremely low, the power generation period is increased by increasing the output of the air conditioner 24A. The temperature can be properly maintained.

(Example 1)

FIG. 6 shows Example 1 in which electric power is distributed to the air conditioner 24A in the heating mode and the floor heating device 64 (heat demand is converted to electric power) in the controller 16 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship with fuel cell output (that is, power generation output);

As a premise, the power demand required for heating is divided between the air conditioner 24A in the heating mode and the floor heating device 64 to ensure a constant power demand (300 W below).

Here, if the power demand (air conditioner output) by the air conditioner 24A in the heating mode is increased, the power generation efficiency is increased, but the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank is increased. The ENE-FARM 10 of the present embodiment is designed to stop power generation when the temperature of the lower portion of the hot water storage tank 32 exceeds 60°C.

On the other hand, if the heat demand by the floor heating device 64 is increased, it becomes difficult to stop power generation, but the power generation efficiency is lowered.

Therefore, the balance between power demand and heat demand is optimized to improve energy efficiency while maintaining comfort (see the flowchart in FIG. 5).

As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, as specific numerical values, the rated output of the fuel cell is 700 W, the output that maximizes power generation efficiency is 500 W, and the output required for floor heating is 300 W (heat demand (Joule heat) is In the case of power conversion), the power demand is controlled so that the power generation efficiency is close to 500W.

Arrow A in FIG. 6 is an example corresponding to "distribution 2" shown in FIGS. As indicated by arrow A in FIG. 6, when heating is performed only by the floor heating device 64 and the predicted power demand is 100 W, the output of the air conditioner 24A is set to 300 W. As a result, the output of the floor heating device 64 becomes "0"W.

In this case, it can be said to be an air conditioner full mode, and although the maximum power generation efficiency of 500 W is not achieved, considering the predicted power demand (100 W), it is possible to reach up to 400 W.

Arrow B in FIG. 6 is an example corresponding to "distribution 3" shown in FIGS. As indicated by arrow B in FIG. 6, when heating is performed only by the floor heating device 64 and the predicted power demand is 300 W, the output of the air conditioner 24A is set to 200 W. As a result, the output of the floor heating device 64 becomes 100W.

In this case, the output of the air conditioner (200W) and the predicted power demand (300W) can be added to give exactly 500W.

Arrow C in FIG. 6 is an example corresponding to "distribution 1" shown in FIGS. As indicated by the arrow C in FIG. 6, when heating is performed only by the floor heating device 64, when the predicted power demand is 600 W, the output of the HA and the air conditioner 24A is set to "0" W. The output of the heating device 64 is 300W.

In this case, since the predicted power demand already exceeds the maximum power generation efficiency by 100 W, heating is performed without applying the air conditioner 24A.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that a large amount of prediction data is stored as the history database of the large-scale storage device 52, but if there is no prediction data, the floor heating device 64 is set to 300 W, and the output of the air conditioner 24A is set to 300 W when the floor heating switch is turned off. This is because giving priority to the floor heating device 64 suppresses variations in power demand.

Of the systems shown in Table 1, the home fuel cell cogeneration system has been described as an example in this embodiment, but the present invention is also applicable to other systems represented by the systems shown in Table 1. It is possible.

(Example 2)

FIG. 7 relates to Example 2 of the present embodiment, and shows the amount of hot water used when power distribution to the air conditioner 24A in the heating mode and the floor heating device 64 is incorporated into a general household life pattern, and the hot water storage tank 32. 2 is a timing chart showing changes in hot water storage amount and power generation.

In the life pattern shown in FIG. 7, the person wakes up at about 6:00 am and goes out at about 8:00 am, and hot water is used for washing clothes, preparing breakfast, etc. during the period from the time of waking up to the time of going out. be done.

In addition, hot water is used for, for example, preparing dinner, taking a bath, etc. after leaving the house at around 8:00 am, and the use of hot water decreases at around 9:00 pm (for example, bedtime).

Although the amount of hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 32 changes according to the amount of hot water used, tap water is replenished accordingly and heated by the power generation of the fuel cell unit 14, so the amount of hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 32 does not necessarily change. Not proportional to the amount of hot water used.

In the above lifestyle pattern, the period from the time of waking up to the time of going out and from the time of returning home to the time of going to bed are the periods in which air conditioning is performed, that is, the period in which air conditioning (heating) is performed by at least one of the air conditioner 24A and the floor heating device 64. .

If air conditioning (heating) is performed only by the floor heating device 64, and the predicted power demand and the actually measured power demand nearly match (predicted power ≈ actually measured power), the transition is as shown by the solid line D in FIG. do.

If the distribution control of the present embodiment is performed for this power transition, the actually measured power can be brought close to the maximum power generation efficiency output of 500 W during the air conditioning control period, as indicated by the dotted line E in FIG.

In the second embodiment, the life pattern is one in which the air conditioning is not continued even when one is out of the house. can.

10 Household fuel cell cogeneration equipment (ENE-FARM)
12 hot water storage unit 12D device to be controlled 14 fuel cell unit 14D device to be controlled 16 controller (energy management control device)
18 Gas Supply Pipe 18A Branch Portion 18B Branch Pipe 18C Branch Pipe 20 Fuel Processor 22 Stack 24 Power Consuming Equipment 24A Air Conditioner (Air Conditioner)
28 inverter 30 heat exchanger 32 hot water storage tank 33 water pipe 34 CPU
36 RAMs
38 ROMs
40 I/O
42 bus 44 microcomputer 46 remote control panel 48 house 49 hot water supply equipment 50 microcomputer gas meter 51 thermistor 52 large-scale storage device (database)
56 HEMS controller 58 Backup heat source machine 60 Commercial power source 62 Switching unit 63 Smart meter 66 Gas consumption device 100 Energy demand information acquisition unit 102 Clock unit 104 History reading unit 106 Heat demand setting unit for floor heating 108 Power demand prediction unit (prediction unit)
110 Maximum power generation efficiency output reading unit 112 First comparison unit (setting unit)
114 floor heating output conversion unit 116 output margin calculation unit (setting unit)
118 output distribution unit (air conditioning control unit)
120 Second comparison unit (setting unit)
122 difference calculation unit (setting unit)

Claims (3)

An energy management control device that manages energy demand including power demand by power consuming equipment and heat demand by heat consuming equipment,
an air conditioning control unit that controls the temperature of an indoor space by selecting and operating at least one of an air conditioner that is part of the power consumption device and a floor heating device that is the heat consumption device;
a database for accumulating historical information about the power demand status of the power consumption equipment and the heat demand status of the heat consumption equipment in the past;
a prediction unit that predicts the power consumption of the power consumption equipment when air conditioning control by the air conditioning control unit is performed by a floor heating device based on history information accumulated in the database for a certain past period of time;
Based on the difference between the target power consumption set in advance and the predicted power consumption predicted by the prediction unit, the ratio of the energy demand of the air conditioner and the floor heating device to the total energy demand of the air conditioning control unit is set. a setting unit for
An energy management controller having A fuel cell unit that generates electricity by reforming the raw material gas to purify hydrogen and reacting it with oxygen in the atmosphere, and the heat generated by the power generation in the fuel cell unit is used to supply the heat consumption device. and a hot water storage unit for generating and storing hot water for hot water supply,
2. The energy management control device according to claim 1, wherein said target power consumption is power output at maximum power generation efficiency in power generation by said fuel cell unit. The fuel cell unit further has a power generation stop control unit that stops power generation when the temperature of the hot water in the hot water storage tank in the hot water storage unit reaches or exceeds a predetermined value,
3. The energy management control device according to claim 2, wherein the power consumption of said air conditioner set by said setting unit is corrected based on the temperature of hot water in a hot water storage tank.

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