JP7470832B2 - Demand adjustment system, demand adjustment method and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a demand adjustment system, a demand adjustment method, and a program.

The power received from the power grid can be measured by a power meter. Currently, a technology has been proposed that analyzes the amount of power (hereinafter referred to as "total demand") measured by a power meter with communication capabilities (so-called smart meter) to estimate the amount of power (hereinafter referred to as "demand") for each device present in the demand area. This technology is called power disaggregation technology. Today, power disaggregation technology is used for the purpose of visualizing the demand for each device receiving power supply within a demand area.

"Bidgely, a power management and efficiency service for general households," [online], The SV Startups100, [searched November 26, 2018], Internet (URL: https://svs100.com/bidgely/)

Many retail electricity suppliers that supply electricity to consumers have power generation facilities. Each power generation facility has its own unique power generation pattern. For example, thermal power generation facilities output a constant amount of power throughout the day. On the other hand, most consumer demand fluctuates throughout the day. For example, demand is high during the day and low at night.
When the total demand of consumers who have signed electricity supply contracts exceeds the retail electricity supplier's own generating capacity, the retail electricity supplier procures electricity from the market and provides it to consumers. The trading price of electricity in the market is determined by the relationship between supply and demand. For example, the trading price is higher in times such as the evening when demand is high. On the other hand, the trading price is lower late at night when demand is low.

For this reason, it is desirable for electricity retailers to procure less electricity from the market during times when procurement prices are high. In fact, during the middle of the night when procurement prices are lower, the electricity rates paid by consumers are set lower, which encourages consumer demand to shift to the nighttime. However, even the electricity disaggregation technology mentioned above only visualizes the current state of demand by device.

In addition, in recent years, an increasing number of consumers are installing distributed power sources such as solar power generation facilities. Consumers who install distributed power sources can sell surplus electricity to electricity retailers, but the unit price is lower than the unit price of electricity that consumers pay to electricity retailers. Therefore, if consumers can shift part of their demand to the electricity selling period, even if the amount they receive from electricity retailers through electricity selling is reduced, the electricity fees they pay to electricity retailers will be reduced by more than that, resulting in greater profits for the consumers.

The present invention aims to rationally increase the economic benefits of consumers compared to a case in which the demand composition of individual devices on the consumer side is not adjusted based on the relationship between the price at which the retail electricity supplier purchases electricity from the consumer and the price at which the retail electricity supplier sells electricity to the consumer.

The invention described in claim 1 is a demand adjustment system having an estimation means for analyzing total demand of consumers and estimating demand for each device, and an adjustment means for adjusting the operation schedules of devices based on the relationship between the power purchase price from the consumer and the power sale price to the consumer, so that the power bill paid by the consumer to the retail electricity supplier is substantially reduced, and so that devices with higher demand than others during time periods when the power sale price to the consumer is higher than the power purchase price from the consumer are prioritized to operate during time periods when power is back-fed to the power grid .
The invention described in claim 2 is the demand adjustment system described in claim 1 , further comprising a presentation means for presenting to the consumer a screen notifying the consumer of adjustment of an operation schedule according to the appliance.
A third aspect of the present invention is a demand adjustment system according to the first aspect, further comprising a control means for individually controlling the operation of the corresponding devices in accordance with the adjusted operation schedule.
The invention described in claim 4 is a demand adjustment method that causes a computer to execute a process of analyzing total demand of consumers and estimating demand for each device, and a process of adjusting the operation schedule of devices based on the relationship between the power purchase price from the consumer and the power sale price to the consumer, so that the power bill paid by the consumer to the retail electricity supplier is substantially reduced, and so that devices with higher demand than other devices in time periods when the power sale price to the consumer is higher than the power purchase price from the consumer are preferentially operated during time periods when power is back-fed to the power grid .
The invention described in claim 5 is a program for enabling a computer to implement the following functions: analyzing the total demand of consumers and estimating the demand for each device; and adjusting the operation schedule of devices based on the relationship between the purchase price of electricity from the consumer and the sale price of electricity to the consumer, so that the device with higher demand during the time period when the sale price of electricity to the consumer is higher than the purchase price of electricity from the consumer is preferentially operated during the time period when electricity is back-fed to the power grid, so that the electricity bill paid by the consumer to the retail electricity business is substantially reduced.

According to the invention described in claim 1, the economic benefits of the consumer can be rationally increased compared to a case in which the demand composition of individual equipment on the consumer side is not adjusted based on the relationship between the price at which the retail electricity supplier purchases from the consumer and the price at which the retail electricity supplier sells to the consumer .
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the contents of the adjustment can be notified to the consumer.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, adjustment of the operation schedule of the equipment can be provided as a service.
According to the invention described in claim 4 , the economic benefits of the consumer can be increased rationally compared to a case in which the demand composition of individual equipment on the consumer side is not adjusted based on the relationship between the price at which the retail electricity supplier purchases from the consumer and the price at which the retail electricity supplier sells to the consumer.
According to the invention described in claim 5 , the economic benefits of the consumer can be rationally increased compared to a case in which the demand composition of individual equipment on the consumer side is not adjusted based on the relationship between the price at which the retail electricity supplier purchases from the consumer and the price at which the retail electricity supplier sells to the consumer.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a network system assumed in a first embodiment. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an operation schedule adjustment server used in the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control by an operation schedule adjustment server used in the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating disaggregation. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between demand and the trading price of electricity. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between demand and the trading price of electricity after adjusting operation timing. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen displayed on a consumer-side device control terminal. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a network system assumed in a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an operation schedule adjustment server used in the second embodiment. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control by an operation schedule adjustment server used in the second embodiment. 1 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between demand for each device and reverse flow power, in which (A) shows the relationship between the total demand of consumers and the demand for each device, and (B) shows an example of a time period in which reverse flow power occurs. 1 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the demand for each device and the reverse flow power after the operation timing is adjusted, in which (A) shows the relationship between the total demand of consumers and the demand for each device after the operation timing is adjusted, and (B) shows an example of a time period during which reverse flow power occurs after the operation timing is adjusted. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen displayed on a consumer-side device control terminal.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

<First embodiment>
<Network system description>
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a network system 1 assumed in the first embodiment.
The network system 1 shown in Figure 1 is composed of a consumer system 20 that receives electricity through a power grid 10, an operation schedule adjustment system 30 that provides a service for adjusting the operation schedules of equipment 23 that constitutes the consumer system 20 in accordance with the trading price of electricity, and the Internet 40 as a communication network.

The operation schedule adjustment system 30 here aims to improve the profits of the retail electricity supplier by adjusting the operation schedules of the equipment 23 used by the consumers.
Although details will be described later, the operation schedule adjustment system 30 realizes reduction in procurement costs by operating the equipment 23 that is operated during a time period when the procurement price from the market is high during a time period when the procurement price is lower. Note that the relationship between the activities of consumers and the roles of the equipment 23 is taken into consideration when adjusting the operation schedule.
The operation schedule adjustment system 30 is an example of a demand adjustment system.

In this embodiment, the consumer system 20 includes a power meter 21 that measures the total demand for electricity received per unit time from the power grid 10, a power line 22 used to supply electricity within the demand area, equipment 23 that consumes electricity, a router (RT) 24 that controls communication with the Internet 40 and communication within the demand area, and an equipment control terminal 25 that controls the operation of the equipment 23.
In this embodiment, the operation schedule of the device 23 is instructed by the operation schedule adjustment system 30 .

The power meter 21 has a communication function of transmitting the total demand measured, for example, every 30 minutes to the total demand database 32 via the Internet 40. This type of power meter 21 is also called a smart meter. However, in this embodiment, the total demand measured by the power meter 21 is used to estimate the demand for each device, so it is preferable that the measurement unit is short in order to improve the accuracy of the estimation. For example, the power meter 21 may transmit the total demand measured every 10 minutes, every 5 minutes, or every minute to the total demand database 32.
The device 23 in this embodiment is a power device such as a motor. However, the device 23 is not limited to a power device. For example, a router 24 is also one form of the device 23. Note that N in the figure is a natural number of 2 or more.

The device control terminal 25 is a computer terminal that controls the operation of the corresponding device 23 based on the adjusted operation schedule notified by the operation schedule adjustment system 30. Therefore, the device control terminal 25 is an example of a control means.
The device control terminal 25 has a hardware configuration as a computer, which will be described later. A program for individually controlling the operation of the corresponding device 23 based on the notified operation schedule is installed in the device control terminal 25 here. Adjustment of the operation schedule in this embodiment also includes changing the operation mode when there is an increase or decrease in demand. For example, changing from a high-speed operation mode with high demand to a low-speed operation mode with low demand is also included in adjustment of the operation schedule in this embodiment.

The operation schedule adjustment system 30 in this embodiment has an operation schedule adjustment server 31 that adjusts the operation schedules of the devices 23 that make up the consumer system 20, a total demand database (total demand DB) 32 that stores information on total demand for each consumer, a procurement price database (procurement price DB) 33 that stores the price of electricity procured from the market (procurement price), an electricity selling price database (electricity selling price DB) 34 that stores the price of electricity sold by retail electricity companies to consumers (electricity selling price), and a points database (points DB) 35 that stores points as compensation given to consumers who cooperate with the adjustment of the operation schedule.

The operation schedule adjustment server 31 predicts future total demand for each consumer, and adjusts the operation schedule for each piece of equipment so that the peak of the predicted total demand shifts from time periods with high procurement prices to time periods with low procurement prices. As mentioned above, adjustments to the operation schedule include not only changes to operation periods and stop periods, but also changes to operation modes that accompany fluctuations in demand. The processing functions executed by the operation schedule adjustment server 31 will be described in detail later.

In the total demand database 32, the values of total demand notified from the power meters 21 installed in the consumer systems 20 are recorded in association with the consumers.
The procurement price database 33 stores the procurement prices of electricity traded in the market by time period. The market may be, for example, the day-ahead spot market or the one-hour-ahead market.
The electricity selling price database 34 stores information on electricity rates for each time period determined by the contents of the contract between the consumer and the electricity retailer.

The consumers who are the targets of management by the operation schedule adjustment server 31, the total demand database 32, the power selling price database 34, and the point database 35 are consumers who have a retail electricity contract with a specific electricity retailer. In the case of this embodiment, the specific electricity retailer is the same as the operator of the operation schedule adjustment system 30, has a capital relationship with the operator of the operation schedule adjustment system 30, or has a business contractual relationship regarding the provision of services.
However, when providing an operation schedule adjustment service on behalf of multiple electricity retailers, each database contains a mixture of information on consumers from different electricity retailers.

The operation schedule adjustment system 30 shown in FIG. 1 includes an operation schedule adjustment server 31, a total demand database 32, a procurement price database 33, and a power selling price database 34, but the servers and databases that make up the operation schedule adjustment system 30 may each exist in a system operated by a different business operator. For example, the different business operator may be an electric power company and its affiliated company, and may be independent of the business operator of the operation schedule adjustment server 31. The operation schedule adjustment server 31 here is also an example of a demand adjustment system.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the operation schedule adjustment server 31 used in the first embodiment.
The operation schedule adjustment server 31 has a configuration as a computer. That is, the operation schedule adjustment server 31 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that controls the entire device through the execution of a program (including basic software), a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores a BIOS (Basic Input Output System) and the like, a RAM (Random Access Memory) used as an execution area for the program, and a non-volatile storage device, etc. For example, a semiconductor memory or a hard disk device is used as the non-volatile storage device.

In this embodiment, the operation schedule adjustment server 31 realizes the functions shown in FIG. 2 through the execution of a program.
In the case of FIG. 2, the operation schedule adjustment server 31 performs the functions of a disaggregation unit 311 that breaks down the total demand of each consumer into demand for each device 23 (see FIG. 1) provided in the consumer system 20 (see FIG. 1); a demand prediction unit 312 that predicts demand for each device 23 based on past actual values, the latest demand situation, a weather forecast for the demand area, etc.; a procurement price acquisition unit 313 that acquires from a procurement price database 33 the price (procurement price) at which the retail electricity supplier procures electricity from the market; a power selling price acquisition unit 314 that acquires from a power selling price database 34 the price of electricity at which the retail electricity supplier sells to consumers (power selling price); an operation schedule adjustment unit 315 that individually adjusts the operation schedule of the device 23 based on the relationship between the demand predicted for each device, the procurement price, and the power selling price; and a point allocation unit 316 that awards points specified by predetermined rules to consumers who cooperate with the adjustment of the operation schedule.

Note that known technology can be used for the disaggregation unit 311. For example, the devices 23 (see FIG. 1) constituting the consumer system 20 do not necessarily need to be known, and all of the devices 23 may be unknown. However, the more known devices 23 there are, the higher the accuracy of the estimation. The disaggregation unit 311 in this embodiment estimates the demand for each device, for example, using a trained model that breaks down the total demand into demand for each device. The disaggregation unit 311 here is an example of an estimation means.

For example, if the demand area is a factory, total demand is decomposed into demand for air conditioning equipment that depends on temperature, demand for factory equipment that must be operated (the timing of operation cannot be controlled), and demand for factory equipment whose timing of operation can be controlled.
In this embodiment, after decomposing into individual devices, the devices are classified into groups based on similar demand fluctuation patterns. For the classification, for example, a machine learning model of the relationship between the demand fluctuation pattern and the operation timing of the devices may be used.
In addition, being able to control the operation timing means that there is a high degree of freedom in the operation timing.

The demand forecasting unit 312 in this embodiment forecasts demand from the trends of demand for each device accumulated for the same consumer. However, the demand for each device may be forecasted from the trends of demand common to consumers of similar size or industry.
In addition, when the total demand is notified almost in real time from the power meter 21 (see Figure 1) and information on the demand for each device from the immediately preceding time (for example, from several hours ago to the current time) is also available, changes in demand that will occur after the current time may be predicted based on the pattern of changes from the immediately preceding time.

Furthermore, when forecast data on the weather or environment for the day is available, changes in demand that will occur after the current time may be predicted based on the forecast data. The forecast data here includes, for example, weather forecasts, forecasts of fine particulate matter concentrations, temperature forecasts, humidity forecasts, etc. If forecast data on the weather and environment is available, the operating status of the air conditioner for the day can be predicted with high accuracy.
Similarly, if the production plan and activity schedule for the day are known, the demand for factory equipment can be predicted with a high degree of accuracy.
The function of the disaggregation unit 311 may be executed by a business operator other than that of the demand forecasting unit 312, and only the processing results may be acquired by the demand forecasting unit 312.

The procurement price acquisition unit 313 sequentially acquires procurement prices by time period from the procurement price database 33. The procurement price here is the procurement price in the market used by the electricity retailer for procurement. Procurement prices include prices determined by contract such as long-term plans, prices determined by bidding such as day-ahead plans, and prices determined in real time such as same-day operations. The procurement price acquisition unit 313 here is an example of a first acquisition means.
The power selling price acquisition unit 314 acquires the power selling price for each consumer from the power selling price database 34. The power selling price is determined by the service of the retail electricity supplier with which the consumer has a contract, and also varies depending on the season and the time of day. The power selling price acquisition unit 314 is an example of a second acquisition means.

The operation schedule adjustment unit 315 adjusts the operation schedules of some of the devices 23 so as to reduce losses or increase profits of the electricity retailer. The operation schedule adjustment unit 315 is an example of an adjustment means.
For this reason, the operation schedule adjustment unit 315 has a function of identifying time periods that reduce losses or increase profits for the electricity retailer.

In order to reduce losses or increase profits of electricity retailers, for example, it is sufficient to lower the procurement price from the market. In order to lower the procurement price from the market, for example, it is sufficient to shift part of the demand on the consumer side from the time period when the procurement price is at its peak to another time period.
Therefore, the operation schedule adjustment unit 315 in this embodiment identifies the time period when the procurement price is at its peak as an example of a time period that reduces losses or increases profits of the electricity retailer. Incidentally, the time period when the procurement price is at its peak refers to a time period when the price of electricity is higher than other time periods, such as the time period from 7:00 to 10:00 when office demand is high and the time period from 17:00 to 21:00 when lighting demand is high. In this way, the word "peak" does not mean maximum, but rather a local maximum. Therefore, there can be multiple peaks in a single day.

It is also possible for retail electricity suppliers to reduce losses or increase profits by reducing the procurement of electricity at a price higher than the selling price to consumers. In order to reduce the procurement of electricity at a price higher than the selling price to consumers, for example, it is sufficient to shift a part of the demand on the consumer side from a time period when the procurement price from the market is higher than the selling price to consumers to another time period.
Therefore, the operation schedule adjustment unit 315 in this embodiment identifies a time period in which the procurement price from the market is higher than the electricity selling price to the consumer as an example of a time period in which the electricity retailer reduces losses or increases profits. Note that, among the time periods in which the procurement price from the market is higher than the electricity selling price to the consumer, a time period in which the difference with the electricity selling price is larger than other time periods may be prioritized. This is because this time period is a time period in which the procurement burden on the electricity retailer is greater.

In addition, the reduction of losses or increase of profits of retail electricity suppliers can also be achieved by reducing demand during time periods when profits per unit of electricity are low when selling electricity to consumers. In order to reduce demand during time periods when profits per unit of electricity are low, for example, it is sufficient to shift part of the demand on the consumer side from time periods when profits per unit of electricity are low to other time periods when profits are higher.
Therefore, the operation schedule adjustment unit 315 in this embodiment identifies, among the time periods during which the procurement price from the market is lower than the power selling price to consumers, a time period in which the difference between the procurement price and the power selling price is smaller than other time periods, as an example of a time period that reduces losses or increases profits of the electricity retailer. This is because if demand in a time period in which the difference between the procurement price and the power selling price is small can be moved to a time period in which the difference is larger, the profits of the electricity retailer will be greater.

In addition, the operation schedule adjustment unit 315 also has a function of identifying the device 23 whose operation schedule is to be adjusted. Basically, the device 23 operating during the identified time period is the target for adjusting the operation schedule. This is because adjusting the operation schedule of the device 23 that is not operating during the time period when there is a large difference between the procurement price in the market and the electricity selling price to consumers has little economic benefit to the electricity retailer.
The identification of the equipment 23 refers to the operating status of the equipment 23, the degree of freedom of the operating schedule, the weather or environment of the demand area, the details of the activities of the consumers, the size of the demand, and the like.

For example, if the degrees of freedom of operation schedules are the same, adjustment of the operation schedule of the device 23 with high demand is considered preferentially, because the effect of shifting demand accompanying the adjustment of the operation schedule is relatively large.
For this determination, for example, a model based on machine learning of the relationship between the operation schedule of the equipment 23 used in the demand area and demand may be used.

Note that there are restrictions on identifying the devices 23 whose operation schedules are to be adjusted. For example, there are cases where operation is required during a specific time period due to the activities of customers. This type of device 23 is excluded from the targets of the operation schedule adjustment even if the demand for the device 23 is high.
The operation schedule adjustment unit 315 in the present embodiment also has a function of notifying the consumer of the adjusted operation schedule. In this sense, the operation schedule adjustment unit 315 is also an example of a presentation unit.
The point allocating unit 316 allocates points to the consumer whose appliance operation schedule has been adjusted. The point allocating unit 316 is an example of an allocating means.

<Control example>
3 is a flowchart for explaining an example of control by the operation schedule adjustment server 31 (see FIG. 1) used in the first embodiment. Note that the symbol S in the figure represents a step.
The process procedure shown in FIG. 3 is an example of a demand adjustment method.
First, the operation schedule adjustment server 31 acquires the total demand of the consumers (step 1). The total demand is an actual value measured by the power meter 21 (see FIG. 1), and is acquired from the total demand database 32 (see FIG. 1).

Next, the operation schedule adjustment server 31 estimates the demand for each device from the acquired total demand (step 2). This process is executed by the disaggregation unit 311 (see FIG. 2).
Fig. 4 is a diagram explaining disaggregation. (A) shows the time change of total demand before disaggregation, and (B) shows the time change of demand by device after disaggregation. Here, the horizontal axis is time, and the vertical axis is demand. In the case of Fig. 4, the horizontal axis represents a certain time period in a day.

From the waveform showing the time change of the total demand before disaggregation shown in Figure 4 (A), it is possible to grasp the time change of the total demand, but it does not understand why a peak of the total demand appears near the center.
On the other hand, from the waveform after disaggregation shown in FIG. 4(B), not only the waveform showing the time change of the total demand can be understood, but also the time change of the demand for each device used in the demand area.

In the case of Figure 4 (B), the total demand is decomposed into approximately constant standby power, demand for air conditioning equipment that varies depending on factors such as temperature, approximately constant demand corresponding to factory equipment that must be in operation, and demand corresponding to factory equipment whose operation timing can be controlled. In Figure 4, standby power is shown independently of the demand for each piece of equipment.

Returning to the explanation of Fig. 3, in the case of this embodiment, the operation schedule adjustment server 31 predicts the demand for each device 23 based on the estimated demand for each device (step 3).
For example, the demand is predicted for each device using weather forecasts for the demand area, activity schedules of consumers, etc. The demand for air conditioning equipment is characterized by being easily affected by the temperature and humidity of the day being predicted.
Furthermore, for example, the demand for factory equipment, whose operating status changes depending on the amount of orders, is prone to change due to the influence of the production schedule for the day being predicted.
By disaggregating the demand for each device, the demand for each device can be predicted with high accuracy.

Next, the operation schedule adjustment server 31 in this embodiment acquires a procurement price from the market (step 4).The operation schedule adjustment server 31 also acquires a power selling price to consumers (step 5).
The timing of acquiring the procurement price and the power selling price is not limited to the timing shown in Fig. 3. It is sufficient that the procurement price and the power selling price are acquired before the processing of step 6 is started.
Next, the operation schedule adjustment server 31 identifies time periods during which the electricity retailer's losses are reduced or profits are increased (step 6). For example, time periods during which the procurement price is at its peak are identified. Also, for example, time periods during which the electricity retailer's losses are large or profits are small are identified. These time periods are identified by comparing the procurement price and the electricity selling price.

Next, the operation schedule adjustment server 31 identifies the devices 23 that will operate during the identified time period (step 7).
5 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between demand and electricity trading price. (A) shows the relationship between the total demand of consumers and the demand for each device, and (B) shows the relationship between the procurement price from the market and the selling price to consumers.
The horizontal axis of Fig. 5(A) is time and the vertical axis is demand, whereas the horizontal axis of Fig. 5(B) is time and the vertical axis is price (e.g., yen).
5, the horizontal axis represents one day, the left end of the time axis represents 0 o'clock, and the right end represents 24 o'clock. Therefore, the center of the time axis is 12 o'clock.

In the case of Fig. 5(B), the electricity selling price is almost constant, and the procurement price has two peaks. The first peak is low, and the second peak is higher and lasts longer. The first peak corresponds to the office demand, and the second peak corresponds to the demand for lighting and the demand for heating and cooling in the afternoon.
The total demand shown in Figure 5(A) has two peaks, in the morning and in the afternoon. The total demand shown in Figure 5(A) is composed of standby power, demand for air conditioning equipment, demand for factory equipment that must be operated, and demand for factory equipment whose operation timing can be controlled. It can be seen that the demand for air conditioning equipment is higher in the afternoon than in the morning. The same is true for the demand for factory equipment whose operation timing can be controlled.
In the case of Figure 5, total demand increases in the afternoon when the procurement price is high compared to the price at which electricity is sold to consumers. It can be seen that the causes for this are demand for air conditioning equipment, demand for factory equipment that must be operated, and demand for factory equipment whose operation timing can be controlled.

Returning to the explanation of Fig. 3, the operation schedule adjustment server 31 then shifts the operation schedule of the equipment whose demand fluctuates depending on the weather or environment in the demand area or the activities of the consumers to a time period when the procurement price is lower (step 8).
Ideally, it is desirable to switch all of the devices 23 operating during the time periods when the electricity procurement price is higher than the electricity selling price to operating during the time periods when the electricity procurement price is lower than the electricity selling price.
However, in reality, such adjustments are difficult due to various constraints. For example, it is difficult to stop air conditioning equipment when the outside temperature is over 35°C. Also, from the perspective of production capacity, it may not be possible to secure the necessary production volume.
Therefore, in the case of this embodiment, only for factory equipment whose operation timing can be controlled, afternoon operations are brought forward to the morning.

6 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the demand and the electricity trading price after the operation timing is adjusted. (A) shows the relationship between the total demand of consumers and the demand for each device, and (B) shows the relationship between the procurement price from the market and the selling price to consumers.
The horizontal axis of Fig. 6(A) is time, and the vertical axis is demand. On the other hand, the horizontal axis of Fig. 6(B) is time, and the vertical axis is price (e.g., yen). In Fig. 6, the horizontal axis is one day, and the left end of the time axis is 0:00, and the right end is 24:00.

In the case of Figure 6, as shown by the arrows, total demand (outer edge shown by thick line) in the afternoon when the procurement price is high decreases, and total demand in the morning when the procurement price is relatively low increases. This adjustment achieves a reduction in procurement costs while keeping the amount of power (total demand) supplied from the power grid 10 unchanged.
Returning to the explanation of Fig. 3, in the present embodiment, the operation schedule adjustment server 31 notifies the consumer of the adjusted operation schedule (step 9). However, if the consumer agrees to the automatic adjustment of the operation schedule in advance, this notification is not necessary.

In this embodiment, before the adjustment of the operation schedule is implemented, consent of the customer is sought.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen 260 displayed on the consumer side device control terminal 25. As shown in FIG.
A notification screen 260 shown in FIG. 7 is made up of a title 261, an explanation 262, a permission button ("Yes" in the figure) 263, and a disapproval button 264 ("No" in the figure).

7, the title 261 states "Request for Adjustment of Operation Schedule." This is because adjustment of the operation schedule in this embodiment is due to the convenience of the electricity retailer.
The explanation 262 describes the details of the request for cooperation, the details of the compensation to be given if the customer cooperates, and the details of the work to be done by the customer. Specifically, the explanation 262 reads, "We ask for your cooperation in adjusting the operation schedule. If you cooperate with the adjustment, we will give you xx points. Will you cooperate with us?"
In the case of FIG. 7, the devices whose operation schedules are adjusted and the contents of the adjusted operation schedule are not shown, but it is desirable to show them.

In the case of Figure 7, points are shown as the value of consideration, but the value of consideration may include money itself, the right to receive money or discounts, the right to receive other services or upgrades, priorities, and other consumer benefits.
The value to be assigned may be a fixed value, or may increase or decrease in accordance with the profit received by the electricity retailer.
Returning to the explanation of Fig. 3, the operation schedule adjustment server 31 determines whether or not the adjustment is permitted (step 10).

If a positive result is obtained in step 10 (if button 263 is operated in FIG. 7), the operation schedule adjustment server 31 awards points (step 11). Of course, the consumer's device control terminal 25 controls the operation of the corresponding device 23 according to the notified adjusted operation schedule.
On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step 10 (if button 264 is operated in FIG. 7), the operation schedule adjustment server 31 cancels the adjustment of the operation schedule without giving points (step 12). In this case, the consumer's device control terminal 25 does not execute the notified adjusted operation schedule.

In the present embodiment, it is possible to propose adjustments to the operation schedule for each device in accordance with the circumstances of each consumer, which results in the electricity retailer being able to reduce procurement costs compared to the past.
On the other hand, consumers who cooperate with the adjustment of the operation schedule can also receive points or other value. The entity that grants the points may be the business that provides the service according to the present embodiment or the retail electricity business.
Furthermore, as the service according to the present embodiment becomes more widespread, it is expected that the balance between supply and demand for electricity will be alleviated, leading to a reduction in trading prices in the market.

<Embodiment 2>
In the above-mentioned first embodiment, the operation schedule of each device is adjusted according to the convenience of the retail electricity supplier, but in the present embodiment, the operation schedule of each device is adjusted according to the convenience of the consumer.

Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining an outline of a network system 1A assumed in the embodiment 2. In Fig. 8, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
The network system 1A shown in Figure 8 is composed of a consumer system 20A that receives electricity through a power grid 10, an operation schedule adjustment system 30A that provides a service that adjusts the operation schedules of the equipment 23 that constitutes the consumer system 20A in accordance with the relationship between the price (purchase price) at which electricity is purchased from a distributed power source 26 provided in the consumer system 20A and the price (sales price) of electricity sold to consumers by a retail electricity company, and the Internet 40 as a communications network.
The operation schedule adjustment system 30A here is an example of a demand adjustment system.

The customer system 20A in this embodiment differs from the customer system 20 (see FIG. 1) in the embodiment in that it has a distributed power source 26. The distributed power source 26 in this embodiment is, for example, a solar power generation facility, a cogeneration system that generates heat and electricity, or a wind power generation facility. Of these, the solar power generation facility and the wind power generation facility, which convert natural energy into electricity, change the time period during which they generate power and the amount of power generated depending on the natural environment. On the other hand, fuel cells and other cogeneration systems that use chemical energy can control the operating hours and amount of power generated.
In this embodiment, surplus power generated by the distributed power sources 26 is fed back to the power grid 10. For this reason, the power meter 21 has a function of measuring the amount of power fed back. The power fed back is purchased by a retail electricity supplier. The purchase price per unit amount of power is determined in advance.

The operation schedule adjustment system 30A in this embodiment improves the profits of the consumers by actively adjusting the operation schedules of the devices 23 used by the consumers.
Although details will be described later, the operation schedule adjustment system 30A reduces the electricity charges paid by consumers to retail electricity suppliers by shifting a part of the demand in other time periods to time periods when power is fed back to the power grid 10 (reverse power). Note that this is premised on the assumption that the power selling price is higher than the power purchasing price. In the case of this embodiment as well, the relationship between the activities of consumers and the roles of the equipment is taken into consideration when adjusting the operation schedule.
The operation schedule adjustment system 30A here is also an example of a demand adjustment system.

The operation schedule adjustment system 30A in this embodiment has an operation schedule adjustment server 31A that adjusts the operation schedules of the devices 23 that make up the consumer system 20A, a total demand database 32 that stores information on the total demand for each consumer, a power selling price database (power selling price DB) 34 that stores information on the price of electricity (power selling price) that retail electricity companies sell to consumers, a power purchasing price database (power purchasing price DB) 36 that stores information on the price (power purchasing price) at which retail electricity companies purchase surplus electricity from consumers, and a power purchasing history database (power purchasing history DB) 37 that stores information on the history of power purchases from consumers.

The difference from the first embodiment is that the procurement price database 33 (see FIG. 1) and the point database 35 (see FIG. 1) are deleted, and a power purchase price database 36 and a power purchase history database 37 are added. The power purchase price database 36 stores the price at which the retail electricity company purchases power from consumers. The power purchase history database 37 stores the time when the consumer reverse-feeds power to the power grid 10 and the value of the reverse-feed power.
Furthermore, the information that the operation schedule adjustment server 31A refers to for adjusting the operation schedule is different from that in the embodiment 1. The method of adjusting the operation schedule will be described in detail later.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an operation schedule adjustment server 31A used in the second embodiment. In Fig. 9, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
The operation schedule adjustment server 31A shown in FIG. 9 performs the functions of a disaggregation unit 311 that breaks down the total demand of each consumer into demand for each device 23 (see FIG. 8) provided in the consumer system 20A (see FIG. 8), a demand prediction unit 312 that predicts demand for each device 23 based on past actual values, the most recent demand situation, a weather forecast for the demand area, etc., a power selling price acquisition unit 314 that acquires the price of electricity (power selling price) at which the retail electricity supplier sells to the consumer from the power selling price database 34, a power purchasing price acquisition unit 317 that acquires the price of electricity (power purchasing price) at which the consumer sells to the retail electricity supplier from the power purchasing price database 36, a power purchasing history acquisition unit 318 that acquires the history of electricity sold by the consumer to the retail electricity supplier from the power purchasing history database 37, and an operation schedule adjustment unit 315A that individually adjusts the operation schedule of the equipment 23 based on the relationship between the demand predicted for each device, the power purchasing price, and the power selling price.

In this embodiment, the power purchase price is assumed to be constant, but may vary depending on the time of day. In addition, the operation schedule adjustment unit 315A adjusts the operation schedules of some of the devices 23 so that the electricity charges paid by the consumers are reduced. The operation schedule adjustment unit 315A is an example of an adjustment means and also an example of a presentation means.
The operation schedule adjustment unit 315A in this embodiment has a function of predicting a time period during which the distributed power source 26 (see FIG. 8 ) will provide reverse power flow to the power grid 10. The time period during which reverse power flow to the power grid 10 will occur varies depending on the type of distributed power source 26 installed by the consumer and the demand pattern of the consumer.

The operation schedule adjustment unit 315A also has a function of identifying the device 23 whose operation schedule is to be adjusted. Basically, the device 23 that operates in a time period other than the time period when reverse power is occurring is targeted for operation schedule adjustment. This is because there is little economic benefit to the consumer if the operation schedule of the device 23 that operates in the time period when reverse power is occurring is adjusted.
The method of identifying the device 23 is the same as that of the operation schedule adjustment unit 315 (see FIG. 2) described in the first embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an example of control by the operation schedule adjustment server 31A (see Fig. 8) used in the second embodiment. In Fig. 10, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
The process procedure shown in FIG. 10 is an example of a demand adjustment method.
After executing steps 1 to 3 (see FIG. 3), the operation schedule adjustment server 31A in this embodiment acquires the power purchase price from the consumer (step 21).
After that, the operation schedule adjustment server 31A acquires the power selling price for the consumer (step 5).

Next, the operation schedule adjustment server 31A predicts the time period during which the distributed power sources 26 will supply power back to the power grid (step 22). This time period is predicted based on the power purchase history of each consumer, a weather forecast, the demand of each device 23, and the like. For example, in the case of a distributed power source 26 that converts natural energy into power, the time period during which power will be generated and the approximate amount of power generated can be predicted based on a weather forecast. In addition, in the case of a distributed power source 26 that is a cogeneration system, the time period during which electricity will be generated and the approximate amount of power generated can be predicted if the past power purchase history and power generation schedule are known.
If the time period during which power is generated and the amount of power generated are known, it is possible to predict the time period during which reverse power will occur based on the magnitude of demand for each device. Needless to say, reverse power will not occur if the device 23 is set to consume the generated power preferentially and the total demand for the devices 23 is greater than the amount of power generated by the distributed power sources 26. If reverse power will not occur, the following process is skipped.

11 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between demand and reverse flow power for each device. (A) shows the relationship between the total demand of consumers and the demand for each device, and (B) shows an example of a time period in which reverse flow power occurs.
The horizontal axis of Fig. 11(A) is time, and the vertical axis is demand. In the case of Fig. 11(A), the horizontal axis is one day, the left end of the time axis is 0:00, and the right end is 24:00. Therefore, the center of the time axis is 12:00.
The waveform of the demand shown in Fig. 11(A) is the same as the waveform of the demand shown in Fig. 5. In addition, the demand for each device after disaggregation is also the same.

The horizontal axis in Fig. 11(B) is time. The vertical axis is reverse flow power. In the case of Fig. 11(B) as well, the horizontal axis is one day, the left end of the time axis is 0:00, and the right end is 24:00. Therefore, the center of the time axis is 12:00.
In the case of Fig. 11 (B), a waveform indicating the occurrence of reverse power appears around 12:00. The price of electricity that consumers purchase from the electricity retailer (power purchase price) is 25 yen/kWh throughout the day, while the price of electricity that consumers sell to the electricity retailer (power selling price) is 10 yen/kWh. Of course, the specific figures are just an example. In any case, since the power selling price is lower than the power purchasing price, consumers can pay less in electricity fees to the electricity retailer by consuming the electricity themselves rather than selling it. The amount received for selling the electricity is reduced, but the electricity fee paid to the electricity retailer is reduced by even more.

Then, the operation schedule adjustment server 31A moves the operation schedule of the equipment whose demand fluctuates depending on the weather or environment in the demand area or the activities of the consumers to the time period when the distributed power source 26 reverses power to the power grid 10 (step 24). In the case of this embodiment, the afternoon operation of the factory equipment whose operation timing can be controlled is brought forward to the time period around noon when reverse power occurs.

12 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the demand for each device and the reverse flow power after the operation timing is adjusted. (A) shows the relationship between the total demand of consumers and the demand for each device after the operation timing is adjusted, and (B) shows an example of a time period during which reverse flow power occurs after the operation timing is adjusted.
In FIG. 12, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 11 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
The horizontal axis of Fig. 12(A) is time, and the vertical axis is demand. The horizontal axis of Fig. 12(B) is time. The vertical axis is reverse flow power. In Fig. 12, the horizontal axis is also one day, with the left end of the time axis being 0:00 and the right end being 24:00. Therefore, the center of the time axis is 12:00.

In the case of FIG. 12, the afternoon demand of factory equipment, the operation timing of which can be controlled, is shifted to a time period in which reverse power flow occurs.
In Fig. 12(A), the change in demand accompanying the adjustment of the operation schedule is represented by arrows. The arrow around 12 o'clock represents an increase in demand, and the arrow in the afternoon represents a decrease in demand. This means that demand increases during the time period when reverse flow power occurs, and demand decreases during the time period when reverse flow power does not occur. Therefore, the electricity charges paid by consumers to electricity retailers during the time period when demand decreases will be lower than before the operation schedule was adjusted.
In addition, in Fig. 12(B), the peak value of reverse flow power is decreasing. This means that the amount of reverse flow power sold by consumers to electricity retailers is decreasing due to an increase in self-consumption. On the other hand, as mentioned above, in the afternoon, the amount of power purchased by consumers from electricity retailers is reduced by the same amount as the reverse flow power.

In the case of this embodiment, the price at which the consumer purchases electricity from the electricity retailer is 15 yen/kWh higher than the price at which the consumer sells the reverse flow power. Therefore, even if the consumer's reverse flow power is reduced by adjusting the operation schedule, the consumer's purchase of electricity from the electricity retailer is reduced by the same amount, so that the electricity charges paid by the consumer to the electricity retailer are substantially reduced overall.
Here, a substantial reduction in electricity charges means a reduction in the amount obtained by subtracting the amount a consumer receives from an electricity retailer as compensation for selling electricity from the electricity charges paid by the consumer to the electricity retailer as compensation for receiving electricity.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 10, when the adjustment of the operation schedule is completed to shift the time period during which the identified device 23 operates to the time period during which the distributed power source supplies reverse power to the power grid 10, the operation schedule adjustment server 31A notifies the consumer of the adjusted operation schedule (step 9). However, if consent to the automatic adjustment of the operation schedule has been obtained in advance, this notification is not necessary.

In this embodiment, before the adjustment of the operation schedule is implemented, consent of the customer is sought.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a notification screen 260A displayed on the consumer side device control terminal 25.
A notification screen 260A shown in FIG. 13 is made up of a title 261A, an explanation 262A, a permission button ("Yes" in the figure) 263A, and a disapproval button 264A ("No" in the figure).

In the case of FIG. 13, the title 261A reads "Proposal for adjusting the operation schedule." The adjustment of the operation schedule in this embodiment is intended to benefit the consumer. However, times when demand is high on the consumer side often overlap with times when the procurement price in the market where retail electricity suppliers procure electricity is high. For this reason, the adjustment of the operation schedule in this embodiment also benefits the retail electricity supplier in the sense that it reduces procurement costs from the market.

The explanation 262A describes the contents of the proposal, the profits to be obtained when the proposal is implemented, and the work to be performed by the consumer. Specifically, the explanation 262A reads, "We propose adjusting the operation schedule of the XX device. If the XX device is operated from 11:00 to 13:00, a monthly actual profit of YY yen (estimated) will be generated. Would you like to implement the adjustment?"
As mentioned above, the actual profit here refers to the amount by which the amount that consumers pay to retail electricity suppliers as their electricity bill minus the amount that consumers receive from retail electricity suppliers as compensation for selling electricity decreases from before the adjustment.

In the case of FIG. 13, an amount of money is shown as the consideration, but the consideration may include points, the right to receive money or discounts, the right to receive other services or upgrades, priority rights, and other consumer benefits.
In this embodiment, the compensation represents the actual profit of the consumer, but it may be a predetermined fixed value.
Returning to the explanation of Fig. 10, the operation schedule adjustment server 31A judges whether or not the adjustment is permitted (step 10).

If a positive result is obtained in step 10 (if the button 263A is operated in FIG. 13), the operation schedule adjustment server 31A ends the process. Of course, the consumer's device control terminal 25 controls the operation of the corresponding device 23 according to the notified adjusted operation schedule.
On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step 10 (if the button 264A is operated in FIG. 13), the operation schedule adjustment server 31A cancels the adjustment of the operation schedule (step 12). In this case, the consumer's device control terminal 25 does not execute the notified adjusted operation schedule.

In this embodiment, the operation schedule is adjusted for each device so as to reduce surplus power flowing back from the distributed power sources 26 provided on the consumer side to the power grid 10 .
In this embodiment, the price of electricity purchased by the electricity retailer from the consumer is always lower than the price of electricity sold by the electricity retailer to the consumer, so that the consumer can receive benefits by reducing the amount of power received through adjustment of the operation schedule.
In addition, during times when demand from consumers is high, the price of electricity traded in the market is high, so retail electricity suppliers can also reduce their procurement costs by reducing the amount of electricity they supply.

<Other embodiments>
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above-mentioned embodiments. It is clear from the claims that various modifications and improvements to the above-mentioned embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in embodiment 2, the operation schedule of equipment 23 is adjusted individually based on the relationship between the time periods when the consumer's distributed power source 26 (see Figure 8) reverses power flow and the change in demand for each device over time. However, the operation schedule of equipment 23 may also be adjusted individually based on the relationship between the price of electricity that the retail electricity company purchases from the consumer and the price of electricity that the retail electricity company sells to the consumer.
Specifically, the control may be executed so as to move the operation schedule to a time period in which power is preferentially fed back from the device 23 having a higher demand than the other devices in a time period in which the price of power sold by the electricity seller to the consumer is higher than the price of power purchased by the electricity seller from the consumer. This process can be realized by the process procedure described in the second embodiment (see FIG. 10).

In the above-described embodiment, the operation schedule adjustment servers 31 (see FIG. 1) and 31A (see FIG. 8) are both located on the Internet 40, but the operation schedule adjustment server 31, etc. may also be provided in the consumer systems 20, 20A (see FIG. 1, FIG. 8).
In this case, the control by the operation schedule adjustment server 31 etc. is dedicated to only specific consumers. Note that the functions of the operation schedule adjustment server 31A etc. may be implemented as part of the distributed power source 26.

In the above embodiment, an air conditioner is given as an example of equipment whose demand fluctuates depending on temperature, but a refrigeration equipment may also be used.
In the above embodiment, power equipment is given as an example of the equipment 23 constituting the customer system 20, but the equipment 23 is not limited to power equipment and may be office equipment or household equipment.

In the above-described embodiment, the power meter 21 is used to measure the demand in 30-minute units, but the measurement unit of the demand is not limited to 30 minutes. For example, it may be in 1-minute units. Furthermore, the unit of the demand prediction is also not limited to 30 minutes, and may be in 1 minute or other time units.
In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the operation schedule of the factory equipment whose operation timing can be controlled is rescheduled within the scope of one day, but it may also be rescheduled over multiple days, for example by allocating work from one day to another day.
In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the customer is notified in advance of the adjustment of the operation schedule, but the customer may be notified after the fact.

1, 1A...Network system, 10...Power system, 20, 20A...Consumer system, 21...Power meter, 22...Power line, 23...Devices 1 to N, 24...Router, 25...Device control terminal, 26...Distributed power source, 30, 30A...Operation schedule adjustment system, 31, 31A...Operation schedule adjustment server, 32...Total demand database, 33...Procurement price database, 34...Electricity selling price database, 35...Point database, 36...Electricity purchase price database, 37...Electricity purchase history database, 40...Internet, 311...Disaggregation unit, 312...Demand forecast unit, 313...Procurement price acquisition unit, 314...Electricity selling price acquisition unit, 315, 315A...Operation schedule adjustment unit, 316...Point allocation unit, 317...Electricity purchase price acquisition unit, 318...Electricity purchase history acquisition unit

Claims (5)

An estimation means for estimating demand for each piece of equipment by analyzing a total demand of consumers;
and an adjustment means for adjusting the operation schedules of equipment based on the relationship between the power purchase price from the consumer and the power sale price to the consumer, so that the electricity bill paid by the consumer to the retail electricity business is substantially reduced, and so that equipment with higher demand than other equipment in time periods when the power sale price to the consumer is higher than the power purchase price from the consumer is preferentially operated during time periods when power is back-fed to the power grid . The demand adjustment system according to claim 1 , further comprising a presentation unit that presents to the consumer a screen that notifies the consumer of an adjustment of an operation schedule according to the appliance. 2. The demand adjustment system according to claim 1 , further comprising a control means for individually controlling the operation of the corresponding equipment in accordance with the adjusted operation schedule. On the computer,
A process of analyzing total demand of consumers and estimating demand for each device;
and adjusting the operation schedule of equipment based on the relationship between the power purchase price from the consumer and the power sale price to the consumer, so that the electricity bill paid by the consumer to the retail electricity business is substantially reduced, by giving priority to equipment with higher demand than other equipment during time periods when the power sale price to the consumer is higher than the power purchase price from the consumer, during time periods when power is back-fed to the power grid. On the computer,
A function to analyze the total demand of customers and estimate the demand for each device,
A program for achieving this function of adjusting the operation schedule of equipment based on the relationship between the purchase price of electricity from the consumer and the sale price of electricity to the consumer, so that the electricity bill paid by the consumer to the retail electricity business is substantially reduced , by giving priority to equipment with higher demand than other equipment during time periods when the sale price of electricity to the consumer is higher than the purchase price of electricity from the consumer, during time periods when back-flowing electricity to the power grid occurs .