Control device, control method, and control program

Abstract

To cause each residence to use as much electricity as possible generated by a solar power generation facility, while operating a water heater to heat the water, which is to lead to a reduction in the contracted power consumption in order not to exceed the contracted power consumption.SOLUTION: A control device 20 predicts the amount of solar power generation, the amount of power consumed by water heaters 9, and the amount of power consumed by loads other than water heaters 9 in a building 2 having multiple residences 7 from past performance data; creates a water heating operation plan that assigns the operation timing of the water heaters 9 to each group such that the degree of fluctuation in the amount of power received by the building 2 is minimized while maintaining the power consumption of the entire building 2 at or below the contracted power amount for the building 2, and each water heater 9 operates continuously until water heating is completed, and such that water heating for the grouped water heaters 9 is completed within the water heating period; and controls the operation of the water heaters 9 in accordance with the created water heating operation plan.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device, a control method, and a control program for a heat pump water heater, and more particularly to a control device, a control method, and a control program for controlling the operation timing of multiple heat pump water heaters installed in a building equipped with solar power generation equipment. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a hot water supply control system that calculates a first predicted value for the amount of power consumed by systems other than the heat pump water heater and a second predicted value for the amount of solar power generated by the solar power generation system in an apartment building where a solar power generation system and multiple heat pump water heaters are installed, and determines the number of heat pump water heaters that can be used to heat water based on each predicted value and the upper limit power amount set for the apartment building. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-125733 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The heating operation of multiple heat pump water heaters may be planned so that the amount of electricity exceeding the predicted amount of electricity generated by the solar power generation facility, out of the total electricity consumption of the heat pump water heater and power equipment other than the heat pump water heater, can be covered by electricity that is less than the contracted power amount contracted with the electric power company.

[0005] However, because the predicted amount of power generated by a solar power generation facility is merely a forecast, if the weather suddenly changes, the predicted amount of power generated by the solar power generation facility may fall below the forecast value. In this case, if the heat pump water heater is operated as originally planned to heat the water, the decrease in power generated by the solar power generation facility must be compensated for by grid power received from the electric utility. This may result in a situation where the power received exceeds the contracted power with the electric utility. If the power received exceeds the contracted power, the basic charge set based on the contracted power will increase, and the electricity bill paid by the customer will also increase.

[0006] In addition, when a heat pump water heater is operating in a heating mode, prioritizing the use of electricity generated by a solar power generation facility over grid power leads to reduced electricity bills. However, if the heating operation of a heat pump water heater is planned based on the difference between the amount of electricity consumed by power equipment other than the heat pump water heater and the predicted amount of electricity generated by the solar power generation facility, it is not possible to create a heating operation plan for the heat pump water heater that prioritizes the use of electricity generated by the solar power generation facility over grid power.

[0007] Furthermore, in the conventional method of creating a water heating operation plan for a heat pump water heater, the water heating operation plan is created so that the amount of power received by the entire building is as close as possible to the contracted amount of power corresponding to the contracted power. Therefore, it is not possible to reduce the contracted power and thereby reduce the basic charge for grid power.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above facts, and aims to provide a control device, a control method, and a control program that allow each residence to use as much electricity generated by a solar power generation facility as possible, while operating a water heater to heat water, leading to a reduction in the contracted power demand, so as not to exceed the contracted power demand that is contracted with an electric utility company for multiple residences that use the same building to receive power collectively. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] . In order to achieve the above object, the control device of the present disclosure includes a prediction unit that predicts, from past performance data, the amount of photovoltaic power generation for each time slot on a designated day that is supplied to an entire building that includes a plurality of residences and that collectively receives grid power based on a contracted power demand from an electric utility, a first amount of power consumption for each residence that is the amount of power consumption for each time slot on the designated day by a water heater provided in each residence, and a second amount of power consumption that is the sum of the amount of power consumption for each time slot on the designated day by loads other than the water heaters that are consumed in the building, and a calculation unit that calculates the sum of the first amount of power consumption for each residence group that is composed of at least one of the residences and the second amount of power consumption for the designated day. and a control unit that controls the operation of the water heaters used in each of the residences in accordance with the plan, so that the total power consumption of the entire building for each time period represented by the sum of the total power consumption and the total amount of power received by the building on the specified date is equal to or less than the contract power amount corresponding to the contract power, the degree of fluctuation in the amount of power received by the building on the specified date, which is the amount of power obtained by subtracting the amount of photovoltaic power generation from the total power consumption of the entire building, is minimized, and the water heaters in each of the residences operate continuously until water heating is completed and water heating is completed by each of the water heaters in all of the residences within a predetermined period on the specified date.In this way, the control device of the present disclosure allows each residence to use as much power generated by the photovoltaic power generation facility as possible while performing water heating operation of the water heaters, which leads to a reduction in the contract power, so as not to exceed the contract power under the contract with the electric utility for multiple residences using the same building.

[0010] In addition, the planning unit of the control device of the present disclosure minimizes the degree of fluctuation in the amount of received power in the building on the specified date by minimizing the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of the amount of received power on the specified date. In this way, the control device of the present disclosure can reduce the time required to create an allocation plan for the operation timing of water heaters compared to when the amount of received power is leveled by focusing on the deviation or standard deviation of the amount of received power.

[0011] Furthermore, the planning unit of the control device according to the present disclosure minimizes the degree of fluctuation in the amount of received power in the building on the specified day by minimizing the time integral of the absolute value of the deviation of the amount of received power at each time on the specified day in units of the specified day. In this way, the control device according to the present disclosure can further reduce the degree of fluctuation in the amount of received power compared to when the amount of received power is leveled by focusing on the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of the amount of received power.

[0012] Furthermore, the planning unit of the control device according to the present disclosure minimizes the degree of fluctuation in the amount of received power in the building on the specified day by minimizing the time integral value of the standard deviation of the amount of received power at each time on the specified day, with the specified day as the unit. In this way, the control device according to the present disclosure can further reduce the degree of fluctuation in the amount of received power compared to when the amount of received power is leveled by focusing on the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of the amount of received power.

[0013] Furthermore, the planning unit of the control device of the present disclosure creates a plan to allocate the operation timing of the water heaters for each group of residences in order from the earliest time slot within the period, starting from the group with the earliest operation order, according to a water heater operation order that has been preset for each group of residences. In this way, the control device of the present disclosure can reduce the time required to create a water heater operation timing allocation plan compared to a case in which the operation timing of the water heaters for each group is allocated without following a preset operation order.

[0014] In addition, the operation sequence of the present disclosure is fixed. In this way, with the control device of the present disclosure, the fluctuation in the time periods for the water heaters' daily heating operation is reduced compared to when the operation sequence of the water heaters for each group is changed each time, and hot water shortages can be prevented.

[0015] The control unit of the control device of the present disclosure also controls to notify the user that the amount of received power has been less than the contracted amount of power for a predetermined period of time or more. In this way, the control device of the present disclosure can notify the user of the status of the amount of received power.

[0016] The control method of the present disclosure also includes predicting, from past performance data, the amount of photovoltaic power generation for each time period on a designated day that will be supplied to an entire building that includes a plurality of residences and that collectively receives grid power based on a contracted power supply from an electric utility, a first amount of power consumption for each residence that is the amount of power consumption for each time period on the designated day by a water heater provided in each residence, and a second amount of power consumption that is the sum of the amount of power consumption for each time period on the designated day by loads other than the water heaters that are consumed in the building, and calculating a time period represented by the sum of the first amount of power consumption for each residence group that is composed of at least one of the residences and the second amount of power consumption for the designated day. The control method involves creating a plan for allocating the operation timing of the water heaters for each group of residences, and controlling the operation of the water heaters used in each of the residences in accordance with the plan, so that the power consumption of the entire building for each time period is equal to or less than the contracted power amount corresponding to the contracted power, the degree of fluctuation in the amount of power received by the building on the specified date, which is the amount of power obtained by subtracting the amount of solar power generation from the power consumption of the entire building, is minimized, and the water heaters in each group of residences operate continuously until water heating is completed, and water heating is completed by each of the water heaters in all of the groups of residences within a predetermined period of time on the specified date.In this way, the control method disclosed herein allows each residence to use as much power generated by a solar power generation facility as possible, while performing water heating operation of the water heaters, which leads to a reduction in contracted power, so as not to exceed the contracted power under the contract with the electric utility for multiple residences using the same building.

[0017] The control program of the present disclosure also predicts, from past performance data, the amount of photovoltaic power generation for each time slot on a designated day that will be supplied to an entire building that includes a plurality of residences and that collectively receives grid power based on a contracted power supply from an electric utility, a first amount of power consumption for each residence that is the amount of power consumption for each time slot on the designated day by a water heater provided in each residence, and a second amount of power consumption that is the sum of the amount of power consumption for each time slot on the designated day by loads other than the water heaters that are consumed in the building, and calculates a time slot represented by the sum of the first amount of power consumption for each residence group that is composed of at least one of the residences and the second amount of power consumption for the designated day. The program causes a computer to execute a process of creating a plan to allocate operation timings of water heaters for each group of residences so that the total power consumption of each building is equal to or less than the contracted power amount corresponding to the contracted power, the degree of fluctuation in the amount of received power for the building (the amount of power obtained by subtracting the amount of photovoltaic power generation from the total power consumption of the building) on ​​the specified day is minimized, and the water heaters in each group of residences operate continuously until water heating is completed, and the water heaters in all groups of residences complete water heating within a predetermined period of time on the specified day.In this way, the control program disclosed herein allows each residence to use as much power generated by the photovoltaic power generation facility as possible while performing water heating operation of the water heaters, which leads to a reduction in contracted power, so as not to exceed the contracted power amount under the contract with the electric utility for multiple residences using the same building to receive power collectively. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present disclosure, it is possible for each residence to utilize as much electricity as possible generated by a solar power generation facility while operating a water heater to heat the water, which leads to a reduction in the contracted power amount, so as not to exceed the contracted power amount that is contracted with an electric utility company in order for multiple residences using the same building to receive power collectively. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of a power management system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a main part of an electrical system of a control device. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of an operation plan creation process. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a water heating operation plan. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a water heating operation plan. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The same components and processes are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. The dimensional proportions in the drawings are exaggerated for the sake of explanation, and may differ from the actual proportions.

[0021] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a power management system 1 according to this embodiment. The power management system 1 includes a building 2 that receives power supplied by an electric utility company under a contract with the electric utility company, i.e., grid power 4, and a weather data providing server 3.

[0022] For example, if building 2 is an apartment building or condominium, building 2 has multiple residences 7, and the residents of each residence 7 are individual consumers of electricity. Also, building 2 is equipped with, for example, solar power generation equipment 10, substation equipment 6, meteorological data measuring device 28, shared load 29, and control device 20.

[0023] In such a building 2, each consumer can individually contract with an electric utility company to receive low-voltage power of 200V or less, but receiving high-voltage power, such as 6600V, will result in cheaper electricity bills than receiving low-voltage power. Therefore, building 2 uses a bulk power receiving system in which grid power 4 is received at high voltage by substation equipment 6, which then reduces the voltage to low voltage and supplies the power collectively to each residence 7. Therefore, a smart meter 8A is installed between grid power 4 and substation equipment 6 to measure the amount of power received from grid power 4.

[0024] In the bulk power receiving system, the contracted power P for two buildings d is determined in advance, and the received grid power 4 is the contracted power P d If it exceeds the contract power P d Therefore, in building 2, the amount of power received from grid power 4 is equal to or exceeds the contracted power P d The control device 20 controls the boiling operation of the heat pump water heater 9 installed in each residence 7 while taking into consideration the amount of power generated by the photovoltaic power generation facility 10 as follows.

[0025] On the other hand, the amount of power generated by the solar power generation facility 10 is affected by the weather. As can be seen from the fact that air conditioning is performed when it is hot and heating is performed when it is cold, the amount of power consumed by the building 2 is also affected by the weather. Therefore, the control device 20 obtains weather data for the area where the building 2 is located from a weather data providing server 3 connected via a communication line 5 such as the Internet.

[0026] The weather data that the control device 20 acquires from the weather data providing server 3 includes observation items that may be factors that cause fluctuations in the amount of power generated by the photovoltaic power generation facility 10 and the amount of power consumed by the building 2, such as weather conditions (e.g., sunny, cloudy, rainy, and snowy), outdoor temperature, solar radiation, outdoor humidity, and sunshine duration. The weather data includes predicted values ​​for each observation item at a specific time in the future. The control device 20 acquires past actual values ​​for each observation item from, for example, a weather data measuring instrument 28 that is connected to the control device 20 and observes weather data around the building 2, but may also acquire actual values ​​for each observation item from the weather data providing server 3. Note that the location where the weather data providing server 3 and the control device 20 are installed does not necessarily have to be the same.

[0027] In this way, each residence 7 sharing the same building 2 is supplied with power generated by the solar power generation equipment 10, i.e., solar power and grid power 4. The amount of solar power is measured by a smart meter 8D. If surplus power is generated because the solar power cannot be consumed, reverse power flow occurs to the grid power 4. For ease of explanation, when reverse power flow occurs, the amount of received power is represented by a negative value.

[0028] A heat pump water heater 9 is also installed in the private area of ​​each residence 7, and the heat pump water heater 9 heats water during a preset heating period each day. The heat pump water heater 9 absorbs heat from the air using a refrigerant, compresses the refrigerant with a compressor to raise the temperature of the refrigerant, and heats water using the refrigerant whose temperature has increased in a heat exchanger, thereby heating the water. For ease of explanation, the heat pump water heater 9 will be simply referred to as the "water heater 9."

[0029] Naturally, in addition to the water heater 9, there are other appliances used by consumers in their daily lives, such as televisions, lights, and refrigerators, in the private areas of each residence 7. Hereinafter, all appliances in the residence 7 other than the water heater 9 that are powered by electricity will be collectively referred to as "electric power appliances 11." In other words, the appliances in the residence 7 that are powered by electricity are broadly divided into the water heater 9 and the electric power appliances 11.

[0030] A smart meter 8B is installed in each residence 7, and power is supplied to the water heater 9 and power equipment 11 via the smart meter 8B. That is, the smart meter 8B measures the amount of power consumed in the residence 7. Meanwhile, a smart meter 8C is built into the water heater 9, which measures the amount of power consumed by the water heater 9. Therefore, the amount of power consumed by the power equipment 11 is determined by subtracting the amount of power consumed by the smart meter 8C from the amount of power consumed by the smart meter 8B. In this way, in the building 2, the actual amount of power consumed by the water heater 9 and the actual amount of power consumed by the power equipment 11 are measured for each residence 7 during a predetermined time period T.

[0031] There are no restrictions on the length of the time period T, which is the unit of measurement of power consumption, and it can be set to any predetermined length, such as 10-minute increments, 30-minute increments, or 1-hour increments. For example, if the time period T is set to 30 minutes, the smart meter 8B and smart meter 8C measure the power consumption of the water heater 9 and the power device 11 every 30 minutes. For ease of explanation, it is assumed that the length of the time period T, which is the unit of measurement of power consumption of the smart meters 8B and 8C installed in each residence 7, is set to the same length in all residences 7. It is also assumed that the length of the time period T, which is the unit of measurement of power consumption of the smart meters 8A, 8D, and 8E, is set to the same length in accordance with the smart meters 8B and 8C.

[0032] In order to individually represent such time slots T within a day, this embodiment uses an index t. The value of t (t is an integer equal to or greater than 0) corresponds to each time slot T in a 24-hour period starting, for example, from midnight. For example, if time slots T are set in 30-minute increments, t=0 represents a 30-minute time slot T from midnight to 12:30 AM, and t=1 represents a 30-minute time slot T from 12:30 AM to 1 AM. Therefore, for example, if time slots T are set to 30 minutes, t will take a value between 0 and 47.

[0033] In this embodiment, τ is used in addition to t as a variable representing time. t is an index representing a time period T in a day, i.e., an absolute time, while τ represents a relative time from the start time of the water heating operation of the water heater 9 assigned by the control device 20, as will be explained later.

[0034] Meanwhile, in the common areas of the building 2, there are shared loads 29, such as automatic doors at the entrance and lights in the hallways. The amount of power consumed by the shared loads 29 is included in the amount of power consumed by the electric appliances 11 in each residence 7, other than the water heater 9. The smart meter 8E measures the amount of power consumed by the shared loads 29 for each time period T.

[0035] Each of the smart meters 8A to 8E transmits the measured amount of power consumption or generated power for each time period T to the control device 20, for example, wirelessly. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the smart meters 8A to 8E, they will simply be referred to as "smart meters 8."

[0036] The solar power generation facility 10 generates power by converting solar light energy into electrical energy using, for example, a solar panel. The amount of power generated by the solar power generation facility 10 for each time slot T is transmitted to the control device 20 by the smart meter 8D. As a result, the control device 20 obtains the amount of power generated by the solar power generation facility 10 for each time slot T.

[0037] The control device 20 acquires weather data, the amount of power consumed by the water heater 9 and power equipment 11 in each residence 7 for each time period T, the amount of power received from the grid power 4 for each time period T, the amount of power consumed by the shared load 29 for each time period T, and the amount of power generated by the solar power generation facility 10 for each time period T, and uses the acquired information to create a water heating operation plan for each water heater 9. Furthermore, the control device 20 controls the water heating operation of the water heater 9 in each residence 7 based on the water heating operation plan. Hereinafter, the water heating operation of the water heater 9 will be simply referred to as "water heating operation."

[0038] It should be noted that the configuration of the power management system 1 shown in Fig. 1 is merely an example, and needless to say, is not limited to the example configuration shown in Fig. 1. For example, the installation location of the smart meter 8 is not limited to the example configuration shown in Fig. 1. Furthermore, the residence 7 according to this embodiment is not limited to a place where people live, but may be any place where people exist. Therefore, for example, the classification of the building 2 used as a store, office, etc. is also included in the residence 7.

[0039] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the control device 20. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the control device 20 includes functional units of a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, a prediction unit 23, a planning unit 24, and a control unit 25.

[0040] The communication unit 21 communicates data with various equipment such as the weather data providing server 3, the substation equipment 6, the smart meter 8, the water heaters 9 in each residence 7, the weather data measuring device 28, and the solar power generation equipment 10, and acquires various information from each equipment and transmits control data to each equipment according to the instructions of the control unit 25.

[0041] The storage unit 22 stores various information acquired through the communication unit 21. Specifically, the storage unit 22 stores the amount of power generated by the photovoltaic power generation facility 10 for each time period T, the amount of power consumed by the water heater 9 in each residence 7 for each time period T, the amount of power consumed by the power equipment 11 in each residence 7 for each time period T, the amount of power consumed by the shared load 29 for each time period T, and the observed values ​​of weather data for each time period T observed by the weather data measuring device 28 on a daily basis. The storage unit 22 also stores the contracted power P of the grid power 4 contracted with the electric utility. d Remember.

[0042] Hereinafter, the amount of electricity generated by the solar power generation equipment 10 will be referred to as "solar power generation amount," the amount of electricity consumed by the water heater 9 will be referred to as "first electricity consumption amount," and the amount of electricity consumed by loads other than the water heater 9 in the entire building 2 will be referred to as "second electricity consumption amount."

[0043] Since each residence 7 has a water heater 9, the storage unit 22 stores the first amount of power consumption for each time period T in each residence 7 on a daily basis.

[0044] The second power consumption is the amount of power expressed by the sum of the amount of power consumed by the power devices 11 in each residence 7 for each time period T and the amount of power consumed by the shared load 29 for each time period T. In other words, the second power consumption is the sum of the amount of power consumed by the loads other than the water heater 9 in the building 2 for each time period T. The storage unit 22 stores the second power consumption for each time period T on a daily basis.

[0045] The amount of solar power generation for each time zone T, the first amount of power consumption for each time zone T at each residence 7, the second amount of power consumption for each time zone T, and the weather data for each time zone T stored in the memory unit 22 are actually past data. Therefore, the amount of solar power generation for each time zone T, the first amount of power consumption for each time zone T at each residence 7, the second amount of power consumption for each time zone T, and the weather data for each time zone T stored in the memory unit 22 are all actual data.

[0046] Therefore, the amount of solar power generation for each time period T stored in the memory unit 22 is referred to as the "actual solar power generation amount." The first amount of power consumption for each time period T in each residence 7 stored in the memory unit 22 is referred to as the "actual first amount of power consumption." The amount of power consumption for each time period T by loads other than the water heater 9 in the entire building 2 stored in the memory unit 22 is referred to as the "actual second amount of power consumption." The weather data for each time period T stored in the memory unit 22 is referred to as the "actual weather data."

[0047] The prediction unit 23 predicts the actual weather data, the actual solar power generation amount, the actual first power consumption amount, the actual second power consumption amount, and the contracted power P d Then, the amount of photovoltaic power generation, the first amount of power consumption, and the second amount of power consumption on a future specified date (hereinafter simply referred to as a "specified date") are predicted for each time slot T using weather data on the specified date.

[0048] Specifically, the prediction unit 23 predicts the amount of solar power generation for each time slot T on the specified date using weather data at the time of prediction, which is weather data for each time slot T on the specified date, the actual weather data, and the actual solar power generation amount. Furthermore, the prediction unit 23 predicts the first power consumption for each time slot T on the specified date for each residence 7, i.e., for each water heater 9, using the weather data at the time of prediction, the actual weather data, and the actual first power consumption in each residence 7.

[0049] Furthermore, the prediction unit 23 predicts the second energy consumption for each time slot T on the specified date using the weather data at the time of prediction, the actual weather data, and the actual second energy consumption. As already explained, the second energy consumption is the sum of the second energy consumption consumed by each residence 7 sharing the building 2 and the energy consumption of the shared load 29.

[0050] For convenience of explanation, the amount of solar power generation predicted by the prediction unit 23 for each time slot T is referred to as the “amount of solar power generation P p (t)”, and the first power consumption amount for each time period T of each water heater 9 predicted by the prediction unit 23 is “first power consumption amount P e (τ)”, and the second power consumption for each time period T predicted by the prediction unit 23 is referred to as “second power consumption P b(t)".

[0051] In addition, the amount of solar power generation P p (t), first power consumption P e (τ), and second power consumption P b The time to start the prediction may be any time as long as it is before the time slot T to be predicted (t). However, if the time slot T to be predicted and the time to start the prediction are too close, a situation may occur in which the prediction is completed after the time slot T to be predicted has begun. Therefore, it is preferable to start the prediction, for example, up to the day before the day that includes the time slot T to be predicted. On the other hand, the greater the distance between the time slot T to be predicted and the time to start the prediction, the lower the accuracy of the weather data at the time of prediction for the time slot T to be predicted. Therefore, it is particularly preferable to start the prediction the day before the day that includes the time slot T to be predicted.

[0052] The planning unit 24 manages the residences 7 in the building 2 by dividing them into multiple groups, for example, according to instructions from the user. Each group includes at least one residence 7. Therefore, the groups may include groups made up of multiple residences 7 as well as groups made up of a single residence 7. When the planning unit 24 has divided the residences 7 into groups according to instructions, it does not change the breakdown of the residences 7 that make up each group until it is instructed to divide the residences 7 into groups again.

[0053] Furthermore, for each group, the user sets in advance an operation sequence of the water heaters 9 (hereinafter simply referred to as "operation sequence"). The same operation sequence is not set for multiple groups, and a different operation sequence is set for each group. The operation sequence set for each group is fixed, and the operation sequence set for each group will not be changed unless there is a change instruction from the user.

[0054] The planning unit 24 calculates the first power consumption P of each of the residences 7 included in the group. e (τ) is the total power consumption P bg(t) is averaged out, and the first power consumption P e (τ) and calculate the first power consumption P for each group on the specified day. e The sum of (τ), i.e., the group power consumption P g (τ) is calculated for each time period T. The group power consumption P g The calculation formula for (τ) is shown in equation (1).

[0055]

number

[0056] The planning unit 24 calculates the group power consumption P g (τ), and the second power consumption on the specified day P b (t) for each time period T, and calculate the total power consumption of the entire building 2 on the specified day, i.e., the total power consumption P bg (t) is calculated for each time period T. The total power consumption P bg The calculation formula for (t) is shown in equation (2).

[0057]

number

[0058] Furthermore, the planning unit 24 calculates the total power consumption P bg (t) to the amount of solar power generation P on the specified date p (t) is subtracted to obtain the amount of power received from grid power 4 on the specified day, i.e., the amount of power received by building 2 P bpg (t) is calculated for each time period T. The amount of power received in each time period T, P bpg The calculation formula for (t) is shown in equation (3).

[0059]

number

[0060] The planning unit 24 completes the water heating operation of each group within the water heating period of the water heater 9 on the specified day under the precondition that the water heater 9 is continuously operated until the water heating is completed, and calculates the total power consumption P bg (t) is the contracted power P d The contracted power amount P corresponding to dd (t) or less, and the amount of power received on the specified day P bpg A water heating operation plan is created for each group of residences 7 by allocating water heating operation timing from the earliest time period T within the water heating period according to the operation sequence set for the group so that the degree of fluctuation in (t) is minimized.

[0061] Contract power P d is the total power consumption P bg Since the upper limit of (t) is specified, the upper limit power P u This is an example.

[0062] In addition, operating the water heater 9 continuously until boiling is complete means that once boiling operation has started, the water heater 9 will continue to boil water until the specified amount and temperature are reached without interrupting the boiling operation.

[0063] Contract power P d The contracted power amount P corresponding to dd (t) is the contracted power P d Once the contract power P d For example, the contracted power P d If the contracted power amount is 100kw, dd (t) is 100kWh.

[0064] In addition, the amount of received power P bpg The degree of fluctuation of (t) is the amount of received power P bpg The amount of received power P for a situation where (t) does not change and remains constant bpg Represents the degree of change in (t).

[0065] A specific method for creating the water heating operation plan in the planner 24 will be described later.

[0066] Control unit 25 controls the period of water heating operation for each group in each residence 7 in accordance with the water heating operation plan created by planning unit 24. Specifically, control unit 25 specifies the period of water heating operation for each group by transmitting control data to the corresponding water heater 9 via communication unit 21.

[0067] 2 is configured using, for example, a computer 30. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the main parts of the electrical system of the control device 20 configured using the computer 30.

[0068] The computer 30 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 31, which is an example of a processor that executes the processing of each functional unit shown in Fig. 2. The computer 30 also includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) 32, which is used as a temporary work area for the CPU 31, a nonvolatile memory 33, and an input / output interface (I / O) 34. The CPU 31, RAM 32, nonvolatile memory 33, and I / O 34 are connected to each other via a bus 35.

[0069] The nonvolatile memory 33 is an example of a storage device that maintains stored information even if the power supplied to the nonvolatile memory 33 is cut off, and is, for example, a semiconductor memory such as an SSD (Solid State Drive), but a hard disk may also be used. The nonvolatile memory 33 stores, for example, a control program that causes the computer 30 to function as the control device 20, actual weather data, actual photovoltaic power generation amount, actual first power consumption amount, actual second power consumption amount, and contracted power P d Such information that must not be erased every time the computer 30 is restarted or a power outage occurs is stored.

[0070] The nonvolatile memory 33 does not necessarily have to be built into the computer 30, but may be, for example, a portable storage device that can be attached to and detached from the computer 30.

[0071] In the present embodiment, as an example, a control program, actual weather data, actual photovoltaic power generation amount, actual first power consumption amount, actual second power consumption amount, and contracted power P d The following describes how such data is stored in the nonvolatile memory 33, but the storage destination of this data is not limited to the nonvolatile memory 33. For example, this data may be stored in a cloud server (not shown) connected to the communication line 5, and the CPU 31 may acquire the data from the cloud server as needed.

[0072] On the other hand, to the I / O 34 of the computer 30, for example, a communication unit 36, an input unit 37, and a display unit 38 are connected.

[0073] The communication unit 36 ​​is connected to the communication line 5 and has a communication protocol for transmitting and receiving data to and from external devices such as the weather data providing server 3 connected to the communication line 5. The communication unit 36 ​​also has a communication protocol for transmitting and receiving data to and from the equipment installed in the building 2, namely, the power receiving and transforming equipment 6, the smart meter 8, the water heater 9, the weather data measuring device 28, and the solar power generation equipment 10. For transmitting and receiving data to and from the equipment installed in the building 2, for example, IP communication via a wired Ethernet (registered trademark) connection, Modbus (registered trademark) / RTU communication via an RS485 connection, Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), etc. may be used.

[0074] The input unit 37 is a device that receives instructions from the user and notifies the CPU 31. The user's instructions are notified via, for example, a button, a touch panel, a mouse, a keyboard, a pointing device, or the like.

[0075] The display unit 38 is a display device that displays information processed by the CPU 31 as an image, and may be a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, or the like.

[0076] Note that the units connected to the I / O 34 are not limited to the communication unit 36, the input unit 37, and the display unit 38, and various units may be connected depending on the functions of the control device 20. Furthermore, when the control device 20 is remotely controlled from an external device via the communication line 5, the input unit 37 and the display unit 38 do not necessarily need to be connected to the I / O 34.

[0077] Next, the operation of the control device 20 will be described in detail.

[0078] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of an operation plan creation process executed by the CPU 31 of the control device 20 when a designated date for performing the water heating operation is designated.

[0079] A control program that defines the operation plan creation process is stored in advance in, for example, the nonvolatile memory 33 of the control device 20. The CPU 31 of the control device 20 reads the control program stored in the nonvolatile memory 33 and executes the operation plan creation process.

[0080] The nonvolatile memory 33 stores in advance the actual weather data, the actual amount of photovoltaic power generation, the actual first amount of power consumption, the actual second amount of power consumption for each water heater 9, and the contracted power P d The residences 7 in the building 2 have already been divided into groups, and an operation sequence has been set for each group. Furthermore, the heating period of the water heater 9 on a specified day has been set in advance.

[0081] In step S10, the CPU 31 acquires forecast weather data for the specified date from the weather data providing server 3 via the communication unit .

[0082] In step S20, the CPU 31 calculates the solar power generation amount P for each time slot T on the specified date using the forecast weather data acquired in step S10 and the actual weather data and actual solar power generation amount stored in the nonvolatile memory 33. p Predict (t).

[0083] For example, the CPU 31 inputs the weather data at the time of prediction into a prediction model that has learned the relationship between the actual weather data and the actual photovoltaic power generation amount by machine learning, thereby calculating the photovoltaic power generation amount P for each time slot T on a specified date. p Predict (t).

[0084] The amount of solar power generation P for each time period T on a specified day p The prediction method of (t) is not limited to the above example. For example, the CPU 31 may calculate the solar power generation amount P for each time slot T on a specified date from the solar radiation amount (direct solar radiation amount and scattered solar radiation amount) for each time slot T included in the weather data at the time of prediction and the conversion efficiency of the solar power generation panel in the solar power generation facility 10. p (t) may be predicted.

[0085] In step S30, the CPU 31 calculates the first power consumption amount P for each time slot T on the specified date using the forecast weather data acquired in step S10, the actual weather data stored in the nonvolatile memory 33, and the actual first power consumption for each water heater 9. e (τ) is predicted for each water heater 9.

[0086] For example, the CPU 31 inputs the forecast weather data into a forecast model that has learned the relationship between the actual weather data and the actual first power consumption amount, thereby calculating the first power consumption amount P for each time slot T on the specified date. e (τ) is predicted for each water heater 9.

[0087] The first power consumption amount P for each time period T on the specified day e The prediction method for predicting (τ) is not limited to the above example. Among the weather data, the element that has the greatest effect on the amount of power consumed by the water heater 9 is the outside temperature. Therefore, for example, the CPU 31 uses the outside temperature for each time slot T included in the weather data at the time of prediction acquired in step S10 to calculate the first amount of power consumed P for each time slot T on the specified day from the performance characteristics specific to the water heater 9. e (τ) may be predicted for each water heater 9.

[0088] In step S40, the CPU 31 calculates the second power consumption P , which represents the power consumption by the loads other than the water heater 9 for each time slot T on the specified day, using the forecast weather data acquired in step S10, the actual weather data stored in the nonvolatile memory 33, and the actual second power consumption in each residence 7. b Predict (t).

[0089] For example, the CPU 31 inputs the forecast weather data into a forecast model that has learned the relationship between the actual weather data and the actual second power consumption amount, thereby calculating the second power consumption amount P for each time slot T on the specified date. b Predict (t).

[0090] In step S50, the CPU 31 calculates the first power consumption P for each water heater 9 predicted in step S30 using the calculation formula shown in formula (1) in accordance with the grouping of the residences 7 that has been set in advance. e From (τ), the group power consumption P for each time period T on the specified day g (τ) is calculated for each group.

[0091] In step S60, under the prerequisite that the water heater 9 is operated continuously until the water heating is completed, the CPU 31 creates a water heating operation plan by allocating the water heating operation timing of each group to a time period T within the water heating period of the water heater 9 so as to satisfy all operation plan rules from rule A to rule D.

[0092] <Rule A> The water heating operation for each group is completed within the set water heater 9 boiling period. <Rule B> According to the operation sequence preset for each group, the timing of the water heating operation is assigned to each group of the residence 7 from an early time period T within the water heating period of the water heater 9. <Rule C> Total power consumption P for each time slot T on a specified day bg (t) is the contracted energy amount P dd (t) or less. <Rule D> Amount of power received P for each time slot T on a specified day bpg Minimize the degree of fluctuation in (t).

[0093] By satisfying rule A, it is possible to complete the water heating operation for all groups by the end of the water heating period of water heater 9. Therefore, if the end of the water heating period of water heater 9 is set before the period of greatest demand for hot water, the probability of running out of hot water can be reduced, especially compared to when the water heating period is not set.

[0094] Generally, when finding a solution to an optimization problem, the amount of calculation required increases compared to simply inputting values ​​into a function and calculating the function's output value, and the calculation time required to obtain a solution may not be within a realistic time frame.

[0095] However, by satisfying rule B, when creating a water boiling operation plan, CPU 31 can omit the process of determining, by trial and error, the order and arrangement of the water boiling operation timings for each group. Therefore, compared to when rule B does not exist, CPU 31 can reduce the time required to create a water boiling operation plan.

[0096] Furthermore, if the order of the water heating operation timing for each group is not fixed but is changed each time a water heating operation plan is created, a group may emerge in which, for example, the water heating operation is performed on the day before the specified date in accordance with the start time of the water heating period of the water heater 9, and the water heating operation ends on the specified date in accordance with the end time of the water heating period of the water heater 9. In this case, there will be an interval between the water heating operation on the day before the specified date and the water heating operation on the specified date, making it more likely that hot water will run out.

[0097] In contrast, in control device 20, the order of the timing of the water heating operation for each group during the water heating period of water heater 9 is fixed according to the group operation order. Therefore, when focusing on each group, the daily interval from the completion of the water heating operation on the day before the specified day to the completion of the water heating operation on the specified day is unlikely to fluctuate, making it less likely that hot water will run out.

[0098] Note that allocating the timing of the boiling-up operation for each group from an early time period T within the boiling-up period in accordance with the operating order means allocating the start time of the boiling-up operation for a group with an earlier operating order (referred to as the "boiling-up operation start time") to be earlier than the start time of the boiling-up operation for a group with a later operating order within the boiling-up period. Therefore, the boiling-up operation start time for each group with an earlier operating order and a group with a later operating order may be the same.

[0099] In other words, the CPU 31 uses a preset operation sequence for each group of the residences 7 to create a plan for allocating the operation timing of the water heater 9 for each group of the residences 7 within the heating period so that the operation start time of the water heater 9 in a group with an earlier operation sequence is not later than the operation start time of the water heater 9 in a group with a later operation sequence.

[0100] The end time of the water heating operation is not restricted by the operating order of the groups. For example, the end time of the water heating operation of a group that operates earlier may be later than the end time of the water heating operation of a group that operates later, as long as it is within the water heating period of the water heater 9.

[0101] Furthermore, by satisfying the rule C, the CPU 31 determines whether the actual amount of photovoltaic power generation on the specified day is equal to or greater than the photovoltaic power generation amount P estimated in step S20. p Even if it becomes less than (t), the total power consumption P bg (t) is the contracted power amount P dd (t) because, as shown in equation (2), the total power consumption P bg(t) is the amount of solar power generation P p This is because the amount of power is not one whose value fluctuates due to the influence of (t).

[0102] The CPU 31 calculates the total power consumption P bg (t) is the contracted power amount P dd (t) When creating a heating operation plan that satisfies the following, the total power consumption P bg (t) is the contracted power amount P dd The water heating operation plan may be created so that the contracted energy amount P is equal to or less than the energy amount P (t) that is lower by a predetermined margin energy amount. dd The total power consumption P is lower than (t). bg By setting the upper limit of power consumption at (t), the actual power consumption of the entire building 2 is reduced to the predicted total power consumption P bg Even if the upper limit of power consumption is greater than the contracted power consumption P dd (t), the contract power P d This can prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the grid power 4 is received in excess of the above.

[0103] Such a margin power amount is preset by the user and stored in the non-volatile memory 33. The margin power amount can be modified by the user.

[0104] In addition, by satisfying rule D, the amount of power received on the specified day P bpg The amount of received power P is calculated so that the fluctuation due to the difference in the time period T of (t) is minimized. bpg (t) can be leveled. In other words, the amount of received power P bpg To level out (t), the amount of power received on the specified day P bpg (t) to increase the minimum value of the received power amount P bpg This refers to lowering the maximum value of (t).

[0105] Received power amount P bpg The increase in the minimum value of (t) means that the power generated by the photovoltaic power generation facility 10 is being actively consumed in the building 2.bpg A decrease in the maximum value of (t) means that the maximum value of the received power amount of the grid power 4 purchased from the electric power company decreases. bpg By leveling (t), an optimization problem of lowering the maximum value of the amount of power received by the grid power 4 while making the most of the power generated by the photovoltaic power generation facility 10 is solved.

[0106] Such received power amount P bpg There are several methods for leveling (t). For example, the CPU 31 calculates the amount of received power P bpg By allocating the timing of the water heating operation in each group so that the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of (t) is minimized, the amount of received power P bpg (t) is leveled.

[0107] The CPU 31 also calculates the amount of received power P bpg The deviation is calculated for each specified day, and the timing of the heating operation for each group is allocated so that the time integral value of the absolute value of the calculated deviation is minimized. bpg (t) may be averaged. The deviation in units of a specified day is the amount of received power P bpg The average value of (t) and the amount of power received at each time on the specified day P bpg This is the difference from (t).

[0108] The CPU 31 also calculates the amount of received power P bpg For (t), the time integral value of the standard deviation is calculated for each specified day, and the timing of the heating operation in each group is assigned so that the time integral value of the calculated standard deviation is minimized. bpg (t) may be smoothed. The standard deviation in units of a specified day is the amount of power received on the specified day P bpg The average value of (t) and the amount of power received at each time on the specified day P bpg (t) is the square root of the mean square of the difference.

[0109] Received power amount P bpg The difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of (t) is used to calculate the amount of received power P bpg When leveling (t), the amount of power received P bpg Focusing on the deviation or standard deviation of (t), the amount of received power P bpg Since the amount of calculation is less than when leveling (t), the time required to create a boiling operation plan can be reduced.

[0110] On the other hand, the amount of received power P bpg Focusing on the deviation or standard deviation of (t), the amount of received power P bpg When leveling (t), the amount of power received P bpg The difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of (t) is used to calculate the amount of received power P bpg (t) is more accurate than leveling the received power amount P bpg The degree of fluctuation in (t) can be further reduced.

[0111] The CPU 31 calculates the total power consumption P for each time period T for the combination of various allocations of the water heating operation timings for each group under the precondition that the water heater 9 is operated continuously until the water heating is completed. bg (t) and received power P bpg While calculating (t) according to equations (2) and (3), the timing of the water heating operation for each group is assigned to time period T within the water heating period of the water heater 9 so as to satisfy all operation planning rules from rule A to rule D.

[0112] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a water heating operation plan created in step S60 of FIG. 4. The horizontal axis of FIG. 5 represents 24 hours from midnight on a specified date, and the vertical axis represents the amount of power. Of the amount of power, positive amounts represent the amount of power consumed, and negative amounts represent the amount of power generated. Line segment 18 represents the contracted power P d The contracted power amount P corresponding to dd (t)

[0113] Furthermore, line segment 12 represents the preset heating period of water heater 9, line segment 12A represents the start time of the heating period of water heater 9, and line segment 12B represents the end time of the heating period of water heater 9. In the example shown in Figure 5, line segment 12A overlaps with the vertical axis representing the amount of power.

[0114] Furthermore, graph 13 shows the timing of the heating operation assigned to each group, and graph 14 shows the second power consumption P b (t), Graph 15 shows the total power consumption P bg (t), Graph 16 shows the amount of solar power generation P p (t), and graph 17 shows the amount of power received P bpg (t) respectively.

[0115] In the example shown in Fig. 5, the residences 7 in the building 2 are divided into 10 groups, group A to group J, and the operation order is set for groups A to J so that the operation order becomes later as you proceed from group A to group J in alphabetical order. That is, of groups A to J, group A has the earliest operation order and group J has the latest operation order. In graph 13, area 13A indicates the timing of the heating operation for group A and the group power consumption P g Similarly, the regions 13B to 13J represent the heating operation timings and the group power consumption amounts P g (τ).

[0116] Graph 13 shows a situation in which the timing of the water heating operation for each group is allocated from the earliest time period T within the water heating period to the group with the earliest operating order, so that the water heating operation start time of the group with the earliest operating order is before the water heating operation start time of the group with the later operating order. By allocating the water heating operation timing for each group as shown in FIG. 5, the received power amount P bpg (t) is the most leveled.

[0117] On the other hand, Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of another water heating operation plan. Specifically, when the group power consumption P g (τ) than the group power consumption P g FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a water boiling operation plan in which water boiling operation timings are also allocated at night because there is a group with a large (τ).

[0118] In the example shown in FIG. 6, the received power amount P bpg In order to level out (t), the timing of the water heating operation for groups A to C is assigned from midnight to 5:00, and the timing of the water heating operation for groups D to J is assigned from 6:00 to 18:00.

[0119] In summer, the amount of solar power generated during the day (the period from sunrise to sunset) is higher than in winter. p In addition, the amount of hot water used in summer is less than in winter, and the outdoor temperature is higher, so the amount of power consumed by the water heater 9 decreases. On the other hand, in winter, the amount of solar power generation P p (t) decreases, and the amount of power consumed by the water heater 9 increases. bpg As a result of optimizing (t), in the summer, the timing of the heating operation for each group tends to be set during the day, as shown in Figure 5, and in the winter, the timing of the heating operation for one of the groups tends to be set at night, as shown in Figure 6.

[0120] This completes the operation plan creation process shown in FIG.

[0121] The CPU 31 calculates the received power amount P bpg The maximum value of (t) is the contracted energy amount P dd If it is less than (t), the amount of received power P bpg (t) is the contracted power amount P dd (t) is less than the received power amount P bpg The maximum value of (t) may be notified to the user. bpg The maximum value of (t) is the contracted energy amount P ddIf it becomes less than (t), the contracted power P d By lowering the base charge for grid power 4, the base charge can be reduced.

[0122] In addition, the amount of received power P bpg (t) is the contracted power amount P dd The control device 20 may have a "peak cut control function" that controls air conditioning, lighting, storage batteries, etc., or temporarily stops some of the water heaters 9 when the amount of received power P bpg The upper limit power, which is the value at which the peak cut control function is activated when the received power amount P bpg If the maximum value of (t) is close to exceeding the upper limit power of the peak cut control function, the user may be notified. This provides the user with an opportunity to review the upper limit power at which the peak cut control function is activated.

[0123] In addition, although the above describes an example in which a heating operation plan is created by fixing the operation sequence set for the group, when the CPU 31 receives a change instruction from the user, it may change the operation sequence set for the group in accordance with the instruction.

[0124] As already explained, the end time of the heating period is often set before the period when hot water demand is highest in the entire building 2, but if the operation order is permanently fixed, fairness between groups may not be maintained. Therefore, the operation order may be reviewed periodically to maintain fairness between groups.

[0125] While one form of the control device 20 has been described above using the embodiment, the disclosed form of the control device 20 is merely an example, and the form of the control device 20 is not limited to the scope described in the embodiment. Various changes or improvements can be made to the embodiment without departing from the gist of the present disclosure, and forms incorporating such changes or improvements are also included in the technical scope of the disclosure.

[0126] For example, the internal processing order in the operation plan creation process shown in FIG. 4 may be changed without departing from the gist of the embodiment.

[0127] In the above embodiment, the operation plan creation process is implemented by software. However, the process equivalent to the flowchart of the operation plan creation process shown in Fig. 4 may be implemented by hardware. In this case, the process can be performed faster than when the operation plan creation process is implemented by software.

[0128] In the above embodiment, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU 31) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0129] The operation of the processor in the above embodiment may not only be performed by a single processor, but may also be performed by multiple processors located in physically separate locations working together. For example, the control device 20 may be configured using cloud computing, and the control device 20 may control each water heater 9 via the communication line 5. In other words, the control device 20 may be located outside the premises of the building 2. The control device 20 may also be installed inside the water heater 9.

[0130] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the control program is pre-stored in the non-volatile memory 33. However, the storage destination of the control program is not limited to the non-volatile memory 33. The control program can also be provided in a form recorded on a storage medium readable by the computer 30.

[0131] For example, the control program may be provided in a form recorded on an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk Read Only Memory), or a Blu-ray disc. The control program may also be provided in a form recorded on a portable semiconductor memory such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or a memory card. Non-volatile memory 33, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a Blu-ray disc, a USB memory, and a memory card are examples of non-transitory storage media.

[0132] Furthermore, the control device 20 may download a control program from an external device connected to the communication line 5 via the communication unit 36 ​​and store the downloaded control program in the non-volatile memory 33 .

[0133] The following are notes related to this disclosure.

[0134] (Appendix 1) a prediction unit that predicts, from past performance data, the amount of photovoltaic power generation for each time period on a designated day that will be supplied to an entire building that includes multiple residences and receives grid power from an electric utility in a lump sum based on a contracted power demand; a first amount of power consumption for each residence, which is the amount of power consumption for each time period on the designated day by a water heater provided in each residence; and a second amount of power consumption, which is the sum of the amount of power consumption for each time period on the designated day by loads other than the water heaters that are consumed in the building; a planning unit that creates a plan to allocate operation timings of the water heaters for each group of residences so that the power consumption of the entire building for each time period, which is represented by the sum of the first power consumption amount on the designated day for each group of residences consisting of at least one of the residences and the second power consumption amount on the designated day, is equal to or less than the contract power amount corresponding to the contract power, the degree of fluctuation in the amount of received power in the building, which is the amount of power obtained by subtracting the amount of photovoltaic power generation from the power consumption of the entire building, on the designated day is minimized, and the water heaters in each group of residences operate continuously until water heating is completed, and water heating by each of the water heaters in all of the groups of residences is completed within a preset period on the designated day; a control unit that controls operation of a water heater used in each of the residences according to the plan; A control device comprising:

[0135] (Appendix 2) The planning unit minimizes a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of the amount of received power on the specified date, thereby minimizing a degree of fluctuation of the amount of received power in the building on the specified date. 10. The control device of claim 1.

[0136] (Appendix 3) The planning unit minimizes a time integral value of an absolute value of a deviation of the amount of received power in the building at each time on the specified day, with the specified day as a unit. 10. The control device of claim 1.

[0137] (Appendix 4) The planning unit minimizes a time integral value of a standard deviation of the amount of received power in the building at each time on the specified day, with the specified day as a unit. 10. The control device of claim 1.

[0138] (Appendix 5) The planning unit creates a plan to sequentially allocate operation timings of the water heaters for each group of residences, starting from the earliest time slot within the period, in order from the group with the earliest operation order, according to an operation order of the water heaters that is preset for each group of residences. 5. The control device according to any one of Supplementary notes 1 to 4.

[0139] (Appendix 6) The operating sequence is fixed 6. The control device according to claim 5.

[0140] (Appendix 7) The control unit performs control to notify a user that the amount of received power has been less than the contracted amount of power for a predetermined period of time or more. 7. The control device according to any one of Supplementary notes 1 to 6.

[0141] (Appendix 8) A building includes a plurality of residences, and receives grid power from an electric utility in a lump sum based on a contracted power demand. The building includes a first residence-specific power consumption amount, which is the amount of power consumed by a water heater provided in each residence on the specified day for the specified time period, and a second residence-specific power consumption amount, which is the sum of the amount of power consumed by loads other than the water heaters in the building on the specified day for the specified time period, and the amount of power consumed by the water heaters in each residence on the specified day for the specified time period. The building includes a first residence-specific power consumption amount, which is the amount of power consumed by the water heaters provided in each residence on the specified day for the specified time period, based on past actual data. a plan is created to allocate the operation timing of the water heaters for each group of residences so that the power consumption of the entire building for each time period, which is represented by the sum of the first power consumption amount on the designated day for each group of residences consisting of at least one of the residences and the second power consumption amount on the designated day, is equal to or less than the contract power amount corresponding to the contract power, the degree of fluctuation in the amount of received power in the building, which is the amount of power obtained by subtracting the amount of solar power generation from the power consumption of the entire building, is minimized, and the water heaters in each group of residences operate continuously until water heating is completed, and water heating by each water heater in all of the groups of residences is completed within a predetermined period of time on the designated day; A computer executes a process for controlling the operation of the water heater used in each of the residences according to the plan. Control method.

[0142] (Appendix 9) A building includes a plurality of residences, and receives grid power from an electric utility in a lump sum based on a contracted power demand. The building includes a first residence-specific power consumption amount, which is the amount of power consumed by a water heater provided in each residence on the specified day for the specified time period, and a second residence-specific power consumption amount, which is the sum of the amount of power consumed by loads other than the water heaters in the building on the specified day for the specified time period, and the amount of power consumed by the water heaters in each residence on the specified day for the specified time period. The building includes a first residence-specific power consumption amount, which is the amount of power consumed by the water heaters provided in each residence on the specified day for the specified time period, based on past actual data. a plan is created to allocate the operation timing of the water heaters for each group of residences so that the power consumption of the entire building for each time period, which is represented by the sum of the first power consumption amount on the designated day for each group of residences consisting of at least one of the residences and the second power consumption amount on the designated day, is equal to or less than the contract power amount corresponding to the contract power, the degree of fluctuation in the amount of received power in the building, which is the amount of power obtained by subtracting the amount of solar power generation from the power consumption of the entire building, is minimized, and the water heaters in each group of residences operate continuously until water heating is completed, and water heating by each water heater in all of the groups of residences is completed within a predetermined period of time on the designated day; A control program for causing a computer to execute a process for controlling the operation of the water heater used in each of the residences in accordance with the plan. [Explanation of symbols]

[0143] 1. Power Management System 2. Building 3. Weather data server 4 Grid power 5. Communication lines 6. Power receiving and transforming equipment 7. Housing 8(8A~8E) Smart Meter 9. Heat pump water heater (water heater) 10. Solar power generation facilities 11 Power equipment 12(12A, 12B) Line segment representing the boiling period 13 Graphs 13A~13J Area showing the timing of heating operation and group power consumption 14 2nd power consumption P b Graph showing (t) 15 Overall power consumption P bg Graph showing (t) 16 Solar power generation amount P p Graph showing (t) 17 Received power amount P bpg Graph showing (t) 18 Contract power amount P dd Line segment representing (t) 20 Control device 21 Communications Department 22 Memory section 23 Prediction Department 24 Planning Department 25 Control Unit 28 Meteorological data measuring instrument 29 Shared load 30 Computer 31 CPU 32 RAM 33 Non-volatile memory 34 I / O 35 Bus 36 Communication Unit 37 Input Unit 38 Display Unit P b (t) Secondary power consumption P bg (t) Total power consumption P bpg (t) Received power amount P d Contracted power P dd (t) Contract electricity amount P e (τ) 1st power consumption P g (τ) Group power consumption P p (t) Solar power generation Pu Upper limit power T time slot t is the time zone index τ Relative time from the start time of the water heater's heating operation

Claims

1. a prediction unit that predicts, from past performance data, the amount of photovoltaic power generation for each time period on a designated day to be supplied to an entire building that includes multiple residences and receives grid power from an electric utility in a lump sum based on a contracted power demand, a first amount of power consumption for each residence that is the amount of power consumption for each time period on the designated day by a water heater provided in each residence, and a second amount of power consumption that is the sum of the amount of power consumption for each time period on the designated day by loads other than the water heaters that are consumed in the building; a planning unit that creates a plan to allocate operation timings of the water heaters for each group of residences so that the power consumption of the entire building for each time period, which is represented by the sum of the first power consumption amount on the designated day for each group of residences consisting of at least one of the residences and the second power consumption amount on the designated day, is equal to or less than the contract power amount corresponding to the contract power, the degree of fluctuation in the amount of received power in the building, which is the amount of power obtained by subtracting the amount of photovoltaic power generation from the power consumption of the entire building, on the designated day is minimized, and the water heaters in each group of residences operate continuously until water heating is completed, and water heating by each of the water heaters in all of the groups of residences is completed within a preset period on the designated day; a control unit that controls operation of a water heater used in each of the residences according to the plan; A control device comprising:

2. The planning unit minimizes a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of the amount of received power on the specified date, thereby minimizing a degree of fluctuation of the amount of received power in the building on the specified date. The control device according to claim 1 .

3. The planning unit minimizes a time integral value of an absolute value of a deviation of the amount of received power in the building at each time on the specified day, with the specified day as a unit. The control device according to claim 1 .

4. The planning unit minimizes a time integral value of a standard deviation of the amount of received power in the building at each time on the specified day, with the specified day as a unit. The control device according to claim 1 .

5. The planning unit creates a plan to sequentially allocate operation timings of the water heaters for each group of residences, starting from the earliest time slot within the period, in order from the group with the earliest operation order, according to an operation order of the water heaters that is preset for each group of residences. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The operating sequence is fixed The control device according to claim 5 .

7. The control unit performs control to notify a user that the amount of received power has been less than the contracted amount of power for a predetermined period of time or more. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

8. A building includes a plurality of residences, and receives grid power from an electric utility in bulk based on a contracted power demand. The building includes a first residence-specific power consumption amount, which is the amount of power consumed by a water heater provided in each residence for each time slot on the designated day. The second residence-specific power consumption amount is the sum of the amount of power consumed by loads other than the water heaters in the building for each time slot on the designated day. The second residence-specific power consumption amount is the sum of the amount of power consumed by the ... a plan is created to allocate the operation timing of the water heaters for each group of residences so that the power consumption of the entire building for each time period, which is represented by the sum of the first power consumption amount on the designated day for each group of residences consisting of at least one of the residences and the second power consumption amount on the designated day, is equal to or less than the contract power amount corresponding to the contract power, the degree of fluctuation in the amount of received power in the building, which is the amount of power obtained by subtracting the amount of solar power generation from the power consumption of the entire building, is minimized, and the water heaters in each group of residences operate continuously until water heating is completed, and water heating by each water heater in all of the groups of residences is completed within a preset period on the designated day; A computer executes a process for controlling the operation of the water heater used in each of the residences according to the plan. Control method.

9. A building includes a plurality of residences, and receives grid power from an electric utility in bulk based on a contracted power demand. The building includes a first residence-specific power consumption amount, which is the amount of power consumed by a water heater provided in each residence for each time slot on the designated day. The second residence-specific power consumption amount is the sum of the amount of power consumed by loads other than the water heaters in the building for each time slot on the designated day. The second residence-specific power consumption amount is the sum of the amount of power consumed by the ... a plan is created to allocate the operation timing of the water heaters for each group of residences so that the power consumption of the entire building for each time period, which is represented by the sum of the first power consumption amount on the designated day for each group of residences consisting of at least one of the residences and the second power consumption amount on the designated day, is equal to or less than the contract power amount corresponding to the contract power, the degree of fluctuation in the amount of received power in the building, which is the amount of power obtained by subtracting the amount of solar power generation from the power consumption of the entire building, is minimized, and the water heaters in each group of residences operate continuously until water heating is completed, and water heating by each water heater in all of the groups of residences is completed within a preset period on the designated day; A control program for causing a computer to execute a process for controlling the operation of the water heater used in each of the residences in accordance with the plan.

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