CONTAINER TYPE ELECTRICITY STORAGE UNIT AND ITS MANUFACTURING METHOD

Abstract

To provide a container type power storage unit which can be simply installed in a short time, and a method for manufacturing the same.SOLUTION: A container type power storage unit includes: a wing type container having a wing forming an upper wall and a side wall and a bottom wall 4; and a battery panel 100 arranged on the bottom wall 4. A height from the lower wall 4 to a wing tip in the state where the wing is opened is higher than a height from the lower wall 4 to the upper wall in the state where the wing is closed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a container-type electricity storage unit and a manufacturing method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] As renewable energy is increasingly being introduced, there is a growing need to use storage batteries to stabilize the power grid and adjust power supply and demand. Along with the construction of distributed power sources such as solar power generation facilities and wind power generation facilities, there are plans to install container-type energy storage units that house storage batteries in containers.

[0003] 1 and 2 show a container-type electricity storage unit (cited from Patent Document 1). The container 10 has a bottom wall 11, a pair of side walls (long side walls) 12, 14 along the long side of the bottom wall 11, a pair of side walls (short side walls) 13, 15 along the short side of the bottom wall 11, and an upper wall 16. The long side wall 12 is provided with a door 12a and an intake port 12b, the short side wall 13 is provided with a door 13a, and the long side wall 14 is provided with an exhaust port 14a.

[0004] 2 shows the internal configuration of the container-type power storage unit, with the top wall 16 and long side walls 12 (see FIG. 1) of the container 10 omitted. The container 10 houses a plurality of battery panels 100 (101-108), a plurality of power conditioners 200 (201-202), a control device 300, and a partition wall 17. Each of the battery panels 101-108 holds a number of storage batteries (e.g., a number of lithium ion battery modules). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2016-192828 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In order to reduce the cost of introducing renewable energy, there is a demand for container-type energy storage units that can be easily installed in a short period of time near distributed power sources (installation sites).

[0007] One aspect of the present invention provides a container-type electricity storage unit that can be easily installed in a short period of time, and a manufacturing method thereof. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A container-type energy storage unit according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a wing-type container having wings forming a top wall and a side wall, and a bottom wall; a battery panel disposed on the bottom wall; The height from the bottom wall to the tip of the wing when the wing is open is greater than the height from the bottom wall to the top wall when the wing is closed.

[0009] A method for manufacturing a container-type energy storage unit according to another aspect of the present invention includes the steps of: A wing-type container having wings forming an upper wall and a side wall and a bottom wall is installed at an installation site; The wings of the wing-type container are opened so that a height from the bottom wall to the tip of the wing is greater than a height from the bottom wall to the top wall when the wings are closed; A lifting device lifts the battery panel until the lower end of the battery panel is higher than the bottom wall and passes under the wing tips, and then places the battery panel on the bottom wall. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the above aspect, it is possible to provide a container-type electricity storage unit that can be easily installed in a short period of time, and a manufacturing method thereof. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional container-type electricity storage unit. [Diagram 2]FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing a conventional container-type electricity storage unit. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a container-type energy storage unit according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] This shows the wing opening and closing. [Diagram 5] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a manufacturing method of the container-type energy storage unit. [Figure 6] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a manufacturing method of the container-type energy storage unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the arrangement of battery panels in a container-type energy storage unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] In order to reduce the cost of introducing renewable energy, there is a demand for container-type energy storage units that can be installed quickly, easily, and at low cost near distributed power sources to stabilize the power grid and adjust power supply and demand.

[0013] There are two possible approaches to installing container-type energy storage units at the installation site.

[0014] The first approach involves storing the battery panels in containers at a manufacturing plant and then transporting the containers to the installation site for installation. In this approach, because the container housing the battery panel is heavy (e.g., over 20 tons), it is necessary to prepare a special vehicle (e.g., a special trailer) to transport the container. Transporting by special vehicle requires complicated procedures such as applying for a road permit. Furthermore, large construction machinery is needed to hoist the container at the factory and load it onto the special vehicle, and to unload the container from the special vehicle and install it at the installation site, and a large space is required for work.

[0015] The second approach involves transporting the components of the container-type energy storage unit (container, battery panel, battery module) to the installation site and assembling the container-type energy storage unit at the installation site. In this approach, a container is first installed at the installation site, and then a battery panel is placed inside the container. Then, the battery modules are manually installed one by one inside the battery panel. This approach tends to require a long construction period for assembly at the installation site. Because of the long construction period, the work is easily affected by weather and seasonal fluctuations until completion. In addition, the heavy battery modules must be placed inside the battery panel, which places a heavy burden on workers at the installation site.

[0016] Therefore, the inventors came up with the idea of ​​first setting up a wing-type container at the installation site and then storing the battery panel there. While doors on the long and short side walls of a normal container open and close (rotate) horizontally, the wings that form the top and side walls of a wing-type container open and close (rotate) vertically.

[0017] In a wing-type container, the height from the bottom wall to the tip of the wings when the wings are open can be made greater than the height from the bottom wall to the top wall when the wings are closed. Therefore, the battery panel, in which the battery modules have been stored at the factory, can be easily placed on the bottom wall of the container at the installation site using a small lifting device such as a forklift or a Unic vehicle (a truck with a crane).

[0018] In a normal container, the height from the bottom wall to the top wall does not change even when the door is opened. Therefore, if the height of the battery panel is the same as or slightly lower than the height from the bottom wall to the top wall of the container, it is very difficult to place the battery panel on the bottom wall of the container.

[0019] The inventors have devised a structure for storing the battery panel in a wing-type container, which allows the battery panel, after the battery modules have been stored in the factory, to be transported separately from the wing-type container, making it possible to transport them at low cost without the need for special vehicles or large construction machinery. At the installation site, the battery panel can be easily placed on the bottom wall of the wing-type container using a small lifting device. When the battery panel is inserted horizontally into the container using the lifting device, a large space is secured above the battery panel by opening the wings, so the lifting device is not difficult to operate. Therefore, the assembly period can be shortened and the construction costs can be reduced.

[0020] The side walls may include a pair of long side walls and a pair of short side walls; The wing may form a top wall and one long side wall and be attached to the upper end of the short side wall.

[0021] When the wings form the long side walls, the turning radius of the wings is smaller than when the wings form the short side walls, so the structure is more stable (strength is improved) and opening and closing operations can be performed more stably.

[0022] The wing may include a pair of wings rotatably attached to a center beam spanning the short side walls; The battery panel may have a first battery panel located adjacent one long side wall and a second battery panel located adjacent the other long side wall.

[0023] When a container has a pair of wings in this way, both wings can be opened to place the first battery panel from one side and the second battery panel from the other side into the container. Since there is no need to move the battery panel horizontally a long distance in a lifted state with a forklift or other lifting device, assembly work can be simplified and the assembly period can be shortened.

[0024] Components including wiring may be provided between the upper surface of the battery panel and the upper wall of the wing-type container.

[0025] Energy storage units that use wing-type containers can secure a large space above the battery panel during maintenance by opening the wings, so even if wiring and other components are placed on the top surface of the battery panel, workers can easily access and maintain those components.

[0026] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a container-type energy storage unit will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 3, the wing-type container 20 has an upper wall 1, a pair of long side walls 2, 2, a pair of short side walls 3, 3, and a bottom wall 4. The long side walls 2, 2 face each other, and the short side walls 3, 3 face each other. The bottom wall 4 is provided with a forklift pocket 16 into which the claws of a forklift are inserted.

[0028] In this embodiment, the short side walls 3, 3 are located within frames 6, 6 fixed to both longitudinal ends of the bottom wall 4. A center beam 1b (see FIG. 4) is suspended between the frames 6, 6 in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the wing-type container 20, and a pair of wings 21, 21 are rotatably attached to the center beam 1b. Each wing 21 has a wing upper wall portion 1a and a wing side wall portion 2a.

[0029] The upper wall 1 of the wing-type container 20 is formed by the wing upper wall portions 1a, 1a when the pair of wings 21 are closed. The side wall 2 of the wing-type container 20 is formed by the wing side wall portion 2a when the wings 21 are closed and a side wall lower portion 2b rotatably attached to the bottom wall 4.

[0030] At least one of the short side walls 3 may be provided with an outward-opening door rotatably attached to a vertically extending post (not shown). The door may be two double doors 3a, 3b, or a single door that opens horizontally.

[0031] Such an outward-opening door protrudes horizontally when opened, so it is necessary to secure a space in the horizontal direction of the short side wall 3 of the container 20 to enable the door to be opened. When an outward-opening door 12a is provided on the long side wall 12, as in the conventional container 10 shown in Figure 1, it is necessary to ensure space in the horizontal direction of the long side wall 12 of the container to enable the door to be opened.

[0032] In the wing-type container 20 shown in Fig. 3, no door that rotates around a vertically extending support is provided on the long side wall 2. As described above, the pair of wings 21, 21 are rotatably attached to the center beam 1b (see Fig. 4) that extends in the longitudinal direction of the wing-type container 20.

[0033] 4, the end of the wing upper wall 1a opposite to the end to which the wing side wall 2a is connected is connected to the center beam 1b. Hereinafter, the end of the wing side wall 2a opposite to the end to which the wing upper wall 1a is connected is referred to as the wing tip.

[0034] When the wing is closed, the height H2 from the upper surface of the bottom wall 4 (see Figure 3) to the lower surface of the wing upper wall portion 1a is greater than the height H1. In the process of opening the wing from the closed state shown by the solid line in Fig. 4, the height H2 to the tip of the wing may be lower than the height H1, but at least in the fully open state, the height H2 is greater than the height H1. The wing may be opened further from the state shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 4 to a state in which the upper wall portion 1a of the wing is substantially upright.

[0035] Next, an embodiment of a manufacturing method for a container-type electricity storage unit will be described. As shown in Fig. 5(A), the wing-type container 20 is installed on an installation surface S at the installation site. The wing-type container 20 is transported to the installation site without storing the battery panel. The wing-type container 20 may be installed on the installation surface S via a support stand as shown in the figure.

[0036] Next, the pair of wings are opened upward as shown in Fig. 5(B). The height from the upper surface of the bottom wall 4 to the tip of the wing in the opened state shown in Fig. 5(B) is greater than the height from the upper surface of the bottom wall 4 to the lower surface of the wing upper wall portion 1a in the closed state shown in Fig. 5(A).

[0037] As shown in FIG. 5(B), the lower portions 2b, 2b of the side walls attached to the bottom wall 4 are opened downward.

[0038] Next, as shown in Fig. 6(A), the battery panel 100 is carried into the container from one side of the container (from an opening formed on one long side of the bottom wall 4). The numbers (1) to (3) shown inside the battery panel 100 correspond to the following states. (1) Using a lifting device (not shown) such as a forklift, the battery panel 100 is lifted until the bottom end of the battery panel 100 is higher than the bottom wall 4 of the container. (2) The lift device moves the battery panel 100 horizontally and passes it under the tip of the wing. (3) The lift device is used to place the battery panel 100 on the bottom wall 4 of the container. It is preferable to place the battery panel 100 so that it is parallel to the long side of the bottom wall 4. It is preferable to place the battery panel 100 between the long side of the bottom wall 4 and the center of the bottom wall 4 in the short side direction (below the center beam 1b).

[0039] Next, as shown in Fig. 6(B), the battery panel 100 is transported into the container from the other side of the container (from the opening formed on the other long side of the bottom wall 4). In this manner, the battery panel 100 is transported from both sides by the lifting device. Since the wings do not protrude horizontally, a small lifting device can be used for the transporting operation even in a narrow space.

[0040] Next, as shown in Fig. 7, the wings are closed. A component 100a including wiring may be provided between the upper surface of the battery panel 100 and the upper wall portion 1a of the wing. In an energy storage unit using a wing-type container 20, a large space can be secured above the battery panel 100 by opening the wings not only during installation but also during maintenance. Therefore, even if components 100a such as wiring are arranged on the upper surface of the battery panel 100, by opening the wings, a worker can easily access and perform maintenance on the components 100a.

[0041] For comparison, in the case of a typical container as shown in Figures 1 and 2, if any parts are provided in the narrow gap between the upper surface of the battery panel and the lower surface of the upper wall of the container, maintenance of the parts cannot be performed. To place components in the gap, it is necessary to either lower the height of the battery panel or increase the height of the container to increase the height of the gap. In the former case, the number of battery modules that can be stored is reduced, lowering the energy density of the container-type energy storage unit. In the latter case, the container becomes larger, which also reduces the energy density.

[0042] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible. In the above-described embodiment, a pair of wings 21, 21 were rotatably attached to a center beam extending in the longitudinal direction (horizontal and parallel) of the wing-type container 20, but alternatively, a single wing may be rotatably attached to a beam member.

[0043] In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, a single wing is rotatably attached to one side of the center beam extending in the longitudinal direction (horizontal parallel) of the wing-type container 20, but alternatively, two or more wings may be attached to one side of the center beam (for example, two wings may be attached to one side, for a total of four wings). Different wings may be attached to each of the different chambers in the container shown in Fig. 2 (for example, a chamber that houses a battery panel and a chamber that houses a power conditioner). [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1 Upper wall 1a Wing upper wall 1b Center beam 2 Side wall (long side wall) 2a Wing side wall 3 Side wall (short side wall) 4 Bottom wall 20 Wing-type container 21 Wing

Claims

1. a wing-type container having wings forming a top wall and a side wall, and a bottom wall; a battery panel disposed on the bottom wall; a height from the bottom wall to the tip of the wing when the wing is open is greater than a height from the bottom wall to the top wall when the wing is closed, A component including a connection line is provided between the upper surface of the battery panel and the upper wall of the wing-type container. Container-type energy storage unit.

2. The side walls include a pair of long side walls and a pair of short side walls, The container-type energy storage unit according to claim 1 , wherein the wings form the top wall and at least one of the long side walls and are attached to upper ends of the pair of short side walls.

3. The wing includes a pair of wings rotatably attached to a center beam that spans the pair of short side walls, 3. The container-type energy storage unit according to claim 2, wherein the battery panel has a first battery panel facing one of the long side walls and a second battery panel facing the other long side wall.

4. A wing-type container having wings forming an upper wall and a side wall and a bottom wall is installed at an installation site; The wings of the wing-type container are opened so that a height from the bottom wall to the tip of the wing is greater than a height from the bottom wall to the top wall when the wings are closed; using a lifting device to lift a first battery panel until a lower end of the battery panel is higher than the bottom wall and passes under the wing tips, and then places the first battery panel on the bottom wall; using a lift device to lift a second battery panel until a lower end of the battery panel is higher than the bottom wall and passes under the wing tip, and then places the battery panel on the bottom wall; With the wings open, the first battery board and the second battery board are electrically connected with a connecting wire. A manufacturing method for a container-type energy storage unit.

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