Joint drying preparation facilities

Abstract

To provide joint drying preparation facilities in which a photovoltaic power generation panel is installed and stable running cost reduction can be achieved without depending on electric power selling.SOLUTION: A joint drying preparation facilities 1 include a plurality of dryers 10 for drying harvested grain, and a storage battery 30 for charging power generated by a photovoltaic power generation panel 20. At least one dryer 10-1 of the dryers 10 has a structure capable of simultaneously supplying power from a commercial power supply 60 and the storage battery 30. The plurality of dryers 10 start operation by power of the commercial power supply 60 sequentially from the dryer in which carrying-in of the grain is completed. When a demand value of electric power to the commercial power supply 60 reaches a predetermined threshold value during operation, electric power is simultaneously supplied from the commercial power supply 60 and the storage battery 30 to the dryer 10-1. As a result, the demand value of the commercial power supply is suppressed to the threshold value or less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a shared drying and processing facility such as a country elevator or rice center that receives harvested grain from multiple users and dries it. [Background technology]

[0002] Large-scale shared drying and processing facilities such as Country Elevator require a lot of electricity because they use multiple dust collection fans and multiple dryers for receiving and drying during the harvest season. For this reason, solar panels are installed on the roof of the facility to generate solar power and cover part of the required electricity, thereby saving energy at the facility. In addition, during the agricultural off-season, the electricity required within Country Elevator is less than during the harvest season, so the electricity generated by the solar panels is sold to the power company.

[0003] For commercial power sources, the maximum monthly demand value (average value of power usage over 30 minutes) for that month is defined as the monthly maximum power demand, and the largest value among the maximum monthly demand values ​​for that month and the preceding 11 months is defined as the contract power. The higher the contract power, the higher the electricity bill. Therefore, to prevent the demand value from exceeding a predetermined value, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a device that successively predicts the demand value of an electric injection molding machine, and if the predicted demand power exceeds a predetermined allowable power, switches the operating mode and supplies power from a power storage device to the electric motor and heater.

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 proposes using general-purpose machines for the motors and generators of equipment that requires a large current at startup, such as fire pumps, smoke exhaust fans, and other disaster prevention equipment, to prevent the demand value from exceeding a predetermined value. That is, it proposes a structure in which one load device is driven by two induction motors. Specifically, it provides a first induction motor and a second induction motor as drive sources, and combines the outputs of the first and second induction motors to operate the input shaft of the load device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6948443 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 7247722 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In terms of national policies, the "Feed-in Tariff Scheme for Renewable Energy," under which the government promises that electric power companies will purchase electricity generated from renewable energy sources at a fixed price for a set period of time, is scheduled to be phased out starting in 2019. Energy-saving and cost-cutting measures such as "selling the electricity generated by solar panels installed on the roof of a country elevator during the agricultural off-season," as mentioned above, are no longer sufficient. This has made it difficult to recover the initial costs of installing solar panels, limiting the benefits of installing them.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a shared drying and preparation facility that is equipped with solar panels and that allows for stable, low running costs without relying on electricity sales. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the shared drying and processing facility of the present invention includes a plurality of dryers for drying harvested grain, a conveyor for sequentially transporting grain to the plurality of dryers, solar panels, a storage battery for storing power generated by the solar panels, a detection unit for detecting the power demand value for commercial power (average power usage over 30 minutes), and a control unit. At least one of the plurality of dryers is configured to be capable of receiving power simultaneously from both the commercial power source and the storage battery. The control unit sequentially starts operation using commercial power for each of the plurality of dryers, beginning with the dryers that have completed receiving grain, receives the demand value detected by the detection unit during operation, and, when the demand value reaches a predetermined threshold, supplies power from the commercial power source and the storage battery to those of the dryers that can be supplied with power simultaneously.

[0009] The capacity of the storage battery is preferably such that it can store at least a predetermined required amount of power corresponding to the product of the time during which the power exceeds a threshold and the amount of power that exceeds the threshold, when all dryers are started in sequence, starting with the dryers that have completed loading grains using a conveyor, and operating until the drying of the grain in all dryers is completed.

[0010] The control unit can be configured to acquire the weather forecast for the next day at a predetermined weather forecast acquisition time on the day when operation of the first of the multiple dryers is started, and charge the storage battery according to a predetermined charging pattern depending on whether the acquired weather forecast is sunny, cloudy, or rainy.

[0011] The storage battery can have a capacity equal to or greater than the required amount of power but less than twice the required amount. In this case, if the acquired weather forecast for the next day is sunny or cloudy, the control unit charges the storage battery with power generated by the solar panels from the time the weather forecast was acquired until a predetermined charge amount determination time. At the charge amount determination time, the control unit determines whether the amount of power stored in the storage battery is equal to or greater than the required amount of power. If it is less than the required amount of power, the control unit charges the storage battery to the required amount of power using power from a commercial power source by the time the drying starts. On the other hand, if the acquired weather forecast for the next day is rain, the control unit determines to stop receiving grain for that day, charges the storage battery with power generated by the solar panels, and then acquires the weather forecast at the time the weather forecast for the next day is acquired and executes a predetermined charging pattern for the storage battery depending on whether the acquired weather forecast is sunny, cloudy, or rainy.

[0012] Alternatively, a storage battery with a capacity at least twice the required amount of power can be used. In this case, before acquiring the weather forecast at the weather forecast acquisition time, the control unit determines whether the remaining amount of power in the storage battery is equal to or greater than the required amount of power. If the remaining amount of power is equal to or greater than the required amount of power, the control unit charges the storage battery with power generated by the solar panel until the drying start time, regardless of the weather forecast acquired at the weather forecast acquisition time. If the remaining amount of power in the storage battery is less than the required amount of power, the control unit charges the storage battery using a predetermined charging pattern depending on whether the weather forecast acquired at the weather forecast acquisition time is sunny, cloudy, or rainy.

[0013] The dryer that can be supplied with power from both a commercial power source and a storage battery simultaneously can be configured to include a fan, a first motor that runs on power from the commercial power source, and a second motor that runs on power from the storage battery, where the first motor and the second motor are configured to rotate the same rotating shaft of the fan. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, a shared drying and preparation facility can be provided that uses solar panels and allows for stable low running costs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a shared drying and preparation facility 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a graph illustrating demand values ​​of a shared drying and preparation facility according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] (a) A graph showing the power consumption of three dryers in the shared drying and preparation facility 1 of embodiment 1, and (b) a graph showing the change over time in the overall power (demand value) of the shared drying and preparation facility 1 of embodiment 1. [Figure 4] 1(a) and 1(b) are a top view and a side view of the fan 13, the main motor 14, and the auxiliary motor 15 of the shared drying and preparation facility 1 of the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 10(a) and 10(b) are a top view and a side view of another example of the configuration of the fan 13, the main motor 14, and the auxiliary motor 15 of the shared drying and preparing facility 1 of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart showing the operation of the shared drying and preparation facility 1 of the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart showing the operation of the shared drying and preparation facility 1 of the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the shared drying and preparation facility of the second embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the shared drying and preparation facility of the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, a shared drying and preparation facility according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] <<Summary>> A shared drying and processing facility is a facility that receives harvested grain from multiple users and dries and processes it. As shown in FIG. 1 , the shared drying and processing facility 1 of this embodiment includes multiple dryers 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3 that dry harvested grain, and a storage battery 30 for charging power generated by solar panels 20. At least one of the dryers 10, dryer 10-1, is configured to be able to receive power simultaneously from a commercial power source 60 and the storage battery 30. The multiple dryers 10 begin operating using power from the commercial power source 60, starting with the dryer that has completed receiving grain. During operation, a detection unit 70 detects the power demand value for the commercial power source 60 (average power usage over a 30-minute period), and when the demand value reaches a predetermined threshold, power is simultaneously supplied to dryer 10-1 from the commercial power source 60 and the storage battery 30. This suppresses the demand value for the commercial power source to be below the threshold.

[0018] In this way, by charging the storage battery 30 with the power generated by the solar panel 20 and using the charged power as auxiliary power for some of the dryers 10-1, the demand value of the commercial power supply at the shared drying facility during the harvest season (busy season) can be kept below a threshold value, as shown in FIG. 2. The basic charge for the commercial power supply is determined by the contracted power, which is set to the maximum value of the maximum monthly demand power (maximum monthly demand value) over the most recent 12 months. Therefore, the shared drying and processing facility of this embodiment can reduce the demand value, making it possible to achieve stable low running costs without relying on selling power.

[0019] <<Embodiment 1>> The shared drying and preparation facility of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0020] In the first embodiment, the capacity of the storage battery 30 is designed so that when all the dryers in the shared drying and preparation facility 1 are operated sequentially from the evening until the next morning to dry the delivered grains, the power required during peak periods exceeding a threshold can be covered by the power stored in the storage battery 30. In addition, the charging pattern of the storage battery 30 is changed according to the weather forecast for a predetermined time after operation. This will be explained in detail below.

[0021] First, the structure of the shared drying and processing facility 1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the equipment that performs the drying process in the shared drying and processing facility 1. In addition to the equipment shown in Fig. 1, the shared drying and processing facility 1 is also equipped with a storage silo, a huller, a sorter, etc., but their description will be omitted here.

[0022] As shown in Figure 1, the device that performs the drying process includes a receiving device 80, multiple (here, three) dryers 10, a conveying machine 40, multiple dust collection fans 50, solar panels 20 arranged on the roof of the building, a storage battery 30, a detection unit 70 that detects demand values, and a control device 90 that controls the operation of each unit.

[0023] The solar panel 20 generates electricity by receiving sunlight and stores the generated electricity in the storage battery 30.

[0024] The goods receiving device 80 is a device that receives grains such as rice (husks) and wheat that users have harvested and brought in from farm fields, removes impurities, and then weighs them.

[0025] Each of the multiple dryers 10 (here, three dryers 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3) uses power from a commercial power source 60 to dry grain received by a receiving device 80. The dryers 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3 each include a grain storage section 11 that stores the grain to be dried, a fan 13 that blows air onto the grain in the grain storage section 11 and expels dust from the dryer to the outside, a heater 12 that heats the air that the fan 13 blows onto the grain, and a main motor 14 that drives the fan 13 to rotate. The main motor 14 is supplied with power from the commercial power source 60. The heater 12 heats the air by burning a fuel such as kerosene.

[0026] Dryers 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3 are also equipped with sensors that detect the moisture content of the grain in grain storage section 11, and dry the grain until the moisture content reaches a preset value.

[0027] At least one dryer 10-1 among the dryers 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3 is configured to be able to receive power simultaneously from the commercial power source 60 and the storage battery 30. When the demand value of the dryers 10-1, 10-2, 10-3, etc. from the commercial power source 60 reaches a predetermined threshold, the dryer 10-1 performs drying using power from both the commercial power source 60 and the storage battery 30, thereby suppressing the demand value to below the threshold.

[0028] Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the dryer 10-1 is provided with an auxiliary motor 15 that drives the fan 13 to rotate, and the auxiliary motor 15 is driven to rotate by power from the storage battery 30.

[0029] As an example, FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) show a top view and a side view of the fan 13, which is rotationally driven by the main motor 14 and the auxiliary motor 15. The fan 13 includes an impeller 13-3 and an impeller shaft 13-2. One end of the impeller shaft 13-2 is provided with a fan pulley 13-1. One end of the motor shaft 14-2 of the main motor 14 is provided with a motor pulley 14-1. The motor pulley 14-1 is connected to the fan pulley 13-1 by a fan belt 13-4. The main motor 14 is supplied with power from a commercial power source 60, and rotates the impeller 13-3.

[0030] The other end of motor shaft 14-2 of main motor 14 is connected to the motor shaft of auxiliary motor 15 via clutch 16. Auxiliary motor 15 rotates motor shaft 14-2 of main motor 14 via clutch 16, thereby assisting the rotation of impeller 13-3. Power is supplied to auxiliary motor 15 from storage battery 30, and the rotation of motor shaft 14-2 of main motor 14 is assisted by the power from the storage battery. As a result, the load on main motor 14 of dryer 10-1 is reduced by auxiliary motor 15, and power consumption of commercial power supply 60 by main motor 14 is reduced.

[0031] In addition, as shown in Figures 5(a) and (b), the auxiliary motor 15 can also be arranged at the other end of the impeller shaft 13-2 of the fan 13, and the auxiliary motor 15 can directly rotate the impeller shaft 13-2 via the clutch 16.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the operation of the fan 13 is assisted by the power of the storage battery 30, but the operation of the dust collection fan 50 may also be assisted by the power of the storage battery 30.

[0033] A conveyor 40 is disposed between the receiving device 80 and the dryers 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3. For example, the conveyor 40 first carries the grain received by the receiving device 80 into the grain storage section 11 of the dryer 10-1. When the grain storage section 11 of the dryer 10-1 becomes full, the conveyor 40 changes its direction of conveyance toward the dryer 10-2 and carries the grain into the grain storage section 11 of the dryer 10-2. When the grain storage section 11 of the dryer 10-2 becomes full, the conveyor 40 changes its direction of conveyance toward the dryer 10-3 and carries the grain into the grain storage section 11 of the dryer 10-3.

[0034] The dust collection fan 50 collects dust generated by the goods receiving device 80 and the conveyor 40.

[0035] The detector 70 detects the demand values ​​(average values ​​of power usage over 30 minutes) of the main motor 14, the dust collection fan 50, and the conveyor 40 from the commercial power source.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 3(a), when dryers 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3 are operated in sequence, starting with the dryer that has completed loading grains using conveyor 40, and are operated until all dryers 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3 have completed drying the grains, there is a peak time period during which all three dryers 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3 are operating simultaneously, and the required power changes as shown in FIG. 3(b). The threshold value is set so that, in the absence of power supply from storage battery 30, the demand value for commercial power source 60 exceeds the threshold value during the peak time period during which all three dryers 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3 are operating simultaneously. The capacity of storage battery 30 is designed to be such that it can continue to supply power consumption exceeding the threshold value during the peak time period during which dryers 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3 are operating. To further explain, the capacity of the storage battery 30 is designed to be capable of storing at least the required amount of power, which is calculated by multiplying the length of the peak period during which power exceeds the threshold by the amount of power that exceeds the threshold.

[0037] Hereinafter, the operation of the drying process device of the shared drying and preparation facility of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0038] <Steps 101 and 102> The receiving device 80 receives the harvested grain from the user and measures its weight.

[0039] <Steps 103 and 104> The control device 90 operates the conveyor 40 using power from the commercial power source 60, and carries grain into the grain storage section 11 of the first dryer 10-1 until a specified weight is reached. At this time, the control device 90 operates the main motor 14, which drives the fan 13 of the dryer 10-1, using power from the commercial power source 60. At the same time, the control device 90 operates the dust collection fan 50 using power from the commercial power source 60 to collect dust generated from the grain being transported by the conveyor 40.

[0040] <Steps 105 and 106> When the facility operator operates dryer 10-1 to start drying, control device 90 starts operation of fan 13 of first dryer 10-1 by supplying power from commercial power source 60 to fan 13, and also starts operation of heater 12 to start drying the grain in grain storage section 11. Heater 12 heats the air by burning fuel such as kerosene.

[0041] <Steps 107, 108, 113> The control device 90 reads the demand value for the commercial power source 60 from the detection unit 70 and determines whether the demand value has reached the threshold value. If only the first dryer 10-1 is operating, the threshold value is set so that the demand value will not reach the threshold value. Therefore, the control device 90 proceeds to step 113 to determine whether any grain remains to be put into the receiving device 80, and if so, proceeds to step 114. <Step 114> In step 114, the control device 90 determines whether all of the dryers 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3 are in operation. Since only the first dryer 10-1 is currently in operation, the process returns to step 103 via step 115, and steps 103 to 106 are repeated.

[0042] As a result, the control device 90 causes the conveyor 40 to carry grain into the second dryer 10-2 until the grain reaches a specified weight, and then operates the second dryer 10-2.

[0043] <Steps 107, 108, 113-115> In steps 107 and 108, the control device 90 again reads the demand value for the commercial power source 60 from the detection unit 70 and determines whether the demand value has reached the threshold value. Even if the two dryers 10-1 and 10-2 are operating, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the demand value does not reach the threshold value, so the process proceeds to step 113. If grain remains in the goods receiving device 80, the process proceeds to step 114, where it is determined whether all of the dryers 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3 are operating. Because only two dryers 10-1 are still operating, the process returns to step 103 via step 115, and steps 103 to 106 are repeated.

[0044] <Steps 103-106> By repeating steps 103 to 106, the control device 90 causes the conveyor 40 to carry grain into the third dryer 10-3 until the grain reaches a specified weight, and then causes the third dryer 10-3 to operate.

[0045] <Steps 107 and 108> In step 107, control device 90 reads the demand value for commercial power supply 60 from detection unit 70 and determines whether the demand value has reached the threshold value. Because the third dryers 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3 are operating, the demand value has reached the threshold value, as shown in FIG. 3(b). Therefore, control device 90 proceeds to step 109.

[0046] <Step 109> In step 109, control device 90 supplies power from storage battery 30 to auxiliary motor 15 of dryer 10-1 and turns on auxiliary motor 15. This drives auxiliary motor 15 to assist main motor 14, which drives fan 13. This reduces the load on main motor 14 of dryer 10-1, and reduces the demand value for commercial power source 60.

[0047] <Steps 110 and 111> In step 110, the control device 90 determines whether the drying of the grains in the first dryer 10-1 has been completed and the operation has ended. If the operation of the first dryer 10-1 has ended, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the demand value for the commercial power source 60 will decrease below the threshold value even if the auxiliary motor 15 is not driven by the storage battery 30. Therefore, the control device 90 proceeds to step 111 to turn off the auxiliary motor 15, and then proceeds to step 112.

[0048] <Step 112> In step 112, the control device 90 determines whether the operation of all the dryers 10 has been completed, and repeats steps 108 to 111 to monitor the demand value until the operation of all the dryers 10 has been completed. In step 112, the control device 90 ends the drying process when the operation of all the dryers 10 has been completed.

[0049] Next, the charging process of the storage battery in the shared drying and preparation facility of this embodiment will be described using the flowchart in Fig. 7. The control device 90 performs the drying process according to the flowchart in Fig. 6, while simultaneously controlling the charging process according to the flowchart in Fig. 7.

[0050] <Steps 201 and 202> In step 201, the control device 90 determines whether a predetermined weather forecast acquisition time (e.g., 9:00 p.m.) has been reached on the day that drying by the first dryer 10-1 was started in step 105 of the flow in Figure 6, and if the weather forecast acquisition time has been reached, proceeds to step 202 and acquires the weather forecast for the next day.

[0051] <Step 203> In step 203, the control device 90 determines whether the acquired weather forecast is sunny, cloudy, or rainy. If the weather forecast is rainy, the process proceeds to step 209, and if it is cloudy or sunny, the process proceeds to step 204.

[0052] <Steps 204 and 205> If the weather forecast is cloudy or sunny, in step 204, the control device 90 charges the storage battery 30 with the power generated by the solar panel 20 and continues charging until the charge amount determination time (for example, 3:00 p.m. on the day after the weather forecast acquisition time).

[0053] If the time for determining the amount of charge has arrived, the control device 90 proceeds to step 206 .

[0054] <Steps 206 and 207> In step 206, the control device 90 reads the charge amount of the storage battery 30 at the charge amount determination time (3:00 PM).

[0055] In step 207, the control device 90 determines whether the amount of charge in the storage battery 30 is equal to or greater than a predetermined required amount of power.

[0056] This predetermined required amount of power is the amount of power calculated by multiplying the length of the peak time period during which the demand value shown in Figure 3(b) exceeds the threshold by the amount of power that would exceed the threshold if there were no storage battery 30, and is a value that has been calculated in advance.

[0057] If there is a shortage of sunlight and the required amount of electricity is not charged in the storage battery 30, the auxiliary motor 15 cannot be operated throughout the peak hours when drying the grain on that day even if the demand value for the commercial power source exceeds the threshold, so the process proceeds to step 208.

[0058] <Step 208> In step 208, the control device 90 connects the commercial power supply 60 to the storage battery 30 and charges the storage battery 30 until the drying start time. This allows the storage battery 30 to be charged with more than the predetermined required amount of power.

[0059] Then, the process returns to step 201 and repeats steps 201 and subsequent steps.

[0060] On the other hand, if the weather forecast for the next day is rain in step 203 above, the control device 90 proceeds to step 209.

[0061] <Step 209> In step 209, the control device 90 determines to stop receiving grain for the next day. The reason is that rain is forecast for the next day, and if it rains, users will not be able to harvest grain, and there will be no grain to receive from users.

[0062] <Step 210> In step 210, the control device 90 charges the generated power into the storage battery 30 because the solar panel 20 can generate some power even in rainy weather, and then returns to step 201.

[0063] In this way, if the weather forecast for the next day predicts rain, it is decided to stop accepting grain for the next day, and while grain is not being accepted, the storage battery 30 is charged for a long period of time using only the solar panel 20 for the entire day, and charging from the commercial power source 60 is not performed, thereby saving power from the commercial power source 60.

[0064] Furthermore, if the weather forecast for the next day is sunny or cloudy, the storage battery 30 can be charged by the solar panel 20 until the charge amount determination time (for example, 3:00 PM). Therefore, the power required to charge the storage battery 30 from the commercial power source 60 needs only to cover the power shortage caused by solar power generation, thereby saving the power of the commercial power source 60. The time period during which the storage battery 30 can be charged by the power of the commercial power source 60 is from the charge amount determination time to the time when three dryers 10 are operating simultaneously (the start time of the peak period). Therefore, it is desirable for an operator to set the charge amount determination time in advance, taking into consideration the predicted start time of the peak period, the time of sunset, and the charging rate of the storage battery 30 by the commercial power source 60, so that the storage battery 30 can be sufficiently charged by the commercial power source 60 during that time, even on a cloudy day.

[0065] The shared drying and preparation facility 1 of this embodiment can achieve stable low running costs.

[0066] Furthermore, in the shared drying and preparation facility 1 of this embodiment, the capacity of the storage battery 30 only needs to be able to charge the amount of power during peak hours for one day, so there is no need to prepare a large-capacity storage battery 30. Therefore, a low-cost storage battery can be used as the storage battery 30, and the cost of the shared drying and preparation facility 1 can be reduced.

[0067] <<Embodiment 2>> The charging process for the shared drying and preparation facility of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG.

[0068] The capacity of the storage battery 30 in the shared drying and preparation facility of the first embodiment described above was a capacity capable of charging the required amount of power calculated by multiplying the length of the peak period during which power exceeds the threshold by the magnitude of the power exceeding the threshold, as shown in Figure 3(b). The shared drying and preparation facility of the second embodiment is equipped with a storage battery 30 with a capacity capable of charging more than twice the required amount of power. Other configurations of the shared drying and preparation facility of the second embodiment, other than the capacity of the storage battery 30, are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0069] The charging process of the shared drying and preparation facility of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flow chart of Fig. 8. The drying process is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment, according to the flow chart of Fig. 6.

[0070] <Step 201> In step 201, the control device 90 determines whether a predetermined weather forecast acquisition time (e.g., 9:00 p.m.) has arrived on the day that drying by the first dryer 10-1 was started in step 105 of the flow in Figure 6, and if the weather forecast acquisition time has arrived, proceeds to step 301.

[0071] <Step 301> In step 301, the control device 90 reads the remaining charge of the storage battery 30.

[0072] <Step 302> In step 302, if the remaining charge is equal to or greater than the required amount of power, which is calculated in advance by multiplying the length of the peak period during which the power exceeds the threshold by the amount of power that exceeds the threshold, the control device 90 proceeds to step 303.

[0073] <Step 303> In step 303, the control device 90 does not check the weather forecast because the amount of electricity required to dry the grain for that day remains in the storage battery 30, and charges the storage battery 30 with the electricity generated by the solar panel 20 until the time when the weather forecast for the next day is obtained.

[0074] On the other hand, if the remaining charge of the storage battery 30 is less than the predetermined required power amount in step 302, the process proceeds to steps 201 to 211, where the storage battery 30 is charged in different operations depending on the weather forecast at the weather forecast acquisition time, as in the first embodiment.

[0075] The common drying and preparation system of the second embodiment can maintain a necessary and sufficient remaining charge in the storage battery 30 even when there are consecutive days with little sunshine due to cloudy weather or the like.

[0076] <<Embodiment 3>> The drying process of the shared drying and preparation facility of the third embodiment will be explained using the flow chart of FIG.

[0077] In the shared drying and preparation facility of the third embodiment, steps 121 to 123 are performed as shown in Fig. 9, instead of steps 110 and 111 in Fig. 6. Specifically, the time for assistance by the auxiliary motor 15 is set to, for example, 10 minutes, and then the fan 13 is operated without assistance from the auxiliary motor 15 for the next 20 minutes.

[0078] This allows for support for a portion of the 30 minutes (here, 10 minutes), so even if the capacity of the storage battery 30 is insufficient or the amount of charge in the storage battery 30 is insufficient, the average value of power usage over the 30 minutes used to calculate the demand value can be reduced, thereby lowering the demand value.

[0079] The other steps of the drying process and the charging process in the shared drying and preparation facility of the third embodiment are carried out in the same manner as in the first embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1. Joint drying and preparation facility 10 Dryer 11 Grain storage section 12 Heater 13 Fan 13-1 Fanpuli 13-2 Impeller shaft 13-3 Impeller 13-4 Fan belt 14 Main motor 14-1 Motor pulley 14-2 Motor shaft 15 Clutch 15 Auxiliary motor 16 Clutch 20 Solar Panels 30 Storage battery 40 Conveyor 50 Dust collection fan 60 Commercial power supply 70 Detector 80 Loading device 90 Control device

Claims

1. The system includes a plurality of dryers for drying harvested grain, a conveyor for sequentially transporting the grain to the plurality of dryers, a solar power generation panel, a storage battery for storing the power generated by the solar power generation panel, a detection unit for detecting a power demand value for a commercial power source, and a control unit, At least one dryer among the plurality of dryers has a structure capable of receiving power from a commercial power source and the storage battery simultaneously, The control unit starts operation of the dryers using commercial power in sequence, starting with those that have completed loading the grain, receives the demand value detected by the detection unit during operation, and when the demand value reaches a predetermined threshold, supplies power from the commercial power source and the storage battery to those of the dryers that can be supplied power simultaneously.

2. 2. A shared drying and preparation facility as described in claim 1, characterized in that the capacity of the storage battery is capable of storing at least a predetermined required amount of electricity corresponding to the product of the time during which the power exceeds the threshold and the magnitude of the power exceeding the threshold, among the changes in the power required when all of the dryers are started in sequence, starting with the dryers that have completed loading of the grain by the conveying machine, and operating until the drying of the grain in all of the dryers is completed.

3. 3. A shared drying and preparation facility as described in claim 2, characterized in that the control unit acquires a weather forecast for the next day at a predetermined weather forecast acquisition time on the day on which operation of a first of the plurality of dryers is started, and charges the storage battery according to a predetermined charging pattern depending on whether the acquired weather forecast is sunny, cloudy, or rainy.

4. 4. The shared drying and preparation facility according to claim 3, wherein the capacity of the storage battery is equal to or greater than the required amount of electricity and less than twice the required amount of electricity; A shared drying and preparation facility characterized in that, if the weather forecast for the next day is sunny or cloudy, the control unit charges the storage battery with electricity generated by the solar power generation panel from the time the weather forecast was obtained until a predetermined charge amount determination time, and when the charge amount determination time arrives, it determines whether the amount of electricity stored in the storage battery is equal to or greater than the required amount of electricity, and if the amount of electricity is less than the required amount, it charges the storage battery to the required amount of electricity using electricity from a commercial power source until the drying start time.

5. 4. The shared drying and preparation facility according to claim 3, wherein the capacity of the storage battery is equal to or greater than the required amount of electricity and less than twice the required amount of electricity; A shared drying and preparation facility characterized in that, if the weather forecast for the next day is rain, the control unit decides to stop accepting grain for that day, charges the storage battery with electricity generated by the solar power generation panel, and then acquires the weather forecast for the following day at the time the weather forecast is acquired, and executes a predetermined charging pattern for the storage battery depending on whether the acquired weather forecast is sunny, cloudy, or rainy.

6. 4. The shared drying and preparation facility according to claim 3, wherein the capacity of the storage battery is at least twice the required amount of electricity; a control unit that determines whether the remaining amount of electricity in the storage battery is equal to or greater than the required amount of electricity before obtaining the weather forecast at the weather forecast obtaining time, and if the remaining amount of electricity is equal to or greater than the required amount of electricity, charges the storage battery with electricity generated by the solar power generation panel until the drying start time, regardless of the weather forecast obtained at the weather forecast obtaining time.

7. A shared drying and preparation facility as described in claim 6, characterized in that when the remaining amount is less than the required amount of electricity, the storage battery is charged using a predetermined charging pattern depending on whether the weather forecast obtained at the weather forecast acquisition time is sunny, cloudy, or rainy.

8. 4. The shared drying and preparation facility according to claim 3, wherein the simultaneously supplyable dryers include a fan, a first motor operated by power from the commercial power source, and a second motor operated by power from the storage battery; The shared drying and preparing facility is characterized in that the first motor and the second motor both rotate the same rotation shaft of the fan.

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