Power supply system

Abstract

To provide a power supply system that can appropriately supply power to a plurality of facilities connected to each other via power lines even when a power outage occurs in the system.SOLUTION: A power supply system includes a fuel cell device 11 provided in a facility 10 and a fuel cell control device 20 that controls the operation of the plurality of fuel cell devices 11. The fuel cell control device 20 comprises: an information collection unit 21 that collects operation status information about the operation status of the plurality of fuel cell devices 11; a power outage possibility prediction unit 22 that predicts the possibility of a grid power outage in which power supply from a power grid 1 to the facility 10 is stopped; and an operation management unit 23 that, when the power outage possibility prediction unit 22 predicts that the grid power outage is likely to occur, performs power generation start processing that refers to the operation status information collected by the information collection unit 21 and instructs one or more fuel cell devices 11 that satisfy a power generation start condition and are currently not generating power to start power generation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a power supply system in which power collectively received from a power grid by a power receiving facility is supplied to a plurality of facilities via power lines.

Background Art

[0002] When a fuel cell device is installed in a facility such as a residence or an office, the power load provided in the facility can receive power supply not only from the power grid but also from the fuel cell device. Also, there is a technology to supply the generated power of the fuel cell device installed in the facility to the power load in the facility when a power outage occurs in which the power supply from the power grid stops. For example, the fuel cell system described in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-108666) has a configuration in which independent power generation that continues to supply power from the fuel cell device (fuel cell 1) to the load is performed when power transmission from the power grid (grid power source 6) stops.

[0003] Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-101609) describes that, in preparation for the occurrence of a power outage, when information regarding the issuance of a predetermined weather warning is acquired, the power generation amount of the fuel cell device is increased, the charge amount of the storage battery is increased in advance, or the hot water amount of the water heater is increased in advance.

[0004] Technologies for intentionally stopping the operation of the fuel cell device have also been proposed. For example, Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-263620) describes that a user sets a time zone when they do not want to operate the cogeneration device, such as the late-night time zone, as a prohibited time zone. Also, Patent Document 4 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-048996) describes that when the integrated value of power consumption and the integrated value of heat consumption at a specific time are small, the non-power generation state of the fuel cell device (fuel cell 1) is continued. Note that the reasons for stopping the operation of the fuel cell device are not limited to those described in Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4 and are various. For example, there may be a case where the operation of the fuel cell device stops due to a malfunction.

[0005] The fuel cell device is provided with a reformer, in which a raw fuel gas containing hydrocarbons such as city gas is reformed to produce a fuel gas mainly composed of hydrogen used for power generation. And the gas meter that measures the consumption of the supplied raw fuel gas is equipped with a gas leakage detection function that shuts off the gas supply suspecting a leakage of the raw fuel gas when a long period of time has passed without interruption of the use of the raw fuel gas. Therefore, in order to avoid the occurrence of shutting off the gas supply by such a gas leakage detection function, the fuel cell device may periodically perform a power generation operation stop to stop the consumption of the raw fuel gas.

[0006] In addition, when a power outage occurs while the fuel cell device is stopped, there is a problem that the fuel cell device cannot perform self-power generation. In view of such a problem, Patent Document 5 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-042411) proposes not to stop the fuel cell device while there is a high possibility of a power outage occurring. Specifically, in the system described in Patent Document 5, a power outage occurrence prediction period during which a power outage may occur is predicted by referring to weather information (information on a large typhoon that causes a power outage), disaster information, planned power outage information, etc., and the fuel cell device is made to perform a power generation operation during the power outage occurrence prediction period.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Patent Document 5

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] Although technologies have been proposed to shift the power generation stop timing when power outages are likely to occur, as in Patent Document 3, technologies for starting fuel cell devices that have stopped for various reasons such as Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4 when power outages are likely to occur have not been proposed.

[0009] In addition, instead of a single facility where a fuel cell device is installed being connected to the power grid alone, in the case of an apartment building where power received collectively by power receiving equipment from the power grid is supplied to a plurality of facilities via power lines, there may be an emergency power supply device installed in the common area, or power may be shared between facilities within the apartment building. In such cases, if a large number of fuel cell devices can be started prior to the occurrence of a power outage, the load on the emergency power supply device during a power outage can be reduced, and power can continue to be supplied from the emergency power supply device even during a long power outage period. Also, if a large number of fuel cell devices can be started prior to the occurrence of a power outage, a large amount of power can be shared between facilities. However, as described above, the fuel cell devices have stopped for various reasons, and it is difficult to determine which fuel cell device should be started.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a power supply system that can appropriately supply power even when a system power outage occurs to a plurality of facilities connected to each other via power lines.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] A characteristic configuration of a power supply system according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a power supply system in which power received collectively by power receiving equipment from a power grid is supplied to a plurality of facilities via power lines, a fuel cell device is provided in the facility, a fuel cell control device for controlling the operation of a plurality of the fuel cell devices is provided, the fuel cell control device is, An information collection unit that collects operation state information about the operation states of a plurality of the fuel cell devices; A power outage possibility prediction unit that predicts the possibility of occurrence of a system power outage in which power supply from the power grid to the facility stops; When the power outage possibility prediction unit predicts that the possibility of occurrence of the system power outage is high, referring to the operation state information collected by the information collection unit, a power generation start process is performed to instruct power generation start for one or more of the fuel cell devices that have stopped generating power and satisfy the power generation start conditions. It is in the point of including an operation management unit.

[0012] According to the above characteristic configuration, when the possibility of occurrence of a system power outage is high, one or more of the fuel cell devices that have stopped generating power and satisfy the power generation start conditions start generating power. Therefore, as the number of fuel cell devices connected to the power line increases, the total power available at a plurality of facilities during the occurrence of a system power outage can be increased. Also, when the power outage possibility prediction unit predicts that the possibility of occurrence of a system power outage is high, the operation management unit refers to the operation state information about the operation states of a plurality of fuel cell devices, and among the fuel cell devices that have stopped generating power and satisfy the power generation start conditions, It instructs power generation start for one or more fuel cell devices. That is, whether or not to start power generation of the fuel cell device that has stopped generating power can be objectively determined according to whether or not the power generation start conditions are satisfied. Therefore, it is possible to provide a power supply system that can appropriately supply power even when a system power outage occurs to a plurality of facilities connected to each other via a power line.

[0013] Another characteristic configuration of the power supply system according to the present invention is that the operation state information includes information about the past start / stop times of the fuel cell device, The operation management unit preferentially instructs power generation start for the fuel cell device having a relatively small number of start / stop times among the fuel cell devices that satisfy the power generation start conditions.

[0014] According to the above characteristic configuration, even if the fuel cell device is started by the power generation start process, An increase in the number of start-stop operations is avoided for only a specific fuel cell device among a plurality of fuel cell devices, and the number of start-stop operations of the plurality of fuel cell devices is equalized. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation where only the user of a specific fuel cell device suffers a great disadvantage due to the power generation start process.

[0015] Another characteristic configuration of the power supply system according to the present invention is that the operation state information includes information about the past cumulative power generation amount of the fuel cell device. The operation management unit gives priority to instructing the start of power generation for the fuel cell device with a relatively small cumulative power generation amount.

[0016] According to the above characteristic configuration, even if a fuel cell device is started by the power generation start process, An increase in the cumulative power generation amount is avoided for only a specific fuel cell device among a plurality of fuel cell devices, and the cumulative power generation amounts of the plurality of fuel cell devices are equalized. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation where only the user of a specific fuel cell device suffers a great disadvantage due to the power generation start process.

[0017] Another characteristic configuration of the power supply system according to the present invention is that the operation state information includes information on whether power generation start of the fuel cell device is approved when the probability of a system power outage is high. The operation management unit determines that the fuel cell device approved for power generation start when the probability of a system power outage is high satisfies the power generation start condition in the power generation start process.

[0018] According to the above characteristic configuration, it is possible to avoid instructing the start of power generation for a fuel cell device for which power generation start is not approved when the probability of a system power outage is high.

[0019] Another characteristic configuration of the power supply system according to the present invention is that the operation state information includes information on whether the fuel cell device is set to be able to reverse power flow to the outside of the facility with respect to the generated power. In the power generation start process, the operation management unit determines that the fuel cell device, which is set to be able to feed power back in reverse to the outside of the facility, satisfies the power generation start condition.

[0020] According to the above characteristic configuration, when a fuel cell device that is set to be able to feed power back in reverse to the outside of the facility starts generating power, the power that can be supplied to the power line (that is, the power that can be supplied from the power line to a plurality of facilities) increases. As a result, the total power available at a plurality of facilities during a system power outage can be increased.

[0021] Another characteristic configuration of the power supply system according to the present invention is that the operation state information includes information on whether or not the fuel cell device is set to be able to feed power back in reverse to the outside of the facility only when the system power outage has occurred. In the power generation start process, the operation management unit determines that the fuel cell device, which is set to be able to feed power back in reverse to the outside of the facility only when the system power outage has occurred, satisfies the power generation start condition, instructs the fuel cell device to start power generation, and when the system power outage has occurred, sets the fuel cell device to be able to feed power back in reverse to the outside of the facility.

[0022] According to the above characteristic configuration, when a fuel cell device that is set to be able to feed power back in reverse to the outside of the facility only when the system power outage has occurred starts generating power, the power that can be supplied to the power line (that is, the power that can be supplied from the power line to a plurality of facilities) increases. As a result, the total power available at a plurality of facilities during a system power outage can be increased.

[0023] Another characteristic configuration of the power supply system according to the present invention is that it includes an emergency power supply device that can supply power to the power line when the system power outage has occurred.

[0024] According to the above-described characteristic configuration, since the emergency power supply device can supply power to the power line, the power that can be supplied from the power line to a plurality of facilities increases. As a result, the total power available at a plurality of facilities during a system power outage can be increased. Also, as described above, starting the power generation of the fuel cell device during power generation stoppage means reducing the load on the emergency power supply device when a system power outage actually occurs. Therefore, even if the power outage period of the system power outage becomes long, power can continue to be supplied from the emergency power supply device.

[0025] Another characteristic configuration of the power supply system according to the present invention is that the operation state information includes information about the reason why the fuel cell device has stopped power generation. In the power generation start process, the operation management unit determines that the fuel cell device that has stopped power generation due to a malfunction does not satisfy the power generation start condition.

[0026] According to the above-described characteristic configuration, it is possible to prevent a fuel cell device that has a problem in performing a power generation operation from being instructed to perform a power generation operation.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027]

Figure 1

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0028] Hereinafter, a power supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a power supply system. As shown in the figure, the power supply system is configured such that power received in a lump by a power receiving facility 2 from a power grid 1 is supplied to a plurality of facilities 10 via a power line 6. The facilities 10 are, for example, residential houses or business offices, and the power supply system of this embodiment is a system provided, for example, in an apartment house with collective power reception. The power supplied from the power grid 1 is received by the power receiving facility 2, and power is supplied from the power receiving facility 2 to each facility 10. FIG. 1 shows an example in which six facilities 10 (10A to 10F) are provided, but the number can be changed as appropriate. Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described by taking the case where a plurality of facilities 10 are included in an apartment house as an example.

[0029] The power supply system includes a fuel cell control device 20 that controls the operation of a plurality of fuel cell devices 11 provided in the facilities 10. The fuel cell control device 20 can be realized by using, for example, a server configured to be able to communicate with each other via an information communication line 8 between each facility 10. The functions of the fuel cell control device 20 will be described later.

[0030] The power line 6 provided in the apartment house is composed of a shared power line 6a and a facility power line 6b. The shared power line 6a is connected to the power grid 1 via the power receiving facility 2. A transformer 25 is provided in the middle of the shared power line 6a, and a high-voltage power load 5 is connected to the shared power line 6a on the upstream side (the power grid 1 side) of the transformer 25. Each facility 10 and a shared power load 7 are connected to the shared power line 6a on the downstream side of the transformer 25. Each facility 10 is provided with a facility power line 6b connected to the shared power line 6a.

[0031] The power supply system includes a system connection protection device 3 together with a power receiving facility 2. When a predetermined disconnection condition is satisfied when disconnecting the shared power line 6a from the power system 1, the system connection protection device 3 electrically disconnects the shared power line 6a from the power system 1 at the power receiving facility 2, and outputs an abnormal signal to the emergency power supply device 4. When the disconnection condition is not satisfied, the power receiving facility 2 electrically connects the shared power line 6a to the power system 1 and electrically disconnects the emergency power supply device 4 from the shared power line 6a. This disconnection condition is, for example, when a system power outage occurs where the power supply from the power system 1 stops, and the state where the voltage of the power system 1 is less than the reference voltage continues for a certain period of time or more, but the content can be set as appropriate.

[0032] Information about whether the shared power line 6a is electrically connected to the power system 1, for example, information about whether the system connection protection device 3 is outputting an abnormal signal, is transmitted to the fuel cell control device 20 via the information communication line 8 and stored in the information storage unit 24. Therefore, the fuel cell control device 20 can know whether a system power outage has occurred in the apartment house. Note that the fuel cell control device 20 can also know whether a system power outage has occurred in the apartment house by other means. For example, information about the voltage of the facility power line 6b measured by a voltage measurement unit (not shown) of the fuel cell device 11 is transmitted to the fuel cell control device 20 via the information communication line 8. When the fuel cell control device 20 detects that the state where the voltage of the facility power line 6b is less than the reference voltage has continued for a certain period of time or more by the voltage measurement unit (not shown) of the fuel cell device 11, it can also determine that the shared power line 6a is not electrically connected to the power system 1 (that is, a system power outage has occurred in the apartment house).

[0033] The power supply system includes an emergency power supply device 4. The emergency power supply device 4 may have, for example, a power generation unit that consumes fuel to generate electricity, or a power storage unit that can charge and discharge electricity, or both.

[0034] When the emergency power supply device 4 receives an abnormal signal output by the system connection protection device 3, it outputs power to the shared power line 6a. For example, when the disconnection condition is satisfied due to a power outage of the system or the like, that is, when the emergency power supply device 4 receives an abnormal signal output by the system connection protection device 3, the output power to the shared power line 6a is adjusted so that the voltage of the shared power line 6a maintains a state within a predetermined range from the target voltage.

[0035] The power supply system includes a fuel cell device 11. In the example shown in FIG. 1, an example is depicted in which fuel cell devices 11A to 11F are provided in each of the facilities 10A to 10F. Note that although FIG. 1 depicts an example in which the fuel cell device 11 is provided in all the facilities 10, there may be facilities 10 in which the fuel cell device 11 is not provided.

[0036] The fuel cell device 11 is configured to reform a raw fuel gas such as city gas containing hydrocarbons supplied to the facility 10 to generate a fuel gas containing hydrogen, and perform a power generation operation using the fuel gas. In this case, the fuel cell device 11 can perform a power generation operation as long as the supply of the raw fuel gas continues. However, a gas meter for measuring the supply amount of the raw fuel gas is equipped with a gas leakage detection function that shuts off the gas supply in case of suspected raw fuel gas leakage after a long period has passed without interruption of the use of the raw fuel gas. Therefore, the fuel cell device 11 may periodically perform a power generation operation stop to stop the consumption of the raw fuel gas in the fuel cell device 11 for a certain period. Also, for reasons such as the user of the facility 10 being away for a long time, the user can instruct the operation stop of the fuel cell device 11.

[0037] In the facility 10, the fuel cell device 11 and the facility power load 12 are connected to the facility power line 6b. And at least one of the power supplied from the shared power line 6a and the generated power of the fuel cell device 11 is supplied to the facility power load 12.

[0038] The facility power line 6b is provided with a power measurement unit 13 that measures the power received by the facility 10. When the load power of the facility power load 12 is greater than the generated power of the fuel cell device 11, the power measured by the power measurement unit 13 becomes a positive value. When the load power of the facility power load 12 is less than the generated power of the fuel cell device 11, the power measured by the power measurement unit 13 becomes a negative value. The measurement result of the power measurement unit 13 is transmitted to the fuel cell device 11.

[0039] At each facility 10, it is set whether to supply the generated power of the fuel cell device 11 to the common power line 6a outside the facility 10, that is, whether to perform reverse power flow of the generated power of the fuel cell device 11. Information about whether to supply the generated power of the fuel cell device 11 to the common power line 6a outside the facility 10 is transmitted to the fuel cell control device 20 via the information communication line 8 and stored in the information storage unit 24 as one of the operation state information about the operation state of the fuel cell device 11.

[0040] At each facility 10, when it is set not to supply the generated power of the fuel cell device 11 to the common power line 6a outside the facility 10 (that is, when the reverse power flow cannot be set), the fuel cell device 11 controls its own generated power so that the power measured by the power measurement unit 13 does not become a negative value. For example, the fuel cell device 11 controls its own generated power to follow the load power of the facility power load 12. On the other hand, when it is set to be able to supply the generated power of the fuel cell device 11 to the common power line 6a outside the facility 10 (that is, when the reverse power flow can be set), the fuel cell device 11 controls its own generated power regardless of the magnitude of the power measured by the power measurement unit 13, and the generated power of the fuel cell device 11 exceeding the load power of the facility power load 12 is supplied to the common power line 6a outside the facility 10. For example, the fuel cell device 11 can operate with a constant generated power such as the rated generated power. The setting of whether the generated power of the fuel cell device 11 can be supplied to the common power line 6a outside the facility 10 (that is, the setting of whether reverse power flow is possible) can be performed, for example, by the user of the fuel cell device 11 inputting to the fuel cell device 11.

[0041] Thus, in a power supply system in which the power received collectively by the power receiving equipment 2 from the power grid 1 is supplied to a plurality of facilities 10 via the power line 6, when a system power outage occurs, the power supply from the power grid 1 to the common power line 6a stops. However, if the fuel cell device 11 installed in the facility 10 is in a power generation operation, at least a part of the facility power load 12 can operate with the generated power. Further, if the fuel cell device 11 of any one of the facilities 10 is set to be able to feed the generated power in reverse, and if the fuel cell device 11 is in a power generation operation, the generated power may be supplied to the common power line 6a. In that case, the facility power load 12 of other facilities 10 can be operated. Furthermore, while the emergency power supply device 4 can supply power, the supplied power is supplied to the common power line 6a, and the facility power load 12 of any one of the facilities 10 can be operated. Note that when no power is supplied to the common power line 6a, no power is supplied from the common power line 6a to the facilities 10 either, so the fuel cell device 11 during power generation stop cannot be started.

[0042] From the above, when it can be predicted at a stage before the occurrence of a system power outage that the possibility of occurrence of a system power outage is high, it is preferable to start the power generation operation of the fuel cell device 11 during power generation stop in advance, and it is preferable that many fuel cell devices 11 are in a power generation operation while the system power outage is occurring.

[0043] At each facility 10, information on whether the fuel cell device 11 is in a power generation state or a power generation stop state is transmitted to the fuel cell control device 20 via the information communication line 8 as one of the operation state information on the operation state of the fuel cell device 11 and stored in the information storage unit 24.

[0044] When the fuel cell device 11 is in a power generation stop state, information about the reason for the power generation stop is also transmitted to the fuel cell control device 20 via the information communication line 8 and stored in the information storage unit 24 as one of the operation state information about the operation state of the fuel cell device 11. For example, when the power generation stop is in response to an instruction from a resident of the facility 10, when the fuel cell device 11 stops power generation due to a malfunction, when the fuel cell device 11 stops power generation to avoid gas supply interruption by the above-described gas leakage detection function, etc., the reason for the power generation stop is transmitted to the fuel cell control device 20 as one of the operation state information.

[0045] Information about the past start / stop count of the fuel cell device 11 in each facility 10 is also transmitted to the fuel cell control device 20 via the information communication line 8 and stored in the information storage unit 24 as one of the operation state information about the operation state of the fuel cell device 11. For example, the fuel cell device 11 can count one start / stop when it stops after starting the fuel cell device 11.

[0046] Information about the past cumulative power generation amount (Wh) of the fuel cell device 11 in each facility 10 is also transmitted to the fuel cell control device 20 via the information communication line 8 and stored in the information storage unit 24 as one of the operation state information about the operation state of the fuel cell device 11.

[0047] Information on whether it is agreed to start power generation of the fuel cell device 11 when the possibility of a system power outage is high is also transmitted to the fuel cell control device 20 via the information communication line 8 and stored in the information storage unit 24 as one of the operation state information about the operation state of the fuel cell device 11. That is, whether the user of the fuel cell device 11 rejects starting power generation of the fuel cell device 11 when the possibility of a system power outage is high is included in this operation state information.

[0048] Information regarding whether or not the power generation power of the fuel cell device 11 can be fed back to the outside of the facility 10 in reverse power flow is also transmitted to the fuel cell control device 20 via the information communication line 8 as one of the operation state information regarding the operation state of the fuel cell device 11, and is stored in the information storage unit 24. That is, whether or not the power generation power of the fuel cell device 11 is set to be always fed back to the outside of the facility 10 in reverse power flow is included in this operation state information.

[0049] Information regarding whether or not the power generation power of the fuel cell device 11 can be fed back to the outside of the facility 10 in reverse power flow only when a system power outage has occurred is also transmitted to the fuel cell control device 20 via the information communication line 8 as one of the operation state information regarding the operation state of the fuel cell device 11, and is stored in the information storage unit 24. That is, when there is no system power outage, the power generation power of the fuel cell device 11 is not fed back to the outside of the facility 10, but whether or not the power generation power of the fuel cell device 11 can be fed back to the outside of the facility 10 in reverse power flow only when a system power outage has occurred is included in this operation state information.

[0050] Information such as whether or not it is agreed to start power generation of the fuel cell device 11 when the possibility of a system power outage is high as described above, the setting of whether or not the power generation power of the fuel cell device 11 can be fed back to the outside of the facility 10, and the setting of whether or not the power generation power of the fuel cell device 11 can be fed back to the outside of the facility 10 only when a system power outage has occurred are input by the user to the fuel cell device 11, stored in a storage unit (not shown) of the fuel cell device 11, further transmitted to the fuel cell control device 20 via the information communication line 8, and stored in the information storage unit 24.

[0051] In such a power supply system, it is preferable that the fuel cell device 11 during power generation stop can be started prior to the occurrence of a system power outage. However, the fuel cell device 11 has been stopped for various reasons, and it is difficult to determine which fuel cell device 11 should be started. Therefore, the power supply system of the present embodiment includes a fuel cell control device 20.

[0052] The fuel cell control device 20 includes an information collection unit 21, a power outage possibility prediction unit 22, and an operation management unit 23. In addition, the fuel cell control device 20 includes an information storage unit 24 that stores information to be handled.

[0053] The information collection unit 21 collects operation state information about the operation states of a plurality of fuel cell devices 11. The operation state information includes at least one of information on whether the fuel cell device 11 is generating power or has stopped generating power, information on the reason why the fuel cell device 11 has stopped generating power, information on whether the generated power of the fuel cell device 11 can flow back in reverse to the outside of the facility 10 where the fuel cell device 11 is installed, information on whether it is agreed to start generating power of the fuel cell device 11 in the event of a grid power outage, information on the past start / stop times of the fuel cell device 11, and information on the past cumulative power generation amount of the fuel cell device 11.

[0054] The power outage possibility prediction unit 22 predicts the possibility of a grid power outage in which the power supply from the power grid 1 to the facility 10 stops. Specifically, the power outage possibility prediction unit 22 receives transmission of information such as weather information (information on large typhoons that cause power outages), disaster information such as fires and floods, and planned power outage information from the information providing server 9. Then, the power outage possibility prediction unit 22 predicts, for example, at a predetermined timing such as exactly on time or the timing when information is received from the information providing server 9, the possibility of a grid power outage in the area where the facility 10 is installed within a set period such as the next few days, and the predicted occurrence time of the grid power outage.

[0055] For example, the power outage possibility prediction unit 22 receives, from the information providing server 9, as meteorological information, information on the predicted path of a typhoon and the range of the typhoon's storm area. Then, when it is predicted that the area where the facility 10 is installed will be included in the typhoon's storm area in the future, the power outage possibility prediction unit 22 determines that the possibility of a system power outage is high, and when it is predicted that the area will not be included in the typhoon's storm area in the future, the power outage possibility prediction unit 22 determines that the possibility of a system power outage is low. Note that what information is provided from the information providing server 9 to the power outage possibility prediction unit 22 and how the power outage possibility prediction unit 22 predicts the possibility of a system power outage can be set as appropriate.

[0056] When the power outage possibility prediction unit 22 predicts that the possibility of a system power outage is high, the operation management unit 23 refers to the operation state information collected by the information collection unit 21 and performs a power generation start process of instructing one or more of the fuel cell devices 11 that are in a power generation stop state and satisfy the power generation start condition to start power generation (that is, instructs the cancellation of the power generation stop).

[0057] The operation management unit 23 may instruct the fuel cell device 11 to start power generation and also instruct the target power generation power and the like. For example, when the power generation power of the fuel cell device 11 can be fed back in the reverse direction to the outside of the facility 10, that is, to the common power line 6a, the operation management unit 23 can instruct to set the rated power generation power or the like as the target power generation power. Alternatively, when the power generation power of the fuel cell device 11 cannot be fed back to the outside of the facility 10, the operation management unit 23 can instruct to set the power that follows the load power of the facility power load 12 as the target power generation power. Note that the target power generation power described here is described for illustrative purposes and can be changed as appropriate.

[0058] Table 1 below shows an example of the operation state information regarding the fuel cell devices 11A to 11F stored in the information storage unit 24.

[0059]

Table 1

[0060] In the power generation start-up process, the operation management unit 23 may determine that a fuel cell device 11 that has been approved to start power generation when there is a high possibility of a system power outage meets the power generation start-up conditions. In the example shown in Table 1, all fuel cell devices 11 have been approved for power generation start-up. Therefore, the operation management unit 23 determines that all fuel cell devices 11 meet the power generation start-up conditions. On the other hand, the operation management unit 23 may determine that a fuel cell device 11 without approval for power generation start-up does not meet the power generation start-up conditions.

[0061] In the power generation start-up process, the operation management unit 23 may determine that a fuel cell device 11 that has stopped power generation due to a malfunction does not meet the power generation start-up conditions. In the example shown in Table 1, since the fuel cell device 11E has stopped power generation due to a malfunction such as an alarm, it is determined that it does not meet the power generation start-up conditions. That is, in the power supply system, a fuel cell device 11 that has stopped power generation due to a malfunction will not be instructed to start power generation even when there is a high possibility of a system power outage. On the other hand, the operation management unit 23 may determine that a fuel cell device 11 meets the power generation start-up conditions when the reason for the power generation stop is other than a malfunction.

[0062] In the power generation start-up process, the operation management unit 23 may determine that a fuel cell device 11 meets the power generation start-up conditions when it is set to be able to reverse power flow to the outside of the facility 10 with the generated power. That is, a fuel cell device 11 that is set to be able to reverse power flow to the outside of the facility 10 is useful in that it can also supply power to the common power line 6a as described above, and it is particularly desired to start power generation even during a power generation stop. Therefore, it is determined that it meets the power generation start-up conditions. On the other hand, the operation management unit 23 may determine that a fuel cell device 11 does not meet the power generation start-up conditions when it is set so that the generated power cannot be reverse-flowed to the outside of the facility 10.

[0063] In the power generation start-up process, the operation management unit 23 may determine that the fuel cell device 11, which is set to be able to feed power back in reverse to the outside of the facility 10 only when a system power outage has occurred, meets the power generation start-up conditions. Even if the fuel cell device 11 is set not to be able to feed power back in reverse to the outside of the facility 10, the fuel cell device 11, which is set to be able to feed power back in reverse to the outside of the facility 10 only when a system power outage has occurred, is useful in that it can supply power to the common power line 6a even while a system power outage is occurring. Since it is particularly desirable to start power generation even during a power generation stop and supply the generated power to the common power line 6a, it is determined that the power generation start-up conditions are met. On the other hand, the operation management unit 23 may determine that the power generation start-up conditions are not met when the fuel cell device is not set to be able to feed power back in reverse to the outside of the facility 10 only when a system power outage has occurred.

[0064] As described above, a plurality of power generation start-up conditions have been explained. However, the operation management unit 23 can apply only any one of the plurality of power generation start-up conditions, or can apply any plurality of the power generation start-up conditions. For example, only the presence or absence of consent to start power generation may be adopted as the power generation start-up condition. In that case, the operation management unit 23 determines that all the fuel cell devices 11 with consent to start power generation meet the power generation start-up conditions, and instructs one or more of the fuel cell devices 11 to start power generation.

[0065] Alternatively, as a power generation start condition, the operation management unit 23 may adopt, for example, a setting that allows reverse power flow of the generated power to the outside of the facility 10, and a setting that allows reverse power flow of the generated power to the outside of the facility 10 only when a system power outage has occurred. In that case, the operation management unit 23 determines that the fuel cell devices 11C, 11E, which are set to be able to reverse power flow the generated power to the outside of the facility 10, and the fuel cell device 11F, which is set to be able to reverse power flow the generated power to the outside of the facility 10 only when a system power outage has occurred, satisfy the power generation start condition, and instructs one or more of the fuel cell devices 11 to start power generation. Further, when the operation management unit 23 instructs a fuel cell device 11 that is set to be able to reverse power flow the generated power to the outside of the facility 10 only when a system power outage has occurred to start power generation, communication can be performed to set the generated power to be able to reverse power flow to the outside of the facility 10 when an actual system power outage has occurred. Note that when the system power outage has ended, the operation management unit 23 performs communication to set the fuel cell device 11 so that the generated power cannot be reverse-powered to the outside of the facility 10. Note that information on whether an actual system power outage has occurred may be acquired by the fuel cell control device 20 from the system connection protection device 3 via the information communication line 8, or information on whether the emergency power supply device 4 is operating (i.e., whether a system power outage has occurred) may be acquired from the emergency power supply device 4 via the information communication line 8. Alternatively, as described above, the operation management unit 23 acquires information on the voltage of the facility power line 6b measured by the voltage measurement unit (not shown) of the fuel cell device 11 via the information communication line 8, and when it is detected that the state where the voltage of the facility power line 6b is less than the reference voltage has continued for a certain period of time or more, it may be determined that the shared power line 6a is not electrically connected to the power system 1 (i.e., a system power outage has occurred in the apartment house).

[0066] The operation management unit 23 selects the power generation stopped fuel cell devices 11 that satisfy the power generation start condition as described above. It may instruct all the selected fuel cell devices 11 to start power generation, or may instruct only any one of the selected fuel cell devices 11 to start power generation.

[0067] In that case, the operation management unit 23 can preferentially instruct the start of power generation for the fuel cell device 11 with relatively few start-stop cycles among the fuel cell devices 11 that satisfy the power generation start condition. Alternatively, the operation management unit 23 may preferentially instruct the start of power generation for the fuel cell device 11 with a relatively small cumulative power generation amount.

[0068] When a power outage of the grid power supply actually occurs, the emergency power supply device 4 operates to supply power to the common power line 6a. In addition, when there is a fuel cell device 11 capable of reverse power flow in any of the facilities 10, the generated power of the fuel cell device 11 may be supplied to the common power line 6a. As a result, there is a high possibility that power will continue to be supplied to each facility 10 for a certain period after the grid power outage occurs. However, when the fuel of the emergency power supply device 4 runs out, the power supply from the emergency power supply device 4 to the common power line 6a will be interrupted.

[0069] As described above, in the power supply system of the present embodiment, when the possibility of a grid power outage is high, one or more of the fuel cell devices 11 that are stopped from generating power and satisfy the power generation start condition start generating power. Therefore, as the number of fuel cell devices 11 connected to the power line 6 increases, the total power available for use in a plurality of facilities 10 during a grid power outage can be increased. In addition, when the power outage prediction unit 22 predicts that the possibility of a grid power outage is high, the operation management unit 23 refers to the operation state information about the operation states of the plurality of fuel cell devices 11 and instructs the start of power generation for one or more of the fuel cell devices 11 that are stopped from generating power and satisfy the power generation start condition. That is, whether to start the fuel cell device 11 that is stopped from generating power can be objectively determined according to whether the power generation start condition is satisfied. Therefore, it is possible to provide a power supply system that can appropriately supply power to a plurality of facilities 10 connected to each other via the power line 6 even when a grid power outage occurs.

[0070] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the emergency power supply device 4 can supply power to the power line 6, the power that can be supplied from the power line 6 to the plurality of facilities 10 increases. As a result, the total power available at the plurality of facilities 10 during a power outage can be increased. Also, as described above, starting the power generation of the fuel cell device 11 during power generation stoppage reduces the load on the emergency power supply device 4 when a power outage actually occurs. Therefore, even if the power outage period of the power outage becomes long, power can continue to be supplied from the emergency power supply device 4.

[0071] <Alternative Embodiment> In the above embodiment, the configuration of the power supply system has been specifically described, but the configuration can be changed as appropriate.

[0072] In the above embodiment, examples of a plurality of power generation start conditions have been described, but the content of the power generation start conditions can be changed as appropriate.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the power supply system of the present invention has been described with numerical examples, but those numerical values are described for illustrative purposes and can be changed as appropriate.

[0074] The configurations disclosed in the above embodiments (including alternative embodiments, the same applies hereinafter) can be applied in combination with the configurations disclosed in other embodiments as long as there is no contradiction, and the embodiments disclosed in this specification are illustrative, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to this, and can be appropriately modified within the scope not departing from the object of the present invention.

Industrial Applicability

[0075] The present invention can be used in a power supply system that can appropriately supply power even when a power outage occurs to a plurality of facilities connected to each other via a power line.

Explanation of Signs

[0076] 1 Power System 2 Power Receiving Equipment 3 System Connection Protection Device 4 Emergency Power Supply Device 5 High-Voltage Electric Load 6 Power Line 6a Shared Power Line 6b Facility Power Line 7 Shared Power Load 8 Information Communication Line 9 Information Providing Server 10 Facility 11 Fuel Cell Device 12 Facility Electric Load 13 Power Measurement Unit 20 Fuel Cell Control Device 21 Information Collection Unit 22 Power Outage Possibility Prediction Unit 23 Operation Management Unit 24 Information Storage Unit

Claims

1. A power supply system in which power received in a lump by a power receiving facility from a power system is supplied to a plurality of facilities via a power line, wherein a fuel cell device is provided in the facility, a fuel cell control device for controlling the operation of a plurality of the fuel cell devices is provided, the fuel cell control device includes: an information collection unit that collects operation state information about the operation states of a plurality of the fuel cell devices; a power outage possibility prediction unit that predicts the possibility of a system power outage in which the power supply from the power system to the facility stops; and an operation management unit that, when the power outage possibility prediction unit predicts that the possibility of the system power outage is high, refers to the operation state information collected by the information collection unit and performs a power generation start process of instructing one or more of the fuel cell devices that are stopped from generating power and satisfy the power generation start condition to start generating power. A power supply system.

2. The operation state information includes information about the past start and stop times of the fuel cell device, and the operation management unit preferentially instructs the fuel cell device with a relatively small number of start and stop times among the fuel cell devices that satisfy the power generation start condition to start generating power. The power supply system according to claim 1.

3. The operation state information includes information about the past cumulative power generation amount of the fuel cell device, and the operation management unit preferentially instructs the fuel cell device with a relatively small cumulative power generation amount to start generating power. The power supply system according to claim 1.

4. The operation state information includes information on whether or not it is agreed to start generating power of the fuel cell device when the possibility of the system power outage is high, and the operation management unit determines that the fuel cell device that is agreed to start generating power when the possibility of the system power outage is high satisfies the power generation start condition in the power generation start process. The power supply system according to claim 1.

5. The operation state information includes information on whether or not the fuel cell device is set to be able to reverse power flow outside the facility with the generated power, and the operation management unit determines that the fuel cell device that is set to be able to reverse power flow outside the facility satisfies the power generation start condition in the power generation start process. The power supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The operation status information includes information on whether or not the power generation power of the fuel cell device can be fed back to the outside of the facility in reverse power flow only when the system power outage has occurred. The operation management unit determines, in the power generation start process, that the fuel cell device in a setting where the power generation power can be fed back to the outside of the facility in reverse power flow only when the system power outage has occurred satisfies the power generation start condition, instructs the fuel cell device to start power generation, and sets the power generation power to be fed back to the outside of the facility in reverse power flow when the system power outage has occurred. The power supply system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. **Claim 7** The power supply system according to claim 1, further comprising an emergency power supply device capable of supplying power to the power line when the system power outage has occurred. **Claim 8** The operation status information includes information on the reason why the fuel cell device has stopped power generation. The operation management unit determines, in the power generation start process, that the fuel cell device that has stopped power generation due to a malfunction does not satisfy the power generation start condition. The power supply system according to claim 1.

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