Information output device, information output method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information output device, an information output method, and a program for providing a customer with a variety of information about an amount of emission of greenhouse gases (GHG).SOLUTION: An information output device 100 includes: a specification part for specifying at least two customers who have attributes that satisfy predetermined conditions during a first period by referring to a storage part storing an amount of emission and a reduction amount of greenhouse gases for respective predetermined periods of a plurality of customers together with attribute information showing respective attributes of the plurality of customers; an acquisition part for acquiring attribute information, an amount of emission, and a reduction amount of the at least two specified customers from the storage part; and an output part for outputting information indicating the acquired attribute information, the amount of emission and the reduction amount of the at least two customers.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information output device, an information output method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a carbon dioxide emission calculation system that calculates the amount of carbon dioxide emission for each electrical device. [Prior art document] [Patent documents] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-25487 A Summary of the Invention

[0003] An information output device according to an aspect of the present invention may include an identification unit that identifies at least two customers having attributes that satisfy a predetermined condition in a first time period by referring to a storage unit that stores greenhouse gas emissions and reduction amounts of each of a plurality of customers for each predetermined time period together with attribute information indicating the attributes of each of the plurality of customers. The information output device may include an acquisition unit that acquires the attribute information, emissions, and reduction amounts of the identified at least two customers from the storage unit. The information output device may include an output unit that outputs information indicating the acquired attribute information, emissions, and reduction amounts of the at least two customers.

[0004] The storage unit may further store a factor of the reduction amount. The acquisition unit may further acquire the factor of the reduction amount from the storage unit. The output unit may output information further indicating the factor of the reduction amount.

[0005] The emissions may be supply chain emissions including at least one of direct emissions, which indicate greenhouse gas emissions directly emitted by customers, indirect emissions, which indicate greenhouse gas emissions indirectly emitted as a result of customers purchasing energy, and other indirect emissions, which indicate greenhouse gas emissions emitted by customer activities not included in the direct and indirect emissions.

[0006] The identification unit may identify, by referring to the storage unit, at least one of the direct emissions, indirect emissions, and other indirect emissions in the first period that is less than the direct emissions, indirect emissions, and other indirect emissions in a second period that is a period preceding the first period, as a factor of the reduction amount. The output unit may output information further indicating the factor of the reduction amount.

[0007] The storage unit may further store the customer's electricity usage for each divided period obtained by dividing the first period and a second period that is a period preceding the first period. The identification unit may refer to the storage unit to identify a divided period in which the electricity usage in each divided period of the first period is less than the electricity usage in the divided period of the second period, and identify the reduction in the electricity usage in the identified divided period as a factor of the reduction amount. The output unit may output information further indicating the factor of the reduction amount.

[0008] When the customer changes the electrical equipment used by the customer, the storage unit may further store details of the electrical equipment changed by the customer and a divided period in which use of the changed electrical equipment started.The identification unit may refer to the storage unit to identify a divided period in which the amount of power usage in each divided period in the first period is less than the amount of power usage in the divided period in the second period, and when the identified divided period matches the divided period in which use of the changed electrical equipment started, identify the change of the electrical equipment in the identified divided period as a factor of the reduction amount.The output unit may output information further indicating the factor of the reduction amount.

[0009] The storage unit may further store the environmental value used in the calculation of the greenhouse gas emission amount. By referring to the storage unit, the identification unit may identify the use of the environmental value as a factor of the reduction amount when the environmental value was not used in the calculation of the greenhouse gas emission amount in a second period that is a period before the first period and the environmental value was used in the calculation of the greenhouse gas emission amount in the first period. The output unit may output information further indicating the factor of the reduction amount.

[0010] The attributes may include at least one of the customer's industry, the customer's number of employees, and the customer's location.

[0011] The attributes may include at least one of the number of people in the customer's household, the customer's age group, the customer's activity time, the type of building in which the customer lives, the customer's residential area, and whether or not the customer has solar power generation equipment.

[0012] The acquisition unit may further acquire calculation information indicating whether the emissions are based on the Global Warming Act, the market standard of the GHG Protocol, or the location standard of the GHG Protocol. The output unit may output information further indicating the calculation information.

[0013] The predetermined conditions may indicate a calculation method of the emission amount indicated in the information. The information output device may further include a conversion unit that converts the emission amount acquired by the acquisition unit into an emission amount of the calculation method indicated in the predetermined conditions in accordance with a predetermined conversion formula when the calculation method of the emission amount acquired by the acquisition unit is different from the calculation method indicated in the predetermined conditions. The output unit may output information indicating the converted emission amount.

[0014] The information output device may further include a receiving unit that receives an input of the predetermined condition.

[0015] An information output method according to one aspect of the present invention may include a step of identifying at least two customers having attributes that satisfy a predetermined condition in a first time period by referring to a storage unit that stores greenhouse gas emissions and reduction amounts of each of a plurality of customers for each predetermined time period together with attribute information indicating the attributes of each of the plurality of customers. The information output method may include a step of acquiring the attribute information, emissions, and reduction amounts of the identified at least two customers from the storage unit. The information output method may include a step of outputting information indicating the acquired attribute information, emissions, and reduction amounts of the at least two customers.

[0016] A program according to one aspect of the present invention may be a program for causing a computer to function as the information output device.

[0017] The above summary of the invention does not list all of the features of the present invention. Also, subcombinations of these features may also be inventions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overall system configuration of an information providing system. [Figure 2A] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of customer information regarding GHG emissions of a business entity. [Figure 2B] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of customer information regarding household GHG emissions. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an emission factor related to GHG emissions. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional block of the information output device. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for an information output device to generate output information regarding GHG emissions that satisfies an output condition. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of output information. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of output information. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of output information. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of output information. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention according to the claims. Furthermore, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0020] A computer-readable medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions that are executed by a suitable device. As a result, a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon comprises an article of manufacture that includes instructions that can be executed to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowchart or block diagram. Examples of computer-readable media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, and the like. More specific examples of computer-readable media may include floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memories (RAMs), read-only memories (ROMs), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs or flash memories), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), static random access memories (SRAMs), compact disk read-only memories (CD-ROMs), digital versatile disks (DVDs), Blu-ray (RTM) disks, memory sticks, integrated circuit cards, and the like.

[0021] The computer readable instructions may include either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The source code or object code includes conventional procedural programming languages. The conventional procedural programming languages ​​may be assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or object oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk®, JAVA®, C++, etc., and the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The computer readable instructions may be provided to a processor or programmable circuitry of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus locally or over a wide area network (WAN) such as a local area network (LAN), the Internet, etc. The processor or programmable circuitry may execute the computer readable instructions to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc.

[0022] 1 is a diagram showing the overall system configuration of an information provision system 10. The information provision system 10 includes an information output device 100, a customer information management server 200, an emission coefficient management server 300, and a display terminal 400. The information output device 100, the customer information management server 200, the emission coefficient management server 300, and the display terminal 400 are connected via a network such as the Internet. The display terminal 400 may include at least a part of the functions of the information output device 100.

[0023] The information providing system 10 provides various information related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to a customer. The information output device 100 outputs information such as list information related to GHG emissions of multiple customers that meet predetermined conditions, based on customer information related to GHG emissions from a customer information management server 200 and emission coefficients related to calculation of GHG emissions from an emission coefficient management server 300. The display terminal 400 displays the information such as the list information output from the information output device 100 on a display unit 402. This allows information related to GHG emissions of multiple customers that meet predetermined conditions to be automatically collected and checked all at once.

[0024] The customer information management server 200 manages various information related to GHG emissions of customers (demanding facilities). The customer information management server 200 may include a database 202 that stores business customer information and residential customer information.

[0025] 2A, for example, database 202 stores, as customer information of business operators, customer ID, customer name, business type, contracted electricity retailer ID, direct emissions, indirect emissions, other indirect emissions, reduction amount, and reduction factor for each fiscal year. Database 202 may store financial information of business operators, such as net profit, as customer information of business operators.

[0026] The customer ID is identification information that uniquely identifies a customer. One customer ID may be assigned to one business entity. One customer ID may be assigned to a group of businesses that are related to each other, for example, a parent company, a subsidiary, and an affiliated company.

[0027] The industry indicates the industry of the customer. The industry of the business operator may be agriculture, steel, chemicals, communications, public service, etc. The industry of the business operator may be an industry defined by a predetermined classification such as the Japan Standard Industrial Classification. The contracted retail electricity business operator ID is identification information that identifies the retail electricity business operator with which the customer has a contract.

[0028] Direct emissions refer to greenhouse gas emissions directly emitted by customers in the target fiscal year. Direct emissions refer to GHG emissions (thousand t-CO2) that fall under Scope 1 of so-called supply chain emissions. Indirect emissions refer to greenhouse gas emissions indirectly emitted through customers purchasing energy in the target fiscal year. Indirect emissions refer to GHG emissions (thousand t-CO2) that fall under Scope 2 of supply chain emissions. Other indirect emissions refer to greenhouse gas emissions emitted by customer activities that are not included in Scope 1 direct emissions and Scope 2 indirect emissions. Other indirect emissions refer to GHG emissions (thousand t-CO2) that fall under Scope 3 of supply chain emissions.

[0029] The direct emissions, indirect emissions, and other indirect emissions of the customer may be provided by the customer. The customer may provide information indicating the contracted retail electricity supplier, the direct emissions, indirect emissions, and other indirect emissions to the customer information management server 200 for each fiscal year.

[0030] Other indirect emissions may be, for example, "GHG emissions related to the generation of purchased electricity sold to end users (Scope 3, Category 3)" if the customer is a consumer registered as a retail electricity supplier (consumer PPS). Other indirect emissions may be "GHG emissions related to franchises (Scope 3, Category 14)".

[0031] The database 202 may store GHG emissions associated with the customer other than direct emissions, indirect emissions, and other indirect emissions. If the customer is a business, the database 202 may store GHG emissions associated with the activities of employees of the business.

[0032] The reduction amount indicates the reduction amount of GHG compared to the previous year. The reduction amount may indicate the reduction amount of direct emissions, indirect emissions, and other indirect emissions compared to the previous year. The reduction amount may be provided by a user. The customer information management server 200 may derive the reduction amount as the difference between the emissions in the target year and the emissions in the year prior to the target year.

[0033] The reduction factor indicates the factor that reduced GHG emissions compared to the previous year. The reduction factor may be information provided by the customer. For example, the reduction factor may be "changing store lighting fixtures to LED" or "changing a portion of the electricity procured to direct supply of solar power generated by a power purchase agreement (PPA) operator." The reduction factor may be "implementation of energy saving activities." The reduction factor may be "implementation of an energy management system (EMS)," "implementation of demand response (DR)," or "implementation of a virtual power plant (VPP)." The reduction factor may be "implementation of energy creation activities." The reduction factor may be "installation of solar power generation equipment." The reduction factor may be "implementation of P2P energy trading."

[0034] Database 202 may store power source information and environmental value information of power generation businesses. Database 202 may store the annual electricity supply volume of retail electricity businesses to consumers, procured power source information, and environmental value information. Database 202 may store the annual electricity supply volume of consumer PPSs to related facilities. Database 202 may store the emission coefficients of each retail electricity business that are converted from emission coefficients for the Global Warming Act to those conforming to the GHG Protocol according to the environmental value used in each business's rate menu.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 2B, for example, database 202 may store a customer ID, a customer name, a household type, an emission amount, a contracted retail electricity supplier ID, an electricity bill, a reduction amount, and a reduction factor as customer information of a household (consumer). The customer ID is identification information that uniquely identifies a customer, and may be, for example, a supply point identification number. The customer name may be the name of the head of the household. The household type may indicate the family structure of people living in the same household. The household type may be "single person," "couple," "couple and children," and "single parent and children." The household type may include age. Database 202 may further store at least one of the number of people in the customer's household, the customer's age group, the customer's activity time, the type of building in which the customer lives, the customer's residential area, and whether or not the customer has solar power generation equipment as customer information of the household.

[0036] The contracted retail electricity supplier ID is identification information that identifies the retail electricity supplier with which the customer has a contract. Emissions indicate the GHG emissions (thousand t-CO2) emitted by the customer in the target year. Electricity bill indicates the electricity bill paid by the customer to the retail electricity supplier with which the customer has a contract in the target year. Reduction amount indicates the amount of GHG reduction compared to the previous year. As mentioned above, reduction factor indicates the factor that reduced GHG emissions compared to the previous year. Reduction factor may be information provided by the customer.

[0037] The emission coefficient management server 300 includes a database 302 that stores information about electricity retailers. The database 302 stores, for example, an emission coefficient (t-CO2 / kWh) for each electricity retailer. The amount of GHG emissions is calculated by multiplying the amount of electricity used (kWh) by the emission coefficient (t-CO2 / kWh) assigned to the electricity retailer that supplied the electricity.

[0038] Methods for calculating GHG emissions include methods based on the global standard GHG Protocol's market standard (GP·M standard), methods based on the GHG Protocol's location standard (GP·L standard), and methods based on Japan's unique Global Warming Countermeasures Act.

[0039] The emission factors used in each calculation method are different. The emission factors of the GP·M standard and the emission factors based on the Global Warming Act can be calculated by making adjustments to the basic emission factors based on the environmental values ​​applicable to each standard. Non-fossil fuel certificates, J-credits from renewable energy, and J-credits from energy conservation can be applied to the emission factors based on the Global Warming Act. On the other hand, non-fossil fuel certificates and J-credits from renewable energy can be applied to the emission factors of the GP·M standard, but J-credits from energy conservation cannot be applied. The emission factors of the GP·L standard can be a common emission factor for all retail electricity suppliers.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 3, the database 302 stores, as emission factors related to GHG emissions, a basic emission factor used when no adjustment based on environmental value is made, a GHG Protocol emission factor used when calculating GHG emissions based on the GP·M standard, and an emission factor used in the Global Warming Act when calculating GHG emissions based on the Global Warming Act, in association with a business ID and a business name. The database 302 may store emission factors for each menu of services (coal-fired power generation, gas-fired power generation, FIT electricity, etc.) provided by the retail electricity business.

[0041] 4 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of the information output device 100. The information output device 100 includes a receiving unit 102, a specifying unit 104, an acquiring unit 106, a converting unit 108, and an output unit 110.

[0042] The receiving unit 102 receives, as a predetermined condition, an output condition for information on the GHG emission amount of the customer. The receiving unit 102 receives, via the display terminal 400, an output condition for list information on the GHG emission amount of the customer.

[0043] The output conditions indicate the attributes of the customer and the calculation method of the emissions. If the customer is a business, the output conditions may indicate the scope of the supply chain emissions. The output conditions may indicate at least one of scope 1 indicating direct emissions, scope 2 indicating indirect emissions, and scope 3 indicating other indirect emissions as the type of emissions to be output. The output conditions may indicate GHG emissions of the company's employees that are not included in scope 1, scope 2, and scope 3 as the type of emissions to be output.

[0044] The output conditions may indicate at least one of the 15 categories of Scope 3. Category 1 indicates "purchased products and services". Category 2 indicates "capital goods". Category 3 indicates "fuel and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 and Scope 2". Category 4 indicates "upstream transportation and handling". Category 5 indicates "waste generated from business activities". Category 6 indicates "business trips". Category 7 indicates "employee commuting". Category 8 indicates "upstream leased assets". Category 9 indicates "downstream transportation and distribution". Category 10 indicates "processing of sold products". Category 11 indicates "use of sold products". Category 12 indicates "disposal of sold products". Category 13 indicates "downstream leased assets". Category 14 indicates "franchises". Category 15 indicates "investment".

[0045] If the customer is a business operator, the output condition may indicate at least one of the customer's industry, the number of employees, and the area where the customer is located, as attributes of the customer. If the customer is a household, the output condition may indicate at least one of the number of people in the customer's household, the customer's age group, the customer's activity time, the type of building where the customer lives, the customer's residential area, and whether or not the customer has solar power generation equipment.

[0046] The output conditions may indicate the order and number of customers to be shown in the list information.The output conditions may indicate how many customers with the lowest or highest GHG emissions are to be shown in the list information.The output conditions may indicate how many customers with the highest or lowest GHG reductions are to be shown in the list information.

[0047] The identification unit 104 refers to the database 202 to identify at least two customers having attributes that satisfy the output conditions. The acquisition unit 106 acquires the attribute information, emission amount, and reduction amount of the identified at least two customers from the database 202. The output unit 110 outputs information indicating the acquired attribute information, emission amount, and reduction amount of the at least two customers. The output unit 110 may output the acquired information indicating the attribute information, emission amount, and reduction amount of the at least two customers to the display terminal 400.

[0048] The acquiring section 106 may further acquire the factor of the reduction amount from the database 202. The output section 110 may output information further indicating the factor of the reduction amount.

[0049] The acquiring unit 106 may not acquire the reduction factor from the database 202, and the identifying unit 104 may identify the factor of the reduction amount based on the information related to GHG emissions stored in the database 202. The identifying unit 104 may identify, as the factor of the reduction amount, at least one of the direct emissions, indirect emissions, and other indirect emissions that are less than the direct emissions, indirect emissions, and other indirect emissions in a period prior to the output target period, among the direct emissions, indirect emissions, and other indirect emissions, by referring to the database 202. The identifying unit 104 may identify, as the factor of the reduction amount, at least one of the direct emissions, indirect emissions, and other indirect emissions in the target year that are less than the direct emissions, indirect emissions, and other indirect emissions in the year prior to the target year, among the direct emissions, indirect emissions, and other indirect emissions in the target year.

[0050] The database 202 may further store the amount of each fuel used by the customer for each period. The database 302 may also store the emission coefficient for each fuel. In this case, the identification unit 104 may identify fuels (such as LNG, oil, and coal) for which GHG emissions have decreased from the amount of each fuel used by the customer for a first period (e.g., the target year) and a second period preceding the first period (e.g., the year preceding the target year) and the emission coefficient of each fuel, and identify the reduction in the use of the identified fuel as the reduction factor.

[0051] The database 202 may further store the amount of steam usage per period purchased by the customer for use. The database 302 may also store an emission coefficient for each source of steam. In this case, the identifying unit 104 refers to the database 202 to identify the amount of steam usage purchased by the customer in the first period and the second period, and refers to the database 302 to identify the emission coefficient of the source of steam. Then, the identifying unit 104 calculates the amount of GHG emissions associated with the use of steam in the first period and the second period. If the amount of GHG emissions associated with the use of steam in the first period is less than the amount of GHG emissions associated with the use of steam in the second period, the identifying unit 104 may identify the reduction in steam use as a reduction factor.

[0052] The database 202 may store the GHG emissions in each category of Scope 3 for each customer. In this case, if there is a category in which the GHG emissions in the first period are less than the GHG emissions in the second period, the identifying unit 104 may identify the reduction in GHG emissions in that category as the reduction factor. For example, the identifying unit 104 may identify the reduction in GHG emissions due to "purchased products and services" in category 1 or "use of sold products" in category 11 as the reduction factor.

[0053] If the database 202 does not store the GHG emissions of each category in Scope 3, the identification unit 104 may identify the GHG emissions of a specific category based on other information in the database 202. For example, if the customer is a consumer PPS, the database 202 may store user information that identifies the end user to which the customer's electricity is supplied, and the amount of electricity supplied by the customer to the end user. The database 302 may also store an emission factor related to the electricity supplied by the consumer PPS to the end user. The identification unit 104 may identify the GHG emissions in "fuel- and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 and Scope 2" in Category 3 by multiplying the amount of electricity supplied to the end user by the emission factor of the consumer PPS.

[0054] When the database 202 stores the GHG emissions of some of the stores of a franchise belonging to a customer, the identification unit 104 may identify the emissions of the "franchise" in category 14 by converting the GHG emissions of some of the stores into the GHG emissions of all the stores. For example, when the database 202 stores the GHG emissions of 60% of the stores of a franchise belonging to a customer, the identification unit 104 may multiply the GHG emissions of 60% of the stores by 100 / 60 to calculate the GHG emissions of all the stores of the franchise belonging to the customer, and identify the emissions of the "franchise" in category 14.

[0055] The database 202 may store, for each customer, the monthly usage amount of electricity purchased for the customer's use. In this case, the identifying unit 104 calculates the amount of GHG emissions associated with the monthly use of electricity in the first period and the second period from the monthly amount of electricity used in the first period and the second period and the emission coefficient of the supplier of the electricity. Then, the identifying unit 104 may identify a month in which the amount of GHG emissions associated with the use of electricity in the first period is less than the amount of GHG emissions associated with the use of electricity in the second period, and identify the reduction in the use of electricity in the identified month as the reduction factor.

[0056] When a customer changes electrical equipment such as lighting fixtures used in a store, factory, etc., database 202 may further store details of the electrical equipment changed by the customer and the start month when the customer started using the changed electrical equipment. By referring to database 202, identification unit 104 may identify a month in which the amount of electricity used in each month of the target year is less than the amount of electricity used in the month of the previous year of the target year, and when the identified month matches the start month when the customer started using the changed electrical equipment, may identify the change in the electrical equipment in the identified month as a reduction factor.

[0057] The database 202 may store information on environmental values ​​(green power certificates, renewable energy-derived J-credits, or non-fossil certificates) used by the customer to calculate GHG emissions for each period. By referring to the database 202, if an environmental value was not used to calculate GHG emissions last year and an environmental value is used to calculate GHG emissions this year, the identification unit 104 may identify the use of the environmental value as a factor in the reduction amount.

[0058] If the calculation method of GHG emissions stored in the database 202 differs from the calculation method indicated in the output conditions, the conversion unit 108 converts the GHG emissions stored in the database 202 into the GHG emissions of the calculation method indicated in the output conditions in accordance with a predetermined conversion formula.

[0059] When the calculation method for GHG emissions stored in database 202 is the calculation method of the Global Warming Countermeasures Act, conversion unit 108 may obtain a corresponding conversion emission coefficient from the conversion emission coefficients of each retail electricity supplier stored in database 202, and multiply the GHG emissions under the Global Warming Countermeasures Act by the conversion emission coefficient, thereby converting the GHG emissions under the Global Warming Countermeasures Act into market standard GHG emissions under the GHG Protocol.

[0060] In order to calculate an emission factor conforming to the GHG Protocol for the amount of electricity purchased for in-house use (Scope 2), it is necessary to exclude the environmental value used by the relevant retail electricity supplier in each rate menu from the list of emission factors for each retail electricity supplier in the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounting, Reporting, and Disclosure System (SHK System) under the Global Warming Act. In particular, when energy-saving J-Credits that are considered incompatible with the GHG Protocol are used, it is necessary to exclude the corresponding emission reduction amount when converting to the GHG Protocol standard emission factor. Therefore, the emission factor for conversion stored in the database 202 may be a factor converted from each retail electricity supplier's emission factor for the Global Warming Act to one conforming to the GHG Protocol according to the environmental value used in each retail electricity supplier's rate menu.

[0061] The above conversion method is just an example, and the conversion unit 108 may convert the GHG emission amount based on another predetermined conversion formula or another emission coefficient for conversion.

[0062] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure in which the information output device 100 generates output information related to GHG emission amounts that satisfies the output conditions.

[0063] The reception unit 102 receives the region, customer classification, customer type, output scope, and calculation method as output conditions from the display terminal 400 (S100). The region is the region to which the customer (demand customer) shown in the output information belongs. The customer classification is a business enterprise or public sector, or a household (consumer). When the customer classification is a business enterprise, the customer type may be the business type of the enterprise shown in the output information. When the customer classification is public sector (public service), the customer type may be a prefecture or a city designated by government ordinance with a population of 1 million or more. When the customer classification is a household, the customer type may be a household structure such as a one-person household (single person). When the customer classification is a business enterprise, the output conditions include the output scope. The output scope may be at least one of scope 1, scope 2, and scope 3 in the supply chain emissions. The calculation method is the calculation method used to calculate the GHG emissions shown in the output information. The output conditions may include any one of the following calculation methods: the GPM standard, the GPL standard, and the calculation method based on the Global Warming Act. There may be cases where customers are unable to calculate GHG emissions using the calculation method based on the Global Warming Act. Therefore, the output conditions may further include "partial GPM standard" as a calculation method, which allows output of GHG emissions based on the GPM standard.

[0064] The identification unit 104 refers to the database 202 to identify customers that correspond to the region, customer classification, and customer type indicated in the output conditions (S102). The acquisition unit 106 refers to the database 202 to acquire GHG emission information of the identified customers (S104). When the customer is a business, the acquisition unit 106 may acquire the customer name (demanding household name), GHG emission amount in the target year, GHG reduction amount compared to the previous year, GHG emission calculation method, GHG emission amount / net profit, and reduction factor as the GHG emission information. When the customer is a household, the acquisition unit 106 may acquire the customer name (demanding household name), GHG emission amount in the target year, GHG reduction amount compared to the previous year, GHG emission calculation method, GHG emission amount / annual electricity bill, and reduction factor as the GHG emission information. If the customer is a public entity, the acquisition unit 106 may acquire the customer name (demandor name), GHG emissions for the target year, GHG reduction amount compared to the previous year, GHG emission calculation method, GHG emissions / total production, and reduction factor.

[0065] Next, the conversion unit 108 determines whether there is a customer whose GHG emission calculation method does not match the calculation method of the output condition (S106). If there is no corresponding customer, the output unit 110 uses the acquired GHG emission information to generate output information in a predetermined format (S110).

[0066] On the other hand, if there is a customer whose calculation method of GHG emissions does not match the calculation method of the output conditions, the conversion unit 108 converts the GHG emissions of the relevant customer into GHG emissions in the calculation method of the output conditions according to a predetermined conversion formula (S108). Next, the output unit 110 generates output information in a predetermined format using GHG emission information including the converted GHG emissions (S110).

[0067] 6 to 9 show examples of the output information output from the output unit 110. The output information may be displayed on the display unit 402 of the display terminal 400.

[0068] FIG. 6 shows an example of output information when the target region is "World", the classification is "Company", the customer type is "Iron and Steel Industry" and "All Companies", and the target scope is "Scope 1 and Scope 2". In the example shown in FIG. 6, the list information does not show the reduction factors of GHG emissions. However, for example, when a cell of "GHG reduction amount compared to the previous year" is clicked, the reduction factor of the corresponding cell may be displayed in a pop-up. When there are multiple reduction factors and the composition ratio of each reduction factor is known, a pie graph or the like showing the composition ratio of each reduction factor may be displayed in a pop-up. In addition, the output information may include the average GHG emissions, reduction amount, and GHG emissions / net profit of customers who meet the output conditions.

[0069] FIG. 7 shows an example of output information in the case where the target region is "Japan", the classification is "Japan Meteorological Leaders Partnership (JCLP) related companies", the type of customer is "all industries" and "only JCLP group companies", the target scope is "scope 1, scope 2, and scope 3", and the company complies with RE100. The output information may include the average GHG emissions, reductions, and GHG emissions / net profit of customers who meet the output conditions. For companies that do not comply with RE100, it may be possible to display which items are missing. "JCLP group companies" refers to, for example, JCLP-related companies that form a group of companies and whose customers' GHG emissions, etc. are stored in the database 202 as the GHG emissions, etc. of the group companies.

[0070] Fig. 8 is an example of output information when the target region is "Japan", the classification is "public", the type of customer is "prefecture", and the population is "1 million or more". The output information may include the average GHG emissions, reductions, and GHG emissions / total production of customers who meet the output conditions.

[0071] 9 shows an example of output information when the target region is "Japan", the classification is "household", the customer type is "one-person household", and the region is "Western Japan". The output information may include the average GHG emissions, reductions, and GHG emissions / annual electricity bill for one-person households (homogeneous) and homes.

[0072] As described above, the information providing system 10 according to this embodiment can provide a list of GHG emissions and GHG reductions of a desired customer. For example, it is possible to provide a list of GHG emissions and GHG reductions by business type, prefecture, household, etc. In addition, the factors of GHG reduction are provided in association with the list information, so that it is easy to understand what activities each business or individual (consumer) performed to reduce GHG emissions.

[0073] 10 shows an example of a computer 1200 in which aspects of the present invention may be embodied in whole or in part. A program installed on the computer 1200 may cause the computer 1200 to perform operations associated with an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention or one or more "parts" of the apparatus. Alternatively, the program may cause the computer 1200 to execute the operations or one or more "parts". The program may cause the computer 1200 to execute a process or steps of the process according to an embodiment of the present invention. Such a program may be executed by the CPU 1212 to cause the computer 1200 to execute specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks of the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0074] The computer 1200 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 1212 and a RAM 1214, which are connected to each other by a host controller 1210. The computer 1200 also includes a communication interface 1222 and an input / output unit, which are connected to the host controller 1210 via an input / output controller 1220. The computer 1200 also includes a ROM 1230. The CPU 1212 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 1230 and the RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit.

[0075] The communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The hard disk drive may store programs and data used by the CPU 1212 in the computer 1200. The ROM 1230 stores a boot program executed by the computer 1200 when activated and / or a program that depends on the hardware of the computer 1200. The programs are provided via a computer-readable recording medium such as a CR-ROM, a USB memory, or an IC card, or a network. The programs are installed in the RAM 1214, which is also an example of a computer-readable recording medium, or the ROM 1230, and executed by the CPU 1212. The information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 1200, and brings about cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources. An apparatus or method may be configured by implementing an operation or processing of information according to the use of the computer 1200.

[0076] For example, when communication is performed between the computer 1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 may execute a communication program loaded in the RAM 1214 and instruct the communication interface 1222 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of the CPU 1212, the communication interface 1222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in the RAM 1214 or a recording medium such as a USB memory, transmits the read transmission data to a network, or writes reception data received from the network to a reception buffer area or the like provided on the recording medium.

[0077] Furthermore, the CPU 1212 may cause all or a necessary portion of a file or database stored in an external recording medium such as a USB memory to be read into the RAM 1214, and may perform various types of processing on the data on the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may then write back the processed data to the external recording medium.

[0078] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored in the recording medium and undergo information processing. The CPU 1212 may perform various types of processing on the data read from the RAM 1214, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information search / replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the instruction sequence of the program, and write back the results to the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may also search for information in a file, database, etc. in the recording medium. For example, when a plurality of entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored in the recording medium, the CPU 1212 may search for an entry that matches a condition, in which the attribute value of the first attribute is specified, from among the plurality of entries, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0079] The above-described programs or software modules may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium on the computer 1200 or in the vicinity of the computer 1200. Also, a recording medium such as a hard disk or a RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable storage medium, thereby providing the programs to the computer 1200 via the network.

[0080] It should be noted that the order of execution of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and may be realized in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a later process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is explained using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, it does not mean that it is essential to perform the process in this order.

[0081] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the description of the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 10 Information provision system 100 Information output device 102 Reception 104 Specific part 106 Acquisition Department 108 Conversion unit 110 Output section 200 Customer information management server 202 Database 300 Emission Factor Management Server 302 Database 400 Display terminal 402 Display section 1200 Computer 1210 Host Controller 1212 CPU 1214 RAM 1220 Output Controller 1222 Communication Interface 1230 ROM

Claims

1. an identification unit that identifies at least two customers having attributes that satisfy a predetermined condition in a first time period by referring to a storage unit that stores greenhouse gas emissions and reduction amounts for each of a plurality of customers for each predetermined time period together with attribute information indicating attributes of each of the plurality of customers; an acquisition unit that acquires the attribute information, the emission amount, and the reduction amount of the at least two identified customers from the storage unit; an output unit that outputs information indicating the acquired attribute information, the emission amount, and the reduction amount of the at least two customers; An information output device comprising:

2. The storage unit further stores a factor of the reduction amount, The acquisition unit further acquires a factor of the reduction amount from the storage unit; The information output device according to claim 1 , wherein the output unit outputs the information further indicating a factor of the reduction amount.

3. The information output device described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the emissions are supply chain emissions including at least one of direct emissions indicating greenhouse gas emissions directly emitted by customers, indirect emissions indicating greenhouse gas emissions indirectly emitted by customers through their purchase of energy, and other indirect emissions indicating greenhouse gas emissions emitted by customer activities not included in the direct emissions and indirect emissions.

4. The identification unit, by referring to the storage unit, identifies at least one of the direct emissions, indirect emissions, and other indirect emissions in the first period that is less than the direct emissions, indirect emissions, and other indirect emissions in a second period that is a period preceding the first period, as a factor of the reduction amount; The information output device according to claim 3 , wherein the output unit outputs the information further indicating a factor of the reduction amount.

5. The storage unit further stores the amount of electricity used by the customer for each divided period obtained by dividing the first period and a second period that is a period preceding the first period, the identification unit, by referring to the storage unit, identifies a divided period in which the amount of power usage in the divided period of the first period is less than the amount of power usage in the divided period of the second period, and identifies a reduction in the amount of power usage in the identified divided period as a factor of the reduction amount; The information output device according to claim 1 , wherein the output unit outputs the information further indicating a factor of the reduction amount.

6. When the customer changes the electrical equipment used by the customer, the storage unit further stores the content of the changed electrical equipment and the divided period in which the customer started to use the changed electrical equipment, the identification unit, by referring to the storage unit, identifies a divided period in which the amount of power usage in each divided period of the first period is less than the amount of power usage in the divided period of the second period, and when the identified divided period coincides with a divided period in which use of a changed electrical appliance began, identifies the change of the electrical appliance in the identified divided period as a factor of the reduction amount; The information output device according to claim 5 , wherein the output unit outputs the information further indicating a factor of the reduction amount.

7. The storage unit further stores an environmental value used in calculating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, the identification unit, by referring to the storage unit, identifies the use of an environmental value as a factor of the reduction amount when an environmental value was not used in calculating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in a second period that is a period before the first period and an environmental value was used in calculating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the first period; The information output device according to claim 1 , wherein the output unit outputs the information further indicating a factor of the reduction amount.

8. 8. The information output device according to claim 1, wherein the attributes include at least one of the type of business of the customer, the number of employees of the customer, and the location of the customer.

9. The information output device of any one of claims 1, 2, 5, and 6, wherein the attributes include at least one of the number of people in the customer's household, the customer's age group, the customer's activity times, the type of building in which the customer lives, the customer's residential area, and whether or not the customer has solar power generation equipment.

10. The acquisition unit further acquires calculation information indicating whether the emission amount is an emission amount based on the Global Warming Countermeasures Act, a market standard of the GHG Protocol, or a location standard of the GHG Protocol; The information output device according to claim 1 , wherein the output unit outputs the information further indicating the calculation information.

11. the predetermined conditions indicate a method for calculating the emissions indicated in the information, The information output device includes: a conversion unit that converts, when the calculation method of the emission amount acquired by the acquisition unit is different from the calculation method indicated in the predetermined conditions, the emission amount acquired by the acquisition unit into the emission amount of the calculation method indicated in the predetermined conditions in accordance with a predetermined conversion formula; The information output device according to claim 10 , wherein the output unit outputs the information indicating the converted emission amount.

12. The information output device according to claim 1 , further comprising a receiving unit that receives an input of the predetermined condition.

13. Identifying at least two customers having attributes that satisfy a predetermined condition in a first period by referring to a storage unit that stores greenhouse gas emissions and reduction amounts for each of a plurality of customers for each predetermined period together with attribute information indicating attributes of each of the plurality of customers; acquiring the attribute information, the emission amount, and the reduction amount of the at least two identified customers from the storage unit; outputting information indicating the attribute information, the emission amount, and the reduction amount of the at least two customers that have been acquired; An information output method comprising:

14. A program for causing a computer to function as the information output device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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