Carbon dioxide credit trading management computer

Abstract

To construct a mechanism of transaction of carbon dioxide credit for promoting effort for decreasing carbon dioxide emission by a local government.SOLUTION: A management server 21 is configured to be capable of executing: an enterprise information acquisition process (S52) for acquiring, from each of a plurality of purchase desiring enterprises which desire purchase of carbon dioxide credits to be created and to be sold by a local government, administration information data being data of information regarding administration states, and achievement information data being data of information regarding carbon dioxide emission decrease achievement; and a difficulty index calculation process (S53) for calculating a difficulty sore α indicating difficulty in achieving a target of carbon dioxide emission decrease for each of the purchase desiring enterprises on the basis of the administration information data and the achievement information data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a carbon dioxide credit trading management computer used when trading carbon dioxide credits. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, efforts have been made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide. For example, in Japan, efforts are being made to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by utilizing the J-Credit Scheme. The J-Credit Scheme is a system in which the government certifies the amount of greenhouse gas emission reduction or absorption achieved through such efforts as the introduction of energy-saving equipment and forest management as "credits (emission rights)." This system is an evolutionary integration of the domestic credit system and the offset credit system, and certified (approved) credits can be used for various purposes, such as achieving the goals of the Low Carbon Society Action Plan and carbon offsetting.

[0003] The use of home energy-saving equipment also reduces carbon dioxide emissions, so by going through the procedures under the J-Credit Scheme, the amount of reduction can be certified as a carbon dioxide credit. However, in this case, the procedures for receiving the credit certification are complicated, and the amount of the certified credit is small. Therefore, each household does not go through the procedures individually.

[0004] The Green Linkage Club, run by the government, was established so that carbon dioxide emissions reduced by the use of energy-saving equipment for homes, which have a small carbon dioxide credit scale, can be effectively certified as carbon dioxide credits. The Green Linkage Club collects and processes the carbon dioxide emissions reduced by the use of energy-saving equipment owned by each household (individual), i.e., the carbon dioxide emission reductions created by the use of energy-saving equipment, all in one go. This means that the scale of carbon dioxide credits can be large, and can be effectively used for carbon offsets, etc.

[0005] Furthermore, Patent Document 1 discloses a mechanism for easily trading carbon dioxide credits, targeted at small-scale business entities or individual homes. According to Patent Document 1, carbon dioxide emission credits associated with electricity generated in small-scale facilities are bought and sold via a carbon dioxide emission credit management means. This allows consumers to easily purchase carbon dioxide credits without having to search for a seller of carbon dioxide emission credits themselves. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-86027 A Summary of the Invention

[0007] (Problem to be solved by the invention)

[0008] Carbon dioxide credit management (specifically, applying for carbon dioxide credit approval) can be carried out by local governments and private companies, and Kobe City (Kobe CO2 Bank) actually manages carbon dioxide credits.

[0009] On the other hand, there is a movement at the local government level to declare carbon neutrality by 2050, and this movement is being compiled by the Ministry of the Environment. Therefore, it is expected that each local government will also start managing carbon dioxide credits in the future.

[0010] In order to achieve carbon neutrality within a municipality, it is necessary to promote the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from companies established within the municipality (municipal companies), and buying and selling carbon dioxide credits within the municipality is an effective means of achieving this.

[0011] However, the methods for trading carbon dioxide credits are limited to auction sales run by the government and negotiated transactions with intermediaries, and there is a problem that carbon dioxide credits created within the municipality cannot be utilized by the municipal companies. In addition, it is difficult for companies with weak management capacity to purchase carbon dioxide credits through the bidding system. As a result, such municipal companies are unable to fully reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and there is a risk that the municipality's efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions will be delayed.

[0012] The present invention aims to establish a carbon dioxide credit trading system that promotes local government efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] The present invention provides a carbon dioxide credit trading management computer used when trading carbon dioxide credits created within a local government, the management computer being configured to execute a company information acquisition process for acquiring management information data, which is data on business conditions, and performance information data, which is data on carbon dioxide emission reduction performance, from each of a plurality of wishing to purchase carbon dioxide credits created within the local government, among companies established within the local government, and which wish to purchase carbon dioxide credits created within the local government and to be sold; and a difficulty index calculation process for calculating, based on the management information data and performance information data, a difficulty index that indicates the degree of difficulty of achieving a carbon dioxide emission reduction target for each of the wishing to purchase companies.

[0014] According to the present invention, the carbon dioxide credit trading management computer calculates a difficulty index indicating the degree of difficulty for achieving the carbon dioxide emission reduction target for each of the companies in the municipality that wish to purchase the carbon dioxide credits created within the municipality. Therefore, based on the difficulty index, carbon dioxide credits can be sold preferentially to companies that are having difficulty achieving their carbon dioxide emission reduction targets. This allows the companies to make up for their delays in their efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and as a result, the municipality's efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions are promoted. Therefore, by using the carbon dioxide credit trading management computer according to the present invention, a carbon dioxide credit trading system can be established that promotes the municipality's efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

[0015] In this case, the carbon dioxide credit trading management computer may be configured to execute a buyer extraction process for extracting companies willing to purchase, as buyers of the carbon dioxide credits to be sold, in order of increasing difficulty represented by the difficulty index. In this way, the carbon dioxide credit trading management computer can automatically extract, as buyers of the carbon dioxide credits, companies willing to purchase that have a large degree of difficulty in achieving the carbon dioxide emission reduction target.

[0016] Furthermore, in this case, the above-mentioned buyer extraction process may extract the buyers in the order of increasing difficulty represented by the difficulty index, within a range in which the amount of carbon dioxide credits to be sold can be used to cover the amount of carbon dioxide credits to be purchased by the buyers. For example, if the amount of carbon dioxide credits to be sold is 100, the amount of carbon dioxide credits to be purchased by the buyers X1 with the highest difficulty is 50, the amount of carbon dioxide credits to be purchased by the buyers X2 with the second highest difficulty is 40, and the amount of carbon dioxide credits to be purchased by the buyers X3 with the second highest difficulty is 30, the amount of carbon dioxide credits to be purchased by the buyers X1 with the highest difficulty (50) and the amount of carbon dioxide credits to be purchased by the buyers X2 with the second highest difficulty (40) can be covered by the amount of carbon dioxide credits to be sold (100). Therefore, the buyers X1 and X2 are extracted as buyers. This allows the carbon dioxide credits to be sold to be sold in an efficient manner and in an effective manner to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by the local government. The amount of carbon dioxide credits to be created is the amount of carbon dioxide emissions reduced that has been created.

[0017] The carbon dioxide credit trading management computer may be configured to execute a disclosure process for disclosing the carbon dioxide credits to be sold and the amount of carbon dioxide credits created, allowing companies within the local government to check the disclosed carbon dioxide credits to be sold and the amount of carbon dioxide credits created.

[0018] The carbon dioxide credits to be sold may be carbon dioxide credits being created. In this case, the carbon dioxide credit trading management computer may make public the history of carbon dioxide credit creation and the expected amount of creation in the disclosure process. This allows a company in the local government that wishes to purchase carbon dioxide credits to consider in advance whether or not the shortfall in carbon dioxide emissions that will remain even after the company has reduced carbon dioxide emissions through its own efforts can be covered by purchasing carbon dioxide credits that are scheduled to be sold in the future. In the above invention, the carbon dioxide credits being created are carbon dioxide credits whose carbon dioxide emission reduction amount is being measured (being created). The carbon dioxide credit creation history is the cumulative history of the carbon dioxide emission reduction amount created (accumulated) from the start of the creation of the carbon dioxide emission reduction amount (start of measurement) to the present time. The expected amount of creation is the expected amount of carbon dioxide emission reduction created from the start of the creation of the carbon dioxide emission reduction amount (start of measurement) to the end of the creation (end of measurement), that is, the expected amount of carbon dioxide credits to be created. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows an overview of a carbon dioxide credit trading system according to this embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the connection state between a plurality of fuel cell cogeneration systems, a support server, and a management server. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of a device serial number acquisition processing routine executed by the calculation unit of the support server. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of an evidence data accumulation processing routine executed by the calculation unit of the support server. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the device-specific evidence database. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of an intermediate data transmission processing routine executed by the calculation unit of the support server. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of a counting process routine executed by the calculation unit of the support server. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of the approved credits and the credits to be approved displayed on the credit selling website. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of the credits being generated displayed on the credit selling website. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a list of companies wishing to purchase from. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of a difficulty score calculation process routine executed by the calculation unit of the management server. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of a buyer extraction process routine executed by the calculation unit of the management server. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 shows an example of the desired purchase quantity and difficulty score for each purchasing company. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an overview of a carbon dioxide credit trading system according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, this system is composed of an equipment group 10 consisting of energy-saving equipment owned by multiple users, a credit management organization (local government 20) such as a local government, a credit authentication organization 30, a credit buyer 40 such as a company, and a support server 50. The multiple energy-saving equipment constituting the equipment group 10 are home-use energy-saving equipment installed in general homes. In this embodiment, a fuel cell cogeneration system 11 is exemplified as the energy-saving equipment, but other home-use energy-saving equipment, such as a solar power generation system or an electrical appliance recommended as an energy-saving product, may also be used.

[0021] The fuel cell cogeneration system 11 generates electricity using fuel and oxygen, and also generates heat as a result of the electricity generation. The amount of carbon dioxide emitted per unit of electricity generated when electricity is generated using this fuel cell cogeneration system 11 is less than the amount of carbon dioxide emitted per unit of electricity generated when electricity is generated from a system power source such as a commercial power source. Therefore, the more the electricity generated by the fuel cell cogeneration system 11 is used in place of the system power source, i.e., the more it is used as private electricity consumption, the more the amount of carbon dioxide emissions that can be reduced, i.e., the amount of carbon dioxide emissions that can be reduced, can be increased.

[0022] The fuel cell cogeneration system 11 is operated in either rated operation where the generated power is constant, or load following operation where the generated power follows the home power consumption (power used in the user's home). In rated operation, the fuel cell cogeneration system 11 always generates power at rated power (e.g., 700 W) except during maintenance. On the other hand, in load following operation, power is generated so that power is not purchased from the grid power supply for home power consumption below the rated power (e.g., 700 W). Regardless of the operation method, if the home power consumption exceeds the rated power, the excess will be purchased from the grid power supply. Also, during rated operation, if the home power consumption is less than the rated power, the difference between the generated power (rated power) and the home power consumption is sold as surplus power. In this case, the sold power flows back through the grid power supply. On the other hand, in the case of load following operation, surplus power is not generated, so the generated power does not flow back.

[0023] Of the power generated by the fuel cell cogeneration system 11, the power that contributes to reducing carbon dioxide emissions is the power consumed within the home, i.e., the self-consumption generated power. Therefore, when the fuel cell cogeneration system 11 is operating at rated power, the self-consumption generated power is the generated power minus the power to be sold (i.e., the reverse flow power). On the other hand, when the fuel cell cogeneration system 11 is operating in load following mode, the reverse flow power is zero, and therefore all of the generated power is self-consumption generated power.

[0024] In this embodiment, each user who owns a fuel cell cogeneration system 11 constituting each equipment group 10 is a person residing in the local government 20. When each user purchases a fuel cell cogeneration system 11 and completes a prescribed procedure with the local government 20, a subsidy is provided by the local government 20. In return for receiving the subsidy from the local government 20, each user transfers to the local government 20 a right based on the amount of carbon dioxide emission reduction created by the use of the fuel cell cogeneration system 11, i.e., a carbon dioxide credit. Then, the local government 20 submits an application for approval of carbon dioxide credits to the credit certification organization 30 based on the amount of carbon dioxide emission reduction created by the use of the fuel cell cogeneration system 11 by each user. The credit certification organization 30 verifies and deliberates the documents related to the approval application, approves the carbon dioxide credits, and grants the approved carbon dioxide credits to the local government 20.

[0025] The local government 20 sells the carbon dioxide credits granted by the credit certification organization 30 to a credit buyer 40 through carbon offsetting or the like. In this embodiment, the credit buyer 40 is a company established within the local government 20. As a result, the local government 20 earns profits from the sale of the carbon dioxide credits. By using the profits from the sale as subsidies to users, it is possible to continuously promote the spread of the fuel cell cogeneration system 11 and the associated reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, by selling the carbon dioxide credits to a company established within the local government 20, it is possible to promote the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions within the local government 20. Note that a gas supplier or the like commissioned by the local government 20 may act as the credit management organization.

[0026] The local government 20 is equipped with a management server 21. The management server 21 corresponds to the carbon dioxide credit trading management computer of the present invention. The management server 21 is used when trading carbon dioxide credits created within the local government 20. This management server 21 has a management database in which the equipment serial numbers of all fuel cell cogeneration devices 11 that are eligible for subsidies are stored in association with information about the users of each fuel cell cogeneration device 11. By storing this information in the management database, each fuel cell cogeneration device 11 of a user within the local government 20 (in FIG. 1, the fuel cell cogeneration device 11 that constitutes the equipment group 10) is registered in the management server 21.

[0027] The support server 50 is provided to collect data required when the local government 20 applies for carbon dioxide credits to the credit authentication organization 30 based on the amount of carbon dioxide emission reduction created by the use of the fuel cell cogeneration system 11 that constitutes the equipment group 10, and to aggregate the collected data and transmit the aggregated data to the management server 21. The support server 50 may be a computer owned by the manufacturer of the fuel cell cogeneration system 11, for example.

[0028] The support server 50 includes a calculation unit 51, a storage unit 52, and a communication unit 53. The calculation unit 51 is configured to realize various functions by executing each process described below. The storage unit 52 stores each process executed by the calculation unit 51, information such as a database required when the calculation unit 51 executes each process, values ​​calculated by executing each process, and the like. The storage unit 52 also stores (registers) contact information for a user who owns the fuel cell cogeneration system 11. The user's contact information is, for example, an email address for a user terminal such as a personal computer or smartphone owned by the user. The communication unit 53 has a function of communicating with the outside.

[0029] The support server 50 is communicably connected to each of the fuel cell cogeneration apparatuses 11 and the management server 21 of the local government 20. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the connection state between the fuel cell cogeneration apparatuses 11, the support server 50, and the management server 21. As shown in FIG. 2, the fuel cell cogeneration apparatus 11 has a communication function and is configured to be connectable to the Internet via a remote control device 12 and a wireless router 13 in the house in which the fuel cell cogeneration apparatus 11 is installed. The support server 50 is also configured to be connectable to the Internet via its communication unit 53. Therefore, the fuel cell cogeneration apparatuses 11 and the support server 50 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via the Internet. In this embodiment, the fuel cell cogeneration apparatus 11 is connected to the Internet via the remote control device 12 and the wireless router 13, but a method of connecting the support server 50 to the Internet from a communication device mounted on the fuel cell cogeneration apparatus 11 is also possible. The support server 50 is also communicably connected to the fuel cell cogeneration apparatuses 11 constituting the equipment group 10 and to fuel cell cogeneration apparatuses 11 other than the fuel cell cogeneration apparatuses 11 constituting the equipment group 10. For ease of explanation, the fuel cell cogeneration system 11 that constitutes the equipment group 10 among all the fuel cell cogeneration systems 11 connected to the support server 50, i.e., the fuel cell cogeneration system registered in the management server 21, will be referred to as a specific fuel cell cogeneration system 11.

[0030] Data relating to the operating status of the fuel cell cogeneration systems 11 is constantly input to the support server 50 together with the equipment serial numbers via the communication function. In this way, each fuel cell cogeneration system 11 is monitored by the support server 50. Therefore, the support server 50 constantly keeps track of the power generation status of each fuel cell cogeneration system 11.

[0031] The remote control device 12 in each user's home is also configured to input the amount of power used in the home. Therefore, the support server 50 can obtain the amount of power used and the power usage status (e.g., the amount of power used by time period) in each user's home from the remote control device 12 in each home.

[0032] Similarly to the support server 50, the management server 21 also has a calculation unit 21a, a storage unit 21b, and a communication unit 21c. The calculation unit 21a is configured to realize various functions by executing each process described below. The storage unit 21b stores information on each process executed by the calculation unit 21a, databases and the like required when the calculation unit 21a executes each process, values ​​calculated by executing each process, and the like. The above-mentioned management database is stored in this storage unit 21b. The communication unit 21c has a function of communicating with the outside. The management server 21 is connected to the Internet via the communication unit 21c.

[0033] The support server 50 and the management server 21 are linked by an API (Application Programming Interface). This API link allows the support server 50 to acquire the equipment serial number of each specific fuel cell cogeneration apparatus 11 stored in the management database of the management server 21. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of an equipment serial number acquisition processing routine executed by the calculation unit 51 so that the support server 50 can acquire the equipment serial number of each fuel cell cogeneration apparatus 11. This routine is executed periodically at a predetermined interval. When this routine is started, the calculation unit 51 accesses the management database of the management server 21 via the communication unit 53 in step (hereinafter, step is abbreviated as S) 11 in FIG. 3. Next, it acquires all the equipment serial numbers in the management database (S12) and stores the acquired equipment serial numbers in the equipment serial number database of the storage unit 52. Thereafter, the calculation unit 51 ends this routine. The calculation unit 51 periodically executes the above-mentioned equipment serial number acquisition processing, whereby the equipment serial number of the specific fuel cell cogeneration apparatus 11 is stored in the equipment serial number database of the storage unit 52. By obtaining the equipment serial numbers of the specific fuel cell cogeneration apparatuses 11 registered with the local government 20, the support server 50 can identify the specific fuel cell cogeneration apparatuses 11 registered with the local government 20 from among all fuel cell cogeneration apparatuses 11 communicably connected to it. In other words, the specific fuel cell cogeneration apparatuses 11 are identified by the equipment serial numbers obtained by the equipment serial number acquisition process. If the support server 50 and management server 21 cannot cooperate via API, the local government 20 can create a list of the equipment serial numbers of the specific fuel cell cogeneration apparatuses 11, send it to the support server 50 by email, and have it stored in the support server 50.

[0034] The support server 50 also acquires data on the daily power generation amount and daily reverse power flow amount, which are the amounts of usage in one day, of a plurality of fuel cell cogeneration plants 11 including the specific fuel cell cogeneration plant 11 (individual usage data), and stores these acquired data in an equipment-specific evidence database in the storage unit 52. For this purpose, the calculation unit 51 of the support server 50 executes evidence data storage processing. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of an evidence data storage processing routine executed by the calculation unit 51. This routine is repeatedly executed at predetermined short intervals. When this routine is started, the calculation unit 51 first determines whether the current time is a predetermined time (for example, 0:00 a.m.) in S21 of FIG. 4. If the current time is not the predetermined time (S21: No), the calculation unit 51 ends this routine. On the other hand, if the current date and time is the predetermined time (S21: Yes), the calculation unit advances the process to S22.

[0035] In S22, the calculation unit 51 acquires the daily power generation amount E1, which is the amount of power generated by the fuel cell cogeneration system 11, and the daily reverse flow rate F1, which is the amount of power flowed backward from the fuel cell cogeneration system 11 to the system power source, for each device, i.e., from each fuel cell cogeneration system 11. In this case, the control unit in each fuel cell cogeneration system 11 is configured to transmit data on the daily power generation amount E1 and the daily reverse flow rate F1 of the previous day together with the device serial number to the support server 50 at or before the predetermined time in S21. Therefore, in S22, the support server 50 receives the data transmitted as described above, identifies the device serial number based on the received data, and acquires data on the daily power generation amount E1 and the daily reverse flow rate F1 of the fuel cell cogeneration system 11 having the identified device serial number.

[0036] Next, the calculation unit 51 advances the process to S23, and stores the data of the daily power generation amount E1 and the data of the daily reverse power amount F1 acquired in S22 in the equipment evidence database. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the equipment evidence database. As shown in FIG. 5, the equipment evidence database continuously stores the data of the daily power generation amount E1 and the daily reverse power amount F1 of the fuel cell cogeneration system 11 for each equipment serial number every day. In S23, the calculation unit 51 stores the data of the daily power generation amount E1 and the daily reverse power amount F1 of the previous day acquired in S22 in association with the corresponding equipment serial number and the corresponding date. Thereafter, the calculation unit 51 ends this routine. By executing the evidence data storage process shown in Figure 4, the calculation unit 51 acquires individual usage data (data on daily power generation E1 and data on daily reverse flow rate F1) representing the usage amount (power generation amount, reverse flow rate) of the specific fuel cell cogeneration device 11 within a specified period (one day) from each of the multiple specific fuel cell cogeneration devices 11 identified by the equipment serial numbers acquired in the equipment serial number acquisition process, and the acquired individual usage data is associated with the equipment serial number data and stored in the equipment-specific evidence database for each day.

[0037] Furthermore, the calculation unit 51 periodically transmits intermediate data of the carbon dioxide emission reduction amount and evidence data thereof by periodically executing an intermediate data transmission process between a predetermined measurement start date and a predetermined measurement end date. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of an intermediate data transmission process routine executed by the calculation unit 51. This routine is repeatedly executed at predetermined short intervals. When this routine is started, the calculation unit 51 first determines in S31 of FIG. 6 whether the current date and time is a predetermined time at the beginning of the week (for example, 0:00 am). If the current date and time is not the predetermined time at the beginning of the week (S31: No), the calculation unit 51 ends this routine. On the other hand, if the current date and time is the predetermined time at the beginning of the week (S31: Yes), the calculation unit 51 proceeds to S32.

[0038] In S32, the calculation unit 51 calculates the cumulative intermediate power generation amount E2 by adding up the data of the daily power generation amount E1 stored in the evidence data storage process from the predetermined measurement start date to the current time, i.e., the data of the daily power generation amount E1 from the measurement start date to the last day of the previous week, for each of the multiple specified fuel cell cogeneration devices 11 identified by the equipment serial number acquired in the equipment serial number acquisition process (i.e., identified by the equipment serial number stored in the equipment serial number database). Furthermore, in S32, the calculation unit 51 calculates the cumulative intermediate power generation amount F2 by adding up the data of the daily reverse power flow rate F1 stored in the equipment evidence database from the predetermined measurement start date to the current time (the last day of the previous week) for each of the multiple specified fuel cell cogeneration devices 11.

[0039] Next, the calculation unit 51 advances the process to S33. In S33, the calculation unit 51 calculates, for each of the multiple specified fuel cell cogeneration systems 11, a cumulative intermediate carbon dioxide emission reduction amount C2, which is the amount of carbon dioxide emission reduction created by that specified fuel cell cogeneration system 11 from the measurement start date to the present time, based on the data of the cumulative intermediate power generation amount E2 and the data of the cumulative intermediate reverse power flow rate F2 calculated in S32. In this case, the cumulative intermediate carbon dioxide emission reduction amount C2 can be calculated by substituting the cumulative intermediate self-consumption power generation amount G2, which is obtained by subtracting the cumulative intermediate reverse power flow rate F2 from the cumulative intermediate power generation amount E2, into a predetermined conversion formula.

[0040] Next, the calculation unit 51 advances the process to S34. In S34, the calculation unit 51 adds up the data of the accumulated intermediate carbon dioxide emission reduction amount C2 calculated for each specific fuel cell cogeneration plant 11 in S33 to calculate a total intermediate carbon dioxide emission reduction amount C3.

[0041] Next, the calculation unit 51 proceeds to S35, and transmits the data on the accumulated intermediate power generation amount E2, the data on the accumulated intermediate reverse power flow rate F2, and the data on the accumulated intermediate carbon dioxide emission reduction amount C2 for each specified fuel cell cogeneration plant 11 calculated in S32 and S33 to the user of the corresponding specified fuel cell cogeneration plant 11. In this case, the calculation unit 51 can transmit this data to the email address of the user terminal of each user registered in the support server 50.

[0042] Furthermore, the calculation unit 51 advances the process to S36, and transmits the interim total carbon dioxide emission reduction amount C3 calculated in S34 to the management server 21. After that, the calculation unit 51 ends this routine.

[0043] By executing the intermediate data transmission process described above, the calculation unit 51 calculates intermediate usage data (data on the accumulated intermediate power generation amount E2 and data on the accumulated intermediate reverse flow rate F2) representing the accumulated value of the individual usage data (data on the daily power generation amount E1 and data on the daily reverse flow rate F1) of the specified fuel cell cogeneration apparatus 11 for each of the specified fuel cell cogeneration apparatuses 11 from the measurement start date to the current time (in this embodiment, to the last day of the previous week) for each week (S32). In addition, based on the calculated intermediate usage data of each specified fuel cell cogeneration apparatus 11, intermediate data (data on the intermediate total carbon dioxide emission reduction amount C3) of the total amount of carbon dioxide emission reduction created by the use of the specified fuel cell cogeneration apparatuses 11 from the measurement start date to the current time (in this embodiment, to the last day of the previous week) is calculated (S34). Then, the calculated data on the intermediate total carbon dioxide emission reduction amount C3 is transmitted to the management server 21 for each week (S36), and the intermediate usage data, which is evidence data, is transmitted to the users of each specified fuel cell cogeneration apparatus 11 for each week (S36). This intermediate data transmission process may be executed weekly, monthly, or daily, as described above.

[0044] The calculation unit 51 of the support server 50 is configured to execute a counting process to count data on the amount of carbon dioxide emission reductions created between a predetermined measurement start date and a predetermined measurement end date, and transmit the counted data to the management server 21. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of a counting process routine executed by the calculation unit 51. This routine is repeatedly executed at predetermined short intervals. When this routine is started, in S41 of FIG. 7, the calculation unit 51 determines whether or not a data request signal has been input from the management server 21 after the predetermined measurement end date. This data request signal is transmitted from the management server 21 to the support server 50 when the local government 20 requests the counted data on the amount of carbon dioxide emission reductions, for example, by an operator of the management server 21 inputting a predetermined command to the management server 21.

[0045] If the calculation unit 51 determines in S41 that a data request signal has not been input (S41: No), the calculation unit 51 ends this routine. On the other hand, if the calculation unit 51 determines that a data request signal has been input (S41: Yes), the calculation unit 51 advances the process to S42.

[0046] In S42, the calculation unit 51 refers to the equipment-specific evidence database and calculates the cumulative power generation amount E3 by adding up the daily power generation amounts E1 from the specified measurement start date to the specified measurement end date for each of the specified fuel cell cogeneration plants 11. Next, in S43, the calculation unit 51 refers to the equipment-specific evidence database and calculates the cumulative reverse power flow rate F3 by adding up the daily reverse power flow rates F1 from the specified measurement start date to the specified measurement end date for each of the specified fuel cell cogeneration plants 11.

[0047] Next, the calculation unit 51 proceeds to S44, where it adds up the cumulative power generation amount E3 calculated for each specified fuel cell cogeneration device 11 to calculate the total power generation amount E4 from the measurement start date to the measurement end date, and further adds up the cumulative reverse flow rate F3 calculated for each specified fuel cell cogeneration device 11 to calculate the total reverse flow rate F4 from the measurement start date to the measurement end date.

[0048] Next, the calculation unit 51 advances the process to S45, where it calculates the total self-consumption power generation amount G4 by subtracting the total reverse power flow amount F4 from the total power generation amount E4. Furthermore, the calculation unit 51 advances the process to S46, where it calculates the total carbon dioxide emission reduction amount C4, which is the total amount of carbon dioxide emission reduction amount created from the predetermined measurement start date to the predetermined measurement end date, based on the total self-consumption power generation amount G4.

[0049] Next, calculation unit 51 advances the process to S47 and transmits the data on the total carbon dioxide emission reduction amount C4 and the evidence data thereof to management server 21. Here, the evidence data transmitted to management server 21 in S47 is data that associates the data on the accumulated power generation amount E3 and the data on the accumulated reverse power flow rate F3 calculated for each specific fuel cell cogeneration plant 11 in S42 and S43 with the equipment serial number of the specific fuel cell cogeneration plant 11 for which the data was calculated. Then, calculation unit 51 ends this routine.

[0050] By executing the above-mentioned tallying process by the calculation unit 51, the data of the total amount of carbon dioxide emission reductions (data of the total amount of carbon dioxide emission reductions C4) created by the use of the multiple specified fuel cell cogeneration devices 11 from the measurement start date to the measurement end date is calculated based on the individual usage data (daily power generation amount E1 and daily reverse flow amount F1) of each specified fuel cell cogeneration device 11 stored in the evidence data storage process. Then, the data of the calculated total amount of carbon dioxide emission reductions is automatically transmitted from the support server 50 to the management server 21 together with the evidence data. The local government 20 can create documents necessary for the certification of carbon dioxide credits based on the data transmitted to the management server 21. In this way, since the data necessary for the certification of carbon dioxide credits is automatically transmitted from the support server 50, the collection and compilation of these data does not require much effort. In other words, the collection of data can be simplified. In addition, the data of the entire number of the specified fuel cell cogeneration devices 11 can be tallied to calculate the data of the total amount of carbon dioxide emission reductions C4, and the data is supported by the evidence data. In other words, the calculated data of the total amount of carbon dioxide emission reductions C4 is reliable and does not include uncertainty. Therefore, the entire calculated carbon dioxide emission reduction amount C4 can be applied for as carbon dioxide credits, and the value of the carbon dioxide credits will not be diminished.

[0051] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the calculation unit 51 executes an intermediate data transmission process to periodically transmit data on the accumulated intermediate power generation amount E2, the accumulated intermediate reverse power flow rate F2, and the accumulated intermediate carbon dioxide emission reduction amount C2 to the user terminal of each specific fuel cell cogeneration apparatus 11, and also transmits data on the intermediate total amount of carbon dioxide emission reduction C3 to the management server 21. As a result, the transmission history of each piece of data is stored as backup data in the user terminal and the management server 21. Therefore, if communication between the support server 50 and each specific fuel cell cogeneration apparatus 11 is subsequently interrupted due to some kind of communication failure, for example, and the support server 50 is no longer able to grasp the power generation state of the specific fuel cell cogeneration apparatus 11, it is possible to apply for carbon dioxide credits using the data on the intermediate total amount of carbon dioxide emission reduction C3 and its evidence data (data on the accumulated intermediate power generation amount E2 and data on the accumulated intermediate reverse power flow rate F2) transmitted up to that point.

[0052] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when a transmission request signal is input from the management server 21, the data on the total carbon dioxide emission reduction amount C4 is executed and transmitted together with the evidence data to the management server 21. Therefore, this data can be transmitted in a timely manner in response to a request from the local government 20.

[0053] Incidentally, in order to sell carbon dioxide credits generated within the local government 20 by various methods, including the carbon dioxide credits generated as described above, the local government 20 uploads a website containing content related to the sale of carbon dioxide credits (hereinafter, the credit sales website) to a web server on the Internet via the management server 21. For this reason, the credit sales website operated by the local government 20 can be viewed using the Internet.

[0054] This credit sales website displays carbon dioxide credits that the local government 20 plans to sell. The carbon dioxide credits that are displayed for sale include approved credits that have already been certified (approved) by the credit certification organization 30, carbon dioxide credits that are scheduled to be certified (approved) (credits to be approved), and carbon dioxide credits that are currently being created (i.e., data on carbon dioxide emission reductions is being collected (measured)). Carbon dioxide credits that are currently being created are called credits being created.

[0055] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the display mode of approved credits and credits to be approved displayed on the credit selling website. As shown in Fig. 8, the approved credits and credits to be approved are displayed on the credit selling website in a list format. This table has a column for the serial number of the carbon dioxide credit to be sold, a column for an overview of the carbon dioxide credit creation project, a column showing whether the credit has been approved by a credit certification organization (already approved or to be approved), a column showing the amount of carbon dioxide credits created (amount of carbon dioxide emission reductions created), and a column showing the selling price of the carbon dioxide credits (unit price per ton). In this embodiment, the selling price of the carbon dioxide credits is set by the local government 20.

[0056] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the display mode of the credits being created displayed on the credit selling website. As shown in Fig. 9, the credits being created are displayed in a list on the credit selling website. This table has a column for the serial number of the credits being created to be sold, a column for an overview of the creation project for the credits being created, a column showing the creation period of the credits being created, a column showing the creation history of the credits being created, a column showing the expected amount of creation (anticipated amount of carbon dioxide credits to be created), and a column showing the selling price of the carbon dioxide credits. In this embodiment, the selling price of the credits being created is also set by the local government 20.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 9, the column of the generation history lists a graph showing the transition of the amount of carbon dioxide credits generated (the cumulative amount of carbon dioxide emission reductions generated). The solid line portion of this graph shows the transition (generation history) of the amount of carbon dioxide credits generated from the start of the generation of carbon dioxide credits (start of measurement: start) to the present time, that is, the cumulative history of the amount of carbon dioxide emission reductions generated from the start of generation to the present time, and the dashed line portion shows the expected transition of the amount of carbon dioxide credits generated in the future. The expected amount of carbon dioxide credits generated at the end of generation (end of measurement: goal), that is, the expected amount of carbon dioxide credits generated, is listed in the column of the expected amount of generation. The solid line portion of this graph of the generation amount transition can be created based on the intermediate total amount of carbon dioxide emission reductions C3 periodically transmitted from the support server 50 to the management server 21 in the intermediate data transmission process described above. The dashed line portion of this graph of the generation amount transition and the expected amount of generation can be estimated from the slope of the solid line portion. In addition to the tables shown in Figures 8 and 9, the display screen of the credit selling website clearly indicates the purchase deadline for each carbon dioxide credit to be sold, and the fact that only companies established within the local government 20 can purchase them.

[0058] The lists of carbon dioxide credits to be sold and their amounts created or expected amounts created, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, are made public by the management server 21 uploading these data to a web server on the Internet. In other words, the management server 21 is configured to be able to execute a publishing process to publish the carbon dioxide credits to be sold and the amounts created of the carbon dioxide credits. Also, as shown in Figure 9, if the carbon dioxide credits to be sold are carbon dioxide credits that are being created, the management server 21 also publishes the creation history and expected creation amount for each carbon dioxide credit that is being created.

[0059] Companies established within the local government 20 (companies within the local government) can check, from a computer or the like, the list of carbon dioxide credits to be sold, shown in Figs. 8 and 9, which is published on the credit sales website. The companies within the local government then consider whether they wish to purchase these carbon dioxide credits, and if they decide to purchase them, they notify the local government 20 of that effect by the purchase deadline. At that time, companies wishing to purchase carbon dioxide credits (purchasing companies) notify the local government 20 of their company name, the serial number of the carbon dioxide credits they wish to purchase, the amount they wish to purchase (amount of carbon dioxide credits they wish to purchase (amount of carbon dioxide emission reduction)), the business situation of the company, and the carbon dioxide emission reduction record. There are various possible methods for this contact. For example, examples of the contact methods include a method of filling out a carbon dioxide credit purchase application form and mailing it to the local government 20, a method of making an offer to purchase carbon dioxide credits to the local government 20 by telephone, and a method of making an application to purchase carbon dioxide credits to the local government 20 through the credit sales website.

[0060] Among the information communicated to the local government 20 by the prospective purchaser, the business status of the company is information that indicates the business strength of the company, such as capital, average sales amount and average ordinary profit for the most recent few years, etc. Furthermore, the carbon dioxide emission reduction performance is, for example, the amount of carbon dioxide emission reduction that has been achieved so far.

[0061] Furthermore, the local government 20 deletes the carbon dioxide credits to be sold whose purchase deadline has passed from Table 8 or Table 9. Then, a list of companies wishing to purchase is created for each carbon dioxide credit to be sold whose purchase deadline has passed.

[0062] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a list of companies willing to purchase. As shown in FIG. 10, this list has a column for the serial number of the companies willing to purchase, a column for the company name, a column for capital, a column for sales, a column for ordinary profit, a column for carbon dioxide emission reduction performance, a column for the amount of carbon dioxide emission reduction desired, and a column for the sale price. The column for capital displays the amount of capital, the column for sales displays the average amount of sales for the last few years, the column for ordinary profit displays the average amount of ordinary profit for the last few years, the column for the amount of carbon dioxide emission reduction performance displays the amount of carbon dioxide emission reduction created so far, the column for the amount of carbon dioxide credits willing to purchase (amount of carbon dioxide emission reduction), and the column for the sale price displays the sale price of the amount of carbon dioxide credits displayed in the column for the amount of carbon dioxide credits willing to purchase. Such a list of companies willing to purchase may be automatically created by the calculation unit 21a of the management server 21, or may be created on the management server 21 by an employee of the local government 20. The created list of companies willing to purchase is then stored in the memory unit 21b of the management server 21.

[0063] The calculation unit 21a of the management server 21 is configured to calculate a difficulty score, which is an index showing the degree of difficulty for achieving the carbon dioxide emission reduction target, for each of the willing buyer companies based on the willing buyer companies list stored in the memory unit 21b. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of a difficulty score calculation processing routine executed by the calculation unit 21a of the management server 21 to calculate the difficulty score. This routine is started by the operator of the management server 21 inputting a predetermined command to the management server 21 after specifying the willing buyer companies list to be used for calculating the difficulty score.

[0064] When this routine is started, the calculation unit 21a of the management server 21 first selects one of the willing purchase companies shown in the willing purchase company list that has not yet been selected in S51 of FIG. 11. Next, the calculation unit 21a acquires the management information data and performance information data of the selected willing purchase company from the willing purchase company list (S52). Here, the management information data is the numerical data of the amount of capital shown in the capital column of the willing purchase company list, the numerical data of the sales amount shown in the sales amount column, and the numerical data of the ordinary profit amount shown in the ordinary profit column. Also, the performance information data is the numerical data of the amount of carbon dioxide emission reduction shown in the carbon dioxide emission reduction performance column of the willing purchase company list. Therefore, in S52, the calculation unit 21a acquires the numerical data stored in each of the columns of the capital, sales amount, ordinary profit, and carbon dioxide emission reduction performance of the target willing purchase company from the willing purchase company list stored in the storage unit 21b, thereby acquiring the management information data and performance information data of the willing purchase company. The processing of S52 corresponds to the company information acquisition processing of the present invention.

[0065] Next, the calculation unit 21a calculates a difficulty score α based on the management information data and performance information data acquired in S52 (S53). Here, the difficulty score α corresponds to the difficulty index of the present invention, and is calculated based on a value obtained by weighting each of the data acquired in S52 in a predetermined manner. Specifically, assuming that the numerical data of capital acquired in S52 is a (yen), the numerical data of sales amount is b (yen), the numerical data of ordinary profit is c (yen), and the numerical data of carbon dioxide emission reduction performance is d (ton-CO2), the difficulty score α is calculated by the following formula. α=1 / (a×x1+b×x2+c×x3+d×x4) Here, x1 is a weighting coefficient for a (capital), x2 is a weighting coefficient for b (sales), c3 is a weighting coefficient for c (operating profit), and x4 is a weighting coefficient for d (carbon dioxide emission reduction). Each of the weighting coefficients x1 to x4 is a positive number. The process of S53 corresponds to the difficulty index calculation process of the present invention.

[0066] This difficulty score α is calculated to represent the degree of difficulty involved in achieving the carbon dioxide emission reduction target, i.e., the degree of difficulty in achieving the carbon dioxide emission reduction target. In this embodiment, the difficulty score α is calculated so that the larger it is, the higher the difficulty (the higher the hurdle) in achieving the carbon dioxide emission reduction target. Here, the concept of the degree of difficulty in achieving the carbon dioxide emission reduction target will be explained below.

[0067] Whether or not a company can achieve its carbon dioxide emission reduction target is influenced by the company's financial strength and its past achievements in reducing carbon dioxide emissions. If a company has strong financial strength, it has financial leeway and can purchase many carbon dioxide credits, which allows it to achieve its carbon dioxide emission reduction target. On the other hand, if a company's financial strength is weak, it will lack the funds to purchase carbon dioxide credits and will have to increase its carbon dioxide emission reductions through its own efforts, but in order to do so, it will have to introduce energy-saving equipment. However, if the company's financial strength is weak, it will also lack the funds to cover the costs of introducing the energy-saving equipment, and will ultimately be unable to increase its carbon dioxide emission reductions. Therefore, a company's financial strength affects whether or not it can achieve its carbon dioxide emission reduction target; if the company's financial strength is strong, it will be easier to achieve the target, and if the company's financial strength is low, it will be more difficult to achieve the target.

[0068] Furthermore, if a company has achieved a large amount of carbon dioxide emission reduction in the past, it can be estimated that it is close to achieving its carbon dioxide emission reduction target, in which case it will be easy to achieve the target. On the other hand, if a company has achieved a small amount of carbon dioxide emission reduction in the past, it will have to reduce a lot of carbon dioxide emissions to achieve its carbon dioxide emission reduction target, in which case it will be difficult to achieve the target. Therefore, carbon dioxide emission reduction track record affects whether or not a company can achieve its carbon dioxide emission reduction target, and if a company has a large amount of carbon dioxide emission reduction track record (amount of carbon dioxide emission reduction created in the past), it will be easy to achieve the target, and if it has a small amount, it will be difficult to achieve the target.

[0069] In this embodiment, the difficulty score α is calculated based on the above-mentioned concept. Specifically, the difficulty score α is calculated so that the larger the index representing the management strength (numerical data of capital, numerical data of sales amount, numerical data of ordinary profit) is, the smaller the difficulty score α is, and the larger the index representing the carbon dioxide emission reduction performance (numerical data of the carbon dioxide emission reduction performance) is, the smaller the difficulty score α is calculated.

[0070] In addition, weighting coefficients x1 to x4 are set to adjust the balance of the influence that the indicators representing the management strength (capital, sales, ordinary profit) and the indicator representing the carbon dioxide emission reduction performance have on the difficulty score α. These weighting coefficients x1 to x4 can be arbitrarily input to the management server 21. Therefore, before calculating the difficulty score α, an operator of the management server 21 inputs the values ​​of the weighting coefficients x1 to x4 in advance to the management server 21 from an input means such as a keyboard. Note that if the weighting coefficients x1 to x4 are not input, the difficulty score α may be calculated using the weighting coefficients x1 to x4 that are set in advance.

[0071] After calculating the difficulty score α as described above, the calculation unit 21a advances the process to S54. In S54, the calculation unit 21a stores the difficulty score α calculated in S53 in the memory unit 21b in association with the desired purchase company. The calculation unit 21a may store the difficulty score α in the memory unit 21b in S53 and display each difficulty score α on the display of the management server 21. Next, the calculation unit 21a determines whether or not there is any desired purchase company that has not yet been selected (S55). If there is a company that has not yet been selected (S55: No), the calculation unit 21a returns to S51 and repeats the process from S51 onwards. If there is no company that has not yet been selected (S55: Yes), the calculation unit 21a ends this routine.

[0072] The calculation unit 21a of the management server 21 executes the above-mentioned difficulty score calculation process to calculate the difficulty score α for each company that wishes to purchase the carbon dioxide credits to be sold. Therefore, based on the difficulty score α, the carbon dioxide credits can be sold preferentially to companies that have difficulty in achieving their carbon dioxide emission reduction targets. This allows the companies to make up for their delays in their carbon dioxide emission reduction efforts, and as a result, it is possible to promote the efforts of the local government in reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

[0073] The calculation unit 21a of the management server 21 is also configured to extract a buyer of the carbon dioxide credits based on the difficulty score α of each company willing to purchase calculated in the difficulty score calculation process. Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of a buyer extraction process routine executed by the calculation unit 21a to extract a buyer of the carbon dioxide credits. This routine is started by an operator of the management server 21 inputting a predetermined command to the management server 21 after the difficulty score calculation process for the target carbon dioxide credit has been completed. When this routine is started, in S61 of Fig. 12, the calculation unit 21a selects the buyer of the carbon dioxide credits to be sold that has the highest difficulty score α calculated by executing the difficulty score calculation process described above from among the buyers who have not yet been selected.

[0074] Next, the calculation unit 21a acquires the desired purchase amount of the selected desired purchase company from the desired purchase company list (S62), and judges whether the acquired desired purchase amount is equal to or less than the remaining generation amount (S63). Here, the remaining generation amount is the remaining amount of carbon dioxide credits obtained by subtracting the desired purchase amount of the desired purchase company extracted as the buyer in S64, which will be described later, from the generated amount of carbon dioxide credits to be sold. Therefore, when the calculation unit 21a selects a desired purchase company for the first time in S61, the remaining generation amount in the process of S63 is the generated amount of carbon dioxide credits to be sold.

[0075] If it is determined in S63 that the desired purchase amount is equal to or less than the remaining generation amount (S63: Yes), the calculation unit 21a advances the process to S64 and extracts the selected purchasing company as a buyer. Next, the calculation unit 21a subtracts the desired purchase amount acquired in S62 from the remaining generation amount to update the remaining generation amount (S65). After that, the calculation unit 21a returns the process to S61 and repeats the processes from S61 onwards.

[0076] Also, if it is determined in S63 that the desired purchase amount is greater than the remaining generation amount (S63: No), the amount of carbon dioxide credits to be sold is insufficient, and therefore no more carbon dioxide credits can be sold. In this case, the calculation unit 21a advances the process to S66, and displays on the display of the management server 21 the companies wishing to purchase that have been extracted as buyers in S64 up to that point. Thereafter, the calculation unit 21a ends this routine.

[0077] By the calculation unit 21a executing the above-mentioned buyer extraction process, the buyers are extracted as buyers in the order of increasing difficulty represented by the difficulty score α within the range where the purchase amount of the buyers can be satisfied by the creation amount of the carbon dioxide credits to be sold. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, it is assumed that the difficulty score α of the buyers A is 80 and the purchase amount is 100, the difficulty score α of the buyers B is 62 and the purchase amount is 150, the difficulty score α of the buyers C is 95 and the purchase amount is 50, and the difficulty score α of the buyers D is 30 and the purchase amount is 100. Also, it is assumed that the creation amount of the carbon dioxide credits to be sold is 350. In this case, first, the buyers C with the highest difficulty score α is selected as a candidate for sale. Since the purchase amount (50) of the buyers C is less than the remaining creation amount (350), the buyers C are extracted as buyers. After that, the remaining creation amount is set to 300. Next, the would-be buyer A with the next highest difficulty score α is selected as a candidate for sale. Since the desired purchase amount (100) of this would-be buyer A is less than the remaining generation amount (300), the would-be buyer A is extracted as a buyer. After that, the remaining generation amount is set to 200. Next, the would-be buyer B with the next highest difficulty score α is selected as a candidate for sale. Since the desired purchase amount (150) of this would-be buyer B is less than the remaining generation amount (200), the would-be buyer B is extracted as a buyer. After that, the remaining generation amount is set to 50. Next, the would-be buyer D with the next highest difficulty score α is selected as a candidate for sale. Since the desired purchase amount (100) of this would-be buyer D is greater than the remaining generation amount (50), the would-be buyer D is not extracted as a buyer. Therefore, according to this example, would-be buyers A, B, and C are extracted as buyers of carbon dioxide credits. By giving priority to selling carbon dioxide credits to the prospective buyers extracted in this way, i.e., companies that have a high difficulty (high hurdle) in achieving their carbon dioxide emission reduction targets, it is possible to promote carbon dioxide emission reductions at these prospective buyers.

[0078] As described above, the management server 21 is configured to execute a company information acquisition process (S52) for acquiring management information data, which is data on business status, and performance information data, which is data on carbon dioxide emission reduction performance, from each of a plurality of companies wishing to purchase carbon dioxide credits created within the local government and to be sold, and a difficulty index calculation process (S53) for calculating a difficulty score α, which indicates the difficulty of achieving the carbon dioxide emission reduction target, for each of the companies wishing to purchase carbon dioxide credits, based on the management information data and the performance information data. Therefore, based on the difficulty score α, carbon dioxide credits can be sold preferentially to companies within the local government that have difficulty in achieving the carbon dioxide emission reduction target. This makes it possible to make up for the delay in the carbon dioxide emission reduction efforts of the companies within the local government, and as a result, it is possible to promote the efforts of the local government regarding carbon dioxide emission reduction. In other words, by using the management server 21 according to this embodiment, it is possible to build a carbon dioxide credit trading system that promotes the efforts of the local government regarding carbon dioxide emission reduction.

[0079] The management server 21 is also configured to execute a buyer extraction process for extracting, as buyers, companies wishing to purchase in order of difficulty represented by the difficulty score α, within a range in which the amount of carbon dioxide credits to be sold can be used to cover the amount of carbon dioxide credits that the buyers wish to purchase. This makes it possible to automatically extract companies wishing to purchase in order of difficulty in achieving the carbon dioxide emission reduction target as buyers of carbon dioxide credits. In addition, the carbon dioxide credits to be sold can be sold efficiently.

[0080] 8 and 9, the management server 21 is configured to be able to publish the carbon dioxide credits to be sold and the amount of carbon dioxide credits created. This allows companies within the local government to check the published carbon dioxide credits to be sold and the amount of carbon dioxide credits created.

[0081] Furthermore, when the management server 21 discloses the carbon dioxide credits being created as carbon dioxide credits to be sold, the management server 21 discloses the carbon dioxide credit creation history and the expected amount of carbon dioxide credits to be created, as shown in Fig. 9. This allows companies in the local government that wish to purchase carbon dioxide credits to consider in advance whether they can cover the shortfall in carbon dioxide emissions that will remain even if they reduce them through their own efforts, by purchasing carbon dioxide credits that are scheduled to be sold in the future.

[0082] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention should not be limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the numerical data of capital, sales, ordinary profit, and carbon dioxide emission reduction performance are used to calculate the difficulty score α, but the difficulty score α may be calculated by adding other information data that indicates the difficulty of achieving the carbon dioxide emission reduction goal. In addition, the difficulty score α may be calculated by a formula different from the above formula for calculating the difficulty score α as long as the magnitude of the difficulty can be determined from the value. In addition, the difficulty score α may be calculated so that the value of the difficulty score α becomes smaller as the difficulty increases. In addition, in the above embodiment, an example is shown in which the creation history of the credits being created to be sold is represented by a creation amount transition graph, but the creation history may be represented by a table or the like that represents the creation amount in chronological order. In addition, it is also possible to connect the management servers of each local government so that carbon dioxide credits for which no companies have expressed a desire to purchase, or fractional carbon dioxide credits generated by the sale, can be sold to other local governments. In this way, the present invention can be modified as long as it does not deviate from the gist of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 10... group of devices, 11... fuel cell cogeneration device, specific fuel cell cogeneration device, 12... remote control device, 13... wireless router, 20... local government, 21... management server (management computer for carbon dioxide credit trading), 21a... calculation unit, 21b... memory unit, 21c... communication unit, 30... credit authentication agency, 40... credit seller, 50... support server, α... difficulty score (difficulty index)

Claims

1. A carbon dioxide credit trading management computer used when trading carbon dioxide credits created within a local government, A company information acquisition process that acquires management information data, which is data on business status, and performance information data, which is data on carbon dioxide emission reduction performance, from each of a plurality of companies that wish to purchase carbon dioxide credits that are to be sold and that are created within the municipality, among the companies within the municipality that are established within the municipality; a difficulty index calculation process for calculating a difficulty index representing the degree of difficulty for achieving a carbon dioxide emission reduction target for each of the purchasing companies based on the management information data and the performance information data; A carbon dioxide credit trading management computer configured to execute the above steps.

2. 2. The carbon dioxide credit trading management computer according to claim 1, A carbon dioxide credit trading management computer configured to be capable of executing a buyer extraction process for extracting the wishing-to-purchase companies as buyers of the carbon dioxide credits to be sold in order of increasing difficulty represented by the difficulty index.

3. 3. The carbon dioxide credit trading management computer according to claim 2, The buyer extraction process is a carbon dioxide credit trading management computer that extracts the wishing to purchase companies as buyers in order of the degree of difficulty represented by the difficulty index, to the extent that the amount of carbon dioxide credits to be sold can be covered by the amount of carbon dioxide credits to be created.

4. A carbon dioxide credit trading management computer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A carbon dioxide credit trading management computer configured to be capable of executing a disclosure process for disclosing the carbon dioxide credits to be sold and the amount of carbon dioxide credits created.

5. 5. The carbon dioxide credit trading management computer according to claim 4, If the carbon dioxide credits to be sold are carbon dioxide credits being created, the carbon dioxide credit creation history and the expected amount of creation are made public in the disclosure process.

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