Storage battery control system

Abstract

To easily prioritize a command from a command unit to a storage battery control system capable of receiving commands from a first command unit and a second command unit.SOLUTION: A storage battery control system 1 including a storage battery 2, a control device 3 capable of communicating a charge / discharge control signal to the storage battery, and a switching device 4, wherein the switching device includes a control signal communication input unit 41 capable of inputting a control signal, a contact signal input unit 42 capable of inputting a contact signal sent from a second command unit, and a switching unit 43 capable of switching a connection destination of the control device from a first control communication line 61 side to a second control communication line 62 side, the switching unit is configured to be able to automatically switch the connection destination of the control device to the second control communication line when the contact signal is input from the second command unit to the contact signal input unit, and to be able to automatically switch the connection destination of the control device to the first control communication line when the input of the contact signal from the second command unit to the contact signal input unit is stopped.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a storage battery control system. [Background technology]

[0002] As described in Patent Document 1, a technology called a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) is known. A VPP is a system that integrates and controls multiple distributed energy resources (DERs) as if they were a single power plant, adjusting the balance between supply and demand of electricity. In a VPP, a resource aggregator typically acts as a commander, integrating and controlling various DERs to control the balance between supply and demand of electricity. For example, when solar power generation increases and there is likely to be excess electricity, the power is used to charge storage batteries or electric vehicles, or the power generators are shut down to control the balance between supply and demand. The power supply and demand balance may also be controlled by operating the air conditioning, lighting, production equipment, etc. of consumers. Conversely, when excessive demand for electricity is expected, the power supply and demand balance may be controlled by reducing demand by discharging storage batteries or electric vehicles, operating private generators, or reducing the operation of air conditioning, lighting, and production equipment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2024-44170

[0004] Incidentally, it is conceivable that a VPP aggregator could adjust the balance between supply and demand of electricity by instructing a battery control system, such as a private power generation system equipped with multiple storage batteries capable of storing electricity generated by photovoltaic power generation, to supply power. However, such a battery control system typically has a command unit (first command unit) that issues control commands under normal circumstances. In this case, a command unit (second command unit) that issues control commands by the VPP would also exist, separate from this command unit (first command unit). In other words, there is a possibility that different command units could instruct the battery control system to perform different actions. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The inventors of the present invention have diligently studied this point and have attempted to solve it. The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to enable a battery control system that can receive commands from a first command unit and a second command unit to easily prioritize commands from the command units. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, a storage battery control system is provided which includes a storage battery, a control device capable of communicating charge / discharge control signals to the storage battery, and a switching device, wherein the switching device includes a control signal communication input unit which is capable of inputting control signals from a first command unit and a second command unit, a contact signal input unit which is capable of inputting contact signals sent from the second command unit, and a switching unit which is capable of switching the connection of the control device from the first control communication line side which is capable of sending control signals from the first command unit to the second control communication line side which is capable of sending control signals from the second command unit, wherein the switching unit is capable of automatically switching the connection of the control device to the second control communication line side when a contact signal is input from the second command unit to the contact signal input unit, and is capable of automatically switching the connection of the control device to the first control communication line side when the input of the contact signal from the second command unit to the contact signal input unit is stopped.

[0007] It is also preferable to have a configuration in which the device is provided with a first storage battery and a second storage battery, the control device is capable of communicating charge / discharge control signals to both the first storage battery and the second storage battery, the control device is capable of determining execution commands based on the command content from the second command unit, and the control device is capable of determining whether to issue different execution commands to the first storage battery and the second storage battery.

[0008] Furthermore, it is preferable that the first storage battery is a self-consumption storage battery and the second storage battery is an EV-mounted storage battery, and that the control device is configured to be able to set an execution command to cause the first storage battery, which is a self-consumption storage battery, to discharge and stop charging the second storage battery, which is an EV-mounted storage battery.

[0009] In addition, it is preferable that the control device be configured to be able to determine the execution command so that the timing at which the second storage battery starts discharging occurs after the amount of stored electricity in the first storage battery falls below a predetermined value. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to easily prioritize commands from the command units for a battery control system that can receive commands from a first command unit and a second command unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a storage battery control system according to an embodiment, in which a control device controls one storage battery. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a storage battery control system according to an embodiment, in which the control device controls two storage batteries and a contact signal can be input to both the switching device and the control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] An embodiment of the invention is described below. As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2 , a battery control system 1 according to this embodiment includes a battery 2, a control device 3 capable of communicating charge / discharge control signals to the battery 2, and a switching device 4. The switching device 4 of the battery control system 1 includes a control signal communication input unit 41 capable of receiving control signals from a first command unit 7 and a second command unit 8, a contact signal input unit 42 capable of receiving a contact signal sent from the second command unit 8, and a switching unit 43 capable of switching the connection of the control device 3 from a first control communication line 61, through which the control signal from the first command unit 7 can be sent, to a second control communication line 62, through which the control signal from the second command unit 8 can be sent. The switching unit 43 is also capable of automatically switching the connection of the control device 3 to the second control communication line 62 when a contact signal is input from the second command unit 8 to the contact signal input unit 42, and is also capable of automatically switching the connection of the control device 3 to the first control communication line 61 when the contact signal input from the second command unit 8 to the contact signal input unit 42 is no longer received. Therefore, for the battery control system 1 that can receive commands from the first command unit 7 and the second command unit 8, it is possible to easily prioritize commands from the command units.

[0013] The battery control system 1 of the embodiment includes a storage battery 2 and a control device 3 capable of controlling a PCS (Power Conditioning System) for the storage battery 2. The battery control system 1 also includes a switching device 4 that can select commands sent to the control device 3. The switching device 4 can receive commands from a first command unit 7 that are mainly indicators for normal operation, and commands from a second command unit 8 that are mainly indicators for special operation, but is configured so that it cannot receive both commands at the same time.

[0014] The second command unit 8 may be a resource aggregator that controls resources based on a VPP contract with consumers, but the second command unit 8 does not have to be a resource aggregator. For example, it may be an aggregation coordinator that makes decisions at a higher level than the resource aggregator. The second command unit 8 may also change depending on the urgency of the need for instructions. However, it is preferable that the second command unit 8 be an organization (such as a resource aggregator) that is responsible for resource control in the VPP.

[0015] The switching device 4 shown in Fig. 1 is provided with separate input points capable of receiving commands from a first command unit 7 and a second command unit 8. In other words, the control signal communication input unit 41 has two input points. Meanwhile, information input from these input points can be output from a single output point. Furthermore, the switching device 4 is configured so that the two input points and output point are not connected at the same time.

[0016] Specifically, by moving the contact piece 43a provided on the switching unit 43, it is possible to switch between connection to the first control communication line 61 side, which can send control signals from the first command unit 7, and connection to the second control communication line 62 side, which can send control signals from the second command unit 8.

[0017] In the embodiment, the first command unit 7 normally issues commands related to charging and discharging of the storage battery 2. In the embodiment, commands from the first command unit 7 are sent to the control device 3 from the outside via a cloud server outside the PCS.

[0018] In addition, in the embodiment, the second command unit 8 issues commands related to charging and discharging the storage battery 2 at timing required by the VPP (virtual power plant). In the embodiment, the commands from the second command unit 8 are sent from the contracted VPP via an external cloud server. Typically, the VPP issues commands after determining the capacity of the storage battery 2. Note that there may be a setting whereby penalties such as fines are imposed if a person belonging to the VPP does not comply with the charge / discharge commands.

[0019] 1, the control device 3 and the switching device 4 are connected via a communication cable (LAN cable 69). To enable this, the control device 3 is provided with an input unit 31 to which the communication cable can be connected.

[0020] Communication cables (LAN cables) are also connected to the connection points of the path through which commands are sent from the first command unit 7 and the switching device 4, and to the connection points of the path through which commands are sent from the second command unit 8 and the switching device 4. In the example shown in Fig. 1, these correspond to the first control communication line 61 and the second control communication line 62.

[0021] The control device 3 converts the command information from the first command unit 7 and the command information from the second command unit 8 into control signals (charge / discharge control signals) and controls the charging and discharging of the storage battery 2. Note that under normal circumstances, no contact signal is sent from the second command unit 8 to the contact signal input unit 42. Therefore, the storage battery 2 is controlled by commands from the first command unit 7. On the other hand, when the switching device 4 switches in response to a contact signal sent from the second command unit 8, the control device 3 controls the storage battery 2 based on commands from the second command unit 8.

[0022] Incidentally, when discharge control is planned to be performed at a scheduled timing, it is preferable to fully charge the storage battery 2 in advance. In this case, there are no particular restrictions on the source of power supply for charging the storage battery 2. For example, the storage battery 2 may be charged using a commercial power source (system power source), or electricity independently generated using solar power or the like may be used to charge the storage battery 2.

[0023] When charging is performed to start discharging to the load side at a specified date and time, it is preferable to use the control device 3 to control the amount of electricity purchased from the power company, etc., so that the amount of electricity purchased can be reduced when conditions are poor. It is also possible that the control device 3 will perform control to keep the battery charged so that it can easily respond to requests from the power company to save electricity.

[0024] In this case, for example, it is conceivable that the second command unit 8 provides information about the content and time of the scheduled event before the scheduled date and time of the event, so that the control device 3 can begin preparations for the event. In this case, after sending the schedule information, the connection may continue to the second command unit 8, or the switching unit 43 may be operated to temporarily return the connection to the first command unit 7. However, when returning to the connection to the first command unit 7, it is preferable to give higher priority to the operation based on the schedule information received by the control device 3 from the second command unit 8 than to commands from the first command unit 7.

[0025] Incidentally, if the electric power company plans to have a surplus of electricity, it may plan to carry out charging control at a scheduled timing. In this case, the storage battery 2 may be emptied in advance. When the control device 3 adjusts the charge amount of the storage battery 2 so that charging with electricity sent from the electric power company can start at a specified date and time, it is preferable to control the timing of discharging the storage battery 2 so that it does not coincide with the timing when electricity can be purchased cheaply from the electric power company.

[0026] Incidentally, when the system is equipped with a power generation device whose power generation status changes from moment to moment, such as the solar power generation device 51, it is necessary for communication from the first command unit 7 to be performed without interruption. Therefore, it is preferable that the control device 3 be capable of issuing an error notification when it is determined that communication from the first command unit 7 has been interrupted for some reason.

[0027] On the other hand, when the switching unit 43 switches from the first command unit 7 to the second command unit 8 in response to a contact signal sent from the second command unit 8, there is a short period of time between when the contact of the switching unit 43 leaves the first command unit 7 and when it connects to the second command unit 8, and it is preferable to be able to prevent the control device 3 from issuing an error notification during this period. For example, this type of problem can be addressed by inputting the contact signal from the second command unit 8 to a contact signal input unit 32 provided in the control device 3 and disabling the error determination function while the contact signal is being input to the contact signal input unit 32.

[0028] If the disabling is cancelled immediately when the contact signal is no longer input, it is possible that an error notification will be issued when switching is performed by the switching unit 43. For this reason, it is preferable to suppress the inappropriate generation of error notifications by, for example, configuring the error determination function to remain disabled for a while even after the input of the contact signal is cancelled.

[0029] Here, an example of how the battery control system 1 can be used will be described. For example, a contact signal is sent from the second command unit 8 to the switching device 4 at a specified date and time, such as the morning of the day before the scheduled implementation date. When the contact signal is input to the contact signal input unit 42 of the switching device 4, the switching unit 43 automatically switches from the first command unit 7 side to the second command unit 8 side. Then, command information from the second command unit 8 becomes available to be communicated to the control device 3. After that, command information is sent to the control device 3 to discharge a certain amount of power or electricity, for example, between 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. the following day.

[0030] In response to the command information, the control device 3 sends a control signal (charge / discharge control signal) to the storage battery 2 and controls charging so that the charge is equal to or greater than a specified value. Of course, the control device 3 may also send a control signal to control discharging of the storage battery 2 in response to the command information.

[0031] The second command unit 8 continues to output a contact signal to the contact signal input unit 42 of the switching device 4 until the command content is completed or until the command deadline, and stops sending the contact signal after the command content is completed or after the command deadline.

[0032] When the input of a contact signal to the contact signal input unit 42 or the like is stopped, the switching unit 43 automatically switches from connection to the second command unit 8 side to connection to the first command unit 7 side. Then, communication from the first command unit 7 to the control device 3 becomes possible, and the storage battery 2 can be controlled by commands from the first command unit 7.

[0033] For example, when there are multiple storage batteries 2, it is preferable that the control device 3 control the storage batteries 2 separately depending on their status. For example, if the first storage battery 21 is a self-consumption storage battery and the second storage battery 22 is an EV-mounted storage battery, the control of the self-consumption storage battery and the control of the EV-mounted storage battery have different primary uses. This is because it is not necessarily efficient to control all storage batteries 2 with such different uses in the same way. Furthermore, even when there are multiple storage batteries 2 with the same primary use, it may be preferable to control them separately in order to optimize the timing of their use, for example.

[0034] As can be understood from this example, the battery control system 1 is preferably configured to include a first battery 21 and a second battery 22, and the control device 3 is capable of communicating charge / discharge control signals to both the first battery 21 and the second battery 22, and is capable of determining execution commands based on the command content from the second command unit 8, and is capable of determining whether to issue different execution commands to the first battery 21 and the second battery 22.

[0035] For example, the first storage battery 21, which is a storage battery for personal consumption, is controlled to discharge, and the second storage battery 22, which is an EV-mounted storage battery, is controlled to stop charging. In this way, it is possible to give the EV-mounted storage battery a lower priority for discharge than the personal consumption storage battery.

[0036] As can be understood from this example, it is preferable that the first storage battery 21 is a storage battery for personal consumption, the second storage battery 22 is a storage battery mounted on an EV, and the control device 3 is a storage battery control system 1 that is capable of setting an execution command to discharge the first storage battery 21, which is a storage battery for personal consumption, and to stop charging the second storage battery 22, which is a storage battery mounted on an EV.

[0037] Another example is to perform control so that the second storage battery 22 starts discharging when the amount of stored power in the first storage battery 21 falls below a predetermined value. In this case, it becomes easy to determine the timing of discharging from the second storage battery 22. As can be seen from this example, the control device 3 of the storage battery control system 1 is preferably configured to be able to determine an execution command so that the timing at which the second storage battery 22 starts discharging occurs after the amount of stored power in the first storage battery 21 falls below a predetermined value.

[0038] Although the present invention has been described above by taking the embodiments as examples, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be embodied in various forms. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1 Battery control system 2. Storage battery 3. Control device 4 Switching Device 7 First Command Department 8 Second Command Department 21 First storage battery 22 Second storage battery 41 Control signal communication input section 42 Contact signal input section 43 Switching section 61 First control communication line 62 Second control communication line

Claims

1. A storage battery control system including a storage battery, a control device capable of communicating charge / discharge control signals to the storage battery, and a switching device, The switching device is a control signal communication input unit capable of inputting control signals from the first command unit and the second command unit; a contact signal input unit capable of inputting a contact signal sent from a second command unit; a switching unit that can switch the connection of the control device from a first control communication line side that can send a control signal from a first command unit to a second control communication line side that can send a control signal from a second command unit; Equipped with The switching unit can automatically switch the connection of the control device to the second control communication line side when a contact signal is input from the second command unit to the contact signal input unit, and can automatically switch the connection of the control device to the first control communication line side when the input of the contact signal from the second command unit to the contact signal input unit is no longer received. Battery control system.

2. A first storage battery and a second storage battery are provided, The battery control system of claim 1, wherein the control device is capable of communicating charge / discharge control signals to both the first storage battery and the second storage battery, and is capable of determining execution commands based on the command content from the second command unit, and is capable of determining to issue different execution commands to the first storage battery and the second storage battery.

3. The first battery is a battery for self-consumption, The second storage battery is an EV-mounted storage battery, The battery control system according to claim 2, wherein the control device is capable of determining an execution command to discharge the first storage battery, which is a self-consumption storage battery, and to stop charging the second storage battery, which is an EV-mounted storage battery.

4. The battery control system of claim 2 or 3, wherein the control device is capable of determining an execution command so that the timing at which the second storage battery starts discharging occurs after the amount of electricity stored in the first storage battery falls below a predetermined value.

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