Energy Trading System

Abstract

To increase the charging opportunities of electric vehicles.SOLUTION: A broker server 8 obtains the present position of an electric vehicle 5 from an agent 2 of the electric vehicle 5, and based on the obtained present position, identifies a direct transaction market where a contract execution location is near the electric vehicle 5. The broker server 8 then transmits, to the agent 2, a signal (proposal signal) proposing power transaction in the identified direct transaction market. The agent 2, when adopting the proposal signal, creates a power transaction plan and makes a bid to a transaction market server 3 based on the created power transaction plan.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an energy trading system. [Background technology]

[0002] JP 2020-150726 A (Patent Document 1) discloses an electricity supply and demand management system including an energy management system that manages electricity at a facility that is a consumer of electricity, and an electricity supply and demand management device that submits electricity bids to the Japan Electric Power Exchange. The electricity supply and demand management device calculates an imbalance amount that may occur within a bidding unit time based on the amount of electricity bid, the power value currently used at the facility, and the power value predicted to be used at the facility after the bidding unit time. The electricity supply and demand management device then calculates a control amount required to reduce the imbalance amount to zero and transmits this control amount to the energy management system. The control amount is transmitted from the energy management system to the battery and load of the facility, and the battery and load are controlled according to the control amount. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-150726 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, electric vehicles using batteries as a power source have become increasingly popular, and users are showing a high level of interest in electric vehicles. From the perspective of environmental issues, it is desirable for electric vehicles to become even more popular.

[0005] However, the number of charging stations for charging the batteries of electric vehicles is still small compared to gas stations. As a result, many users are worried about not being able to charge their cars. There is a need for measures to ease users' concerns about the lack of charging opportunities and to promote the further spread of electric vehicles.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to increase opportunities to charge electric vehicles. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an energy trading system includes an information processing device that creates an energy trading plan for an electric vehicle to trade energy through an energy trading market, a first server that manages the energy trading market, and a second server that distributes information related to the energy trading market. When an electric vehicle is located within a predetermined distance from a location where a contract is executed in the energy trading market, the second server transmits a signal proposing an energy trade to the information processing device. When the information processing device adopts the proposal, it makes a bid to the first server.

[0008] According to the above configuration, for example, when an electric vehicle is traveling and comes within a predetermined distance from a location where an agreement is made in the energy trading market, a signal proposing an energy transaction (proposal signal) is transmitted from the second server to the information processing device. By receiving the proposal signal, the information processing device can recognize that an energy transaction is possible in the vicinity. This allows the information processing device to adopt the proposal and make a bid to the first server that manages the energy trading market. If this bid is agreed, the electric vehicle can receive power through the energy trading market. In this way, the energy trading system can increase the opportunities for charging electric vehicles. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to increase opportunities to charge electric vehicles. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of an energy trading system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a P2P energy trading market. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a bid in a general trading market for P2P energy trading. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a bidding in a direct trading market for P2P energy trading. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of an agent, a market trading server, and a broker server. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of resource information. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of agent information. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an agent, a market exchange server, and a broker server. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a process for transmitting a proposal signal, which is executed in a broker server. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a process executed in an agent for a proposal signal. [Figure 11] 11 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a contract-related process executed in a market trading server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters and their description will not be repeated.

[0012] <Electricity trading system configuration> Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining an example of an energy trading system 1 according to an embodiment. With reference to Fig. 1, the energy trading system 1 includes a trading market server 3, electric vehicles 5A-5E, charging / discharging facilities 6A-6H, a factory 7A, a company 7B, a commercial facility 7C, a residence 7D, a store 7E, a broker server 8, an electric power company 9, and a power transmission line network PL. The electric vehicles 5A-5E, the factory 7A, the company 7B, the commercial facility 7C, the residence 7D, and the store 7E are power resources in the energy trading system 1, and function as so-called prosumers. Each power resource is configured to be able to exchange power with other power resources via the power transmission line network PL or directly.

[0013] The number of electric vehicles and the number of charging / discharging facilities are not limited to the numbers shown in the figure. Furthermore, the facilities such as the factory 7A are not limited to those shown in the figure. Furthermore, hereinafter, the electric vehicles 5A to 5E may be referred to as "electric vehicles 5" without distinction, and the charging / discharging facilities 6A to 6H may be referred to as "charging / discharging facilities 6" without distinction. Furthermore, the factory 7A, the company 7B, the commercial facility 7C, the house 7D, and the store 7E may be referred to as "facilities 7" without distinction.

[0014] The electric vehicle 5 is an electric vehicle that can run using power stored in a battery. The electric vehicle 5 is electrically connected to a charging / discharging facility 6, and is configured so that the battery can be charged and discharged through the charging / discharging facility 6. The electric vehicle 5 is an electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle). The electric vehicle 5 is configured so that it can be electrically connected to the charging / discharging facility 6, and is capable of receiving and transmitting power to and from the power transmission network PL or a facility 7 through the charging / discharging facility 6.

[0015] The facility 7 is electrically connected to the power transmission network PL and can receive and transmit electric power to and from the power transmission network PL. The facility 7 is also electrically connected to the charging / discharging equipment 6 and can receive and transmit electric power to and from the electric vehicle 5 connected to the charging / discharging equipment 6. The facility 7 is equipped with a battery that stores electric power and is configured to enable charging and discharging of the battery via the power transmission network PL or the charging / discharging equipment 6.

[0016] The charging / discharging equipment 6 is electrically connected to the power transmission line network PL or a facility 7. The charging / discharging equipment 6 includes a power cable. The charging / discharging equipment 6 can be electrically connected to the electric vehicle 5 via the power cable, and the electric vehicle 5 can receive and transmit power to and from the power transmission line network PL or the facility 7 via the charging / discharging equipment 6 to which it is connected.

[0017] The power company 9 manages a power plant (not shown). Electric power generated by the power plant is supplied to each facility 7 through a power transmission network PL (power grid), and can also be supplied to an electric vehicle 5A connected to charging / discharging facilities 6A to 6C.

[0018] Conventionally, electricity has been supplied to facilities 7 and electric vehicles 5 from power plants of electric power company 9 through a power transmission line network PL. With the recent liberalization of electricity and the spread of renewable energy power generation technology, electricity trading between individuals or corporations that have electricity resources, rather than being limited to electric power companies 9, is being considered. In the electricity trading system 1 according to this embodiment, electricity trading between individuals or corporations (facility 7 or electric vehicles 5), i.e., P2P (Peer to Peer) electricity trading, can be performed.

[0019] The market exchange server 3 provides a platform for carrying out P2P energy trading. The market exchange server 3 is configured to be able to communicate with the electric vehicle 5, the charging / discharging equipment 6, the facility 7, and the broker server 8 through a communication network. As will be described in detail later, a plurality of energy trading markets are formed in the market exchange server 3. When the electric vehicle 5 or the facility 7 desires to carry out P2P energy trading, the electric vehicle 5 or the facility 7 (more specifically, an agent (described later) that executes the energy trading of the electric vehicle 5 or the facility 7) designates the energy trading market in which it wishes to carry out the energy trading and submits a bid to the market exchange server 3, for example, with bidding conditions including the time period in which it wishes to buy and sell the energy, the amount of energy bought and sold per unit time period, and the trading price. The market exchange server 3 issues an agreement for energy trading between a seller and a buyer who meet the bidding conditions by an arbitrary algorithm, and processes a bid for which no other party who meets the conditions is found as a non-contract. Note that the term "bidding" refers to the act of ordering an energy trade (purchase or sale), or the order itself. The term "contract" refers to the act of deciding to trade the bidded energy or the decision itself. The market trading server 3 according to the present embodiment corresponds to an example of the "first server" according to the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of an example of a P2P energy trading market. Referring to FIG. 2, in the P2P energy trading market, an "agent" that executes a bid on the P2P energy trading market plans and executes the bid, manages the agreement, creates a charge / discharge plan based on the agreement, and so on. An agent is provided for each electric vehicle 5 or facility 7. In this embodiment, there are a plurality of mobile agents 2A-2D corresponding to the electric vehicle 5, a plurality of business agent agents 4A-4D corresponding to the factory 7A, etc., and a plurality of home agents 4E, 4F corresponding to homes. For example, in the case of an electric vehicle 5, an energy trading plan (bidding plan) for the P2P energy trading market is created in the mobile agent of the electric vehicle 5, and the mobile agent executes a bid on the P2P energy trading market (trading market server 3). In the case of a home 7D, an energy trading plan (bidding plan) for the P2P energy trading market is created in the home agent of the home 7D, and the home agent executes a bid on the P2P energy trading market (trading market server 3).

[0021] In the following, the mobile agents 2A to 2D may be referred to as "agent 2" without distinction. The agent 2 is an "information processing device" that creates an energy trading plan for corresponding energy resources to trade energy through the P2P energy trading market. In addition, the business agent 4A to 4D and the residential agents 4E and 4F may be referred to as "agent 4" without distinction.

[0022] In the P2P energy trading market, there are a "general trading market" and a "direct trading market". In this embodiment, the general trading market and the direct trading market are formed in the trading market server 3. The general trading market is a market that handles trading of electricity transmitted through the power transmission line network PL, and an unspecified number of agents 2 can participate in the energy trading. In the general trading market, an agreement for energy trading is made (matching) according to any rule determined by an operator that manages the P2P energy trading market. As a matching rule, for example, when a seller's proposed price and a buyer's proposed price match in a predetermined unit time period, a transaction is made on a first-come, first-served basis. As another matching rule, a method of making a transaction at an appropriate price after first sorting out bids (orders) made by sellers and buyers in a unit time period is also possible.

[0023] Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of bidding in a general trading market for P2P energy trading. With reference to Fig. 3, in the general trading market, an unspecified number of sellers bid a pair (p, q) of a selling price and an amount of energy for each predetermined unit time slot (1, 2, ... n), while an unspecified number of buyers bid a pair (P, Q) of a purchase price and an amount of energy. Note that the unit time slot is a time span (e.g., 30 minutes) set in the general trading market. The trading of the amount of energy is carried out for each amount of energy (power x length of unit time slot) transmitted within the unit time slot.

[0024] Referring again to FIG. 2, the direct trading market is a market that handles trading of electricity transmitted from an electric vehicle 5 moving to a facility 7 without passing through a power grid PL, and only agents having an ID of the direct trading market can participate in the electricity trading. In the direct trading market, one market is formed for the facility 7 where the charging / discharging equipment 6 is installed. In the direct trading market, an agreement for electricity trading is made (matching) according to any rules that are independently determined by the operator of each market. As the matching rules, the above-mentioned method described for the general trading market can be adopted. In this embodiment, the trading market server 3 manages the general trading market and the direct trading market according to matching rules for each P2P energy trading market (general trading market and direct trading market), but a server equivalent to the trading market server 3 may be provided for each P2P energy trading market.

[0025] Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of bidding in the direct trading market of P2P energy trading. With reference to Fig. 4, in the direct trading market, for each predetermined unit time slot (1, 2, ... n), a seller presents a pair (p, q) of a selling price and an amount of energy, and multiple buyers having IDs of the direct trading market bid a pair (P, Q) of a purchase price and an amount of energy. The unit time slot is a time span that is individually set in the direct trading market. The trading of the amount of energy is carried out for each amount of energy (power x length of unit time slot) transmitted within the unit time slot.

[0026] Referring again to FIG. 1, the broker server 8 proposes an electricity transaction in the direct trading market to the electric vehicle 5. The broker server 8 is configured to be able to communicate with the trading market server 3 and the agents 2, 4 through a communication network. As will be described in detail later, the broker server 8 stores the execution location of the contract in each direct trading market (the location of the facility 7 or a predetermined location described later). The broker server 8 transmits a signal (hereinafter also referred to as a "proposal signal") proposing an electricity transaction in the direct trading market near the current location of the electric vehicle 5 to the agent 2 of the electric vehicle 5. The broker server 8 according to this embodiment corresponds to an example of a "second server" according to the present disclosure.

[0027] The number of charging facilities for charging the batteries of electric vehicles 5 is still small compared to gas stations. Therefore, many users are worried about not being able to get an opportunity to charge their electric vehicles 5. As described above, by transmitting a proposal signal from the broker server 8 to the agent 2, for example, the agent 2 of an electric vehicle 5 traveling near a direct trading market can recognize that electricity can be traded nearby. For example, the agent 2 can adopt the proposal from the broker server 8 and make a bid to the trading market server 3 for the proposed direct trading market. If this bid is concluded, the agent 2 can get an opportunity to charge the electric vehicle 5. In the energy trading system 1 according to this embodiment, the broker server 8 outputs a proposal signal, thereby increasing the opportunities to charge the electric vehicle 5.

[0028] <Hardware configuration> Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the agent 2, the trading market server 3, and the broker server 8. Referring to Fig. 5, the agent 2 includes a processor 21, a memory 22, and a communication device 23. An agent 2 is provided for each electric vehicle 5 (power resource). The agent 2 may be provided in the corresponding electric vehicle 5, or may be provided in a cloud capable of communicating with the corresponding electric vehicle 5.

[0029] The processor 21 is a computing entity (computer) that executes various processes by executing various programs. The processor 21 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. The processor 21 may be composed of a processing circuitry.

[0030] The memory 22 stores programs and data for the processor 21 to execute various processes. The memory 22 is configured with storage media such as a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM). The memory 22 stores an arithmetic program 25 and resource information 26.

[0031] The computing program 25 specifies the processing executed by the processor 21. For example, the computing program 25 includes a program for making a bid to the market server 3 for energy trading in the P2P energy trading market managed by the market server 3.

[0032] The resource information 26 includes information on the electric power resource (electric vehicle 5) corresponding to the agent 2, and in particular, includes information on bidding and contracting for the electric power transaction.

[0033] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the resource information 26. Fig. 6 shows the resource information 26 in the agent 2 (mobile agent) of the electric vehicle 5. Referring to Fig. 6, the resource information 26 includes an ID, type information, trip information, SOC (State Of Charge) information, connection information, bidding information, contract information, a charge / discharge plan, and charge / discharge performance.

[0034] The ID includes identification information for identifying the electric vehicle 5. The type information includes information on the type of the power resource. The information on the type of the power resource includes, for example, information for identifying an electric vehicle, a business operator, a house, or the like. FIG. 6 shows an example of the agent 2, so the type information includes information for identifying an electric vehicle. For example, the type information of the resource information held by the agent 4 includes, for example, information for identifying a business operator or a house. The trip information includes information on a driving history such as a past driving route and a driving time. The SOC information includes information on the amount of power (amount of stored power) currently stored in the battery. The connection information includes information for identifying whether or not the battery is currently connected to the charging / discharging equipment 6. The bidding information includes information on a past bidding history and information on a currently being conducted bidding. The contract information includes information on a past contract history and information for identifying whether or not the currently being conducted bidding has been contracted. The charging / discharging plan includes information on a charging / discharging plan of the power resource based on the contract. The charging / discharging performance includes information on the results of charging / discharging with respect to the charging / discharging plan.

[0035] The trip information is replaced with history information in the agent 4 (business agent or residential agent) of the facility 7 (factory 7A, residence 7D, etc.). The history information includes information relating to the past history of electricity usage in the facility 7. The information relating to the usage history may be divided, for example, by day of the week or by time period. Furthermore, the connection information is information used by the agent 2 (mobile agent) of the electric vehicle 5, and is blank in the agent 4 of the facility 7.

[0036] Referring back to FIG. 5, the communication device 23 transmits and receives various data to and from the market trading server 3 through the communication network.

[0037] The market server 3 includes a processor 31, a memory 32, and a communication device 33. The market server 3 is a device that manages P2P energy trading between power resources in the P2P energy trading market (the general trading market and the direct trading market), and executes processes related to the energy trading.

[0038] The processor 31 is a computing entity (computer) that executes various processes by executing various programs. The processor 31 is configured with a CPU, an FPGA, a GPU, etc. The processor 31 may be configured with an arithmetic circuit.

[0039] The memory 32 stores programs and data for the processor 31 to execute various processes. The memory 32 is configured with storage media such as ROM and RAM. The memory 32 stores a calculation program 35, agent information 36, system information 37, and market information 38.

[0040] The calculation program 35 specifies the processing to be executed by the processor 31. For example, the calculation program 35 includes a program for executing a bidding process for accepting bids from a plurality of agents 2 and 4, and a contract process based on the bids. The contract process effects a contract for an electricity transaction between a seller and a buyer who meet the bidding conditions, and processes a bid for which no other party meeting the conditions is found as a non-contract.

[0041] The agent information 36 includes information about the agents 2 and 4 participating in the P2P energy trading market managed by the trading market server 3, and in particular includes information about the bids and agreements for energy trading for each agent 2 and 4.

[0042] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the agent information 36. Referring to Fig. 7, the agent information 36 includes an ID, type information, bid information, and contract information.

[0043] The ID includes identification information for identifying an agent 2 participating in the P2P energy trading market managed by the trading market server 3. The type information includes information on the type of power resource, such as information for identifying an electric vehicle, a business operator, a house, etc. The bidding information includes information on the past bidding history of each agent 2, 4 and information on a currently held bid. The contract information includes information on the past contract history of each agent 2, 4 and information for identifying whether a currently held bid has been contracted or not.

[0044] 5 again, the system information 37 includes supply and demand information of the system power provided by the power company 9. The system information 37 may include the price of the system power provided by the power company 9. The system information 37 may also include information on renewable energy power generation facilities (such as solar power generation facilities, wind power generation facilities, and hydroelectric power generation facilities) that transmit power to the power transmission line network PL.

[0045] The market information 38 is created by the processor 31 and provided to the broker server 8. The market information 38 is prepared for each direct trading market and includes, for example, the grid information 37 and information on electricity quotes in each P2P energy trading market. The market information 38 is used by the broker server 8 to predict the market price of electricity in the direct trading market. In addition to the above, the market information 38 may include various other information used to predict the market price of electricity. The market information 38 is stored in the memory 82 as market information 88 by the broker server 8.

[0046] The communication device 33 transmits and receives various data between the agents 2 and 4 and the broker server 8 through the communication network.

[0047] The broker server 8 includes a processor 81, a memory 82, and a communication device 83. The broker server 8 proposes to the agent 2 of the electric vehicle 5 an electricity transaction in the direct trading market.

[0048] The processor 81 is a computing entity (computer) that executes various processes by executing various programs. The processor 81 is configured with a CPU, an FPGA, a GPU, etc. The processor 81 may be configured with an arithmetic circuit.

[0049] The memory 82 stores programs and data for the processor 81 to execute various processes. The memory 82 is configured with storage media such as ROM and RAM. The memory 82 stores a calculation program 85, location information 87, and market information 88.

[0050] The computation program 85 specifies the processing to be executed by the processor 81. For example, the computation program 85 includes a program for executing the processing for creating a proposal signal and transmitting it to the target agent 2.

[0051] The location information 87 includes information on the execution location of the contract in the direct trading market. The execution location of the contract is the location of the facility 7 corresponding to the direct trading market. The execution location of the contract also includes a predetermined location. Some of the facilities 7 own a power source vehicle (hereinafter also referred to as a "battery pallet") for supplying power to other vehicles. For example, in FIG. 1, a commercial facility 7C owns a battery pallet 10. The facility 7 that owns the battery pallet 10 provides a service of delivering electricity to a predetermined location. For example, in the direct trading market, when an electricity transaction is contracted with the commercial facility 7C, the battery pallet 10 delivers electricity to a predetermined location, and electricity is exchanged between the electric vehicle 5 and the battery pallet 10 at the predetermined location. For example, the information on the execution location of the contract in the factory 7A, the company 7B, the house 7D, and the store 7E includes information on the locations of the factory 7A, the company 7B, the house 7D, and the store 7E, respectively. The information on the place where the contract is executed in the commercial facility 7C includes information on the location of the commercial facility 7C and information on a predetermined location. The predetermined location is, for example, a location within a certain distance range (electricity distribution range) from the location of the commercial facility 7C. In addition, the predetermined location is not limited to a predetermined location, and may be a location that the agent 2 can arbitrarily specify within the electricity distribution range.

[0052] The market information 88 is the market information 38 received from the market trading server 3 via the communication device 83 .

[0053] The communication device 83 transmits and receives various data between the market trading server 3 and the agent 2 through the communication network.

[0054] The processor 81 predicts the electricity trading price in each direct trading market at a predetermined cycle. The processor 81 also receives location information of the electric vehicle 5 from the agent 2 at a predetermined cycle, and identifies a direct trading market (for example, a commercial facility 7C) in which the execution location of the agreement is within a predetermined distance from the current location of the electric vehicle 5. The processor 81 creates a proposal signal including location information 87 of the identified direct trading market and a predicted value of the electricity trading price (hereinafter also referred to as the "projected electricity price"), and transmits the proposal signal to the agent 2 through the communication device 83. Note that the predetermined distance may be, for example, a straight-line distance on a map from the current location of the electric vehicle 5 to the execution location of the agreement, or a distance on a route from the current location of the electric vehicle 5 to the execution location of the agreement. The predetermined distance is set to a distance that can be traveled between the time of the agreement and the time of the agreement being executed, such as 10 km or 20 km. The traffic conditions of each region (traffic volume information for each time period, etc.) may be taken into consideration when setting the predetermined distance.

[0055] 8 is a block diagram functionally showing the configuration of the agent 2, the market trading server 3, and the broker server 8. The market trading server 3 includes a power system information acquisition unit 310, a market information creation unit 320, a bid acceptance unit 330, and a contracting unit 340. The processor 31 functions as the power system information acquisition unit 310, the market information creation unit 320, the bid acceptance unit 330, and the contracting unit 340, for example, by executing a calculation program 35 stored in the memory 32. Note that the power system information acquisition unit 310, the market information creation unit 320, the bid acceptance unit 330, and the contracting unit 340 may be realized, for example, by dedicated hardware (electronic circuits).

[0056] The system information acquisition unit 310 acquires system information 37 from the power company 9. The system information acquisition unit 310 outputs the acquired system information 37 to the market information creation unit 320.

[0057] The market information creating unit 320 creates market information 38 including at least the grid information 37 and information on electricity quotes for each of the P2P energy trading markets. The market information creating unit 320 transmits the created market information 38 to the broker server 8.

[0058] The bid receiving unit 330 and the agreement unit 340 function as a trading platform. The bid receiving unit 330 receives bids from the agents 2 and 4. The agreement unit 340 performs energy trading agreements according to arbitrary rules established by an operator managing the general trading market or arbitrary rules established independently by each operator of the direct trading market. Further functions of the bid receiving unit 330 and the agreement unit 340 will be described later.

[0059] The broker server 8 includes an information acquisition unit 810, a market information acquisition unit 820, a market electricity price prediction unit 830, an identification unit 840, and a proposal unit 850. The processor 81 functions as the information acquisition unit 810, the market information acquisition unit 820, the market electricity price prediction unit 830, the identification unit 840, and the proposal unit 850, for example, by executing an arithmetic program 85 stored in the memory 82. Note that the information acquisition unit 810, the market information acquisition unit 820, the market electricity price prediction unit 830, the identification unit 840, and the proposal unit 850 may be realized by, for example, dedicated hardware (electronic circuit).

[0060] The information acquisition unit 810 acquires position information of the electric vehicle 5 from the agent 2 at a predetermined cycle. The information acquisition unit 810 may, for example, output a request to transmit position information to the agent 2 at a predetermined cycle and obtain a response thereto from the agent 2. The information acquisition unit 810 outputs the position information of the electric vehicle 5 acquired from the agent 2 to the identification unit 840.

[0061] The market information acquisition unit 820 acquires market information 38 from the trading market server 3. The market information 38 includes information on each market in the P2P energy trading market. The market information acquisition unit 820 outputs the acquired market information to the market electricity price prediction unit 830.

[0062] The market electricity price prediction unit 830 predicts the price (unit price) of electricity (purchased electricity and sold electricity) in each market in the P2P electricity trading market. The market electricity price prediction unit 830 calculates a predicted price (estimated electricity price) of electricity in each market in the P2P electricity trading market using grid information and quote information included in the market information. The market electricity price prediction unit 830 outputs the estimated electricity price to the proposal unit 850.

[0063] The identifying unit 840 identifies a direct trading market (e.g., commercial facility 7C) where the execution location of the contract is a predetermined distance from the electric vehicle 5, based on the position information of the electric vehicle 5 and the location information 87 received from the information acquiring unit 810. The identifying unit 840 outputs information indicating the identified direct trading market to the proposing unit 850. Note that it is assumed here that a direct trading market corresponding to the commercial facility 7C has been identified.

[0064] The proposal unit 850 extracts location information corresponding to the commercial facility 7C from the location information 87, based on the information indicating the commercial facility 7C (the identified direct trading market) received from the identification unit 840. Furthermore, based on the information indicating the commercial facility 7C, the proposal unit 850 extracts a predicted electricity price in the direct trading market corresponding to the commercial facility 7C from the predicted electricity prices in each market in the P2P electricity trading market predicted by the market electricity price prediction unit 830. Then, the proposal unit 850 creates a proposal signal including the location information corresponding to the commercial facility 7C and the predicted electricity price corresponding to the commercial facility 7C, and transmits the created proposal signal to the agent 2.

[0065] The agent 2 includes a response unit 210, a proposal acquisition unit 220, an energy trading plan creation unit 230, and a bidding unit 240. The processor 21 functions as the response unit 210, the proposal acquisition unit 220, the energy trading plan creation unit 230, and the bidding unit 240, for example, by executing a calculation program 25 stored in the memory 22. Note that the response unit 210, the proposal acquisition unit 220, the energy trading plan creation unit 230, and the bidding unit 240 may be realized, for example, by dedicated hardware (electronic circuits).

[0066] The response unit 210 transmits the current position information of the electric vehicle 5 to the broker server 8 in response to a transmission request for the position information of the electric vehicle 5 from the broker server 8. The response unit 210 may be configured to transmit the current position information of the electric vehicle 5 to the broker server 8 at a predetermined cycle, regardless of whether a transmission request has been received or not.

[0067] The proposal acquirer 220 is configured to acquire a proposal signal from the broker server 8 through the communication device 23. The proposal acquirer 220 outputs the acquired proposal signal to the energy trading plan creator 230.

[0068] The power trading plan creation unit 230 creates an power trading plan (charging and discharging plan) based on the proposal signal received from the proposal acquisition unit 220. Specifically, first, using the route to the destination of the electric vehicle 5 and the execution location of the agreement (the location of the commercial facility 7C or a predetermined location), the power trading plan creation unit 230 predicts the increased distance and time when passing through the location of the commercial facility 7C or the predetermined location. Taking this increase into account, the power trading plan creation unit 230 predicts the amount of power consumption required to arrive at the destination. Then, based on the predicted value of the amount of power consumption and the current SOC (storage capacity) of the electric vehicle 5, the power trading plan creation unit 230 determines whether to make a buying bid or a selling bid. Then, based on the predicted value of the power trading price, the power trading plan creation unit 230 creates an energy trading plan that is optimal in terms of cost. The power trading plan creation unit 230 outputs the energy trading plan to the bidding unit 240. If the charging / discharging facility 6 is located at the destination and the vehicle can arrive at the destination with a stored amount of electricity equal to or greater than the reference amount, the energy trading plan creation unit 230 discards the proposal signal without creating an energy trading plan. The reference amount is, for example, the amount of stored electricity in the battery that is expected to enable the electric vehicle 5 to travel a reference distance (for example, 50 km).

[0069] The bidding unit 240 submits a bid based on the energy trading plan to the market trading server 3. Furthermore, the bidding unit 240 transmits information about the electric vehicle 5 to the market trading server 3 together with the bid. The information about the electric vehicle 5 includes, for example, trip information included in the resource information 26, information about the license plate of the electric vehicle 5, information about the capacity of the battery installed in the electric vehicle 5, and the like.

[0070] The bid receiving unit 330 of the market trading server 3 judges whether the electric vehicle 5 is traveling on the route on the itinerary based on the information on the electric vehicle 5. Specifically, the bid receiving unit 330 judges whether the electric vehicle 5 is traveling on the route on the itinerary based on the information on the traveling history of the electric vehicle 5 included in the trip information and the current position information of the electric vehicle 5. When the bid receiving unit 330 judges that the electric vehicle 5 is traveling on a route different from the route that is usually traveled, the bid receiving unit 330 judges that the electric vehicle 5 is traveling on the route on the itinerary. When the bid receiving unit 330 judges that the electric vehicle 5 is traveling on the same route as the route that is usually traveled, the bid receiving unit 330 judges that the electric vehicle 5 is not traveling on the route on the itinerary. When the bid receiving unit 330 judges that the electric vehicle 5 is traveling on the route on the itinerary, the bid receiving unit 330 outputs a signal indicating that the electric vehicle 5 is traveling on the route on the itinerary (hereinafter also referred to as a "traveler signal") to the contracting unit 340.

[0071] When the agreement unit 340 receives a traveler signal, the agreement unit 340 may grant an incentive to a bid from a corresponding agent 2. The incentive may be, for example, a deduction from the agreed-upon electricity unit price. This deduction may be borne by the operator of the direct trading market where the transaction is made (the operator of the facility 7). Alternatively, the incentive may be a right to preferentially use the charging / discharging equipment 6 during the execution time (unit time slot) of the agreement. There is a limit to the charging / discharging equipment 6 in the facility 7. For example, when an agreement is executed for each unit time slot, if the agreement cannot be executed simultaneously for all electric vehicles 5 (when there are many electric vehicles 5 compared to the charging / discharging equipment 6), a waiting list is performed within the unit time slot. In such a case, the electric vehicle 5 traveling on the route on the itinerary is granted a right to preferentially use the charging / discharging equipment 6 over the electric vehicles 5 not traveling on the route on the itinerary. Also, when an agreement is executed with the battery pallet 10 at a predetermined location, the incentive may be a right to preferentially execute the agreement with the battery pallet 10. When there are a large number of electric vehicles 5 relative to the battery pallet 10, the contracts cannot be executed simultaneously, so a waiting list is put into place. In such a case, an electric vehicle 5 traveling on a route on the itinerary is given the right to execute a contract with the battery pallet 10 on a priority basis over an electric vehicle 5 not traveling on a route on the itinerary.

[0072] 9 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a process related to the transmission of a proposal signal, which is executed in the broker server 8. The process of this flowchart is started, for example, when the broker server 8 is started, and is repeatedly executed at every predetermined control period. In the following, each step of the flowchart is abbreviated as "S".

[0073] At S1, the broker server 8 obtains market information from the trading market server 3. As described above, the market information 38 includes information on each of the P2P energy trading markets.

[0074] In S2, the broker server 8 predicts the price (unit price) of electricity (purchased electricity and sold electricity) in each of the P2P electricity trading markets.

[0075] In S3, the broker server 8 requests the agent 2 to transmit the position information of the electric vehicle 5.

[0076] In S 4 , the broker server 8 acquires the position information of the electric vehicle 5 from the agent 2 .

[0077] In S5, the broker server 8 identifies a direct trading market where the execution location of the contract is within a predetermined distance from the electric vehicle 5, based on the position information of the electric vehicle 5 received in S4 and the location information 87 stored in the memory 82. Here, it is assumed that a direct trading market corresponding to the commercial facility 7C has been identified.

[0078] In S6, the broker server 8 extracts location information corresponding to the commercial facility 7C from the location information 87. The broker server 8 also extracts the expected electricity price in the direct trading market corresponding to the commercial facility 7C from the expected electricity prices in each of the P2P energy trading markets predicted in S2. The broker server 8 then creates a proposal signal including the location information corresponding to the commercial facility 7C and the expected electricity price corresponding to the commercial facility 7C, and transmits the created proposal signal to the agent 2.

[0079] 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of processing for a proposal signal, which is executed in the agent 2. The processing of this flowchart is started, for example, when the agent 2 is started, and is repeatedly executed at every predetermined control period.

[0080] In S10, the agent 2 determines whether or not a proposal signal has been received from the broker server 8. If the agent 2 determines that a proposal signal has not been received from the broker server 8 (NO in S10), the agent 2 returns the process to RETURN. If the agent 2 determines that a proposal signal has been received from the broker server 8 (YES in S10), the agent 2 advances the process to S11.

[0081] In S11, the agent 2 judges whether or not to create an energy trading plan. Specifically, the agent 2 judges whether or not the conditions that the charging / discharging facility 6 is present at the destination of the electric vehicle 5 and the electric vehicle 5 can arrive at the destination with a reference amount or more of stored electricity are satisfied. If the agent 2 judges that the conditions are satisfied, it decides not to adopt the proposal signal and to create an energy trading plan (NO in S11), and proceeds to the process of S12. If the agent 2 judges that the conditions are not satisfied, it decides to adopt the proposal signal and to create an energy trading plan (YES in S11), and proceeds to the process of S13.

[0082] In S12, agent 2 discards the proposal signal received in S10 and returns the process to RETURN.

[0083] In S13, the agent 2 uses the route to the destination of the electric vehicle 5 and the execution location of the agreement (the location of the commercial facility 7C or a predetermined location) to predict the increased distance and time when passing through the execution location of the agreement (the location of the commercial facility 7C or a predetermined location). Taking this increase into account, the agent 2 predicts the amount of power consumption required to reach the destination. Note that the agent 2 may decide, for example, whether the execution location of the agreement should be the location of the commercial facility 7C or a predetermined location, taking into account the current location of the electric vehicle 5. For example, the agent 2 may decide that the execution location of the agreement should be the location of the commercial facility 7C or a predetermined location, whichever is closer to the current location of the electric vehicle 5.

[0084] In S14, the agent 2 determines whether to make a buying bid or a selling bid based on the predicted value of the power consumption predicted in S13 and the current SOC (electricity storage capacity) of the electric vehicle 5, and creates a cost-optimized electricity trading plan based on the predicted value of the electricity trading price.

[0085] In S15, the agent 2 submits a bid to the market transaction server 3 based on the electricity trading plan, and transmits information about the electric vehicle 5 to the market transaction server 3.

[0086] 11 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing related to a contract, which is executed in the market trading server 3. The processing of this flowchart is started, for example, when the agent 2 is started, and is repeatedly executed at every predetermined control period.

[0087] In S20, the market exchange server 3 accepts bids from the agents 2 and 4. In S21, the market trading server 3 determines whether the bid in S20 is from the agent 2 (mobile agent). If the bid in S20 is from the agent 2 (YES in S21), the market trading server 3 proceeds to S22. If the bid in S20 is not from the agent 2 (NO in S21), the market trading server 3 proceeds to S24.

[0088] In S22, the market trading server 3 determines whether the electric vehicle 5 corresponding to the agent 2 that made the bid is traveling along the route on the itinerary. In other words, the market trading server 3 determines whether the user of the electric vehicle 5 is a traveler. If the market trading server 3 determines that the electric vehicle 5 is traveling along the route on the itinerary (YES in S22), the process proceeds to S23. If the market trading server 3 determines that the electric vehicle 5 is not traveling along the route on the itinerary (NO in S22), the process proceeds to S24.

[0089] In S23, the market server 3 decides to provide an incentive for the bid of the agent 2. The incentive may be, for example, a deduction from the agreed unit price of electricity.

[0090] At S24, the market exchange server 3 determines that no incentives will be awarded to bids from agent 2 or agent 4.

[0091] In S25, the market server 3, taking into account the results of S23 or S24, concludes the energy trading agreement in accordance with any rules established by the operator managing the general trading market, or any rules established independently by each operator of the direct trading market.

[0092] As described above, in the energy trading system 1 according to this embodiment, a proposal signal proposing energy trading in the direct trading market is transmitted from the broker server 8 to the agent 2. As a result, for example, when the electric vehicle 5 is traveling along a route on its itinerary, it can be recognized that it is possible to trade energy for charging the on-board battery, and an opportunity to participate in the direct trading market can be obtained. This can increase the opportunities to charge the electric vehicle 5.

[0093] Moreover, the electricity transaction proposed by the broker server 8 is an electricity transaction in a direct trading market where the execution location of the agreement is within a predetermined distance from the current location of the electric vehicle 5. Therefore, the agent 2 and the electric vehicle 5 can efficiently know only charging locations that are relatively close to the current location of the electric vehicle 5.

[0094] Furthermore, the market server 3 provides incentives to bids from electric vehicles 5 traveling along the itinerary route. This can increase the number of users who want to use electric vehicles 5 for travel, thereby promoting the spread of electric vehicles.

[0095] An automatic charging robot arm may be attached to the battery pallet 10. The automatic charging robot arm has, for example, a connector connectable to the inlet of the electric vehicle 5, a mechanism for recognizing the inlet and connecting the connector to the inlet, and a reading device configured to be able to read the license plate of the electric vehicle 5. The automatic charging robot arm identifies the electric vehicle 5 with which the contract has been made based on the license plate read by the reading device. Then, the connector is connected to the inlet of the identified electric vehicle 5, and the battery pallet 10 and the electric vehicle 5 are electrically connected. Then, power is exchanged between the battery pallet 10 and the electric vehicle 5, and the contract is executed. In this way, by attaching the automatic charging robot arm to the battery pallet 10, the contract can be executed without the need for user operation.

[0096] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not by the description of the embodiments described above, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 1 Energy trading system, 2 Agent, 2A-2D Mobile agent, 3 Trading market server, 4 Agent, 4A-4D Business agent, 4E, 4F Housing agent, 5, 5A-5E Electric vehicle, 6, 6A-6H Charging and discharging equipment, 7 Facility, 7A Factory, 7B Company, 7C Commercial facility, 7D House, 7E Store, 8 Broker server, 9 Power company, 10 Battery pallet, 21 Processor, 22 Memory, 23 Communication device, 25 Calculation program, 26 Resource information, 31 Processor, 32 Memory, 33 Communication device, 35 Calculation program, 36 Agent information, 37 System information, 38 Market information, 81 Processor, 82 Memory, 83 Communication device, 85 Calculation program, 87 Location information, 88 Market information, 210 Response unit, 220 Proposal acquisition unit, 230 Power trading plan creation department, 240 bidding department, 310 system information acquisition department, 320 market information creation department, 330 bid reception department, 340 agreement department, 810 information acquisition department, 820 market information acquisition department, 830 market power price forecast department, 840 identification department, 850 proposal department, PL transmission line network.

Claims

[Claim 1] an information processing device that creates an energy trading plan for electric vehicles to trade energy through an energy trading market; A first server that manages the energy trading market; a second server that distributes information related to the energy trading market, the second server transmits a signal proposing an electricity transaction to the information processing device when the electric vehicle is located within a predetermined distance from a location where an agreement is executed in the electricity trading market; When the proposal is adopted, the information processing device submits a bid to the first server.

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