Fuel cell management system

Abstract

The present invention provides a fuel cell management system capable of issuing output control commands to appropriate fuel cell devices. [Solution] A fuel cell management system is provided, wherein the fuel cell device 10 is configured to perform an output suppression operation that suppresses output power when the internal temperature, which is the temperature of a predetermined part inside the device, reaches at least a reference temperature, and to stop the output suppression operation when the conditions for stopping the output suppression operation are met. When the management device 30 transmits an output increase command to any of the multiple fuel cell devices 10 to increase the output of the fuel cell device 10 during the command transmission process, it transmits the output increase command to the fuel cell device 10 among the multiple fuel cell devices 10 whose output power is less than the upper limit output power and which is not performing an output suppression operation, and does not transmit an output increase command to the fuel cell device 10 which is performing an output suppression operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fuel cell management system including a fuel cell device installed in each of a plurality of facilities and capable of outputting power, and a management device capable of communicating from a remote location outside the facilities between the plurality of fuel cell devices.

Background Art

[0002] As disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-125907), a system having a plurality of power supply devices (power resources 101) and a management device (virtual power generation central device 103) has been proposed based on the concept of a virtual power plant (VPP: Virtual Power Plant). Further, Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-17154) also describes a similar system. Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe a system that uses a fuel cell device as a power supply device.

[0003] For example, in a fuel cell management system, when the management device receives a supply command for regulating power, the management device supplies the regulating power of the power supply device of each facility to the power distribution system on the day of supply. In this way, by collecting a plurality of power supply devices that are distributed and arranged by the management device, the plurality of power supply devices can function as one power generation plant or consumption market.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] When using multiple fuel cell systems to meet electricity demand, uniform power output control is not optimal due to differences in the equipment condition and installation environment of each fuel cell system. Patent documents 1 and 2 describe power management that takes into account rated power generation and various external factors to maximize profits. However, fuel cell systems may require changes to the power conditioner settings (e.g., power factor settings) depending on the grid conditions. Furthermore, fuel cell systems may be required to perform output suppression operation, which reduces output power when the temperature of a specific part inside the device becomes high. Therefore, in order to ensure stable VPP output, it is necessary to issue output control commands to each fuel cell system, taking into account the power factor of the fuel cell system and whether or not output suppression operation is being performed.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its objective is to provide a fuel cell management system that can provide output control commands to an appropriate fuel cell device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A characteristic configuration of the fuel cell management system according to the present invention for achieving the above objective is a fuel cell management system comprising a fuel cell device installed in each of a plurality of facilities and connected to the power distribution system of each region in which it is installed, and a management device that can communicate with the plurality of fuel cell devices from a remote location outside the facility, The management device performs a command transmission process to send output control commands to a plurality of fuel cell devices to determine the output power of the fuel cell devices. The fuel cell device can adjust the output power between a predetermined upper limit output power and a predetermined lower limit output power, and when it receives the output control command from the management device, it operates with the goal of supplying the output power determined based on the output control command during the control period covered by the output control command. The power load device installed in the facility is configured to receive power from at least one of the fuel cell device and the power distribution system installed in the facility. The fuel cell device is configured to perform an output suppression operation that reduces the output power when the internal temperature, which is the temperature of a predetermined part inside the device, reaches at least a reference temperature, and to stop the output suppression operation when the conditions for stopping the output suppression operation are met. The management device, in the command transmission process, transmits an output increase command to any of the multiple fuel cell devices to increase the output of the fuel cell device. In this case, the management device transmits the output increase command to the fuel cell device whose output power is less than the upper limit output power and which is not performing output suppression operation, and does not transmit the output increase command to the fuel cell device which is performing output suppression operation. Here, when the control device transmits an output reduction command to any of the multiple fuel cell devices in the command transmission process to reduce the output of the fuel cell device, it may transmit the output reduction command to the fuel cell device among the multiple fuel cell devices that has remaining capacity to reduce the output power, and may not transmit the output reduction command to the fuel cell device that does not have remaining capacity to reduce the output power. Furthermore, the management device may receive a power supply command for the controlled period determined by the power transaction from an aggregation coordinator that conducts power transactions in the power trading market, and transmit an output control command to the multiple fuel cell devices that determine the output power of the fuel cell devices installed in each of the multiple facilities determined based on the supply command.

[0008] According to the above characteristic configuration, the control device does not send an output increase command to fuel cell devices that are performing output suppression operation to reduce output power, that is, fuel cell devices for which it is not appropriate to increase output in response to an output increase command. Therefore, a fuel cell management system can be provided that can issue output control commands to appropriate fuel cell devices.

[0009] Another characteristic configuration of the fuel cell management system according to the present invention is that, when the management device transmits the output increase command in the command transmission process, it preferentially transmits the output increase command to fuel cell devices that have a high power factor and a low operating environment temperature, which is the temperature indicating the operating environment of the fuel cell device.

[0010] A high power factor means that the reactive power output from the fuel cell device is small, resulting in less heat generation in the electrical circuits within the device due to this reactive power. In other words, it is highly likely that power suppression operation will not occur even if the output power is increased. Furthermore, a low operating environment temperature, which indicates the operating temperature of the fuel cell device, also means that power suppression operation is unlikely to occur even if the output power is increased. Therefore, in this feature configuration, when transmitting an output increase command, the output increase command is preferentially transmitted to fuel cell devices that have a high power factor and a low operating environment temperature, which indicates the operating environment temperature of the fuel cell device, thereby enabling appropriate output control commands to be issued to the appropriate fuel cell device.

[0011] Another characteristic configuration of the fuel cell management system according to the present invention is that, when the management device transmits the output increase command in the command transmission process, it preferentially transmits the output increase command to the fuel cell device with the highest power factor.

[0012] A high power factor means that the reactive power output from the fuel cell device is small, resulting in less heat generation in the electrical circuits within the device due to that reactive power. In other words, it is highly likely that power suppression operation will not occur even if the output power is increased. Therefore, in this feature configuration, when transmitting an output increase command, the output increase command is preferentially transmitted to fuel cell devices with a high power factor, thereby enabling appropriate output control commands to be issued to the appropriate fuel cell devices.

[0013] Another characteristic configuration of the fuel cell management system according to the present invention is that, when the management device transmits the output increase command in the command transmission process, it preferentially transmits the output increase command to fuel cell devices with a low operating environment temperature, which is the temperature indicating the operating environment of the fuel cell device.

[0014] A low operating temperature, which indicates the operating environment of a fuel cell system, means that even if the output power is increased, there is a low possibility of output suppression operation occurring. Therefore, in this feature configuration, when transmitting an output increase command, the output increase command is preferentially transmitted to fuel cell devices with a low operating environment temperature, which indicates the temperature of the fuel cell device's operating environment, thereby enabling appropriate output control commands to be issued to the appropriate fuel cell device.

[0015] Another characteristic configuration of the fuel cell management system according to the present invention is that, when the management device transmits the output reduction command in the command transmission process, it preferentially transmits the output reduction command to fuel cell devices that have a low power factor and a high operating environment temperature, which is the temperature indicating the operating environment of the fuel cell device.

[0016] A low power factor means that the reactive power output from the fuel cell device is high, and that this reactive power generates a lot of heat in the electrical circuits within the device. In other words, it means that increasing the output power is likely to trigger power suppression. Furthermore, a high operating temperature, which indicates the operating environment of the fuel cell device, means that there is little room to increase the output power. Therefore, in this feature configuration, when transmitting a power reduction command, the power reduction command is preferentially transmitted to fuel cell devices that have a low power factor and a high operating environment temperature, which indicates the operating environment temperature of the fuel cell device, thereby enabling appropriate power control commands to be issued to the appropriate fuel cell device.

[0017] Another characteristic configuration of the fuel cell management system according to the present invention is that, when the management device transmits the output reduction command in the command transmission process, it preferentially transmits the output reduction command to the fuel cell device with the lowest power factor.

[0018] A low power factor means that the reactive power output from the fuel cell device is large, and there is a lot of heat generation in the electrical circuit within the device due to this reactive power. That is, when the output power is increased, there is a high possibility that output suppression operation will be performed. Therefore, in this characteristic configuration, when transmitting an output reduction command, by preferentially transmitting the output reduction command to the fuel cell device with a low power factor, an appropriate output control command for the fuel cell device can be issued.

[0019] Another characteristic configuration of the fuel cell management system according to the present invention is that, when transmitting the output reduction command in the command transmission process, the management device preferentially transmits the output reduction command to the fuel cell device with a high operating environment temperature, which is the temperature indicating the operating environment of the fuel cell device.

[0020] A high operating environment temperature, which is the temperature indicating the operating environment of the fuel cell device, means that there is little room to increase the output power. Therefore, in this characteristic configuration, when transmitting an output reduction command, by preferentially transmitting the output reduction command to the fuel cell device with a high operating environment temperature, which is the temperature indicating the operating environment of the fuel cell device, an appropriate output control command for the fuel cell device can be issued.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing the relationship between a facility, a management device, and an aggregation coordinator. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing a configuration example of a facility. [Figure 3] It is a diagram schematically depicting a controlled period and an uncontrolled period. [Figure 4] It is a flowchart explaining a method for determining a fuel cell device to which an output control command is given.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] Figure 1 shows the relationship between a facility 20 where a fuel cell device 10 and a power load device 4 are installed, a management device 30, and an aggregation coordinator 40. Figure 2 shows an example of the configuration of facility 20. The fuel cell management system comprises a fuel cell device 10 installed in each of the multiple facilities 20, capable of supplying power to power lines 2 connected to the power distribution system 1 at each of the multiple facilities 20, and a management device 30 capable of communicating with the multiple fuel cell devices 10 from a remote location outside the facility 20. Note that the number of management devices 30 and the number of facilities 20 shown in Figure 1 can be changed as appropriate.

[0023] The management device 30, also known as a resource aggregator, is a business that controls the customer-side energy resources of a facility 20 that has entered into a VPP (Virtual Power Plant) service contract by transmitting control information to the fuel cell device 10 and power load device 4, which are customer-side energy resources. The aggregation coordinator 40 is a business that bundles the amount of electricity controlled by each management device 30 and conducts electricity trading with general transmission and distribution companies and retail electricity companies in the electricity trading market, etc.

[0024] The management device 30 sequentially collects and stores device information from multiple facilities 20, such as the output power of the fuel cell device 10, the load power of the power load devices 4, and the power at the point of reception at the facility 20 (i.e., the actual reverse power flow supplied from the facility 20 to the distribution system 1, and the power received supplied from the distribution system 1 to the facility 20). As will be described later, the fuel cell device 10 can determine the reverse power flow supplied from the facility 20 to the distribution system 1 (an example of the power at the point of reception) by referring to the measurement results of the power measurement unit 8, and can transmit that reverse power flow (an example of the power at the point of reception) to the management device 30 as one of the above device information. In this embodiment, when "load power of power load devices 4" is mentioned, it means the total load power of all power load devices 4 installed in the facility 20. The management device 30 then predicts the amount of power that can be supplied from each facility 20 during a predetermined time period in the future and transmits this to the aggregation coordinator 40. This available power is the adjustment capacity, such as the ability to increase or decrease the power at the point of power reception of facility 20. In this embodiment, "increasing the power at the point of power reception" means increasing the power received from distribution system 1 to power line 2, or decreasing the reverse power flow from power line 2 to distribution system 1. "Decreasing the power at the point of power reception" means decreasing the power received from distribution system 1 to power line 2, or increasing the reverse power flow from power line 2 to distribution system 1.

[0025] For example, to increase the power at the point of power reception of facility 20, at least one of the following must be done: decrease the output power of the fuel cell device 10 and increase the load power of the power load device 4. Therefore, the adjustment margin on the upward side when increasing the power at the point of power reception of facility 20 indicates how much margin there is to decrease the output power of the fuel cell device 10 and how much margin there is to increase the load power of the power load device 4. Also, to decrease the power at the point of power reception of facility 20, at least one of the following must be done: increase the output power of the fuel cell device 10 and decrease the load power of the power load device 4. Therefore, the adjustment margin on the downward side when decreasing the power at the point of power reception of facility 20 indicates how much margin there is to increase the output power of the fuel cell device 10 and how much margin there is to decrease the load power of the power load device 4.

[0026] Furthermore, the management device 30 determines the baseline power at the multiple facilities 20 under its management. This baseline power at the base point corresponds to the total power at the base point of each facility 20, which is predicted to be achieved if no adjustment power (i.e., adjustment power provided to transmission and distribution operators and supply power provided to retail operators, etc.) is provided from each facility 20.

[0027] The aggregation coordinator 40 aggregates the available power received from each control device 30 and conducts power transactions with general transmission and distribution companies and retail electricity companies by bidding in power trading markets such as the supply and demand adjustment market, the wholesale power market, and the capacity market. When the aggregation coordinator 40 receives a supply order for adjustment capacity, etc., for a predetermined control period in the future from the general transmission and distribution company or retail electricity company with which it has conducted transactions, it distributes and transmits the adjustment capacity, etc., specified in the supply order to each control device 30.

[0028] When the management device 30 receives a supply order from the aggregation coordinator 40, it distributes and transmits the adjustment power, etc., specified in the supply order to each facility 20. In other words, the management device 30 receives a power supply order from the aggregation coordinator 40, which conducts power trading in the power trading market, for a controlled period determined by that power trading, and transmits output control orders to the multiple fuel cell devices 10 that are installed in each of the multiple facilities 20 determined based on the supply order. As a result, each facility 20 receives adjustment power, etc., which increases or decreases the power at the point of power reception of the facility 20 compared to a future controlled period, by controlling the fuel cell devices 10 and power load devices 4 as consumer-side energy resources.

[0029] Facility 20 is equipped with a fuel cell device 10 and a power load device 4. The fuel cell device 10 and the power load device 4 are connected to power lines 2 which are connected to the power distribution system 1.

[0030] The power load device 4 is a variety of devices, such as lighting equipment and air conditioning equipment, and can receive power from at least one of the fuel cell device 10 and the power distribution system 1 installed in the facility 20.

[0031] The fuel cell device 10 includes a fuel cell unit 12 connected to a power line 2 connected to a power distribution system 1, a power conversion unit 11 that converts the power generated by the fuel cell unit 12 to a predetermined voltage, frequency, and phase and supplies it to the power line 2, a fuel cell control unit 13 that controls the operation of the fuel cell unit 12 and the power conversion unit 11, a storage unit 14 that stores information handled by the fuel cell device 10, an internal temperature measuring unit 15, and an ambient temperature measuring unit 16. The fuel cell device 10 may also include a fuel reformer that generates hydrogen, which is the fuel gas for the fuel cell unit 12.

[0032] The fuel cell control unit 13 can adjust the output power from the fuel cell device 10 to the power line 2 between a predetermined upper limit output power and a predetermined lower limit output power. Therefore, if the output power of the fuel cell device 10 is equal to the upper limit output power, there is no room to increase the output power, and if the output power of the fuel cell device 10 is less than the upper limit output power, there is room to increase the output power. Also, if the output power of the fuel cell device 10 is equal to the lower limit output power, there is no room to decrease the output power, and if the output power of the fuel cell device 10 is greater than the lower limit output power, there is room to decrease the output power. Furthermore, if the operation of the fuel cell device 10 is controlled in each facility 20 so as not to receive power from the power distribution system 1, that is, if the operation of the fuel cell device 10 is controlled so that the output power of the fuel cell device 10 is equal to or greater than the load power of the power load device 4, then if the output power of the fuel cell device 10 is equal to the load power of the power load device 4, there is no room to decrease the output power, and if the output power of the fuel cell device 10 is greater than the load power of the power load device 4, there is room to decrease the output power.

[0033] The fuel cell control unit 13 can maintain the output power of the fuel cell device 10 at its upper limit output power for continuous operation. The fuel cell control unit 13 can also operate the fuel cell device 10 so that its output power follows the load power of the power load device 4. For example, the fuel cell control unit 13 can adjust the output power of the fuel cell device 10 so that the power measured by the power measurement unit 8 (i.e., the power supplied from the power distribution system 1 to the facility 20) is zero or close to zero, thereby causing the fuel cell control unit 13 to operate in accordance with the load power of the power load device 4. Alternatively, the fuel cell control unit 13 can adjust the output power of the fuel cell device 10 so that the power measured by the power measurement unit 8 is a predetermined negative power (i.e., a predetermined reverse power flow).

[0034] The fuel cell control unit 13 has information about the output power supplied from the power conversion unit 11 to the power line 2 and information about the power measured by the power measurement unit 8, so it can derive the load power of the power load device 4 (= output power + measured power). If the sign of the power measured by the power measurement unit 8 is positive, it means that the load power is greater than the output power of the fuel cell device 10, and if the sign of the power measured by the power measurement unit 8 is negative, it means that the output power of the fuel cell device 10 is greater than the load power (i.e., reverse power flow is being supplied from the facility 20 to the power distribution system 1).

[0035] The fuel cell device 10 is connected to a remote control 7, which is operated by users of the facility 20 when they issue commands to the fuel cell device 10. Information about the output power and load power of the fuel cell device 10 is transmitted to the management device 30 via the remote control 7 and router 6. For example, information about the output power and load power of the fuel cell device 10 is transmitted to the management device 30 at predetermined intervals, such as every minute.

[0036] With the increase in reverse power flow from distributed power sources such as fuel cell devices 10 and other power generation devices (e.g., solar cell devices) connected to the distribution system 1, it is becoming difficult for the administrator of the distribution system 1 (the transmission and distribution company) to manage power quality. Therefore, it is also required that the power factor be changed on the distributed power source side. Accordingly, the fuel cell control unit 13 adjusts the ratio of active power and reactive power output from the power conversion unit 11 to the power line 2 so that the power factor is a predetermined value.

[0037] Furthermore, lowering the power factor increases reactive power, leading to heat loss in the fuel cell device 10 and causing the temperature of the fuel cell device 10 to rise. When the temperature of the fuel cell device 10 rises, it may become impossible to operate the fuel cell device 10 continuously and safely. Therefore, the fuel cell control unit 13 is configured to perform output suppression operation, which suppresses output power, on the condition that the internal temperature, which is the temperature of a predetermined part inside the device measured by the internal temperature measuring unit 15, is at least equal to or above a reference temperature, and to stop the output suppression operation when the conditions for stopping the output suppression operation are met. For example, the temperature of the predetermined part measured by the internal temperature measuring unit 15 is the temperature inside the housing of the fuel cell device 10, the temperature of the power conversion unit 11, etc. When the internal temperature measuring unit 15 measures the temperature inside the housing of the fuel cell device 10, the fuel cell control unit 13 determines that the above condition is met if the temperature remains at, for example, 55°C (an example of a reference temperature) or higher for a period of, for example, 5 seconds. Alternatively, the fuel cell control unit 13 determines that the above condition is met when, for example, the temperature inside the housing of the fuel cell device 10 reaches 60°C (an example of a reference temperature) or higher, and starts output suppression operation. The fuel cell control unit 13 then stops output suppression operation when a stop condition is met, such as the temperature of a predetermined part measured by the internal temperature measuring unit 15 (for example, the temperature inside the housing of the fuel cell device 10, the temperature of the power conversion unit 11, etc.) falling to 50°C or lower.

[0038] During output suppression operation, the fuel cell control unit 13 reduces the output power from the fuel cell device 10 to the power line 2 to a suppression power, such as the lower limit output power, zero, or a predetermined power below the upper limit output power.

[0039] The control device 30 sequentially collects and stores device information from multiple facilities 20, such as the power factor of the fuel cell device 10 and the operating environment temperature (e.g., ambient temperature), which indicates the temperature of the operating environment of the fuel cell device 10. For example, since the fuel cell device 10 takes in outside air to ventilate the inside of the enclosure (i.e., cool the inside of the enclosure), if the ambient temperature, which is the operating environment temperature, rises, the temperature inside the enclosure also rises, increasing the likelihood of output suppression operation. Conversely, if the ambient temperature, which is the operating environment temperature, falls, the temperature inside the enclosure also falls, decreasing the likelihood of output suppression operation. The operating environment temperature is measured by the ambient temperature measuring unit 16 provided in the fuel cell device 10.

[0040] As described above, the control device 30 can send output control commands to multiple fuel cell devices 10 that specify a target reverse power flow, which is the target value of the reverse power flow to be supplied from the facility 20 to the power distribution system 1. When a fuel cell device 10 receives an output control command from the control device 30, it operates in a first operating mode during the controlled period covered by the output control command, aiming to supply the output power determined based on the output control command, and operates in a second operating mode, which is different from the first operating mode, during the non-controlled period outside of the controlled period.

[0041] The second operating mode is an operating mode that is pre-set in multiple fuel cell devices 10. Alternatively, the control device 30 can send an operating mode control command to multiple fuel cell devices 10 to determine the second operating mode, and the fuel cell devices 10 determine the second operating mode according to the operating mode control command received from the control device 30.

[0042] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the controlled period and the uncontrolled period. In the example shown in Figure 3, the control information (output control command) specifies that the period from 12:00 to 15:00 is the controlled period. Therefore, this fuel cell device 10 operates in the first operating mode during the controlled period from 12:00 to 15:00, and in the second operating mode during the other uncontrolled periods. The following describes a specific example of the first operating mode.

[0043] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the method for determining the fuel cell device 10 that will issue the output control command. In step #10, the control device 30 notifies each facility 20 that it will issue an output control command before the controlled period begins. In response, the fuel cell control unit 13 of the fuel cell device 10 in each facility 20 transmits the status of the output suppression operation to the control device 30. Then, in step #11, the control device 30 receives the status of the output suppression operation from each facility 20 and stores it in the storage unit 14.

[0044] In step #12, the control device 30 determines whether the command to be sent to the multiple fuel cell devices 10 in the command transmission process is an output increase command to increase the output of the fuel cell devices 10. If the control device 30 sends an output increase command, it proceeds to step #14; if it does not send an output increase command (i.e., it sends an output decrease command to decrease the output of the fuel cell devices 10), it proceeds to step #13.

[0045] In step #14, the control device 30 excludes the fuel cell unit 10 that is performing output suppression operation from the target of the output control command. In other words, when the control device 30 sends an output increase command to increase the output of one of the multiple fuel cell units 10 in the command transmission process, it sends the output increase command to the fuel cell unit 10 whose output power is less than the upper limit output power and is not performing output suppression operation, and does not send an output increase command to the fuel cell unit 10 that is performing output suppression operation.

[0046] Then, in step #15, the control device 30 determines the content of the power increase command by referring to at least one of the power factor and operating environment temperature of the fuel cell device 10. Specifically, when the control device 30 transmits a power increase command in the command transmission process, it preferentially transmits the power increase command to fuel cell devices 10 that have a high power factor and a low operating environment temperature, which is the temperature that indicates the operating environment of the fuel cell device 10.

[0047] To give a specific example, considering the four fuel cell units 10 (10A to 10D) shown in Table 1 below, since fuel cell unit 10C is performing output suppression operation, the control device 30 excludes fuel cell unit 10C from the target of output control commands. Then, among the three fuel cell units 10A, 10B, and 10D, the control device 30 prioritizes sending output increase commands to fuel cell units 10 that have a relatively high power factor and a relatively low operating environment temperature, which indicates the temperature of the operating environment of the fuel cell unit 10. Table 1 also lists the judgment levels assigned to each fuel cell unit 10. For example, the control device 30 sets Level 4 when the power factor is less than 90% and the operating ambient temperature is 35°C or higher, Level 3 when the power factor is 90% or more and 100% or less and the operating ambient temperature is 35°C or higher, Level 2 when the power factor is less than 90% and the operating ambient temperature is less than 35°C, and Level 1 when the power factor is 90% or more and 100% or less and the operating ambient temperature is less than 35°C. Note that the judgment levels described here are for illustrative purposes only and can be changed as appropriate.

[0048] [Table 1]

[0049] The control device 30 then preferentially transmits an output increase command to the fuel cell device 10 with the lowest judgment level. In other words, the control device 30 preferentially transmits the output increase command to fuel cell devices 10A, 10B, and then to fuel cell device 10D.

[0050] Furthermore, the control device 30 may determine which fuel cell device 10 to send the output increase command to by considering only the power factor. That is, when the control device 30 sends an output increase command in the command transmission process, it may preferentially send the output increase command to the fuel cell device 10 with a high power factor. For example, if the control device 30 preferentially sends the output increase command to the fuel cell device 10 with a relatively high power factor among the three fuel cell devices 10A, 10B, and 10D, it will preferentially send the output increase command in the following order: fuel cell device 10A with a power factor of 100% → fuel cell device 10B with a power factor of 90% → fuel cell device 10D with a power factor of 85%.

[0051] Alternatively, the control device 30 may determine which fuel cell device 10 to send the output increase command to by considering only the operating environment temperature. That is, when the control device 30 sends an output increase command in the command transmission process, it may preferentially send the output increase command to the fuel cell device 10 with a lower operating environment temperature, which is the temperature that indicates the operating environment of the fuel cell device 10. For example, if the control device 30 preferentially sends the output increase command to the fuel cell device 10 with a relatively lower operating environment temperature among the three fuel cell devices 10A, 10B, and 10D, it will send the output increase command to fuel cell devices 10A, 10B, and 10D, all of which have an operating environment temperature of 30°C, with the same priority.

[0052] In step #13, the control device 30 determines the content of the power reduction command by referring to at least one of the power factor and operating ambient temperature of the fuel cell device 10. In other words, when the control device 30 sends a power reduction command to any of the multiple fuel cell devices 10 to reduce the output of the fuel cell device 10, it sends the power reduction command to the fuel cell device 10 that has room to reduce its output power, and does not send a power reduction command to the fuel cell device 10 that does not have room to reduce its output power. When the control device 3 sends a power reduction command to each fuel cell device 10, it only needs to determine the amount of reduction in the output power of the fuel cell device 10 so that the output power of the fuel cell device 10 at each facility 20 is equal to or greater than the load power of the power load device 4.

[0053] Specifically, when the control device 30 transmits an output reduction command during the command transmission process, it preferentially transmits the output reduction command to fuel cell devices 10 that have a low power factor and a high operating environment temperature, which is the temperature that indicates the operating environment of the fuel cell devices 10.

[0054] To give a specific example, as shown in Table 1, the control device 30 preferentially transmits a power reduction command to the fuel cell device 10 with the highest judgment level. In other words, when the control device 30 preferentially transmits a power reduction command to a fuel cell device 10 that has a relatively low power factor and a relatively high operating environment temperature (which indicates the operating environment temperature of the fuel cell device 10) among the four fuel cell devices 10A to 10D, the control device 30 preferentially transmits the power reduction command in the order of fuel cell device 10C → fuel cell device 10D → fuel cell devices 10A and 10B.

[0055] Furthermore, the control device 30 may determine which fuel cell device 10 to send a power reduction command to by considering only the power factor. That is, when the control device 30 sends a power reduction command in the command transmission process, it may preferentially send the power reduction command to fuel cell devices 10 with low power factors. For example, if the control device 30 preferentially sends a power reduction command to fuel cell devices 10 with relatively low power factors among the four fuel cell devices 10A to 10D, it will preferentially send the power reduction command in the following order: fuel cell device 10D with a power factor of 85% → fuel cell device 10B with a power factor of 90% → fuel cell devices 10A and 10C with a power factor of 100%.

[0056] Alternatively, the control device 30 may determine which fuel cell device 10 to send the power reduction command to by considering only the operating ambient temperature. That is, when the control device 30 sends a power reduction command in the command transmission process, it may preferentially send the power reduction command to fuel cell devices 10 with a higher operating ambient temperature, which is the temperature that indicates the operating environment of the fuel cell device 10. For example, if the control device 30 preferentially sends a power reduction command to fuel cell devices 10 with a relatively higher operating ambient temperature among the four fuel cell devices 10A to 10D, it will preferentially send the power reduction command in the following order: fuel cell device 10C with an operating ambient temperature of 36°C → fuel cell devices 10A, 10B, and 10D, which have an operating ambient temperature of 30°C.

[0057] <Another Embodiment> In the above embodiments, the configuration of the fuel cell management system of the present invention has been described with specific examples, but the configuration can be modified as appropriate.

[0058] In the above embodiment, specific numerical values ​​were used as examples to explain the fuel cell management system. However, these values ​​are provided for illustrative purposes only and can be changed as appropriate.

[0059] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the fuel cell device 10 communicates with the management device 30 via a remote control 7 and a router 6 acting as communication relay devices. However, communication with the management device 30 may be performed via other devices. For example, information communication between the fuel cell device 10 and the management device 30 may be performed using a communication relay device that utilizes a mobile phone communication standard such as LTE.

[0060] The configurations disclosed in the above embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies hereinafter) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, as long as no inconsistencies arise. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the purpose of the present invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0061] The present invention can be used in a fuel cell management system that can provide output control commands to an appropriate fuel cell device. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0062] 1 Power distribution system 2 Power lines 4 Power load device 6 Routers 7 Remote control 8 Power Measurement Unit 10 Fuel cell device 11 Power Conversion Unit 12 Fuel cell section 13 Fuel cell control unit 14 Storage section 15 Temperature measurement section inside the device 16 Environmental temperature measurement section 20 facilities 30 Management device 40 Aggregation Coordinator

Claims

1. A fuel cell management system comprising fuel cell devices installed in each of multiple facilities and connected to the power distribution system of each region where they are installed, and a management device capable of communicating with the multiple fuel cell devices from a remote location outside the facilities, The management device performs a command transmission process to send output control commands to a plurality of fuel cell devices to determine the output power of the fuel cell devices. The fuel cell device can adjust the output power between a predetermined upper limit output power and a predetermined lower limit output power, and when it receives the output control command from the management device, it operates with the goal of supplying the output power determined based on the output control command during the control period covered by the output control command. The power load device installed in the facility is configured to receive power from at least one of the fuel cell device and the power distribution system installed in the facility. The fuel cell device is configured to perform an output suppression operation that reduces the output power when the internal temperature, which is the temperature of a predetermined part inside the device, reaches at least a reference temperature, and to stop the output suppression operation when the conditions for stopping the output suppression operation are met. The control device, in the command transmission process, transmits an output increase command to any of the multiple fuel cell devices to increase the output of the fuel cell device, and transmits the output increase command to the fuel cell device among the multiple fuel cell devices whose output power is less than the upper limit output power and which is not performing the output suppression operation, and does not transmit the output increase command to the fuel cell device which is performing the output suppression operation.

2. The fuel cell management system according to claim 1, wherein when the management device transmits the output increase command in the command transmission process, it preferentially transmits the output increase command to a fuel cell device that has a high power factor and a low operating environment temperature, which is the temperature indicating the operating environment of the fuel cell device.

3. The fuel cell management system according to claim 1, wherein when the management device transmits the output increase command in the command transmission process, it preferentially transmits the output increase command to the fuel cell device with a high power factor.

4. The fuel cell management system according to claim 1, wherein when the management device transmits the output increase command in the command transmission process, it preferentially transmits the output increase command to fuel cell devices with a low operating environment temperature, which is the temperature indicating the operating environment of the fuel cell device.

5. The fuel cell management system according to claim 1, wherein, in the command transmission process, the management device transmits an output reduction command to any of the plurality of fuel cell devices to reduce the output of the fuel cell device, and transmits the output reduction command to the fuel cell device among the plurality of fuel cell devices that has remaining capacity to reduce the output power, and does not transmit the output reduction command to the fuel cell device that does not have remaining capacity to reduce the output power of the fuel cell device.

6. The fuel cell management system according to claim 5, wherein when the management device transmits the output reduction command in the command transmission process, it preferentially transmits the output reduction command to fuel cell devices that have a low power factor and a high operating environment temperature, which is the temperature indicating the operating environment of the fuel cell device.

7. The fuel cell management system according to claim 5, wherein when the management device transmits the output reduction command in the command transmission process, it preferentially transmits the output reduction command to the fuel cell device with a low power factor.

8. The fuel cell management system according to claim 5, wherein when the management device transmits the output reduction command in the command transmission process, it preferentially transmits the output reduction command to fuel cell devices with a high operating environment temperature, which is the temperature indicating the operating environment of the fuel cell device.

9. The fuel cell management system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the management device receives a power supply command for the controlled period determined by the power trading from an aggregation coordinator that conducts power trading in the power trading market, and transmits an output control command to the plurality of fuel cell devices that determine the output power of the fuel cell devices installed in each of the plurality of facilities determined based on the supply command.

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