Electric power supply / demand management system, electric power supply / demand management method, and program

Abstract

To more appropriately determine VPP groups and improve power supply / demand profitability.SOLUTION: A power supply / demand management system for managing the power supply / demand of a balance group composed of multiple power supply devices including distributed power sources, includes: a consumer group management unit that determines a consumer group aggregating multiple consumers on the basis of individual power demand information of the multiple consumers; and a VPP group management unit that determines VPP groups indicating groups of the power supply devices belonging to a VPP (Virtual Power Plant) where multiple power supply devices owned by the consumers are aggregated into one, on the basis of the consumer groups determined by the consumer group management unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electricity supply and demand management system, an electricity supply and demand management method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Electric power companies must match the demand plans of their customers, who are under their management, with the amount of electricity generated by generators or the amount of electricity procured through bilateral or market transactions, etc., every 30 minutes, and there is a concept called BG (Balancing Group) to make this management easier. In addition, recently, an increasing number of small power sources with various characteristics are being introduced to consumers, and a VPP (Virtual Power Plant) is known that collectively monitors and controls the power of these individual power sources, treating them as if they were a single power plant (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition to operating traditional generators, electric power companies are now able to manage electricity supply and demand using VPPs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-89659 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional power supply and demand management systems described above, power sources under the control of a BG are aggregated and managed on a VPP basis, and as with generators, there is a need to more appropriately group VPPs (determine VPP groups) to select power supply devices such as power sources belonging to a VPP, taking into consideration their respective characteristics and uses.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and its purpose is to provide an electricity supply and demand management system, an electricity supply and demand management method, and a program that can more appropriately determine VPP groups and improve the profitability of electricity supply and demand. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present disclosure is an electricity supply and demand management system that manages the supply and demand of electricity for a balance group consisting of multiple power supply devices including distributed power sources, and is equipped with a consumer group management unit that determines a consumer group into which multiple consumers are aggregated based on individual power demand information of the multiple consumers, and a VPP group management unit that determines a VPP group indicating a group of power supply devices belonging to a VPP (Virtual Power Plant) in which multiple power supply devices owned by the consumers are aggregated into one, based on the consumer group determined by the consumer group management unit.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a power supply and demand management method for a power supply and demand management system that manages the supply and demand of power for a balance group consisting of multiple power supply devices including distributed power sources, in which a customer group management unit determines a customer group into which multiple customers are aggregated based on individual power demand information of the multiple customers, and a VPP group management unit determines a VPP group indicating a group of power supply devices belonging to a VPP (Virtual Power Plant) in which multiple power supply devices owned by the customers are aggregated into one, based on the customer group determined by the customer group management unit.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer of a power supply and demand management system that manages the supply and demand of power for a balance group consisting of multiple power supply devices including distributed power sources to execute a first step of determining a consumer group into which multiple consumers are aggregated based on individual power demand information of the multiple consumers, and a second step of determining a VPP group indicating a group of the power supply devices belonging to a VPP (Virtual Power Plant) into which multiple power supply devices owned by the consumers are aggregated, based on the consumer group determined by the first step. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to more appropriately determine VPP groups and improve profitability in electricity supply and demand. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a power supply and demand management system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a VPP group determination process in the power supply and demand management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for determining a VPP group in the power supply and demand management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a matching process between a consumer group and a VPP group in the electricity supply and demand management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the BG supply and demand management device in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the VPP supply and demand management device in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a VPP group review process in the power supply and demand management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8]FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a VPP group review process in the power supply and demand management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for reviewing matching between consumer groups and VPP groups in the electricity supply and demand management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a VPP group determination process in the power supply and demand management system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for determining a VPP group in the power supply and demand management system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of each device in a power supply and demand management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an electric power supply and demand management system and an electric power supply and demand management method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] [First embodiment] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an example of an electricity supply and demand management system 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 1, the electricity supply and demand management system 1 includes a BG supply and demand management device 10, a VPP supply and demand management device 20, a power supply control device group 3, a power supply device 5 owned by each of a plurality of consumers 4, and a plurality of consumers 6 that do not have a power supply device 5. The electricity supply and demand management system 1 is a system that manages the supply and demand of electricity for a balance group (BG) made up of the power supply control device group 3, a plurality of power supply devices 5 including distributed power sources, and consumers 6 that do not have a power supply device 5.

[0014] The BG supply and demand management device 10 and the external server 2, and the VPP supply and demand management device 20 and the external server 2, can be connected via a network NW1. In addition, the BG supply and demand management device 10 and the VPP supply and demand management device 20, the VPP supply and demand management device 20 and each power supply device 5, and the BG supply and demand management device 10 and the power supply control device group 3 are connected via dedicated lines or a network (e.g., the Internet).

[0015] The external server 2 is a server device that provides various external services, and is represented here as one server device. The various services include, for example, a service that provides weather information (weather forecast information and performance information), a simple command system that outputs DR commands (demand response commands), and a market trading system.

[0016] The power supply control device group 3 is a group of devices that are directly managed by the BG supply and demand management device 10 and that control power supplies such as thermal power generators. The consumer 6 is a consumer that does not have a power supply device 5 such as a distributed power source, and is directly managed by the BG supply and demand management device 10.

[0017] The power supply device 5 is a device capable of supplying power from power sources grouped into a VPP by a VPP (described later) to a consumer 4 (or consumer 6) or the like. The power supply device 5 includes, for example, a solar power generation device, a storage battery, and a distributed power source such as an EV (Electric Vehicle). In this embodiment, the consumer 4 is a consumer that has a power supply device 5 such as a distributed power source.

[0018] The BG supply and demand management device 10 manages the supply and demand of electricity in the highest EMS (Energy Management System) layer (first layer), which is the highest layer of a BG consisting of multiple distributed power sources and generators. In cooperation with the VPP supply and demand management device 20, the BG supply and demand management device 10 transmits control commands to the VPP supply and demand management device 20 so as to match the supply and demand of electricity in the BG within a predetermined unit period (e.g., 30 minutes) based on demand forecast values ​​and supply availability forecast values ​​(e.g., renewable energy power generation forecast and controllable amount forecast) based on actual supply and demand values ​​acquired from the VPP supply and demand management device 20, and on generator simulation data indicating the characteristics of the generator in the VPP. The BG supply and demand management device 10 also determines and utilizes the usage of electricity for multiple purposes, such as buying and selling in the wholesale electricity trading market, selling to the supply and demand adjustment market, and supplying to the capacity market.

[0019] Here, VPP is a concept in which a business operator such as a retail electricity supplier aggregates any number of power sources (multiple power supply devices 5) and monitors and controls the electricity, treating them as if they were a single power plant; it is a virtual power plant that operates multiple distributed power sources as a virtual power plant.

[0020] Specifically, the BG supply and demand management device 10 transmits a control command (first control command) to the VPP supply and demand management device 20 at 5-minute intervals (second unit period intervals) shorter than 30 minutes so as to match the supply and demand of electricity in the BG for a predetermined 30-minute period (first unit period) based on the actual supply and demand values ​​acquired from the VPP supply and demand management device 20. The BG supply and demand management device 10 also directly manages some of the demand and power generation that do not belong to the VPP supply and demand management device 20. The BG supply and demand management device 10 also includes a NW (network) communication unit 11, an inter-device transmission / reception unit 12, a device storage unit 13, and a device control unit 14.

[0021] The NW communication unit 11 is a functional unit realized by a communication device such as a network adapter. The NW communication unit 11 is connected to the network NW1 and performs communication between the BG supply and demand management device 10 and the external server 2. The NW communication unit 11 is used, for example, to receive weather information from the external server 2, receive DR commands, and perform electricity market transactions.

[0022] The inter-device transmission / reception unit 12 is a functional unit realized by a communication device such as a network adapter. The inter-device transmission / reception unit 12 transmits and receives information to and from the VPP supply and demand management device 20 via a dedicated line or a network (e.g., the Internet) to cooperate with the VPP supply and demand management device 20. The inter-device transmission / reception unit 12 receives, for example, actual values, variable amounts of power, costs, and predicted values ​​from the VPP supply and demand management device 20. The inter-device transmission / reception unit 12 also transmits control commands to the VPP supply and demand management device 20 and the power supply control device group 3.

[0023] The device storage unit 13 stores various information used by the BG supply and demand management device 10. The device storage unit 13 includes a master information storage unit 131, an actual value storage unit 132, a weather information storage unit 133, a predicted value storage unit 134, and a plan information storage unit 135.

[0024] The master information storage unit 131 stores master information of various power sources managed by the BG supply and demand management device 10. The master information includes the maximum output, minimum output, rate of change, fuel type, power generation cost, start-up pattern, stop pattern, cost information, etc. The cost information includes cost information (electricity price index, adjusted unit price, etc.) when charging the power source as a power storage device. The master information storage unit 131 stores, for example, identification information of various power sources in association with the master information.

[0025] The actual value storage unit 132 stores the control results (actual supply and demand values) of each power generator and VPP collected, for example, at five-minute intervals. The actual value storage unit 132 stores, for example, identification information of each power generator and VPP, control date and time information, and control actual values ​​(actual supply and demand values) in association with each other.

[0026] The weather information storage unit 133 stores weather information acquired from the external server 2 via the NW communication unit 11. The weather information includes weather forecast information and actual information, such as forecast values ​​and actual values ​​of weather, temperature, humidity, sunshine hours, etc.

[0027] The predicted value memory unit 134 stores, for example, predicted information predicted by the BG supply and demand management unit 141 described later (for example, demand forecasts outside the management of the upper EMS (outside the management of the VPP supply and demand management device 20), renewable energy power generation forecasts, and controllable amount forecasts), as well as predicted information obtained from the VPP supply and demand management device 20 at 5-minute intervals.

[0028] The plan information storage unit 135 stores charge / discharge plans for each power generator and VPP generated every 30 minutes by the BG supply and demand management unit 141, which will be described later. The plan information storage unit 135 stores, for example, identification information for each power generator and VPP to be controlled in association with plan information indicating the charge / discharge plan.

[0029] The device control unit 14 is a functional unit realized by, for example, causing a processor including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a program stored in the device storage unit 13. The device control unit 14 executes various processes of the BG supply and demand management device 10. The device control unit 14 includes a BG supply and demand management unit 141.

[0030] The BG supply and demand management unit 141 repeatedly executes a cycle of result collection processing, prediction processing, planning processing, and collaboration processing at the highest EMS layer (first layer). The BG supply and demand management unit 141 executes a performance collection process that collects the control performance of each generator and VPP at five-minute intervals. The BG supply and demand management unit 141 collects the control performance of each generator and VPP at five-minute intervals via the inter-device transmission / reception unit 12, and stores, for example, the identification information of each generator and VPP, the date and time information of the control, and the control performance value in association with each other in the performance value storage unit 132.

[0031] The BG supply and demand management unit 141 also executes a prediction process for predicting a predicted power demand value and a predicted supply availability value based on the control results. The BG supply and demand management unit 141 predicts a predicted power demand value and a predicted supply availability value for the BG based on actual supply and demand values ​​(control results) in response to a control command (first control command) to the VPP supply and demand management device 20 collected, for example, at five-minute intervals. The BG supply and demand management unit 141 performs a demand prediction, a renewable energy power generation prediction, and a controllable amount prediction for an area not managed by a higher-level EMS (not managed by the VPP supply and demand management device 20), for example, based on the collected actual supply and demand values, master information stored in the master information storage unit 131, and weather information stored in the weather information storage unit 133. That is, the BG supply and demand management unit 141 also predicts a predicted power demand value and a predicted supply availability value for demand and power generation that are not associated with each VPP but are directly managed by the BG supply and demand management device 10. The BG supply and demand management unit 141 stores the predicted value in the predicted value storage unit 134.

[0032] Furthermore, the BG supply and demand management unit 141 executes planning processing to generate an operation plan for every 30 minutes. The BG supply and demand management unit 141 generates an operation plan for every 30 minutes based on the predicted demand forecast value and the predicted supply availability value. The BG supply and demand management unit 141 acquires, for example, generator simulation data indicating the characteristics of a generator in a VPP from the VPP supply and demand management device 20 via the inter-device transmission and reception unit 12.

[0033] The BG supply and demand management unit 141 generates a charge and discharge plan for each generator and VPP every 30 minutes (every 30 minutes) based on the forecast information stored in the forecast value memory unit 134 (the forecast information predicted by the forecasting process and the forecast information obtained from the VPP supply and demand management device 20), the master information stored in the master information memory unit 131, and the generator simulation data. The BG supply and demand management unit 141 stores the generated charging and discharging plan for every 30 minutes in the plan information storage unit 135.

[0034] Furthermore, the BG supply and demand management unit 141 executes a cooperative process of transmitting control commands based on the operation plan at five-minute intervals (five-minute cycles) to the VPP supply and demand management device 20. The BG supply and demand management unit 141 transmits control commands (first control commands) to the VPP supply and demand management device 20 at five-minute intervals (five-minute cycles) based on the generated operation plan for every 30 minutes. The BG supply and demand management unit 141 generates control commands (first control commands) at five-minute intervals (five-minute cycles) for each power generator and VPP based on the control result values ​​(supply and demand result values) stored in the result value storage unit 132, the master information stored in the master information storage unit 131, and the charge and discharge plan for every 30 minutes stored in the plan information storage unit 135.

[0035] The BG supply and demand management unit 141 transmits the generated control commands at 5-minute intervals (5-minute cycles) to the power supply control device group 3 and the VPP supply and demand management device 20 via the inter-device transmission and reception unit 12. The BG supply and demand management unit 141 cooperates by transmitting the commands to the VPP supply and demand management device 20 via the inter-device transmission and reception unit 12, for example, on a VPP basis.

[0036] The VPP supply and demand management device 20 manages the power supply and demand in an upper EMS hierarchy (second hierarchy) that is a hierarchy lower than the highest EMS hierarchy of the BG supply and demand management device 10. In other words, the VPP supply and demand management device 20 is a hierarchy lower than the BG, and manages the power supply and demand in a VPP that operates multiple power supply devices 5 as virtual power plants.

[0037] The VPP supply and demand management device 20 transmits a control command (second control command) to the hierarchical level (third hierarchical level) of each consumer 4, which is a hierarchical level lower than the upper EMS hierarchical level, at 1-minute intervals (third unit period intervals) shorter than 5 minutes so that the control command (first control command) can be achieved at 5-minute intervals. The VPP supply and demand management device 20 also includes a network communication unit 21, an inter-device transmission / reception unit 22, a device storage unit 23, and a device control unit 24.

[0038] The NW communication unit 21 is a functional unit realized by a communication device such as a network adapter. The NW communication unit 21 connects to the network NW1 and performs communication between the VPP supply and demand management device 20 and the external server 2. The NW communication unit 21 is used, for example, to receive weather information from the external server 2, receive DR commands, and the like.

[0039] The inter-device transmission / reception unit 22 is a functional unit realized by a communication device such as a network adapter, etc. The inter-device transmission / reception unit 22 transmits and receives information to and from the BG supply and demand management device 10 and the power supply device 5 via a dedicated line or a network (e.g., the Internet), and establishes cooperation between the VPP supply and demand management device 20 and the consumer 4 (power supply device 5).

[0040] The inter-device transmitting / receiving unit 22 transmits, for example, actual values, variable amounts of power, costs, predicted values, etc. to the BG supply and demand management device 10. The inter-device transmitting / receiving unit 22 also receives control commands from the BG supply and demand management device 10. Furthermore, the inter-device transmitting and receiving unit 22 receives, for example, a performance value from the customer 4 (power supply device 5), etc. Furthermore, the inter-device transmitting and receiving unit 22 transmits a control command to the power supply device 5.

[0041] The device storage unit 23 stores various information used by the VPP supply and demand management device 20. The device storage unit 23 includes a master information storage unit 231, an actual value storage unit 232, a weather information storage unit 233, a predicted value storage unit 234, a plan information storage unit 235, a consumer information storage unit 221, a power demand information storage unit 222, a power supply information storage unit 223, a consumer classification storage unit 224, a consumer group storage unit 225, a VPP group storage unit 226, and a matching information storage unit 227.

[0042] The master information storage unit 231 stores master information of various devices managed by the VPP supply and demand management device 20. The master information includes device master information of each device (rated output, power outage capacity, control availability time period, battery protection settings), consumer contract master information (contracted power (forward flow or reverse flow), adjustment contract plan (flat rate or metered rate), adjustment contract metered price, electricity rate menu, voltage class, area (demand location information)), etc. The master information storage unit 231 stores, for example, identification information of various devices in association with the master information.

[0043] The actual value storage unit 232 stores, for example, the control results (actual supply and demand values) of each consumer 4 (power supply device 5) collected at one-minute intervals by a VPP supply and demand management unit 241 described later. The actual value storage unit 232 stores, for example, identification information of each consumer 4 (power supply device 5), date and time information of control, and the control actual value (actual supply and demand value) in association with each other.

[0044] The weather information storage unit 233 stores weather information acquired from the external server 2 via the NW communication unit 21. The weather information includes weather forecast information and actual information, such as forecast values ​​and actual values ​​of weather, temperature, humidity, sunshine hours, etc.

[0045] The predicted value storage unit 234 stores, for example, prediction information predicted by the VPP supply and demand management unit 241 described later (for example, VPP demand forecast, renewable energy power generation forecast, and controllable amount forecast managed by the VPP supply and demand management device 20).

[0046] The plan information storage unit 235 stores operation plans and minute-by-minute control commands for each power supply device 5 generated every five minutes by a VPP supply and demand management unit 241, which will be described later. The plan information storage unit 235 stores, for example, identification information of the power supply device 5 to be controlled, in association with control plan information indicating a charge and discharge plan (operation plan) and control commands.

[0047] The consumer information storage unit 221 stores various information related to each consumer 4 managed by the VPP supply and demand management device 20. The consumer information storage unit 221 stores, for example, identification information of each consumer 4 in association with the type of power supply device 5 owned by the consumer 4, identification information of the power supply device 5, power supply and demand contract information, area (location information), and the like.

[0048] The power demand information storage unit 222 stores power demand information for each consumer 4. The power demand information storage unit 222 stores the power demand information in association with identification information for each consumer 4. The power demand information includes, for example, demand fluctuation information for the consumer 4, and the demand fluctuation information includes, for example, the trend of demand fluctuations for each consumer 4, prediction errors of demand for each consumer 4, fluctuations in demand for each consumer 4, the rate of change in demand fluctuations for each consumer 4, etc.

[0049] The power supply information storage unit 223 stores power supply information for each power supply device 5. The power supply information storage unit 223 stores the power supply information in association with identification information for each power supply device 5. The power supply information includes, for example, performance information for the power supply device 5, combination information of power generation facilities and storage batteries that belong to the same VPP group, and the like.

[0050] The consumer classification storage unit 224 stores classification information that classifies the consumer 4. The consumer classification storage unit 224 stores classification identification information that indicates the type of classification of the consumer 4, detailed information of the classification, and identification information of the classified consumer 4, in association with each other.

[0051] The consumer group storage unit 225 stores identification information of a consumer group that aggregates multiple consumers 4 and identification information of the consumers 4 that belong to the consumer group in association with each other.

[0052] The VPP group storage unit 226 stores information about a VPP group, which is a group of power supply devices 5 that belong to a VPP that aggregates multiple power supply devices 5. The VPP group storage unit 226 stores identification information of the VPP group (identification information of the VPP) and identification information of the power supply device 5 to which the VPP group belongs, in association with each other.

[0053] The matching information storage unit 227 stores correspondence information (matching information) between VPP groups that supply power and consumer groups that consume the power supplied by the VPP groups. The matching information storage unit 227 stores identification information of the VPP groups and identification information of the consumer groups in association with each other.

[0054] The device control unit 24 is a functional unit realized, for example, by causing a processor including a CPU to execute a program stored in the device storage unit 13. The device control unit 24 executes various processes of the VPP supply and demand management device 20. The device control unit 24 includes a VPP supply and demand management unit 241, a consumer group management unit 242, a VPP group management unit 243, and a group change processing unit 244.

[0055] The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 repeatedly executes a cycle of result collection processing, prediction processing, planning processing, and collaboration processing in the upper EMS hierarchy (second hierarchy). The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 executes a performance collection process that collects control performance data of the consumers 4 (power supply devices 5) at one-minute intervals. The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 collects the control performance data of each consumer 4 (third tier) at one-minute intervals via the inter-device transmission / reception unit 22, and stores the data in the performance value storage unit 232, for example, by associating the identification information of each consumer 4 with the date and time information of the control and the control performance data.

[0056] Furthermore, the VPP supply and demand management unit 241 executes a prediction process to predict the predicted power demand value and predicted supply availability value in the upper EMS hierarchy based on the actual supply and demand values ​​in response to the control command (second control command) collected at one-minute intervals (intervals of a third unit period). The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 predicts the predicted power demand value and predicted supply availability value in each VPP based on, for example, the actual supply and demand values ​​(control results) in response to the control command (second control command) to the consumer 4 (power supply device 5) collected at one-minute intervals.

[0057] The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 performs VPP demand forecasting, renewable energy power generation forecasting, and controllable amount forecasting, for example, based on the collected supply and demand actual values, the master information stored in the master information storage unit 231, and the weather information stored in the weather information storage unit 233. The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 stores the predicted values ​​in the predicted value storage unit 234. Furthermore, the VPP supply and demand management unit 241 transmits the predicted values ​​to the BG supply and demand management device 10 on a VPP basis to cooperate with the BG supply and demand management device 10.

[0058] Furthermore, the VPP supply and demand management unit 241 models each distributed power source as a virtual power plant that can be handled by the highest-level EMS (BG supply and demand management device 10) based on the control results (supply and demand result values) stored in the result value storage unit 232 and the master information stored in the master information storage unit 231. The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 transmits the power generator simulation data generated through the modeling to the BG supply and demand management device 10 via the inter-device transmission / reception unit 22 to cooperate with the BG supply and demand management device 10.

[0059] Furthermore, the VPP supply and demand management unit 241 executes planning processing to generate an operation plan for every five minutes based on the predicted demand forecast value and the predicted supply availability value. The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 acquires control commands at five-minute intervals from the BG supply and demand management device 10 via the inter-device transmission and reception unit 22. The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 generates an operation plan for every five minutes (five-minute cycle) for each consumer 4 (power supply device 5) based on the forecast information stored in the forecast value storage unit 234, the master information stored in the master information storage unit 131, and the control commands at five-minute intervals acquired from the BG supply and demand management device 10.

[0060] The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 generates control commands to each consumer 4 (power supply device 5) at one-minute intervals based on the operation plan. The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 stores the operation plan and control commands for each consumer 4 (power supply device 5) in the plan information storage unit 235.

[0061] Furthermore, the VPP supply and demand management unit 241 executes a coordination process for transmitting a control command (second control command) to each consumer 4 (power supply device 5) at one-minute intervals based on the generated five-minute operation plan. The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 transmits the control command at one-minute intervals (one-minute cycle) to each consumer 4 (power supply device 5) via the inter-device transmission / reception unit 22.

[0062] The consumer group management unit 242 determines a consumer group into which multiple consumers 4 are aggregated, based on the individual power demand information of the multiple consumers 4. Here, the power demand information is, for example, demand fluctuation information, and the demand fluctuation information is the trend of demand fluctuations of each consumer 4 (e.g., changes in actual demand values ​​per hour, etc.), prediction errors of demand for each consumer 4, and fluctuation waveforms of demand for each consumer 4 (e.g., the power fluctuation range, the time fluctuation range (wavelength) of fluctuation fluctuations, the number of fluctuation fluctuations (frequency), etc.). The consumer group management unit 242 collects power demand information for each consumer 4 based on the actual values ​​stored in the actual value storage unit 232, associates it with the identification information of the consumer 4, and stores it in the power demand information storage unit 222. The consumer group management unit 242 acquires and uses information about each consumer 4 stored in the consumer information storage unit 221.

[0063] Furthermore, the consumer group management unit 242 classifies consumer groups based on individual power demand information and preset consumer group setting conditions to determine the consumer groups. Here, the consumer group setting conditions include, for example, classification conditions for consumer groups (classifying those with similar fluctuation trends (similar ones), classifying by fluctuation range, etc.), setting conditions such as whether or not a consumer can belong to multiple groups, and use / purpose conditions.

[0064] For example, when the consumer group management unit 242 uses hourly changes in actual demand values ​​as the individual power demand information of consumers 4, it classifies the trends in the changes in actual demand values ​​on an hourly basis, aggregates consumers 4 with similar trends in the changes in their actual demand values, and determines a consumer group. In other words, the consumer group management unit 242 determines multiple types of classifications according to the trends in the changes in actual demand values ​​on an hourly basis, and assigns each consumer 4 to which classification it belongs, thereby determining a consumer group.

[0065] Furthermore, the consumer group management unit 242 may determine consumer groups by allocating consumers 4 so that the entire group has specific fluctuation characteristics, for example, according to the use and purpose. In this case, the specific fluctuation characteristics may be, for example, flat demand fluctuation throughout the day, fluctuation range within a set value, demand in the morning hours within a set value, demand in the daytime hours below a set value, etc. The consumer group management unit 242 may determine consumer groups by aggregating consumers 4 with different trends in demand fluctuation so that the demand at each hour falls within a set upper and lower limit range.

[0066] The consumer group management unit 242 stores the classification information in the consumer classification storage unit 224 and stores the results of the determined consumer group in the consumer group storage unit 225. The consumer group management unit 242 may change the number of consumer group categories depending on the number of VPP groups to be determined. That is, the number of VPP groups may be determined in advance, and the consumer group management unit 242 may determine the number of consumer group categories depending on the number of VPP groups. The consumer group management unit 242 may change the number of consumer group categories, for example, by determining the number of consumer group categories to be equal to or greater than the predetermined number of VPP groups (for example, 1.5 times, 2 times, etc.). Furthermore, the demander group management unit 242 may change the number of demander groups depending on the number of VPP groups to be determined.

[0067] The VPP group management unit 243 determines a VPP group based on the consumer group determined by the consumer group management unit 242. Here, a VPP group refers to a group of power supply devices 5 that belong to a VPP in which multiple power supply devices 5 owned by consumers 4 are aggregated into one VPP. The VPP group management unit 243 determines a VPP group based on, for example, the consumer group and preset VPP group setting conditions. Here, the VPP group setting conditions include the purpose and use of the VPP, how it is used, and the output characteristics of the VPP (response speed, maximum output, etc.).

[0068] The VPP group management unit 243 determines a VPP group by, for example, selecting a combination of power supply devices 5 that can output power according to the power demand characteristics of each consumer group. That is, the VPP group management unit 243 selects power supply devices 5 that belong to the VPP group based on the actual values ​​of the power supply characteristics of each power supply device 5 stored in the actual value storage unit 232, so that the power demand fluctuation characteristics of the consumer group and the power supply fluctuation characteristics of the VPP group are close to each other.

[0069] The VPP group management unit 243 may, for example, determine a VPP group by aggregating power supply devices 5 with different power supply fluctuation tendencies so that the power supply at each time falls within a set upper and lower limit range depending on each consumer group. The VPP group management unit 243 stores each determined VPP group in the VPP group storage unit 226.

[0070] Furthermore, the VPP group management unit 243 matches the determined VPP group with the above-mentioned consumer group, and stores the results in the matching information storage unit 227. The VPP group management unit 243 determines pairs of consumer groups and VPP groups based on the power demand characteristics of the consumer group and the application conditions of the VPP group (for example, application and purpose such as market buying and selling of power, power adjustment, capacity purpose, etc.). The VPP group management unit 243 associates the identification information of the VPP group (identification information of the VPP) with the identification information of the consumer group, and stores the association in the matching information storage unit 227.

[0071] The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 described above performs supply and demand management for the VPP groups stored in the VPP group storage unit 226 on a VPP basis. Furthermore, the VPP group management unit 243 may determine the VPP group so that one power supply device 5 belongs to multiple VPPs. In this case, since one power supply device 5 cannot be used by two VPPs at the same time, for example, a priority order may be set so that the power supply device 5 is used by the VPP with the higher priority order, or the two VPPs may be switched for use depending on the time period of use.

[0072] Furthermore, the VPP group management unit 243 may change the number of VPP groups according to the number of consumer groups. That is, the VPP group management unit 243 may determine the number of VPP groups according to the number of consumer groups. For example, the VPP group management unit 243 may determine the number of VPP groups to be approximately the same as the number of consumer groups. In this case, as the number of consumer groups increases, the number of VPP groups increases according to the number of consumer groups, and as the number of consumer groups decreases, the number of VPP groups decreases according to the number of consumer groups.

[0073] The group change processing unit 244 (an example of a change processing unit) reviews the VPP group or reviews the matching between the VPP group and the consumer group when a preset change condition is met. Here, the preset change condition is, for example, when a review request is received from a user, when a condition is met at a certain interval such as monthly processing or daily processing, when a consumer 4 is added, deleted, or changed, or when actual values ​​of power supply and demand are collected periodically. Furthermore, the change condition may be, for example, when the deviation between the actual value and the predicted value becomes large (for example, when the VPP response performance is lower or higher than expected), when there is a change in the use or purpose of the VPP, etc.

[0074] When the change conditions are met, the group change processing unit 244 may, for example, cause the above-mentioned customer group management unit 242 to re-execute the determination of the customer group and the VPP group management unit 243 to re-execute the determination of the VPP group, thereby reviewing the VPP group or reviewing the matching between the VPP group and the customer group.

[0075] Furthermore, when a change condition is satisfied, the group change processing unit 244 may generate change information for the VPP group based on the individual power demand information of the consumers 4 and the power supply information of the VPP, and may review the VPP group or the matching between the VPP group and the consumer group. Here, the change information is, for example, instruction information such as deletion or addition of a power supply device 5 designated from the VPP group or replacement of a power supply device 5 between VPP groups, or instruction information for changing the matching between the VPP group and the consumer group. When the group change processing unit 244 performs a review, it updates various pieces of information stored in the consumer group storage unit 225, the VPP group storage unit 226, and the matching information storage unit 227 in accordance with the review.

[0076] The group change processing unit 244 may output the generated change information and notify the user. Alternatively, the group change processing unit 244 may automatically generate change information and automatically review the VPP groups or review the matching between the VPP groups and the consumer groups.

[0077] The consumer group management unit 242 collects power supply information for each power supply device 5 based on the performance values ​​stored in the performance value storage unit 232, associates it with the identification information of the power supply device 5, and stores it in the power supply information storage unit 223. The above-mentioned group change processing unit 244 generates and uses power supply information for the VPP based on, for example, the power supply information for each power supply device 5 stored in the power supply information storage unit 223.

[0078] Furthermore, the group change processing unit 244 may output information based on the change information to the outside. The output information here may be, for example, supply and demand information before and after the VPP group change.

[0079] Next, the operation of the electricity supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a VPP group determination process in the electricity supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0080] 2, the VPP supply and demand management device 20 of the power supply and demand management system 1 first acquires power demand information of each consumer 4 (step S101). The consumer group management unit 242 of the VPP supply and demand management device 20 acquires the power demand information collected in advance from the power demand information storage unit 222.

[0081] Next, the consumer group management unit 242 classifies the consumers 4 based on the power demand information of each consumer 4 to determine a consumer group (step S102). For example, the consumer group management unit 242 uses the change in the actual demand value on an hourly basis as the individual power demand information of the consumer 4 to classify the trend of the change in the actual demand value on an hourly basis, and aggregates consumers 4 with similar trends in the change in the actual demand value to determine a consumer group. The consumer group management unit 242 stores the classification information in the consumer classification storage unit 224, and stores the results of the determined consumer group in the consumer group storage unit 225.

[0082] Next, the VPP group management unit 243 of the VPP supply and demand management device 20 determines a VPP group according to the consumer group and the setting conditions of the VPP group (step S103). The VPP group management unit 243 determines a VPP group based on, for example, the consumer group and the setting conditions of the VPP group such as the use and purpose of the VPP (setting conditions related to the use of the VPP). The VPP group management unit 243 determines a VPP group by, for example, selecting a combination of power supply devices 5 that can output power with the power demand characteristics of each consumer group. Furthermore, the VPP group management unit 243 stores each determined VPP group in the VPP group storage unit 226.

[0083] Next, the VPP group management unit 243 matches the consumer group with the VPP group (step S104). The VPP group management unit 243 determines a pair of the consumer group and the VPP group based on, for example, the power demand characteristics of the consumer group and the application conditions of the VPP group. The VPP group management unit 243 associates the identification information of the VPP group (identification information of the VPP) with the identification information of the consumer group and stores the association information in the matching information storage unit 227. After processing of step S104, the VPP group management unit 243 ends the VPP group determination process.

[0084] Next, an example of the VPP group determination process of the electricity supply and demand management system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for determining a VPP group in the electricity supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0085] The waveform graphs shown in Figure 3(a) show graphs of the waveform of the power demand amount against time for each consumer 4 as demand fluctuation information for each consumer 4. Based on the demand fluctuation information for each consumer 4 shown in Figure 3(a), the consumer group management unit 242 classifies the power demand amount by waveform, such as "consumer category A," "consumer category B," etc. as shown in Figure 3(b).

[0086] Next, as shown in Figure 3(c), for example, the consumer group management unit 242 sets a set condition in which, in the classification of consumers 4, those with similar characteristics of demand fluctuations (waveforms of power demand) are aggregated, and consumer groups such as "consumer group A," "consumer group B," etc. are determined.

[0087] Next, as shown in Fig. 3(d), the VPP group management unit 243 determines a VPP group based on the consumer group, for example, "VPP group A", "VPP group B", etc. The VPP group management unit 243 selects and aggregates power supply devices 5 corresponding to each consumer group so that power can be supplied to the consumer group, and determines a VPP group.

[0088] Next, an example of matching between a VPP group and a consumer group will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a matching process between a consumer group and a VPP group in the electricity supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0089] 4 shows an example in which "VPP group A" is matched with "consumer group A" and power is supplied from "VPP group A" to "consumer group A," and "VPP group B" is matched with "consumer group B" and power is supplied from "VPP group B" to "consumer group B." The VPP group management unit 243 performs matching as shown in FIG. 4 and stores matching information in the matching information storage unit 227.

[0090] Next, the operation of the BG supply and demand management device 10 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the BG supply and demand management device 10 in this embodiment.

[0091] 5, the BG supply and demand management unit 141 of the BG supply and demand management device 10 acquires the control results of each power generator and VPP at five-minute intervals (step S201). The BG supply and demand management unit 141 collects the control results of each power generator and VPP at five-minute intervals via the inter-device transmission / reception unit 12, and stores, for example, the identification information of each power generator and VPP, the date and time information of the control, and the control result value in association with each other in the result value storage unit 132.

[0092] Next, the BG supply and demand management unit 141 executes a demand forecast, a renewable energy power generation forecast, and a controllable amount forecast based on the acquired actual value, master information, and weather information (step S202). The BG supply and demand management unit 141 performs a demand forecast, a renewable energy power generation forecast, and a controllable amount forecast for an area not managed by a higher-level EMS (not managed by the VPP supply and demand management device 20) based on, for example, the collected supply and demand actual value, the master information stored in the master information storage unit 131, and the weather information stored in the weather information storage unit 133. The BG supply and demand management unit 141 stores the predicted values ​​in the predicted value storage unit 134.

[0093] Next, the BG supply and demand management unit 141 acquires VPP power generation simulation data (generator simulation data) from the VPP supply and demand management device 20 (step S203). For example, the BG supply and demand management unit 141 acquires the VPP power generation simulation data (generator simulation data) from the VPP supply and demand management device 20 via the inter-device transmission and reception unit 12.

[0094] Next, the BG supply and demand management unit 141 generates a charge and discharge plan for each 30 minutes for each generator and VPP based on the predicted value, master information, and VPP power generation simulation data (step S204). The BG supply and demand management unit 141 generates a charge and discharge plan for each 30 minutes (30-minute cycle) for each generator and VPP based on the prediction information stored in the prediction value storage unit 134 (prediction information predicted by the BG supply and demand management unit 141 and prediction information acquired from the VPP supply and demand management device 20), the master information stored in the master information storage unit 131, and the generator simulation data. The BG supply and demand management unit 141 stores the generated charge and discharge plan for each 30 minutes in the plan information storage unit 135.

[0095] Next, the BG supply and demand management unit 141 transmits the charge and discharge plan for every 30 minutes to the VPP supply and demand management device 20 to cooperate with it (step S205). Next, the BG supply and demand management unit 141 generates control commands for each power generator and VPP every 5 minutes based on the charge and discharge plan every 30 minutes (step S206).

[0096] Next, the BG supply and demand management unit 141 cooperates by transmitting a control command every 5 minutes to the VPP supply and demand management device 20 in units of VPPs (step S207). The BG supply and demand management unit 141 transmits the control command every 5 minutes to the VPP supply and demand management device 20 via the inter-device transmission and reception unit 12. After processing step S207, the BG supply and demand management unit 141 returns the processing to step S201, and repeats the processing from step S201 to step S207 at 30-minute intervals.

[0097] Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the operation of the power supply and demand management of the VPP supply and demand management device 20 in this embodiment will be described in detail. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the VPP supply and demand management device 20 in this embodiment.

[0098] 6, the VPP supply and demand management unit 241 of the VPP supply and demand management device 20 acquires the actual value of each consumer 4 at one-minute intervals (step S301). The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 collects the control actual value of each consumer 4 (power supply device 5) at one-minute intervals via the inter-device transmission / reception unit 22, and stores, for example, the identification information of each consumer 4 (power supply device 5), the date and time information of the control, and the control actual value in association with each other in the actual value storage unit 232.

[0099] Next, the VPP supply and demand management unit 241 executes demand prediction, renewable energy power generation prediction, and controllable amount prediction based on the acquired actual value, master information, and weather information (step S302). The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 performs demand prediction, renewable energy power generation prediction, and controllable amount prediction based on, for example, the collected supply and demand actual value, the master information stored in the master information storage unit 231, and the weather information stored in the weather information storage unit 233. The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 stores the predicted values ​​in the predicted value storage unit 234.

[0100] Next, the VPP supply and demand management unit 241 generates VPP power generation simulation data (generator simulation data) based on the acquired performance values ​​and master information, and transmits the data to the BG supply and demand management device 10 to cooperate (step S303). The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 generates VPP power generation simulation data (generator simulation data) corresponding to the VPP group. The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 transmits the VPP power generation simulation data (generator simulation data) to the BG supply and demand management device 10 via the inter-device transmission and reception unit 22.

[0101] Next, the VPP supply and demand management unit 241 transmits the predicted value to the BG supply and demand management device 10 in VPP units to cooperate with the BG supply and demand management device 10 (step S304). The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 transmits the predicted value to the BG supply and demand management device 10 via the inter-device transmission and reception unit 22.

[0102] Next, the VPP supply and demand management unit 241 receives a command value in VPP units at 5-minute intervals from the BG supply and demand management device 10 (step S305). The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 receives the command value in VPP units from the BG supply and demand management device 10 via the inter-device transmission and reception unit 22.

[0103] Next, the VPP supply and demand management unit 241 generates a control command for each consumer 4 (power supply device 5) per minute based on the actual value, the predicted value, the master information, and the command value (step S306).

[0104] Next, the VPP supply and demand management unit 241 transmits a control command every minute to each consumer 4 to cooperate with them (step S307). The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 transmits the control command every minute to each consumer 4 (power supply device 5) via the inter-device transmission / reception unit 22.

[0105] Next, the VPP supply and demand management unit 241 cooperates by transmitting to the BG supply and demand management device 10 the control results of each VPP in response to the control command value at 5-minute intervals from the BG supply and demand management device 10 (step S308). The VPP supply and demand management unit 241 transmits the control results of each VPP to the BG supply and demand management device 10 via the inter-device transmission and reception unit 22. After processing step S308, the VPP supply and demand management unit 241 returns the processing to step S301, and repeats the processing from step S301 to step S308 at 5-minute intervals.

[0106] Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the operation of the VPP group review process of the electricity supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a VPP group review process in the electricity supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0107] As shown in FIG. 7, the group change processing unit 244 of the VPP supply and demand management device 20 determines whether a change condition is satisfied (step S401). Here, the change condition is a condition for reviewing the VPP group or the matching between the VPP group and the consumer group (VPP matching). The change condition may be, for example, when a review request is received from a user, when a condition at a fixed interval such as monthly processing or daily processing is satisfied, when a consumer 4 is added, deleted, or changed, or when actual values ​​of power supply and demand are periodically collected. The change condition may be, for example, when the deviation between the actual value and the predicted value becomes large (for example, when the VPP response performance is lower or higher than expected), or when there is a change in the use or purpose of the VPP. If the change condition is satisfied (step S401: YES), the group change processing unit 244 proceeds to step S402. If the change condition is not satisfied (step S401: NO), the group change processing unit 244 returns to step S401.

[0108] In step S402, the group change processing unit 244 changes the VPP group or the matching of VPPs. The group change processing unit 244 may, for example, cause the consumer group management unit 242 and the VPP group management unit 243 to redetermine (reconstruct) the matching of VPP groups and VPPs (matching of VPP groups and consumer groups). The group change processing unit 244 may also generate change information regarding VPP groups based on individual power demand information and power supply information, and partially change the VPP group or the matching of VPPs based on the change information. After processing step S402, the group change processing unit 244 terminates the processing.

[0109] When or after reviewing the VPP group or the matching between the VPP group and the consumer group (VPP matching), the group change processing unit 244 may output output information based on the change information to an external terminal device (not shown) via the NW communication unit 21 and the network NW1, and display the output information on the terminal device. Here, the terminal device is a personal computer, smartphone, tablet terminal, or the like owned by the user.

[0110] Next, an example of the VPP group review process of the power supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the VPP group review process of the power supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0111] Figure 8(a) shows the state before the VPP group is reviewed (before the change), and illustrates the change information generated by the group change processing unit 244 to reduce the deviation between the actual value and the predicted value, for example, when the deviation between the actual value and the predicted value becomes large.

[0112] 8(a) shows an example in which the group change processing unit 244 generates change information for exchanging, for example, "power supply device B" (or "consumer B") of "VPP group A" with "power supply device G" (or "consumer G") of "VPP group B." The group change processing unit 244 also generates change information, through review, such as deleting (abolishing) power supply device 5 (consumer 4) from the VPP group, changing its location, moving it to a different group, or newly installing (adding) it.

[0113] 8(b) shows the state after the VPP groups have been reviewed (changed) based on the change information of the group change processing unit 244. After the review (change), for example, it shows that "VPP group A" is a group of "power supply device A," "power supply device C," "power supply device G," and "power supply device H." After the review (change), for example, it shows that "VPP group B" is a group of "power supply device B," "power supply device E," "power supply device F," "power supply device J," "power supply device K," and "power supply device I."

[0114] Furthermore, the group change processing unit 244 may generate image information as shown in FIG. 8(a) and FIG. 8(b) and output it to an external terminal device via the NW communication unit 21 and the network NW1.

[0115] Next, with reference to FIG. 9, an example of a process for reviewing matching between consumer groups and VPP groups in the electricity supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for reviewing matching between consumer groups and VPP groups in the electricity supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0116] Figure 9(a) shows the state before review (before change) of the matching between consumer groups and VPP groups. As shown in Figure 9(a), in the state before review (before change), "VPP group A" is matched with "consumer group A," and "VPP group B" is matched with "consumer group B." In this state, the group change processing unit 244 executes review processing when the change conditions are met.

[0117] Figure 9(b) shows the state after review (change) of the matching between consumer groups and VPP groups. As shown in Figure 9(b), in the state after review (change), the group change processing unit 244 changes the matching based on the change information, and "VPP group A" is matched with "consumer group B," and "VPP group B" is matched with "consumer group A."

[0118] The group change processing unit 244 may generate image information as shown in FIG. 9(a) and FIG. 9(b) and output it to an external terminal device via the NW communication unit 21 and the network NW1.

[0119] As described above, the power supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment is a power supply and demand management system that manages the power supply and demand of a balance group (BG) made up of multiple power supply devices 5 including distributed power sources, and includes a consumer group management unit 242 and a VPP group management unit 243. The consumer group management unit 242 determines a consumer group into which multiple consumers 4 are aggregated, based on the individual power demand information of the multiple consumers 4. The VPP group management unit 243 determines a VPP group indicating a group of power supply devices 5 that belong to a VPP into which multiple power supply devices 5 owned by the consumers 4 are aggregated, based on the consumer group determined by the consumer group management unit 242.

[0120] As a result, the power supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment determines consumer groups based on the individual power demand information of the consumers 4, and then determines a VPP group based on the consumer groups, making it possible to determine a more appropriate VPP group that takes into account the power demand of the consumers 4, and to build an appropriate VPP. Therefore, the power supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment can more appropriately determine VPP groups, stabilize power supply and demand, and improve the profitability of power supply and demand.

[0121] In this embodiment, the consumer group management unit 242 classifies consumer groups based on individual power demand information and preset conditions for the consumer groups to determine the consumer groups. The VPP group management unit 243 determines VPP groups based on the consumer groups and preset conditions for the VPP groups (e.g., use and purpose).

[0122] As a result, the electricity supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment can determine a more appropriate VPP group according to preset conditions (for example, use and purpose).

[0123] In this embodiment, the power demand information is demand fluctuation information that includes at least any of the trend of demand fluctuations at the customer 4, error information on the demand forecast for the customer 4, and waveform information on the demand fluctuations at the customer 4.

[0124] As a result, the electricity supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment can determine a more appropriate VPP group by taking into consideration electricity demand information such as the trend of demand fluctuations at consumer 4, error information in the demand forecast for consumer 4, and waveform information of demand fluctuations at consumer 4.

[0125] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the VPP group management unit 243 changes the number of VPP groups according to the number of consumer groups. As a result, the electricity supply and demand management system 1 of this embodiment can determine a VPP group of appropriate size and scale according to the number of consumer groups, and can therefore build a VPP of appropriate scale according to the number of consumer groups.

[0126] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the demander group management unit 242 changes the number of demander group classifications depending on the number of VPP groups to be determined. As a result, the electricity supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment can determine an appropriate consumer group depending on the number of VPP groups.

[0127] In this embodiment, the setting conditions for the VPP group include setting conditions related to the use of the VPP. The VPP group management unit 243 determines the VPP group according to the use of the VPP.

[0128] As a result, the electricity supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment can determine a more appropriate VPP group taking into account the use of the VPP, thereby stabilizing electricity supply and demand and improving profitability.

[0129] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the VPP group management unit 243 determines a pair (matching) of a consumer group and a VPP group based on the power demand characteristics of the consumer group and the application conditions of the VPP group.

[0130] As a result, the electricity supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment can more appropriately match consumer groups with VPP groups, thereby further stabilizing electricity supply and demand and improving profitability.

[0131] In addition, the power supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a group change processing unit 244 (change processing unit) that generates change information regarding the VPP group based on individual power demand information and power supply information when predetermined change conditions are met.

[0132] As a result, the power supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment can appropriately review the VPP group, and therefore can establish and maintain an appropriate VPP even when a situation changes, such as an environmental change, and can stabilize the power supply and demand. Therefore, the power supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment can improve the profitability of the power supply and demand.

[0133] The electricity supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment includes a BG supply and demand management device 10 (first management device) and a VPP supply and demand management device 20 (second management device). The BG supply and demand management device 10 manages electricity supply and demand in the highest EMS hierarchical level (first hierarchical level), which is the highest hierarchical level of the BG. The VPP supply and demand management device 20 manages electricity supply and demand in an upper EMS hierarchical level (second hierarchical level), which is a hierarchical level lower than the highest EMS hierarchical level of the BG supply and demand management device 10. Based on the actual supply and demand values ​​acquired from the VPP supply and demand management device 20, the BG supply and demand management device 10 transmits a first control command to the VPP supply and demand management device 20 at 5-minute intervals (second unit period intervals) that are shorter than 30 minutes, so as to match the electricity demand and supply in the BG within a predetermined 30-minute period (first unit period). The VPP supply and demand management device 20 transmits a second control command to a local EMS hierarchy (third hierarchy, consumer 4), which is a hierarchy lower than the upper EMS hierarchy, at intervals of one minute (third unit period), which is shorter than five minutes, so that the first control command can be achieved at five-minute intervals.

[0134] As a result, the power supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment manages at multiple levels, with the lower the level, the shorter the unit period of control, and therefore can efficiently and appropriately control to match the supply and demand of power in the BG using a wide variety of distributed power sources. Therefore, the power supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment allows retail electricity suppliers to handle a wide variety of distributed power sources and to collectively monitor and control everything from the BG to individual distributed power sources. In other words, the power supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment can efficiently manage power supply and demand using distributed power sources.

[0135] Furthermore, the power supply and demand management method according to this embodiment is a power supply and demand management method for a power supply and demand management system 1 that manages the supply and demand of power for a balance group made up of a plurality of power supply devices including distributed power sources, and includes a first step and a second step. In the first step, the consumer group management unit 242 determines a consumer group into which a plurality of consumers 4 are aggregated, based on the individual power demand information of the plurality of consumers 4. In the second step, the VPP group management unit 243 determines a VPP group indicating a group of power supply devices 5 belonging to a VPP into which a plurality of power supply devices 5 owned by the consumers 4 are aggregated, based on the consumer group determined by the consumer group management unit 242.

[0136] As a result, the power supply and demand management method according to this embodiment achieves the same effects as the power supply and demand management system 1 described above, and can more appropriately determine VPP groups, stabilize power supply and demand, and improve the profitability of power supply and demand.

[0137] [Second embodiment] Next, an electricity supply and demand management system 1 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a modified example will be described in which power supply information related to the power supply device 5 is used in the process of determining a VPP group.

[0138] The configuration of the electricity supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted here. In this embodiment, the VPP group determination process performed by the consumer group management unit 242 and the VPP group management unit 243 of the VPP supply and demand management device 20 is partially different, and the VPP group determination process according to this embodiment will be described below.

[0139] Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the VPP group determination process of the power supply and demand management system 1 according to the second embodiment. Also, Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the VPP group determination process of the power supply and demand management system 1 according to the second embodiment.

[0140] 10, the VPP supply and demand management device 20 of the power supply and demand management system 1 first acquires power demand information of each consumer 4 and power supply information of the power supply device 5 (step S501). The consumer group management unit 242 of the VPP supply and demand management device 20 acquires the power demand information and power supply information that have been collected in advance from the power demand information storage unit 222 and the power supply information storage unit 223.

[0141] Next, the consumer group management unit 242 classifies the consumers 4 based on the power demand information of each consumer 4 and the power supply information of the power supply device 5, and determines consumer groups (step S502). For example, the consumer group management unit 242 uses the change in the actual demand value on an hourly basis as the individual power demand information of the consumers 4 to classify the trend of the change in the actual demand value on an hourly basis, and aggregates consumers 4 with similar trends in the change in the actual demand value to determine consumer groups. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11(b), the consumer group management unit 242 classifies the consumers 4 (power supply devices 5) based on the power supply information of the power supply device 5, and determines consumer groups. The consumer group management unit 242 stores the classification information in the consumer classification storage unit 224, and stores the results of the determined consumer groups in the consumer group storage unit 225.

[0142] Next, the VPP group management unit 243 of the VPP supply and demand management device 20 determines a VPP group according to the consumer group and the setting conditions of the VPP group (step S503). The VPP group management unit 243 determines a VPP group based on, for example, the consumer group and the setting conditions of the VPP group such as the use and purpose of the VPP (setting conditions related to the use of the VPP). The VPP group management unit 243 determines a VPP group by, for example, selecting a combination of power supply devices 5 (consumers 4) that can output power with the power demand characteristics of each consumer group. Furthermore, the VPP group management unit 243 stores each determined VPP group in the VPP group storage unit 226.

[0143] Next, the VPP group management unit 243 matches the consumer group with the VPP group (step S504). The VPP group management unit 243 determines a pair of the consumer group and the VPP group based on, for example, the power demand characteristics of the consumer group and the application conditions of the VPP group. The VPP group management unit 243 associates the identification information of the VPP group (identification information of the VPP) with the identification information of the consumer group and stores the association information in the matching information storage unit 227. After processing of step S504, the VPP group management unit 243 ends the VPP group determination process.

[0144] 11(a) shows a waveform graph of the amount of power demand for each customer 4 against time as demand fluctuation information for each customer 4. In FIG. 11(b) shows a classification of the power supply device 5 (or the consumer 4) based on the power supply information of the power supply device 5. The example shown in FIG. 11(b) shows a classification of the power supply device 5 (and the consumer 4 that owns the power supply device 5) based on the response speed and response power amount of the power supply device 5. Here, an example is shown in which the power supply devices 5 are classified into six categories: "category a" with a fast response speed and a low response power amount, "category b" with a fast response speed and a high response power amount, "category c" with a medium response speed and a low response power amount, "category d" with a medium response speed and a high response power amount, "category e" with a slow response speed and a low response power amount, and "category f" with a slow response speed and a high response power amount.

[0145] The power supply information may be performance information of the power supply device 5 including at least any one of the response speed (power vs. time), response power amount (response power amount: SOC), and maximum power amount (installation capacity).

[0146] Next, as shown in Figure 11(c), for example, the customer group management unit 242 determines customer groups such as "Customer Group A", "Customer Group B", etc., based on the classification of customers 4 that have similar characteristics of demand fluctuations (waveforms of power demand) and taking into account the classification of Figure 11(b).

[0147] For example, the consumer group management unit 242 determines a consumer group based on the fluctuation range of demand per unit time and the response performance of the power supply device 5 of the consumer 4. Specifically, the consumer group management unit 242 determines a high-performance consumer group that can absorb fluctuations in demand and control according to the purpose, such as a group with a small fluctuation range of demand and capable of responding quickly, or a group with a large fluctuation range of demand but with a high speed and large response volume. The consumer group management unit 242 may also determine, as consumer groups, for example, a group that does not have enough capacity to absorb the fluctuation range but is large in scale and capable of adjusting the amount of power in large unit time units, or a group whose power supply device has low performance compared to the fluctuation range and cannot individually meet the expected performance.

[0148] Next, as shown in FIG. 11(d), the VPP group management unit 243 determines a VPP group based on the consumer group, for example, "VPP group A," "VPP group B," etc. The VPP group management unit 243 selects and aggregates power supply devices 5 corresponding to each consumer group so that power can be supplied to the consumer group, and determines a VPP group. Note that the VPP group management unit 243 may treat each consumer group as a VPP group as is.

[0149] For example, when there is a consumer group with a large change rate, the VPP group management unit 243 determines a VPP group by aggregating many power supply devices 5 (consumers 4) that have a faster response speed than other power supply devices 5.

[0150] As described above, in this embodiment, the customer group management unit 242 determines a customer group based on individual power demand information and power supply information (for example, performance information) related to the power supply device 5.

[0151] As a result, the power supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment determines consumer groups taking into consideration power demand information and power supply information (for example, performance information), and determines VPP groups based on the consumer groups, making it possible to determine more appropriate VPP groups taking into consideration the power demand of the consumers 4 and the power supply of the consumers 4 (power supply devices 5). Therefore, the power supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment can more appropriately determine VPP groups, stabilize power supply and demand, and improve the profitability of power supply and demand.

[0152] In this embodiment, the consumer group management unit 242 classifies consumer groups based on individual power demand information, power supply information, and preset conditions for the consumer groups, and determines the consumer groups. The VPP group management unit 243 determines VPP groups based on the consumer groups and preset conditions for the VPP groups.

[0153] As a result, the electricity supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment classifies and determines consumer groups based on the preset setting conditions of the consumer groups, and determines VPP groups based on the preset setting conditions of the VPP groups, so that it can determine a more appropriate VPP group according to the setting conditions such as use and purpose, for example.

[0154] In this embodiment, the power supply information is performance information of the power supply device 5 including at least one of the response speed, the response power amount, and the maximum power amount. The customer group management unit 242 classifies customer groups based on the individual power demand information, the performance information of the power supply device 5, and the setting conditions of the customer group. As a result, the power supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment can determine a more appropriate VPP group that takes the performance information of the power supply device 5 into greater consideration.

[0155] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of each device in the electricity supply and demand management system 1 according to this embodiment. The devices shown in FIG. 12 show the hardware configuration of each device (the BG supply and demand management device 10 and the VPP supply and demand management device 20) in the electricity supply and demand management system 1.

[0156] As shown in FIG. 12, each device (BG supply and demand management device 10 and VPP supply and demand management device 20) of the electricity supply and demand management system 1 includes a communication device H11, a memory H12, and a processor H13.

[0157] The communication device H11 is a communication device such as a LAN card that can be connected to the network NW1. The memory H12 is a storage device such as a RAM, a flash memory, or an HDD, and stores various information and programs used by each device (the BG supply and demand management device 10 and the VPP supply and demand management device 20).

[0158] The processor H13 is a processing circuit including, for example, a CPU, etc. The processor H13 executes various processes of each device (the BG supply and demand management device 10 and the VPP supply and demand management device 20) by executing programs stored in the memory H12.

[0159] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the BG supply and demand management device 10 and the VPP supply and demand management device 20 are realized as a single device, but this is not limited to this and they may be realized by multiple devices. For example, of the VPP supply and demand management device 20, the components related to the VPP group determination process, such as the consumer group management unit 242, the VPP group management unit 243, and the group change processing unit 244, may be realized by a single device (e.g., a server device) external to the VPP supply and demand management device 20.

[0160] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, for the sake of convenience, the electricity supply and demand management system 1 has been described as having one VPP supply and demand management device 20, but this is not limited to this and the system may be configured to have multiple VPP supply and demand management devices 20.

[0161] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the consumer group management unit 242 classifies consumers 4 and determines consumer groups based on individual power demand information and power supply information, and the VPP group management unit 243 determines VPP groups based on the consumer groups, but this is not limiting. For example, the consumer group management unit 242 may classify consumers 4 and determine consumer groups based on individual power demand information, and the VPP group management unit 243 may classify power supply devices 5 based on power supply information, and determine VPP groups based on the classification of the power supply devices 5 and the classification of the consumer groups or consumers 4.

[0162] The electricity supply and demand management system 1 may also include a machine learning processing unit (not shown) that executes machine learning processing, and the machine learning processing unit may execute the machine learning processing using training data in which the electricity demand information of the consumers 4 (or the electricity demand information of the consumers 4 and the electricity supply information of the electricity supply device 5) is used as an explanatory variable and the VPP group (or the consumer group) is used as a target variable. In this case, the VPP supply and demand management device 20 may determine the VPP group (or the consumer group) from the electricity demand information of the consumers 4 (or the electricity demand information of the consumers 4 and the electricity supply information of the electricity supply device 5) based on the machine learning results. Furthermore, the electricity supply and demand management system 1 may determine the VPP group (or the consumer group) by using unsupervised machine learning for the above machine learning.

[0163] 11(b), an example has been described in which the VPP supply and demand management device 20 classifies the power supply devices 5 (consumers 4) based on the response speed and response power amount of the power supply devices 5, but this is not limited to this, and the power supply devices 5 (consumers 4) may be classified using other power supply information (performance information). Furthermore, the number of items of power supply information used for classification is not limited to two, and the VPP supply and demand management device 20 may classify using, for example, three or more items.

[0164] Each component of the above-described power supply and demand management system 1 has an internal computer system. A program for realizing the function of each component of the above-described power supply and demand management system 1 may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to perform processing in each component of the above-described power supply and demand management system 1. Here, "reading a program recorded on a recording medium into a computer system and executing it" includes installing the program into a computer system. The "computer system" here includes an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices.

[0165] Furthermore, a "computer system" may include multiple computer devices connected via a network, including communication lines such as the Internet, WAN, LAN, and dedicated lines. Furthermore, a "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into a computer system. Thus, the recording medium storing the program may be a non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM.

[0166] The recording medium also includes internal or external recording media accessible from a distribution server for distributing the program. The program may be divided into multiple parts, downloaded at different times, and then combined by each component of the electricity supply and demand management system 1, or each divided program may be distributed by a different distribution server. Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" also includes a medium that stores a program for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory (RAM) within a computer system that serves as a server or client when a program is transmitted over a network. The program may also be a medium for implementing part of the above-described functions. Furthermore, the program may be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can realize the above-described functions in combination with a program already stored in the computer system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0167] 1...Power supply and demand management system, 2...External server, 3...Power supply control device group, 4,6...Consumer, 5...Power supply device, 10...BG supply and demand management device, 11,21...NW communication unit, 12,22...Device-to-device transmission and reception unit, 13,23...Device memory unit, 14,24...Device control unit, 20...VPP supply and demand management device, 131,231...Master information memory unit, 132,232...Actual value memory unit, 133,233...Weather information memory unit, 134,234...Predicted value memory unit, 135, 235...planning information storage unit, 141...BG supply and demand management unit, 221...consumer information storage unit, 222...power demand information storage unit, 223...power supply information storage unit, 224...consumer classification storage unit, 225...consumer group storage unit, 226...VPP group storage unit, 227...matching information storage unit, 241...VPP supply and demand management unit, 242...consumer group management unit, 243...VPP group management unit, 244...group change processing unit, NW1...network

Claims

1. An electric power supply and demand management system that manages electric power supply and demand of a balance group of a plurality of electric power supply devices including distributed power sources, a consumer group management unit that determines a consumer group into which a plurality of consumers are aggregated based on individual power demand information of the plurality of consumers; a VPP group management unit that determines a VPP group indicating a group of the power supply devices that belong to a VPP (Virtual Power Plant) in which a plurality of the power supply devices owned by the consumer are aggregated into one VPP, based on the consumer group determined by the consumer group management unit; An electricity supply and demand management system equipped with:

2. The customer group management unit determines the customer group based on the individual power demand information and power supply information related to the power supply device. The power supply and demand management system according to claim 1 .

3. the customer group management unit classifies the customer groups based on the individual power demand information, the power supply information, and preset setting conditions of the customer groups, and determines the customer groups; The VPP group management unit determines the VPP group based on the customer group and preset setting conditions of the VPP group. The power supply and demand management system according to claim 2 .

4. the power supply information is performance information of the power supply device including at least one of a response speed, a response power amount, and a maximum power amount; The consumer group management unit classifies the consumer groups based on the individual power demand information, performance information of the power supply device, and setting conditions of the consumer groups. The power supply and demand management system according to claim 3 .

5. The power demand information is demand fluctuation information including at least one of a trend of demand fluctuations of the customer, error information of a demand forecast of the customer, and waveform information of demand fluctuations of the customer. The power supply and demand management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The VPP group management unit changes the number of the VPP groups according to the number of the customer groups. The power supply and demand management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. The customer group management unit changes the number of categories of the customer groups according to the number of VPP groups to be determined. The power supply and demand management system according to claim 3 or 4.

8. The setting conditions of the VPP group include setting conditions related to the use of the VPP, The VPP group management unit determines the VPP group according to the use of the VPP. The power supply and demand management system according to claim 3 or 4.

9. The VPP group management unit determines a pair of the customer group and the VPP group based on the power demand characteristics of the customer group and the application conditions of the VPP group. The power supply and demand management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

10. a change processing unit that generates change information for the VPP group based on the individual power demand information and the power supply information when a preset change condition is satisfied; The power supply and demand management system according to any one of claims 2 to 4.

11. A power supply and demand management method for a power supply and demand management system that manages power supply and demand for a balance group of a plurality of power supply devices including distributed power sources, comprising: a customer group management unit that determines a customer group into which a plurality of customers are aggregated based on the individual power demand information of the plurality of customers; A VPP group management unit determines a VPP group indicating a group of the power supply devices belonging to a VPP (Virtual Power Plant) in which a plurality of the power supply devices owned by the consumers are aggregated into one, based on the consumer group determined by the consumer group management unit. Electricity supply and demand management methods.

12. A computer of an electric power supply and demand management system that manages the supply and demand of electric power for a balance group of a plurality of electric power supply devices including distributed power sources, a first step of determining a consumer group into which a plurality of consumers are aggregated based on individual power demand information of the plurality of consumers; a second step of determining a VPP group indicating a group of the power supply devices belonging to a VPP (Virtual Power Plant) in which a plurality of the power supply devices owned by the customers are aggregated into one VPP, based on the customer group determined in the first step; A program to execute.

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