Power distribution system

Abstract

To provide a power distribution system that enhances a procurement rate of renewable energy from a plurality of operators.SOLUTION: A power distribution system that distributes electric power generated from renewable energy among a plurality of operators, comprises: an information acquisition unit 612a; a surplus power determination unit 612b; a renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit 612c; and a power supply control unit 612d. The surplus power determination unit 612b determines whether or not the power generated from renewable energy is surplus in the respective power consumption areas of the operators. The renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit 612c calculates a renewable energy procurement rate for each of the plurality of power consumption areas. The power supply control unit 612d preferentially supplies the surplus power of a power consumption area where the power generated from renewable energy is in surplus to a power consumption area where the renewable energy procurement rate is low among the plurality of power consumption areas.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to power distribution systems. [Background technology]

[0002] It has been conventionally known that an individual who installs a private power generating facility transmits the electricity generated using the facility to an electricity demand facility via a transmission and distribution network maintained and operated by a general electric utility company (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2021-103489 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In some cases, multiple business operators that make up a supply chain that supplies products use electricity generated from renewable energy sources. In such cases, if any of the business operators has a surplus of electricity generated from renewable energy sources and the surplus electricity is discarded, there is a problem that the procurement rate of renewable energy will decrease throughout the supply chain.

[0005] Although the technology described in Patent Document 1 discloses the transmission of electricity generated by solar power between businesses, it does not take into consideration what to do when surplus electricity occurs in the entire supply chain that supplies products. For this reason, when surplus electricity occurs, it is difficult to prevent a decline in the procurement rate of renewable energy throughout the entire supply chain.

[0006] In view of the above problems, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a power distribution system capable of increasing the procurement rate of renewable energy in a supply chain that supplies products and is made up of multiple business operators. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The gist of the present disclosure is as follows.

[0008] (1) A power distribution system distributes power generated by renewable energy among a plurality of business operators. The plurality of business operators constitute a supply chain that supplies products. The power distribution system includes a surplus power determination unit, a renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit, and a power supply control unit. The surplus power determination unit determines whether or not there is surplus power generated by renewable energy in each of the power consumption areas of the plurality of business operators. The renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit calculates a renewable energy procurement rate in each of the plurality of power consumption areas. The power supply control unit preferentially supplies surplus power in a power consumption area where there is surplus power generated by renewable energy to a power consumption area having a low renewable energy procurement rate among the plurality of power consumption areas.

[0009] (2) In (1) above, the renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit calculates the renewable energy procurement rate across the plurality of power consumption areas. The power supply control unit supplies the surplus power to the plurality of power consumption areas so that the renewable energy procurement rate across the plurality of power consumption areas is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0010] (3) In the above (1) or (2), when the surplus power is supplied to a plurality of the power consumption areas, the power supply control unit supplies the power in order of decreasing renewable energy procurement rate.

[0011] (4) In any one of (1) to (3) above, the power distribution system includes a payment processing unit. The payment processing unit settles an electricity fee equivalent to the price of the surplus electricity between the business operator who supplied the surplus electricity and the business operator to which the surplus electricity was supplied. When there is a transaction of the product or an intermediate product generated in the process of producing the product between the business operator who supplied the surplus electricity and the business operator to which the surplus electricity was supplied, the payment processing unit settles by offsetting the price related to the transaction with at least a part of the electricity fee. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to increase the procurement rate of renewable energy in a supply chain that supplies products and is made up of multiple businesses. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a fully self-consumption on-site PPA. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a supply chain made up of a plurality of businesses. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining how surplus power is distributed. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a control system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an entire system including a power distribution system according to an embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a server. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functions of a processor of the server. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a processor of the control system. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart showing the process of a processor of the server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, some embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, these descriptions are intended to merely exemplify preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure to such specific embodiments. In the following description, similar components are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted as appropriate.

[0015] As an example, as shown in FIG. 1, a solar power generation control system 100 according to the present embodiment includes a solar panel 102 and a storage battery 124, and is used in the form of a completely self-consumption on-site PPA. In the on-site PPA, a power generation company 300 installs the control system 100 on the premises of a consumer 350, and supplies power generated by the control system 100 to the consumer 350 on-site. The power generation company 300 and the consumer 350 conclude a power purchase agreement, i.e., a PPA (Power Purchase Agreement). Based on the PPA, the power generation company 300 installs the control system 100, and also owns and manages the control system 100. Based on the PPA, the consumer 350 pays a power fee to the power generation company 300.

[0016] In the case of a completely self-consumption type, all of the power generated by the control system 100 is self-consumed within the premises of the consumer 350. Therefore, the power generated by the control system 100 is supplied only to facilities within the premises of the consumer 350, and the power is not supplied to the power transmission network, power distribution network, etc. of other power systems.

[0017] When the amount of power generated by the control system 100 is surplus to the amount of power required by the consumer 350, the surplus is stored in the storage battery 124. When the amount of power generated by the control system 100 is insufficient for the amount of power required by the consumer 350, the shortfall is made up for by the power stored in the storage battery 124. In addition, the shortfall may be made up for by the consumer 350 purchasing power from an existing power company 400.

[0018] In this embodiment, a supply chain is formed by a plurality of businesses to produce a certain product. As an example, the supply chain formed by a plurality of businesses is composed of a first business A, a second business B, a third business C, and a fourth business D, as shown in FIG. 2. The first business A produces a first product A. The second business B produces a second product B from the first product A. The third business C produces a third product C from the second product B. The fourth business D produces a fourth product D, which is a final product, from the third product C. The fourth business D sells the fourth product D. The first product A, the second product B, and the third product C are intermediate products produced in the process of producing the fourth product D, which is a final product. Note that the solid arrows shown in FIG. 2 indicate the flow of power through the power transmission and distribution network 10. Also, the dashed arrows shown in FIG. 2 indicate the flow of products. Additionally, the dashed arrows in Figure 2 indicate the flow of product prices and electricity charges.

[0019] These businesses may be, for example, consumers 350, who pay power fees to the power generation business 300 based on the PPA and use the power to produce products. The businesses may also be the power generation business 300. When the business is the power generation business 300, the business inherently owns the power generated by the control system 100 and therefore uses the power to produce products without paying power fees.

[0020] In addition, in the supply chain, a business that stores the first product A, the second product B, the third product C, or the fourth product D may occur. In addition, in the supply chain, a business that freezes or refrigerates these products, and a business that transports these products by electric vehicles may occur. Furthermore, businesses such as product inventory management services and product price management services may occur. Since all of these businesses consume electricity, businesses that handle these businesses also constitute the supply chain according to this embodiment. In other words, businesses that make up the supply chain are not limited to businesses that produce products. Businesses that make up the supply chain may be businesses that are somehow involved in a series of production processes or distribution processes from the producer to the consumer of a product or commodity.

[0021] The buildings or facilities where a first business A produces product A are located in a first electricity consumption area A. The buildings or facilities where a second business B produces product B are located in a second electricity consumption area B. The buildings or facilities where a third business C produces product C are located in a third electricity consumption area C. The buildings or facilities where a fourth business D produces product D are located in a fourth electricity consumption area D.

[0022] Each of the first business operator A, the second business operator B, the third business operator C, and the fourth business operator D is provided with a control system 100 in an electricity consumption area. As shown in FIG. 2, the solar panels 102 of the control system 100 are provided, for example, on the roofs of buildings in the respective electricity consumption areas. The control system 100 supplies electricity generated by solar power generation to the buildings or various facilities therein. For example, the control system 100 of the first business operator A supplies electricity generated by solar power generation to a building or facility in the first electricity consumption area A to produce a first product A. The control system 100 of the second business operator B supplies electricity generated by solar power generation to a building or facility in the second electricity consumption area B to produce a second product B. The control system 100 of the third business operator C supplies electricity generated by solar power generation to a building or facility in the third electricity consumption area C to produce a third product C. The control system 100 of a fourth business entity D supplies solar-generated electricity to a building or facility in a fourth power consumption area D to produce a fourth product D.

[0023] In the power consumption area of ​​the business operators constituting the supply chain, when the sum of the amount of power generated by the solar panel 102 of the control system 100 and the amount of power purchased from the power company 400 is greater than the amount of power consumption, surplus power is generated. The surplus power in a certain power consumption area may be stored in the storage battery 124 or discarded without being consumed in the power consumption area. If the power generated by the solar panel 102 is stored or discarded without being used in the power consumption area of ​​any of the business operators constituting the supply chain, it becomes difficult to increase the renewable energy procurement rate of the entire supply chain. More specifically, if the power generated by the solar panel 102 is discarded, the renewable energy procurement rate of the entire supply chain decreases. Even if the surplus power is stored in the storage battery 124, power loss occurs due to the storage, and a part of the power is lost, making it difficult to increase the renewable energy procurement rate of the entire supply chain. The renewable energy procurement rate is the ratio of the amount of power generated by renewable energy to the amount of power consumption.

[0024] For this reason, in this embodiment, when surplus power occurs in a certain power consumption area, the surplus power is supplied to other power consumption areas. For example, when surplus power occurs in a first power consumption area A, as shown in FIG. 3, the surplus power in the first power consumption area A is distributed to a second power consumption area B having the lowest renewable energy procurement rate. At this time, the surplus power is distributed to the second power consumption area B so that the second power consumption area B does not have surplus power. If surplus power still occurs in the first power consumption area A even after the surplus power in the first power consumption area A is supplied to the second power consumption area B, the surplus power is distributed to a third power consumption area C having the second lowest renewable energy procurement rate after the second power consumption area B. In this way, the surplus power is distributed in order from the power consumption area with the lowest renewable energy procurement rate. Then, the power consumption area to which the surplus power is distributed can reduce the amount of power purchased from the power company 400. As a result, the renewable energy procurement rate increases in power consumption areas where the renewable energy procurement rate is low, and it becomes possible to increase the renewable energy procurement rate throughout the entire supply chain. The increased renewable energy procurement rate throughout the entire supply chain that supplies the product increases the added value of the product. In addition, the increased renewable energy procurement rate reduces manufacturing costs and increases the added value of the product. This reduces the environmental load, and makes it possible to declare that the product is an environmentally friendly product with a higher renewable energy procurement rate, for example, when selling or advertising the product. Furthermore, if the use of renewable energy is obtained as a non-fossil certificate, the manufacturing cost can be further reduced and the competitive advantage of the product can be increased. In addition, when power generation is performed using fossil fuels at the power company 400, the power consumption area to which the surplus power is distributed can reduce the amount of power purchased from the power company 400, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions due to the combustion of fossil fuels.

[0025] Furthermore, in the individual power consumption areas to which surplus electricity is distributed, the added value of the products will increase due to the increased renewable energy procurement rate, making it possible to declare that the products are environmentally friendly with a higher renewable energy procurement rate.

[0026] It is not necessary that the control systems 100 in all power consumption areas are equipped with the solar panels 102. For example, in some of the power consumption areas, the control systems 100 may not be equipped with the solar panels 102 and may use power purchased from the power company 400. Although such power consumption areas cannot supply surplus power to other power consumption areas, receiving the supply of surplus power allows them to reduce the amount of power purchased from the power company 400, thereby contributing to an improvement in the renewable energy procurement rate throughout the supply chain.

[0027] The distribution of electricity is not limited to surplus electricity. For example, when increasing the procurement rate of renewable energy throughout the supply chain, electricity that is not surplus electricity may be distributed to other businesses along with the surplus electricity. The distributed electricity may also include electricity stored in the storage battery 124. The businesses to which the electricity is distributed do not have to be all businesses that make up the supply chain, and the electricity may be distributed only among some of the businesses that make up the supply chain.

[0028] Power supply between power consumption areas is performed by self-consignment. For this reason, the control systems 100 in the power consumption areas are connected to each other via a power transmission and distribution network 10, as shown in Fig. 2. The power transmission and distribution network 10 may be maintained and operated by a power generation company 300.

[0029] In FIG. 3, a case where surplus power occurs only in the first power consumption area A is illustrated, but in the case where surplus power occurs in a plurality of power consumption areas, the surplus power may be distributed in the order of the business operators with the lowest renewable energy procurement rate. For example, the surplus power in the first power consumption area A, the second power consumption area B, and the fourth power consumption area D may be supplied to the third power consumption area C via the power transmission and distribution network 10, and this state is shown by the solid arrow in FIG. 2. In this case, if the surplus power cannot be consumed in the third power consumption area C, the surplus power may be stored in the storage battery 124 of the control system 100 in each power consumption area. In this case, the surplus power in the first power consumption area A, the second power consumption area B, and the fourth power consumption area D may be supplied to the third power consumption area C in the order of the amount of surplus power.

[0030] The supply of power to the storage battery 124 is not limited to cases where surplus power occurs in the entire supply chain. For example, the first business operator A, the second business operator B, the third business operator C, and the fourth business operator D may have different unit electricity charges (yen / kWh) because the power companies 400 from which they purchase power are different. In addition, the first business operator A, the second business operator B, the third business operator C, and the fourth business operator D may have the same power company 400 from which they purchase power, but may have different unit electricity charges (yen / kWh) because the contracted amount of power is different. In such a case, if a business operator with a low power purchase charge supplies power to the storage battery 124 of a business operator with a high power purchase charge, the power charge of the entire supply chain can be optimized and the power charge can be saved. Furthermore, when it is unavoidable to manufacture products at night, even if surplus power does not occur, power purchased at a relatively low charge at night may be stored in the storage battery 124, and the stored power may be distributed to other power consumption areas during the day. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of electricity purchased during the day at relatively high rates in the distributed power consumption areas, thereby optimizing electricity rates across the entire supply chain.

[0031] In addition, the first power consumption area A, the second power consumption area B, the third power consumption area C, and the fourth power consumption area D may be located within a predetermined distance range. For example, the first power consumption area A, the second power consumption area B, the third power consumption area C, and the fourth power consumption area D may be located within a radius of 5 km.

[0032] The first business operator A pays the price of the raw materials for the first product A to the seller of the raw materials. In addition, if the first business operator A trades surplus electricity with another business operator, the first business operator A settles the electricity fee for the surplus electricity with the other business operator.

[0033] The second business operator B pays the price of the first product A to the first business operator A. Furthermore, if the second business operator B trades surplus electricity with another business operator, it settles the electricity fee for the surplus electricity with the other business operator. If the second business operator B trades surplus electricity with the first business operator A, it may be possible for the second business operator B to offset the price of the first product A and the electricity fee with the first business operator A. In this case, the price of the first product A and the electricity fee are offset between the second business operator B and the first business operator A.

[0034] Similarly, the third business operator C pays the price of the second product B to the second business operator B. Furthermore, when the third business operator C trades surplus electricity with another business operator, it settles the electricity fee for the surplus electricity with the other business operator. When the third business operator C trades surplus electricity with the second business operator B, it may be possible to offset the price of the second product B and the electricity fee with the second business operator B. In this case, the price of the second product B and the electricity fee are offset between the third business operator C and the second business operator B.

[0035] Similarly, the fourth business operator D pays the price of the third product C to the third business operator C. Furthermore, if the fourth business operator D trades surplus electricity with another business operator, it settles the electricity fee for the surplus electricity with the other business operator. If the fourth business operator D trades surplus electricity with the third business operator C, it may be possible to offset the price of the third product C and the electricity fee with the third business operator C. In this case, the price of the third product C and the electricity fee are offset between the fourth business operator D and the third business operator C.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 4, the control system 100 provided in each of the power consumption areas includes, for example, a solar panel 102, a connection box 104, a DC / AC high frequency inverter 106, a high frequency transformer 108, an earth leakage breaker 110, a first power supply switch 112, a second power supply switch 116, an AC / DC converter 118, a storage battery power supply switch 120, a DC / DC converter 122, a storage battery 124, and a control device 200. Furthermore, the control system 100 includes a zero-phase voltage detector 140, a power purchase breaker 142, a reverse power relay 144, a high frequency transformer 146, a third power supply switch 148, and a fourth power supply switch 150. The control system 100 may further include a controlled device 114. From the viewpoint of realizing the power distribution function according to this embodiment, the control system 100 may include the solar panel 102, the second power supply switch 116, the fourth power supply switch 150, and the control device 200. Other components of the control system 100 may be additional elements. The controlled device 114 may be a device of a building or facility for producing products in each power consumption area. In FIG. 4, the dashed arrows extending from the control device 200 to the first power supply switch 112, the second power supply switch 116, the storage battery power supply switch 120, the third power supply switch 148, and the fourth power supply switch 150 indicate signal lines through which control signals for driving these switches are transmitted.

[0037] The solar panel 102 receives sunlight and generates power. The solar panel 102 includes, for example, a plurality of solar cell modules. Each solar cell is composed of, for example, a plurality of solar cell cells. The solar cell is irradiated with sunlight and converts the solar energy into electric power. The junction box 104, for example, combines output cables that extract DC output generated by each solar cell module into a single cable.

[0038] The DC / AC high frequency inverter 106 converts the power generated by the solar panel 102 from direct current to alternating current. The high frequency transformer 108 transforms the alternating current converted by the DC / AC high frequency inverter 106 to a desired voltage. The earth leakage breaker 110 cuts off the current when the alternating current becomes excessive. The first power supply switch 112 is composed of an electromagnetic switch, and is a switch for supplying the power generated by the solar panel 102 to the controlled device 114. When the first power supply switch 112 is turned on, power is supplied to the controlled device 114. On the other hand, when the first power supply switch 112 is turned off, power supply to the controlled device 114 is stopped.

[0039] The second power supply switch 116 is composed of an electromagnetic switch, and is a switch for supplying the power generated by the solar panel 102 to the control system 100 in the other power consuming area. When the second power supply switch 116 is turned on, the power generated by the solar panel 102 is supplied to the control system 100 in the other power consuming area. When the second power supply switch 116 is turned off, the power supply to the control system 100 in the other power consuming area is stopped.

[0040] In addition, commercial power is supplied to the control system 100 from a power company 400. The commercial power is supplied to a high-frequency transformer 146 via a power purchase breaker 142. The commercial power is, for example, 3φ 3W 6.6 kV. The power purchase breaker 142 cuts off the commercial power current when the current becomes excessive. The zero-phase voltage detector 140 detects the neutral point voltage of the commercial power. The reverse power relay 144 detects reverse power based on the neutral point voltage. When the reverse power relay 144 detects reverse power, a reverse power flow is generated, and therefore the third power supply switch 148 is turned off.

[0041] The high-frequency transformer 146 transforms the AC commercial power to a desired voltage. The third power supply switch 148 is composed of an electromagnetic switch. The AC output output from the high-frequency transformer 146 is supplied to the controlled device 114 when the third power supply switch 148 is on and the first power supply switch 112 is on.

[0042] Moreover, surplus power is supplied to the control system 100 from the control system 100 in another power consumption area. The fourth power supply switch 150 is composed of an electromagnetic switch, and is a switch for receiving power supplied from the control system 100 in another power consumption area. The surplus power in the other power consumption area is supplied to the controlled device 114 when the fourth power supply switch 150 is on and the first power supply switch 112 is on.

[0043] The AC / DC converter 118 converts the AC transformed by the high-frequency transformer 108 into a DC. The battery power supply switch 120 is an electromagnetic switch, and is a switch for supplying surplus power to the battery 124 as necessary. When the battery power supply switch 120 is turned on, power is supplied to the battery 124. On the other hand, when the battery power supply switch 120 is turned off, power supply to the battery 124 is stopped. The DC / DC converter 122 converts the voltage of the DC converted by the AC / DC converter 118 to store it in the battery 124. When the battery power supply switch 120 is on, the battery 124 stores the power generated by the solar panel 102. The control system 100 according to this embodiment is a completely self-consumption type, and does not sell power to the power company 400. In addition, as described above, the surplus power generated by the solar panel 102 is basically supplied to other power consumption areas. Therefore, the battery power supply switch 120 is basically turned off and turned on only when necessary.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 5, the overall system 1000 including the power distribution system has the control device 200 of the control system 100 in each power consumption area and a server 600. The server 600 may be owned by the power generation company 300. The control device 200 in each power consumption area and the server 600 can communicate with each other via a communication network 500 configured of optical communication lines or the like. The control device 200 in each power consumption area can further communicate with an external server that provides meteorological information via the communication network 500.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 6, the server 600 includes a control device 610 and a storage device 620.

[0046] The control device 610 includes a processor 612, a memory 614, and a communication interface 616. The processor 612 includes one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 612 may further include other arithmetic circuits such as a logic arithmetic unit, a numerical arithmetic unit, or a graphic processing unit. The memory 614 includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The communication interface 616 corresponds to the communication I / F shown in FIG. 6 and includes an interface circuit for connecting the control device 610 to a network in the server 600 or the communication network 500.

[0047] The storage device 620 includes, for example, a hard disk device or an optical recording medium and an access device therefor. Various types of information are stored in the storage device 620. The storage device 620 may also store a computer program for executing the processes executed on the processor 612.

[0048] The processor 612 of the control device 610 of the server 600 is one aspect of the power distribution system. As shown in FIG. 7, the processor 612 has an information acquisition unit 612a, a surplus power determination unit 612b, a renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit 612c, a power supply control unit 612d, and a payment processing unit 612e. Each of these units of the processor 612 is a functional module realized by a computer program running on the processor 612, for example. That is, each of these units of the processor 612 is composed of the processor 612 and a program for making the processor 612 function, that is, software. The program may be recorded in the memory 614 of the control device 610 or a recording medium connected from the outside. Alternatively, each of these units of the processor 612 may be a dedicated arithmetic circuit provided in the processor 612. At least a part of each of these units of the processor 612 may be provided in a location other than the server 600 in the overall system 1000.

[0049] The information acquisition unit 612a acquires various information from the control device 200 in each power consumption area. The various information includes the amount of power generated by the solar panel 102, the amount of power purchased from the power company 400, the power fee paid to the power company 400, the amount of power consumed in the power consumption area, and the price related to the purchase and sale of products. The various information also includes the amount of surplus power supplied from the control system 100 in another power consumption area, and the amount of surplus power supplied to the control system 100 in another power consumption area. These various information are stored in the storage device 620.

[0050] The surplus power determination unit 612b determines whether or not the power generated by renewable energy, i.e., solar power, is surplus in each of the power consumption areas of the multiple businesses. Specifically, the surplus power determination unit 612b calculates the surplus power amount of the power generated by solar power in each power consumption area from the power generation amount of the solar panel 102 in each power consumption area, the power amount purchased from the power company 400, and the power consumption amount. Here, the surplus power amount is defined as a value calculated by subtracting the power consumption amount from the sum of the power generation amount of the solar panel 102 and the power amount purchased from the power company 400. The surplus power amount may be an actual measurement value calculated from the actual measurement values ​​of the power generation amount, the power amount purchased, and the power consumption amount, or a predicted value calculated from these predicted values. If the value obtained by subtracting the power consumption amount from the sum of the power generation amount of the solar panel 102 and the power amount purchased from the power company 400 is greater than the power generation amount of the solar panel 102, the surplus power amount is determined to be the power generation amount of the solar panel 102. Then, the surplus power determination unit 612b determines that the power generated by sunlight is surplus for a power consumption area where surplus power is occurring, i.e., a power consumption area where the amount of surplus power is greater than 0. As described above, even if surplus power is not occurring, power supplied from another power consumption area may be supplied to the storage battery 124. For example, when a product is produced outside of daylight hours, even if surplus power is not occurring, the amount of power purchased from the power company 400 can be reduced by storing power generated by the solar panel 102 during the day in the storage battery 124 prior to production.

[0051] The renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit 612c calculates the renewable energy procurement rate for each of the multiple power consumption areas. As described above, the renewable energy procurement rate is the ratio of the amount of power generated by renewable energy to the amount of power consumption. Specifically, the renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit 612c calculates the renewable energy procurement rate for each power consumption area by dividing the amount of power generated by the solar panel 102 by the amount of power consumption.

[0052] The power supply control unit 612d supplies surplus power from a power consumption area where renewable energy, i.e., power generated by solar power, is in surplus to a power consumption area with a low renewable energy procurement rate among the multiple power consumption areas. Specifically, the power supply control unit 612d transmits a first power supply command to the control system 100 of the power consumption area where the surplus power is generated, to turn on the second power supply switch 116. In addition, the power supply control unit 612d transmits a second power supply command to the control system 100 of the power consumption area with a low renewable energy procurement rate, to turn on the fourth power supply switch 150. When supplying surplus power to multiple power consumption areas, the power supply control unit 612d may supply power in order of lowest renewable energy procurement rate.

[0053] The renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit 612c may calculate the renewable energy procurement rate in the entirety of the multiple power consumption areas. In this case, the power supply control unit 612d may supply surplus power to at least one of the multiple power consumption areas so that the renewable energy procurement rate in the entirety of the multiple power consumption areas becomes a predetermined value. Specifically, the power supply control unit 612d may supply power so that the renewable energy procurement rate in the entirety of the multiple power consumption areas becomes a predetermined value or more by supplying the surplus power to at least one of the multiple power consumption areas without storing and discarding the surplus power. The predetermined value may be 100%, 95%, 85%, or 75%. The power supply control unit 612d may supply power so that the renewable energy procurement rate in the entirety of the multiple power consumption areas becomes higher. The power supply control unit 612d may supply power to the multiple power consumption areas in descending order of the amount of power purchased from the power company 400.

[0054] Furthermore, when the renewable energy procurement rate of the power consumption area where the power generated by the solar power is surplus is the lowest among the plurality of power consumption areas, the power supply control unit 612d may transmit a command to reduce the amount of power purchased in the power consumption area without supplying the surplus power to other power consumption areas. Furthermore, the power supply control unit 612d may supply power so that no further surplus power is generated in the power consumption area to which the surplus power is supplied. For this reason, when the power consumption area to which the surplus power is supplied meets the required amount of power, the power supply control unit 612d supplies the remaining amount of surplus power to the other power consumption areas. In other words, the power supply control unit 612d may supply the amount of power required by each power consumption area to each power consumption area. In this case, specifically, the power supply control unit 612d transmits a first power supply command to the control system 100 in the power consumption area where the surplus power is generated, to turn on the second power supply switch 116 so as to supply the amount of power required by each power consumption area to each power consumption area. The amount of electricity required by each power consumption area can be the absolute value of the value obtained by subtracting the amount of electricity consumed from the sum of the amount of electricity generated by the solar panels 102 and the amount of electricity purchased from the power company 400 when the value is negative.

[0055] The settlement processing unit 612e settles the electricity fee equivalent to the price of the surplus electricity between the business operator who supplied the surplus electricity and the business operator to which the surplus electricity was supplied. In addition, when there is a sale and purchase of a product related to the supply chain or an intermediate product generated in the process of producing the product between the business operator who supplied the surplus electricity and the business operator to which the surplus electricity was supplied, the settlement processing unit 612e may settle by offsetting at least a part of the price related to the sale and purchase of the product and the electricity fee.

[0056] When surplus electricity is not transferred between businesses, the payment processing unit 612e can settle only the price for the sale and purchase of the product. On the other hand, when surplus electricity is transferred between businesses, the payment processing unit 612e can perform a process of settling the price for the sale and purchase of the product and the electricity fee equivalent to the price of the surplus electricity. In this case, when the price for the sale and purchase of the product can be offset against the electricity fee, the payment processing unit 612e offsets the price for the sale and purchase of the product against the electricity fee to make a settlement. The payment processing unit 612e may use an existing electronic payment service. In this case, the overall system 1000 may include the electronic payment service.

[0057] Also, the business operator can select whether or not to make a payment. If the business operator wishes to make a payment, the business operator inputs a message indicating that the business operator wishes to make a payment from the operation input device to the control device 200, and the control device 200 transmits the message to the server 600, so that the payment processing unit 612e makes the payment. On the other hand, if the business operator does not wish to make a payment, the business operator inputs a message indicating that the business operator does not wish to make a payment from the operation input device to the control device 200, and the control device 200 transmits the message to the server 600, so that the payment processing unit 612e does not make the payment.

[0058] The settlement processing unit 612e settles the electricity charges incurred every certain period, for example, once a month, and the price related to the purchase and sale of products, for transactions between business operators constituting the supply chain. In settling the price, the standard prices of the raw material costs, intermediate products, and final products are shared among the business operators constituting the supply chain, and settlement is made at the standard prices. If the standard price fluctuates due to fluctuations in raw material costs within a certain period, the amount of the fluctuation may be settled separately. In addition, since surplus electricity is traded on a self-consignment basis, the impact of fluctuations in electricity charges on the settlement amount can be suppressed by specifying the fluctuation range of the electricity charges between the business operators in a contract.

[0059] The control device 200 of the control system 100 has a hardware configuration similar to that of the control device 610 of the server 600 shown in FIG. 6. That is, the control device 200 has a processor, a memory, and a communication interface. The hardware functions of the control device 200 are similar to those of the control device 610 of the server 600. Furthermore, the control device 200 may be connected to an operation input device for inputting operation information by a user, and a display device. A keyboard or a mouse is an example of an operation input device, and a liquid crystal display is an example of a display device.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 8, the processor 210 of the control device 200 includes an information acquisition unit 210a, an information transmission unit 210b, a power supply command reception unit 210c, a power supply control unit 210d, a power reception control unit 210e, a power generation amount prediction unit 210f, a power demand acquisition unit 210g, and a learning unit 210h. Each of these units included in the processor 210 is a functional module realized by a computer program that runs on the processor 210, for example. That is, each of these units included in the processor 210 is composed of the processor 210 and a program for making the processor 210 function, that is, software. The program may be recorded in a memory included in the control device 200 or a recording medium connected from the outside. Alternatively, each of these units included in the processor 210 may be a dedicated arithmetic circuit provided in the processor 210. At least a part of each of these units included in the processor 612 may be provided in the processor 612 of the server 600.

[0061] The information acquiring unit 210a acquires the amount of power generated by the solar panel 102, the amount of power purchased from the power company 400, the power fee paid to the power company 400, the amount of power consumption, and the price related to the purchase and sale of products. The information acquiring unit 210a also acquires the amount of surplus power supplied from the control system 100 in other power consuming areas, and the amount of surplus power supplied to the control system 100 in other power consuming areas.

[0062] The information acquisition unit 210a may acquire an actual measurement value as the amount of power generated by the solar panel 102, or may acquire a predicted value predicted by the power generation amount prediction unit 210f. The information acquisition unit 210a acquires an actual measurement value of the amount of power supplied through the third power supply switch 148 when the third power supply switch 148 is turned on as the amount of power purchased from the power company 400. Alternatively, the information acquisition unit 210a may acquire a predicted value of the amount of power to be purchased from the power company 400 as the amount of power purchased from the power company 400. For example, when the amount of power to be purchased from the power company 400 is predetermined, the information acquisition unit 210a may acquire the predetermined amount of power. Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 210a acquires an electric power fee according to the amount of power purchased from the power company 400 as the electric power fee to be paid to the electric power company 400. Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 210a acquires an actual measurement value of the amount of power consumed in a building or facility in the power consumption area as the amount of power consumption. Alternatively, the information acquiring unit 210a may acquire, as the amount of power consumption, a predicted value of the amount of power demand predicted by the power demand acquiring unit 210g. Also, the information acquiring unit 210a acquires, as the price related to the purchase and sale of the product, a value obtained by multiplying the unit price of the product and the number of products purchased and sold between other businesses constituting the supply chain. The unit price of the product and the number of products may be input to the control device 200 by an operation input device including a keyboard or a mouse.

[0063] Furthermore, the information acquiring unit 210a acquires the amount of power supplied through the fourth power supply switch 150 when the fourth power supply switch 150 is turned on as the amount of surplus power supplied from the control system 100 in the other power consuming area. Furthermore, the information acquiring unit 210a acquires the amount of power supplied to the control system 100 in the other power consuming area through the second power supply switch 116 when the second power supply switch 116 is turned on as the amount of surplus power supplied to the control system 100 in the other power consuming area. These amounts of power are actually measured by, for example, a smart meter. Furthermore, the information acquiring unit 210a acquires weather information transmitted from an external server via the communication network 500.

[0064] The information transmitting unit 210b transmits to the server 600 the information acquired by the information acquiring unit 210a.

[0065] When the power supply command receiving unit 210c receives the first power supply command or the second power supply command from the server 600, the power supply control unit 210d controls the second power supply switch 116 to be on based on the first power supply command when the power supply command receiving unit 210c receives the first power supply command from the server 600. As a result, the power generated by the solar panel 102 is supplied to the control system 100 in the other power consumption area. When the power supply command receiving unit 210c receives the second power supply command from the server 600, the power receiving control unit 210e controls the fourth power supply switch 150 to be on based on the second power supply command. As a result, the power generated by the solar panel 102 in the control system 100 in the other power consumption area is supplied.

[0066] When the power receiving control unit 210e controls the fourth power supply switch 150 to be on, the power supply control unit 210d appropriately turns off the third power supply switch 148. This reduces the amount of commercial power supplied from the power company 400, improving the renewable energy procurement rate. For example, the amount of commercial power supplied is reduced by the amount of surplus power received from other power consumption areas. The server 600 may instruct the control device 200 on the amount of reduction in the amount of commercial power supplied based on the amount of surplus power supplied.

[0067] The power generation amount prediction unit 210f predicts the amount of power generated by the solar panel 102. For example, the power generation amount prediction unit 210f predicts the amount of power generated by the solar panel 102 based on meteorological information acquired by the information acquisition unit 210a from an external server.

[0068] The power generation prediction unit 210f may be configured with a trained model that has been machine-learned to predict the power generation amount of the solar panel 102. In this case, the learning unit 210h may, for example, receive input values ​​x1, x2, x3, x4, and x5, and training data y t A trained model is created from multiple datasets consisting of the training data y tis being calculated, and the output value from the output layer for this input value is y. If the squared error is used as the error function, the squared error E is E=(1 / 2)·(yy t ) 2 It can be calculated as follows.

[0069] The learning unit 210h inputs the input values ​​included in the data set to the neural network, and calculates the output value y obtained by comparing the training data y included in the data set with the training data y t Then, in order to minimize the sum of the squared errors E obtained from a plurality of learning data sets, the learning unit 210h performs, for example, backpropagation, stochastic gradient descent, or other calculations to calculate the weight w and bias b of each node, thereby creating a trained model. Note that, if teacher data cannot be detected, the learning unit 210h may create a trained model by unsupervised learning or reinforcement learning.

[0070] When the learning unit 210h creates a trained model corresponding to the power generation amount prediction unit 210f, the input values ​​x1, x2, x3, x4, and x5 are, for example, meteorological information such as the amount of solar radiation, weather, temperature, and wind force. t is the actual value of the amount of power generated by the solar panel 102. As a result, when parameters such as the amount of solar radiation, weather, temperature, and wind power are input to the created trained model, a predicted value of the amount of power generated by the solar panel 102 is output from the trained model.

[0071] The power demand acquisition unit 210g acquires the power demand of each power consumption area. For example, the power demand of each power consumption area may be determined in advance in a demand plan. In this case, the power demand acquisition unit 210g acquires the power demand from the demand plan. The demand plan may be stored in the memory of the control device 200.

[0072] The power demand acquisition unit 210g may also predict the power demand and acquire the predicted power demand. In this case, the power demand acquisition unit 210g may be configured with a trained model that has been machine-learned to predict the power demand. In this case, the learning unit 210h may, in the same manner as above, acquire, for example, input values ​​x1, x2, x3, x4, and x5, and training data y t A trained model is created from a plurality of data sets consisting of the above. When the learning unit 210h creates a trained model for predicting the power demand, the input values ​​x1, x2, x3, x4, and x5 are, for example, parameters such as the shipping volume of products produced in each power consumption area, a production plan, the operating status of the production equipment, the operating time, and the accumulated usage time representing the deterioration degree of the equipment. Here, the production plan may include a scheduled shipping volume and a process plan. In addition, the training data y t is the actual amount of electricity used in each electricity consumption area. By inputting these parameters into the trained model, the trained model will output a predicted value for electricity demand.

[0073] Next, a chronological flow of processing by the processor 612 of the server 600 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. First, the information acquisition unit 612a acquires the amount of power generated by the solar panel 102, the amount of power consumed, the amount of power purchased, the power fee, and the price related to the purchase and sale of products from the control device 200 in each power consumption area (step S10). Next, the surplus power determination unit 612b calculates the amount of surplus power generated by solar power in each of the power consumption areas of the multiple businesses (step S12).

[0074] Next, the renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit 612c calculates the renewable energy procurement rate in each of the plurality of power consumption areas (step S14). Next, the surplus power determination unit 612b determines whether or not the power generated by solar power is surplus in each of the plurality of power consumption areas of the business operators, that is, whether or not surplus power is occurring (step S16).

[0075] If surplus power is generated in step S16, the power supply control unit 612d supplies the surplus power to the power consumption area having the lowest renewable energy procurement rate among the multiple power consumption areas (step S18).

[0076] Next, the surplus power determination unit 612b determines whether or not surplus power is still occurring (step S20). If surplus power is still occurring in step S20, the power supply control unit 612d supplies the surplus power to the power consumption area having the next lowest renewable energy procurement rate among the multiple power consumption areas (step S22). After step S22, the process returns to step S20.

[0077] If no surplus power is generated in step S20, the payment processing unit 612e performs payment processing (step S24).

[0078] As described above, according to this embodiment, when surplus solar power is generated in a power consumption area of ​​a business that constitutes a supply chain that supplies products, the surplus power is distributed to a power consumption area with a low renewable energy procurement rate. This increases the renewable energy procurement rate in the power consumption area with a low renewable energy procurement rate, making it possible to increase the renewable energy procurement rate in the entire supply chain.

[0079] Furthermore, by substituting the value obtained from renewable energy, i.e., electricity charges, as part of the monetary transactions between businesses that make up the supply chain, it is possible to efficiently manage money and reduce the complicated procedures involved in monetary transactions. In addition, by creating a production plan based on the predicted amount of power generation and sharing this throughout the supply chain, it is possible to improve the rate of renewable energy use in production itself. Furthermore, by applying the technology of this invention only to a specific final product, it is possible to create a product that uses 100% renewable energy. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 100 Control System 102 Solar Panels 104 Junction box 106 DC / AC high frequency inverter 108 High Frequency Transformer 110 Earth leakage breaker 112 First power supply switch 114 Controlled Equipment 116 Second power supply switch 118 AC / DC Converter 120 Battery power supply switch 122 DC / DC converter 124 Battery 140 Zero-phase voltage detector 142 Power purchase breaker 144 Reverse Power Relay 146 High Frequency Transformer 148 Third power supply switch 150 4th power supply switch 200 Control device 210 Processor 210a Information acquisition section 210b Information transmission unit 210c Power supply command receiver 210d Power supply control unit 210e Power receiving control unit 210f Power generation forecast section 210g Electricity demand acquisition department 210h Learning Department 212 Memory 300 Power Generation Companies 350 Consumer 400 Electric Power Companies 500 Communication Network 600 Servers 610 Control device 612 processor 612a Information Acquisition Department 612b Surplus power determination unit 612c Renewable Energy Procurement Rate Calculation Department 612d Power supply control unit 612e Payment processing unit 614 Memory 616 Communication Interface 620 Storage Device 1000 Whole System

Claims

1. A power distribution system that distributes electricity generated by renewable energy among a plurality of businesses that constitute a supply chain that supplies products, a surplus power determination unit that determines whether or not there is surplus power generated by renewable energy in each of the power consumption areas of the plurality of businesses; A renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit that calculates a renewable energy procurement rate in each of the plurality of power consumption areas; A power supply control unit that preferentially supplies surplus power generated by renewable energy in a power consumption area to a power consumption area having a low renewable energy procurement rate among a plurality of the power consumption areas; A power distribution system comprising:

2. The renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit calculates the renewable energy procurement rate for all of the plurality of power consumption areas, The power distribution system according to claim 1 , wherein the power supply control unit supplies the surplus power to at least one of the power consumption areas so that the renewable energy procurement rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined value in all of the power consumption areas.

3. The power distribution system according to claim 1 , wherein when the surplus power is supplied to the plurality of power consumption areas, the power supply control unit supplies the power in ascending order of the renewable energy procurement rate.

4. a payment processing unit that settles an electricity fee corresponding to the price of the surplus electricity between a business operator that has supplied the surplus electricity and a business operator to which the surplus electricity has been supplied, 2. The power distribution system according to claim 1, wherein when there is a sale and purchase of the product or an intermediate product generated in the process of producing the product between the business operator that supplied the surplus power and the business operator to which the surplus power was supplied, the settlement processing unit offsets the price related to the sale and purchase with at least a portion of the electricity fee to settle the sale and purchase.

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