INFORMATION PROCESSING FACILITY

Abstract

An information processing unit provides information to a vehicle equipped with a storage battery.The information processing device includes a control unit configured to determine whether, at a predetermined time, surplus electricity is expected from one of several power plants configured to generate electricity using renewable energy sources, based on whether the amount of electricity that can be generated by the power plant at the predetermined time exceeds the amount of electricity to be used by consumers supplied with electricity from the power plant; and, if it is determined that the surplus electricity is expected to be generated from one of the power plants, transmit information to the vehicle equipped with the storage battery indicating that charging the storage battery at the predetermined time is possible at a location corresponding to the power plant identified as generating the surplus electricity.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the invention The present disclosure relates to information processing devices that provide information to a vehicle. 2. Description of the related prior art Technologies exist for controlling the charging and discharging of storage batteries installed in vehicles. For example, unexamined Japanese patent application No. 2024-44847 (JP 2024-44847 A) discloses a power supply and demand control system that controls the charging or discharging of a storage battery installed in a vehicle connected to a power grid such that the state of charge (SOC) of the storage battery reaches a target SOC determined based on the power consumption expected during a single use of the vehicle. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One objective of the information processing device according to the present disclosure is to encourage a vehicle equipped with a storage battery to utilize excess electricity generated in a power plant. One aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device configured to provide information to a vehicle equipped with a storage battery.The information processing device includes a control unit configured to: determine whether surplus electricity is expected at a predetermined time in one of several power plants configured to generate electricity using renewable energy, based on whether the amount of electricity that can be generated by the power plant at the predetermined time exceeds the amount of electricity to be used by consumers supplied with electricity from the power plant; and, if it is determined that the surplus electricity is expected to be generated in one of the power plants, transmit information to the vehicle equipped with the storage battery indicating that charging the storage battery at the predetermined time is possible at a location corresponding to the power plant determined to generate the surplus electricity. Other aspects include an information processing procedure performed by the information processing facility described above, a program that causes a computer to perform the information processing procedure, or a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium that stores the program in a non-transitory manner. The information processing device according to the present disclosure assists a vehicle equipped with a storage battery in utilizing excess electricity generated in a power plant. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which identical symbols denote identical elements, and wherein: Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the processing performed by a server device according to a first embodiment; Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the components of the server device according to the first embodiment; Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the processing performed by the server device according to the first embodiment; and Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the processing performed by a server device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXECUTION EXAMPLES overview Regulating the charging and discharging of storage batteries connected to a power grid plays a key role in maintaining grid stability. In this context, there are technologies for controlling the charging and discharging of storage batteries in vehicles connected to the power grid. A conventional power supply and demand control system, for example, estimates the power consumption for a single use of a vehicle and controls the charging or discharging of the vehicle's storage battery to achieve the target state of charge (SOC) determined based on the estimated power consumption. The SOC used here refers to a measure of the state of charge of a storage battery, defined as 100% when fully charged and 0% when completely discharged. The conventional power supply and demand control system is connected to the vehicle and stores records of its past usage. Based on these records, the power supply and demand control system estimates the power consumption for a single use of the vehicle and uses this estimate to determine the target state of charge (SOC) of the storage battery. The power supply and demand control system then manages the charging or discharging of the storage battery to ensure its SOC reaches the target SOC. Conventional systems for managing electricity supply and demand still have room for improvement. Consider, for example, a power grid that draws electricity from renewable energy power plants, where the amount of energy generated fluctuates depending on weather conditions. In such a grid, under certain environmental conditions, there can be a local surplus of electricity. For grid stability, it is desirable that this surplus electricity can be consumed locally as soon as it becomes available. However, in such a grid, the amount of electricity fed into the grid fluctuates relatively significantly. Therefore, it is difficult to ensure sufficient battery capacity to stabilize the grid solely by managing the charging and discharging of storage batteries in vehicles that happen to be on-site.On the other hand, it would be economically inefficient to secure a large amount of battery capacity in advance to compensate for the temporarily generated excess electricity. An information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is designed to provide information to a vehicle equipped with a storage battery.The information processing device includes a control unit configured to: determine whether surplus electricity is expected at a predetermined time in one of several power plants configured to generate electricity using renewable energy, based on whether the amount of electricity that can be generated by the power plant at the predetermined time exceeds the amount of electricity to be used by consumers supplied with electricity from the power plant; and, if it is determined that the surplus electricity is expected to be generated in one of the power plants, transmit information to the vehicle equipped with the storage battery indicating that charging the storage battery at the predetermined time is possible at a location corresponding to the power plant determined to generate the surplus electricity. The term "surplus electricity" refers to an amount of electricity that remains unused when the amount of electricity consumed by consumers supplied with electricity from a power plant is less than the amount of electricity that the power plant can generate. The phrase "location corresponding to the power plant" refers to a specific location associated with the target power plant. The location corresponding to the power plant is a place where a facility for charging a vehicle's storage battery is located. This location can be the power plant itself or a charging station situated at a predetermined distance from the power plant. The control unit determines whether surplus electricity is expected at a predetermined power plant. If it is determined that surplus electricity should be generated at the predetermined power plant, the control unit transmits the information to a vehicle that charging the storage battery is possible at the location corresponding to the power plant. As described above, a vehicle equipped with a storage battery drives to the vicinity of the power plant where excess electricity is generated and recharges its battery. In this way, excess electricity can be used locally as needed, without the need to constantly maintain a large battery capacity. With this configuration, the information processing device according to the present disclosure can encourage a vehicle equipped with a storage battery to use excess electricity generated in a power plant. The control unit can be configured to transmit the information to the vehicle, enabling it to arrive at the power plant by the predetermined time when the excess electricity is generated at the power plant. The control unit can be configured to determine the vehicle to which the information should be transferred, based on the amount of excess electricity and the amount of capacity available for charging in the vehicle's storage battery. The information processing device according to the present disclosure can thus select a vehicle that can actually consume the excess electricity and transmit the information to the vehicle. The control unit can be configured to determine, based on a weather forecast for the predetermined time at a location where the power plant is situated, whether the excess electricity is likely to be generated at the power plant. The control unit can be configured to determine whether the excess electricity is likely to be generated at the power plant, based on the predicted passenger traffic for the predetermined time at a location where the power plant is situated. With this configuration, the information processing device, as disclosed herein, can accurately determine whether excess electricity is expected to be generated. Specific embodiments of the present disclosure are now described with reference to the drawings. Unless otherwise stated, the hardware configurations, module configurations, functional configurations, etc., described in the individual embodiments are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present disclosure to these. First embodiment Overview of the processing performed by the server setup An overview of the processing performed by a server device according to a first embodiment is described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the processing performed by a server device 100 according to the first embodiment. The information processing device according to the point of view of the present disclosure is implemented as a server device 100. Server 100 determines whether surplus electricity is expected at power plant 20, located in a predetermined area (e.g., Area 1). Server 100 receives information from external systems to predict the amount of electricity generated at power plant 20 (hereinafter referred to as "power generation information") and to predict the amount of electricity consumed by consumers in the area where power plant 20 is located (hereinafter referred to as "power consumption information"). Based on this power generation and consumption information, server 100 calculates the expected power generation and consumption and, by comparing these figures, determines whether power plant 20 will generate surplus electricity. The information regarding power generation may include information about the weather in the vicinity of Power Plant 20, and Server Facility 100 can predict the amount of power generation from Power Plant 20 based on the weather in the vicinity of Power Plant 20. Power Plant 20 is a facility that generates electricity using renewable energy. The information about power consumption can be information about passenger traffic in the area (e.g. Area 1) supplied by power plant 20, and server facility 100 can predict the power consumption in the area based on this information about passenger traffic. If server facility 100 determines that excess electricity is to be expected in the area supplied by power plant 20 (area 1), it informs vehicle 10 that it is possible to charge its storage battery at a location corresponding to power plant 20. In this way, server unit 100 can prompt vehicle 10 to charge its storage battery at a location corresponding to power plant 20, for example, near power plant 20. Server unit 100 can thus enable excess electricity generated at power plant 20 to be consumed near the location where the excess electricity was generated. Accordingly, the server facility 100, as shown in the exemplary embodiment, can facilitate the effective use of surplus electricity generated in the power plant through the use of vehicles equipped with storage batteries. Server setup configuration The hardware and software configurations of the system with server setup 100 are described below. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the components of server setup 100 according to the first embodiment. The Server 100 can be configured as a computer comprising a processor (e.g., central processing unit (CPU) or graphics processing unit (GPU)), main memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM)), and auxiliary storage (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), hard disk drive, or removable storage device). The auxiliary storage contains an operating system (OS), various programs, spreadsheets, and other data. By executing the programs stored therein, it is possible to implement various functions (software modules) designed for predetermined purposes, as described later. Some or all of these functions can be implemented as hardware modules using a hardware circuit such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The server setup 100 includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 120 and a communication unit 130. The control unit 110 is a processing unit that implements various functions of the server system 100 by executing a predefined program. The control unit 110 can be implemented using a hardware processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU). The control unit 110 can also include RAM, ROM, cache memory, etc. In the present embodiment, the control unit 110 of the server device 100 comprises three software modules: a data acquisition unit 111, a destination unit 112, and a transmission unit 113. Each software module can be implemented by executing a program stored in the memory unit 120 using the control unit 110 (e.g., a CPU). The information processing performed by these software modules is equivalent to the information processing performed by the control unit 110 (e.g., a CPU). The acquisition unit 111 collects various types of information that are used by the determination unit 112 to determine whether each power plant is expected to generate surplus electricity. Specifically, the acquisition unit 111 collects information used to predict the amount of electricity generated at each power plant (hereinafter referred to as "power generation information") and information used to predict the amount of electricity consumed by consumers in the area where each power plant is located (hereinafter referred to as "power consumption information"). For example, as power generation information, the acquisition unit 111 may collect information about the weather at a predetermined time in the area where each power plant is located (hereinafter referred to as "weather information").Procurement unit 111 can also record information on passenger traffic at a predetermined time in the area where each power plant is located, as well as information on power consumption. The determination unit 112 determines, based on information collected by the recording unit 111, whether surplus electricity should be generated at a predetermined time in each power plant located within the managed area. If it is determined that the amount of electricity generated by a particular power plant at the predetermined time exceeds the amount of electricity consumed by consumers in that area at that time, the determination unit 112 determines that surplus electricity is expected to be generated at that power plant. The Determination Unit 112 determines, for each power plant located in a predetermined region encompassing multiple areas (e.g., Areas 1 to 3), whether surplus electricity should be generated at the power plant. Each power plant utilizes renewable energy sources such as solar power. For example, Determination Unit 112 determines the amount of electricity generated by each power plant based on the weather conditions in each of Areas 1 to 3 at a predetermined time. Simultaneously, Determination Unit 112 determines the amount of electricity consumed by consumers in Areas 1 to 3 at the predetermined time. If there is an area where the amount of electricity consumed by consumers is less than the amount of electricity generated by the power plant, Determination Unit 112 determines that surplus electricity should be generated at the power plant in that area at the predetermined time. If the determination unit 112 determines that excess electricity is expected to be generated at a particular power plant, the transmission unit 113 transmits information to the vehicle 10 indicating that it is possible to charge the storage battery of the vehicle 10 at the power plant or at any location within the area where the power plant is located (hereinafter referred to as "first information"). For example, if the determining unit 112 determines that surplus electricity is expected to be generated at power plant 20 in area 1, the transmission unit 113 determines that charging the storage battery of vehicle 10 at power plant 20 in area 1 is possible and transmits corresponding information to vehicle 10. The determining unit 112 can determine that charging the storage battery of vehicle 10 is possible at any location within area 1, e.g., instead of power plant 20 in area 1, and the transmission unit 113 can transmit corresponding information to vehicle 10.This means that the transmission unit 113 identifies, among the power plants in each area of ​​the managed region, a power plant that is expected to generate surplus electricity and transmits information to the vehicle 10 indicating that charging the storage battery of the vehicle 10 is possible at a location corresponding to the identified power plant (for example, at any location within the area where the power plant is located). The memory unit 120 is a means of storing information and consists of a storage medium such as RAM, a magnetic disk, or flash memory. The memory unit 120 stores programs executed by the control unit 110, data used by these programs, and so on. The communication unit 130 is a wireless communication interface for connecting the server unit 100 to an external network. The communication unit 130 can be configured to communicate with external devices, for example, via a wireless local area network (LAN) or a mobile network such as 3G, 4G, or 5G. The configuration shown in Fig. 2 is merely an example, and all or some of the functions shown can be implemented by dedicated circuits. Programs can be stored or executed by a different combination of main and auxiliary memory devices than the one shown in the figures. Processing of server setup The following describes the specific processing performed by the server device 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the server device 100 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 3 illustrates processing in which, when the server device 100 determines that excess electricity is to be expected at a particular power plant, it sends information to the vehicle 10 indicating that charging the storage battery at a location corresponding to the power plant is possible. Server setup 100 starts processing in step S10 at predetermined intervals. For example, server setup 100 can start processing in step S10 every 30 minutes. In step S10, procurement unit 111 collects information about the weather at a predetermined time at a predetermined power plant (i.e., weather information). The predetermined power plant generates electricity from renewable energy sources. These renewable energy sources include, for example, solar or wind power. Procurement unit 111 communicates with an external server via communication unit 130 to collect weather information. This weather information can be an hourly forecast for a predetermined area. The display of weather data is not limited to hourly intervals but can be shown at predetermined time intervals. For example, the weather can be described using terms like clear, sunny, cloudy, rainy, or snowy for each predetermined time period within the area. Alternatively, the cloud cover can be displayed as a percentage for each predetermined period within the area. The weather information can also include wind speed data for each predetermined time period within the area. Next, in step S11, the procurement unit 111 collects pedestrian traffic information at a predetermined time within the area where the power plant is located. The procurement unit 111 communicates with an external server via the communication unit 130 to receive this pedestrian traffic information. For example, the pedestrian traffic information could be aggregated data showing how many mobile phones were detected by the base stations at each location at predetermined intervals (e.g., every hour), or aggregated data showing how many communication-enabled vehicles were detected. The format and content of the pedestrian traffic data are not limited to these examples. The unit measuring the pedestrian traffic data is not limited to base stations and could be any terminal device or sensor. Next, in step S12, the determination unit 112 calculates the amount of energy generated by the power plant at a predetermined time, based on weather information. For example, the determination unit 112 can estimate the current amount of power generated by the power plant based on current weather information, or it can predict the amount of power generated at a future time based on weather information for that future time. For example, if the power plant generates electricity using solar energy in a predetermined area, the determination unit 112 can calculate a higher amount of power generated in that area if the weather is clear, compared to when the weather is cloudy or rainy. In particular, if the power plant generates electricity using solar energy, the Determination Unit 112 can calculate the power output of the power plant based on the cloud cover in the vicinity of the power plant at the predetermined time. For example, the Determination Unit 112 can determine a higher amount of power output if the cloud cover near the power plant is lower at the predetermined time. If, for example, the power plant generates electricity using wind power, the Determination Unit 112 can calculate the power output of the power plant based on the wind speed and wind volume in the vicinity of the power plant at the predetermined time. For example, the Determination Unit 112 can determine a higher amount of power output if the wind speed or wind volume near the power plant is higher at the predetermined time. Then, in step S13, the determination unit 112 calculates the power consumption in the area where the power plant is located at the predetermined time, based on information about passenger traffic. For example, the determination unit 112 can estimate the current power consumption in the area based on current information about passenger traffic, or predict the power consumption at a future time in the area based on information about passenger traffic (predicted information) for the future time. For example, the determination unit 112 can calculate the power consumption at the predetermined time in the area where the power plant is located, based on the pedestrian traffic in the area at that predetermined time. For example, the determination unit 112 can determine a higher power consumption if the pedestrian traffic in the area is greater at the predetermined time. Subsequently, in step S14, the determination unit 112 determines whether, at the predetermined time, the amount of power generation calculated in step S12 is greater than the amount of power consumption calculated in step S13. The predetermined time is determined based on the time specified by the information about power generation and power consumption. The determination in this step is YES if the determination unit 112 determines that, at the predetermined time, the amount of power generation calculated in step S12 exceeds the amount of power consumption calculated in step S13. If the determination in step S14 is YES, the procedure continues with step S15. If NO in step S14, the procedure continues with step S16. If the procedure continues with step S15, the determining unit 112 determines that excess electricity should be generated in the power plant at the predetermined time. As the process progresses to step S16, the determining unit 112 determines that excess electricity should not be generated in the power plant at the predetermined time. The transmission unit 113 then determines in step S17 whether the vehicle 10 can arrive at the power plant generating surplus electricity (hereinafter referred to as the "surplus power plant") or at any location within the area where the surplus power plant is located by the predetermined time. If the vehicle 10 is within an area from which it can reach the surplus power plant or any location within the area where the surplus power plant is located by the predetermined time, the transmission unit 113 determines that the vehicle 10 can reach the surplus power plant or such a location by the predetermined time. For example, the transmission unit 113 can collect position information indicating the driving positions of a large number of vehicles 10 traveling within the managed area and make the above determination. Subsequently, in step S18, the transmission unit 113 transmits information (first information) to the vehicle 10, which was determined in step S17 to arrive at the surplus power plant or at any location within the area where the surplus power plant is located at the predetermined time, indicating that charging the storage battery at the surplus power plant or at that location is possible. The first piece of information could, for example, include information about the location of a charging station where vehicle 10 can recharge its storage battery. The first piece of information could also, for example, include information about the location of the surplus power plant or any location within the area where the surplus power plant is located, information about the period during which charging is possible, or information about the amount of electricity that can be supplied to charge the storage battery. As described above, the server unit 100 of this embodiment determines whether excess electricity is expected at a predetermined power plant. If it is determined that excess electricity is expected to be generated at the power plant, the server unit 100 transmits information to a vehicle that can arrive at the power plant or another location at the predetermined time, indicating that charging the storage battery at the power plant or another location is possible. The server unit 100 can thus facilitate the effective use of the excess electricity generated at the power plant through the use of vehicles with storage batteries. Second embodiment In the first embodiment, when it is determined that surplus electricity is to be generated at a specific power plant ("surplus power plant") at a predetermined time, information ("first information") indicating that charging the storage battery at the surplus power plant or at another location is possible is transmitted to a vehicle 10 that can arrive at the surplus power plant or at another location at that time. However, the storage battery of the vehicle 10 that can arrive at the surplus power plant or at another location at the predetermined time does not necessarily have the capacity available for charging. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the first information is transmitted to a vehicle 10 whose storage battery has at least a predetermined amount of capacity available for charging. Fig. 4 is a flowchart of the processing performed by the server unit 100 according to the second embodiment. The processing in Fig. 4 is performed instead of the processing in Fig. 3 of the first embodiment. The description of the same processing as in Fig. 3 is omitted with respect to the processing in Fig. 4. First, in step S20, procurement unit 111 collects various types of information to predict the generation of excess electricity at a predetermined time. Step S20 is the same as steps S10 and S11 in Fig. 3. Next, in step S21, the determining unit 112 decides whether excess electricity should be generated at one of the power plants at the predetermined time. Step S21 corresponds to step S15 or S16 in Fig. 3. In this step, the determination is YES if the determining unit 112 decides that excess electricity should be generated at one of the power plants at the predetermined time. If the determination in step S21 is YES, the procedure continues with step S22. If NO in step S21, the procedure is terminated. If the procedure continues with step S22, the transmission unit 113 determines whether the storage battery of vehicle 10 has at least a predetermined amount of capacity available for charging. Specifically, the transmission unit 113 collects information from each of the vehicles 10 operating in the managed area indicating how much of the storage battery capacity of vehicle 10 is available for charging and determines for each vehicle 10 whether the storage battery has at least the predetermined amount of capacity available for charging. The information indicating how much of the storage battery capacity is available for charging can be expressed as a percentage relative to the total storage capacity or as an absolute value of the capacity available for charging.In this step, the determination is YES if the transmission unit 113 determines that the vehicle's storage battery 10 has at least the predetermined amount of capacity available for charging. If the answer in this step is YES, the procedure continues with step S23. If NO is selected in this step, the process will be terminated. When the procedure proceeds to step S23, the transmission unit 113 sends information (first information) to the vehicle 10, which was determined in step S22 to have at least the predetermined amount of capacity available for charging its storage battery. This information indicates that charging the storage battery is possible at the location corresponding to the surplus power plant. Step S23 is the same as step S18 in Fig. 3. As described above, the server unit 100 of the second embodiment can transmit information to a vehicle equipped with a storage battery of sufficient capacity for charging, indicating that charging the storage battery is possible at a surplus power plant or other location. Accordingly, the server unit 100 of the second embodiment can facilitate the effective use of surplus electricity through the use of vehicles equipped with storage batteries. Other modifications The above embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure can be modified appropriately without departing from the fundamental concept of the invention. For example, the methods and means described in the present disclosure can be combined and implemented in any way possible, as long as no technical inconsistencies arise. In step S13 of Fig. 3, instead of calculating power consumption based on pedestrian flow information, the unit of determination 112 can calculate the power consumption in each area based on information about planned activities in that area. In this case, the unit of determination 112 can determine a higher power consumption for larger-scale activities. The scale of the activity can be considered larger if the geographical area in which the activity is carried out is larger, or it can be considered larger if the energy consumption of the processes carried out in the activity is greater. The transmission unit 113 transmits the initial information to a vehicle 10 that can arrive at a predetermined time at a power plant intended to generate surplus electricity (surplus power plant), or to a vehicle 10 equipped with a storage battery that has sufficient charging capacity. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. The transmission unit 113 can also transmit the initial information to a vehicle 10 that can arrive at the surplus power plant at the predetermined time and is equipped with a storage battery with sufficient charging capacity. The present disclosure can also be implemented by providing a computer with a computer program that implements the functions described in the exemplary embodiments above, and by causing one or more processors in the computer to read and execute the program. Such a computer program can be provided to the computer via a non-transient, computer-readable storage medium that can be connected to the computer's system bus, or it can be provided to the computer via a network. Examples of non-transient, computer-readable storage media include: all types of disks such as magnetic disks (floppy disks (registered trademark), hard disk drives (HDDs), etc.), optical disks (compact disc read-only memories (CD-ROMs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), Blu-ray discs, etc.).); Read-only memory (ROM); Random access memory (RAM); Erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM); Electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM); Magnetic cards; Flash memory; Optical cards; and all types of media suitable for storing electronic instructions. QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature JP 2024-44847 A

[0002]

Claims

Information processing device configured to provide information to a vehicle equipped with a storage battery, the information processing device comprising a control unit configured to determine whether surplus electricity is expected to be generated at a predetermined time at any one of a plurality of power plants configured to generate electricity using renewable energy, based on whether the amount of electricity that can be generated by the power plant at the predetermined time exceeds the amount of electricity to be used by consumers supplied with electricity from the power plant, and when a determination is made that the surplus electricity is expected to be generated at any one of the power plants, transmit information to the vehicle equipped with the storage battery indicatingthat charging the storage battery is possible at the predetermined time in a location corresponding to the power plant for which it is intended to generate the excess electricity. Information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to transmit the information to the vehicle that can arrive at the power plant at the predetermined time when the excess electricity is generated at the power plant. Information processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit is configured to determine the vehicle to which the information is to be transmitted based on an amount of excess electricity and an amount of capacity available for charging in the vehicle's storage battery. Information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to determine whether the excess energy is expected to be generated at the power plant, based on a weather forecast for the predetermined time at a location where the power plant is situated. Information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to determine whether the excess electricity is expected to be generated at the power plant, based on predicted passenger traffic for the predetermined time at a location where the power plant is situated.

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