Battery delivery system and battery delivery method

Abstract

To provide a battery delivery system and a battery delivery method, which effectively utilize electric power generated by a power generation facility.SOLUTION: A battery delivery system 100 includes a delivery management device 500 which is a management unit configured to issue a delivery instruction to deliver a battery to a power generation facility 10 using a mobile object of a home delivery system 50 and a delivery instruction to deliver a battery charged in the power generation facility to a consumer by using the mobile object. The delivery management device manages the battery by associating it with location information and information regarding a charge amount, and when delivering the battery, updates the location information in response to it that the battery is loaded onto the mobile object, and updates the location information in response to it that the battery is delivered to the consumer.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery delivery system and a battery delivery method. [Background technology]

[0002] Power generation facilities using renewable energy do not always produce a constant amount of power. For example, in solar power generation, the amount of power generated varies depending on the time of day and weather, so solar panels are sometimes overloaded to obtain transmittable power even during times when power generation is low. As a result, surplus power is generated during times when power generation is high, and this surplus power is supplied to power companies for sale (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-242827 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, there is a limit to the amount of electricity that can be supplied to power companies through transmission lines, and transmitting electricity beyond that limit can cause problems such as power outages. Therefore, when there is a large amount of surplus electricity, some electricity cannot be transmitted, resulting in power loss.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and one of its objects is to provide a battery distribution system and a battery distribution method that effectively utilize electricity generated by a power generation facility. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one aspect of the present invention is a battery delivery system that includes a management unit that issues delivery instructions to deliver batteries to a power generation facility using a mobile body, and delivers the batteries charged at the power generation facility to a consumer using the mobile body.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is a battery delivery method in a battery delivery system, the battery delivery method including a step in which a management unit issues a delivery instruction to deliver a battery to a power generation facility using a mobile object, and a step in which a management unit issues a delivery instruction to deliver the battery charged at the power generation facility to a consumer using the mobile object. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the above-described aspects of the present invention, the electric power generated by the power generation facility can be effectively utilized. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a battery delivery system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of surplus power in the power generation facility according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a battery distribution system according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a delivery management device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for issuing a delivery instruction to a power generation facility according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a collection instruction process from a power generation facility according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for issuing a delivery instruction to a customer according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of deployment of a battery home delivery system according to an embodiment in an electricity market. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of business development using a battery delivery system according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [Battery distribution system overview] First, an overview of the battery delivery system according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a battery delivery system according to this embodiment. The power generation facility 10 is owned by a renewable energy power generation business operator. Here, the power generation facility 10 will be described taking a solar power generation facility as an example, but it may be a facility that generates power from renewable energy such as wind power, hydroelectric power, geothermal power, or biomass. The power generation facility 10 may also be a facility that generates power from sources other than renewable energy, and may be a facility that generates power from fossil fuels or nuclear power. The facility may also include power generation devices such as solar power generation at each home, small water wheels, or vehicles.

[0011] In solar power generation, solar panels 11, which are modularized cells made of silicon semiconductors, convert sunlight into electrical energy and output it. For example, the power output of each solar panel 11 is approximately 180 W to 230 W. The power generated by the solar panels 11 is sent to a power conditioner 12.

[0012] The power conditioner 12 has the role of adjusting the voltage so that the power can be transmitted by converting direct current to alternating current, and the role of adjusting the voltage so that the solar panel 11 can easily generate power. The distribution board 13 has the role of causing reverse power flow to the power transmission and distribution network 20, and has the role of sending a determined amount of power from the power generation facility 10 to the power transmission line. The power transmission and distribution network 20 includes power transmission lines and substations, and sends high-voltage power from the power generation facility 10 to consumers 30. The power transmission and distribution network 20 steps down the voltage near the consumers 30, transforms it to 200V or 100V that is easy to use in homes, etc., and transmits the power. The consumers 30 are commercial facilities, factories, companies, ordinary households, etc. that use the power supplied from the power generation facility 10.

[0013] Since the amount of power generated by the power generation facility 10 varies depending on the time of day and weather, the power generation facility 10 is generally overloaded with solar panels 11 so that transmittable power can be obtained even during times when the amount of power generated is low. For example, the power generation facility 10 is overloaded with a marginal number of solar panels 11 (for example, 1.5 times) so as to obtain the specified amount of power of the power conditioner 12 even during times when the amount of solar radiation is low in the morning and evening. Therefore, surplus power occurs during times when the amount of power generated is high. Note that as environmental conditions that affect the amount of power generated, weather information such as temperature and humidity is also included in the weather, and information such as the date and season may also be included in addition to weather information.

[0014] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of surplus power in a power generation facility. In this diagram, the horizontal axis is time, and the vertical axis is the power generation capacity of the solar panel 11 (hereinafter referred to as "panel capacity"). Power loss (surplus power) occurs depending on the ratio between the panel capacity and the capacity of the power conditioner 12. The line indicated by the symbol d1 shows the change in one day when a power conditioner 12 with the same capacity as the panel capacity is used. In this case, even during the daytime when the panel capacity peaks, the capacity of the power conditioner 12 (the capacity of the power conditioner) is not exceeded, so the occurrence of power loss is suppressed. However, the peak time is a short period of one day, and for example, the amount of power generated is low in the morning and evening hours, and the utilization rate of the power generation facility 10 is low.

[0015] The line indicated by the symbol d2 shows the change in one day when the solar panels 11 are added and the panel capacity is made larger than the capacity of the power conditioner 12. Moreover, the line indicated by the symbol d3 shows the change in one day when the solar panels 11 are further added and the ratio of the panel capacity to the capacity of the power conditioner 12 is increased.

[0016] During the daytime, the portion where the panel capacity exceeds the capacity of the power conditioner 12 results in a power loss, but the portion (shaded area) where the panel capacity increases without exceeding the capacity of the power conditioner 12 results in an increase in power generation. For example, in the characteristics of the line indicated by symbol d2, even if power loss occurs, the amount of power loss is limited because there are only a limited number of days and times throughout the year when power generation is at its maximum, and the utilization rate of the power generation facility 10 improves overall.

[0017] Furthermore, if the number of solar panels 11 is increased, the panel capacity will exceed the capacity of the power conditioner 12, resulting in increased power loss, as shown by the characteristics of the line indicated by the symbol d3. If the ratio of the panel capacity to the capacity of the power conditioner 12 becomes too large, power loss during peak times of the panel capacity will increase, and the disadvantage of increased power generation costs will outweigh the advantage of improved utilization rate of the power generation facility 10.

[0018] The power generation facility 10 is configured with an overloading of solar panels 11 to the extent that the above-mentioned advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and although there are times when the panel capacity exceeds the capacity of the power conditioner 12, the total utilization rate of the power generation facility 10 is improved. Furthermore, the power generation facility 10 suppresses power loss by utilizing the surplus power when the panel capacity exceeds the capacity of the power conditioner 12 (i.e., the portion that cannot be transmitted using the power transmission and distribution network 20) ​​rather than discarding it.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the power generation facility 10 is provided with a charging system capable of stepping down surplus power in a DC / DC converter 14 and charging the battery 40, separate from the power transmission system to the power transmission and distribution network 20. The battery 40 is a secondary battery that can be charged and discharged. The battery distribution system 100 delivers the battery 40 charged with the surplus power to the consumer 30 using a vehicle 51 (such as a truck) used for collection and delivery of packages in a home delivery system 50. The home delivery system 50 is, for example, an existing home delivery system that delivers general packages. The consumer 30 can use power supplied from the delivered charged battery 40. Furthermore, the battery distribution system 100 delivers the battery 40 that has been used and discharged at the consumer 30 to the power generation facility 10 using the vehicle 51. The delivered battery 40 is charged with the surplus power in the power generation facility 10.

[0020] In this way, the battery distribution system 100 charges the battery 40 with surplus electricity that cannot be transmitted to the power transmission and distribution network 20, and then loads the battery 40 onto a vehicle instead of the power transmission and distribution network 20 to transport it to the consumer 30, thereby reducing loss of electricity generated by the power generation equipment 10 and making effective use of the generated electricity.

[0021] [Battery distribution system configuration] Next, the configuration of the battery delivery system 100 will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the battery delivery system according to the present embodiment. In this figure, the same reference numerals are used for the configurations corresponding to the respective parts in FIG. 1. Two power generation facilities 10 are shown as the multiple power generation facilities 10 of the renewable energy power generation company. The number of the power generation facilities 10 is not limited to two, but may be three or more. Each of the multiple power generation facilities 10 may be a power generation facility of the same renewable energy power generation company in part or in whole, or may be a power generation facility of a different renewable energy power generation company. In this embodiment, an example in which multiple power generation facilities 10 capable of charging the battery 40 are provided will be described, but a configuration in which one power generation facility 10 is provided may also be used.

[0022] The battery distribution system 100 predicts the amount of power generated by each of the multiple power generation facilities 10, and based on the prediction result, distributes the battery 40 to the power generation facility 10 that is expected to generate surplus power from among the multiple power generation facilities 10. The power generation facility 10 that distributes the battery 40 may be one or more. The power generation facility 10 charges the distributed battery 40 with surplus power. Then, the battery distribution system 100 checks the charging status of the battery 40 and collects the battery 40 that has been fully charged. For example, the power purchase price is determined based on the power generation cost, and the power purchase transaction is performed in response to the collection of the charged battery 40. Note that the battery distribution system 100 may predict the quality (contents) of power, such as whether it is renewable energy, the ratio of renewable energy, and the type of renewable energy, as well as the amount of power generated, for each of the multiple power generation facilities 10. The type of renewable energy may be classified according to the power generation factor, such as solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass, etc., or may be classified according to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by power generation. The power purchase price may also be determined according to the quality of power.

[0023] Furthermore, the battery delivery system 100 predicts demand or checks remaining battery levels for multiple consumers 30, and delivers charged batteries 40 that have been charged by the power generation facility 10 to consumers 30 where demand is expected (or consumers 30 with low remaining battery levels). For example, the electricity selling price is determined based on the power generation cost, battery cost, and delivery cost, and electricity is traded in accordance with the delivery of the charged batteries 40.

[0024] Furthermore, the battery distribution system 100 distributes batteries 40 used in the consumer facility 30 (discharged batteries 40) to the power generation facility 10 as batteries 40 to be charged.

[0025] The battery 40 is a removable cartridge-type battery that can be carried by itself. In the power generation facility 10, charging is possible by attaching the battery 40 to a charging terminal section for connecting to a charging system to which power is supplied via a DC / DC converter 14 (see FIG. 1). In addition, in the consumer facility 30, the battery 40 can be attached to a power supply terminal section for connecting to a power supply provided in the consumer facility 30, so that the power of the battery 40 can be supplied to the consumer facility 30.

[0026] As described above, the delivery system 50 is used to deliver the battery 40. The delivery system 50 is, for example, a delivery system operated by a delivery company that delivers general packages, and handles the battery 40 as package. In other words, the battery 40 can be delivered by loading and transporting the battery 40 in a vehicle 51 used for collecting and delivering packages, just like package. The vehicle 51 is typically a truck used for collecting and transporting packages, but may be a vehicle other than a truck.

[0027] Furthermore, the vehicle 51 may be an EV (Electric Vehicle), and in the case of an EV, the vehicle 51 may be capable of running on a battery provided therein, or may be capable of running on power from the battery 40 instead of or in addition to the battery. Note that the vehicle 51 is not limited to the vehicle 51, and other moving objects such as a drone may also be used.

[0028] Furthermore, the battery delivery system 100 may deliver the charged battery 40 charged by the power generation facility 10 to a delivery base 31 of a delivery company that provides the delivery system 50, in addition to the consumer 30. For example, the charged battery 40 may pass through the delivery base 31 on the way to the consumer 30. The charged battery 40 may be delivered to the delivery base 31 once and stored there, and then delivered to the consumer 30 according to demand. The charged battery 40 may be used at the delivery base 31 to which it is delivered. The battery 40 stored at the delivery base 31 may be charged or discharged at the delivery base 31 depending on the storage conditions (e.g., storage period) and the like.

[0029] Furthermore, the battery delivery system 100 may deliver the charged battery 40 charged by the power generation facility 10 to another industry company 32 other than the delivery company that provides the delivery system 50. When the charged battery 40 is delivered to another industry company 32, electricity is also sold in accordance with the delivery. The other industry company 32 may use the delivered battery 40 within the other industry company 32, or may deliver (sell) the battery 40 to the consumer 30.

[0030] In this way, the battery distribution system 100, instead of the power transmission and distribution network 20, can provide a mechanism for power trading in which power is purchased from the power generation facility 10 and sold to the consumer 30 by charging the battery 40 from the power generation facility 10 and transporting the power to the consumer 30. As a result, the battery distribution system 100 can make surplus power of the power generation facility 10 that cannot be transmitted by the power transmission and distribution network 20 available to the consumer 30, thereby reducing power loss in the power generation facility 10 and enabling effective use of the power generated by the power generation facility 10.

[0031] The battery delivery system 100 includes a delivery management device 500 that predicts the amount of power generation from the power generation facility 10 described above, predicts demand from the consumer 30, and issues delivery instructions for the batteries 40. For example, the delivery management device 500 is a server that includes a computer that executes a program for implementing the functions of the delivery management device 500. For example, the delivery management device 500 issues delivery instructions for the batteries 40 to a terminal carried by a delivery worker who performs delivery work in a vehicle 51.

[0032] [Configuration of delivery management device] Next, the functional configuration of the delivery management device 500 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the delivery management device according to this embodiment. The delivery management device 500 includes a communication unit 510, a control unit 520, and a storage unit 530. The communication unit 510 communicates with the power generation facility 10, the consumer 30, the vehicle 51, and an external server that provides meteorological information, etc., via a communication network.

[0033] The control unit 520 includes an information acquisition unit 521, a power generation amount prediction unit 522, a demand prediction unit 523, a collection and delivery plan unit 524, and a delivery instruction unit 525. The storage unit 530 includes a power generation facility information storage unit 531, a consumer information storage unit 532, a vehicle information storage unit 533, a battery information storage unit 534, a prediction information storage unit 535, and a collection and delivery plan storage unit 536.

[0034] The information acquisition unit 521 acquires various information from the power generation facilities 10, the consumers 30, the vehicles 51, external servers, and the like connected to the communication network via the communication unit 510. For example, the information acquisition unit 521 acquires power generation facility information together with the name and location of the power generation facilities 10 from each of the multiple power generation facilities 10, and stores the information in the power generation facility information storage unit 531. For example, the power generation facility information includes the panel capacity of the solar panel 11, the capacity and volume of the power conditioner 12, and the like. Note that the power generation facility information may include the actual amount of power generated by the power generation facility 10 during a predetermined period and historical data on surplus power. For example, the name and location of the power generation facility 10, the power generation facility information, and the like are stored in association with each other in the power generation facility information storage unit 531.

[0035] Further, the information acquiring unit 521 acquires consumer information from each of the multiple consumers 30 and stores it in the consumer information storage unit 532. For example, the information acquiring unit 521 acquires, from each of the multiple consumers 30, the name and location of the consumer 30 as well as battery information of the battery 40 used in the consumer 30 as consumer information. The battery information is, for example, a battery ID for identifying the battery 40, information on the remaining battery level of the battery 40 (for example, the charging rate (SOC: State Of Charge)), and the like. The consumer information storage unit 532 stores, for example, the name and location of the consumer 30, and battery information (battery ID, remaining battery level, and the like) in association with each other. The information acquiring unit 521 may acquire, from each of the multiple consumers 30, the amount of power usage of the consumer 30 (for example, the amount of power usage per day) as consumer information and store it in the consumer information storage unit 532.

[0036] The information acquisition unit 521 also acquires vehicle information from a terminal carried by a delivery worker who uses the vehicle 51 in the home delivery system 50 to deliver (or collect) luggage or the battery 40, and stores the vehicle information in the vehicle information storage unit 533. The vehicle information is, for example, a vehicle ID for identifying the vehicle 51, location information of the vehicle 51, and information on the load of the vehicle 51 (information on luggage, the battery 40, etc.). The vehicle ID of the vehicle 51 to be used may be registered in advance in the terminal carried by the delivery worker, or the vehicle ID may be registered by communicating with the vehicle 51. The communication includes wireless communication, contactless communication such as communication using RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) ​​technology, and wired connection. The location information of the vehicle 51 may be location information detected by a terminal carried by the delivery worker, or location information detected by a location detection function installed in the vehicle 51 may be used. The load information may be registered in the terminal carried by the delivery worker at a delivery base, or may be input to the terminal by the delivery worker's operation. In addition, the information acquisition unit 521 may be provided with some or all of the functions of the above-mentioned terminal in the vehicle 51, and the information acquisition unit 521 may acquire vehicle information from the vehicle 51, or may acquire vehicle information from both the vehicle 51 and a terminal carried by a collection and delivery worker.

[0037] Note that a sensor for detecting battery monitoring information such as the temperature, expansion rate, ignition, and leakage of battery 40 may be attached to battery 40, and information acquisition unit 521 may acquire battery monitoring information for each battery ID as battery information. For example, information acquisition unit 521 may acquire battery information including battery monitoring information as the cargo information of each vehicle 51, as the battery information of battery 40 loaded on each vehicle 51. This makes it possible to monitor the normality and abnormality of battery 40, and to prevent accidents due to ignition, explosion, etc. of battery 40.

[0038] The vehicle information storage unit 533 stores, for example, a vehicle ID, location information, cargo information, etc. in association with each other. The cargo information includes, for example, a baggage ID for identifying the baggage, a battery ID for identifying the battery 40, etc. The baggage ID and the battery ID may be information that can identify each of them, and may be, for example, a slip number on a delivery slip when the baggage and the battery 40 are delivered.

[0039] Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 521 acquires battery information about the battery 40, and stores it in the battery information storage unit 534. The battery information storage unit 534 stores a battery ID, location information, charge amount or remaining battery amount, and the like in association with each other.

[0040] For example, the information acquisition unit 521 acquires a battery ID and information on a charging status from the power generation equipment 10 as battery information of the battery 40 being charged in the power generation equipment 10. The charging status of the battery 40 is, for example, the charge amount of the battery 40 (e.g., the state of charge (SOC)). Based on the battery information acquired from the power generation equipment 10, the information acquisition unit 521 stores the battery ID, location information, charge amount (e.g., the state of charge (SOC)), and the like of the battery 40 in the power generation equipment 10 in the battery information storage unit 534. The location information may be the name or address of the power generation equipment 10. Note that the information acquisition unit 521 may acquire information on the time since the battery 40 was delivered to the power generation equipment 10 or the time since charging started as information on the charging status of the battery 40.

[0041] Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 521 stores the battery ID, location information, remaining battery capacity (e.g., charging rate (SOC)), etc. of the battery 40 in the consumer facility 30 in the battery information storage unit 534 based on the battery information acquired from the consumer facility 30 and included in the consumer facility information. The location information may be the consumer facility ID or the location of the consumer facility 30.

[0042] Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 521 updates the location information of the battery information stored in the battery information storage unit 534 based on the vehicle information acquired from the terminal carried by the collection and delivery worker. For example, when a battery 40 in the power generation facility 10 or the consumer 30 is loaded onto a vehicle 51, the location information of the battery 40 is updated to the location information included in the vehicle information.

[0043] Specifically, when the battery 40 is delivered from the power generation facility 10 to the consumer 30, the information acquisition unit 521 first updates the location information of the battery 40 to location information included in the vehicle information of the vehicle 51 in response to the battery 40 being loaded onto the vehicle 51, and then updates the location information of the battery 40 to the name or location of the consumer 30 in response to the battery 40 being delivered to the consumer 30. Also, when the battery 40 is delivered from the consumer 30 to the power generation facility 10, the information acquisition unit 521 first updates the location information of the battery 40 to location information included in the vehicle information of the vehicle 51 in response to the battery 40 being loaded onto the vehicle 51, and then updates the location information of the battery 40 to the name or location of the power generation facility 10 in response to the battery 40 being delivered to the power generation facility 10.

[0044] In addition, when the battery 40 is delivered to the distribution base 31, the information acquisition unit 521 updates the location information of the battery 40 to the base ID (or base name) or location of the distribution base 31 in response to the battery 40 being delivered to the distribution base 31.

[0045] The information acquisition unit 521 also acquires meteorological information (for example, a weather forecast) for the location of each power generation facility 10 from an external server that provides meteorological information. This meteorological information is used to predict the amount of power generated by the power generation facility 10.

[0046] The power generation amount prediction unit 522 predicts the amount of power generation of each of the multiple power generation facilities 10 based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 521. For example, the power generation amount prediction unit 522 predicts the amount of solar radiation of each of the multiple power generation facilities 10 based on at least meteorological information (e.g., a weather forecast) to predict the amount of power generation. The power generation amount prediction unit 522 also predicts surplus power from the predicted result of the amount of power generation and the capacity of the installed power conditioner 12.

[0047] Here, the power generation amount prediction unit 522 may predict the power generation amount (or surplus power) using AI (Artificial Intelligence). For example, the power generation amount prediction unit 522 may predict the power generation amount (or surplus power) of each power generation facility 10 based on meteorological information (e.g., weather forecast information such as weather forecast) using a trained model that is machine-learned based on the power generation facility information of each of the multiple power generation facilities 10 and the weather (e.g., weather) at the location of each power generation facility 10 and the power generation amount (or surplus power) at that time.

[0048] In addition, in order to predict the amount of power generation (or surplus power), weather information such as temperature or humidity may be used in addition to the weather.In addition, in order to predict the amount of power generation (or surplus power), information such as the date and season may be used in addition to the weather information.

[0049] Furthermore, the power generation amount prediction unit 522 generates power generation amount prediction information based on the prediction result and stores it in the prediction information storage unit 535. For example, the prediction information storage unit 535 stores the facility ID of the power generation facility 10, the power generation amount prediction result, the surplus power prediction result, and the like in association with each other as the power generation amount prediction information.

[0050] In the case of wind power generation, the amount of power generation may be predicted based on, for example, wind forecasts, and in the case of hydroelectric power generation, the amount of power generation may be predicted based on, for example, rain forecasts.

[0051] The demand prediction unit 523 predicts the demand for each of the multiple consumers 30. For example, the demand prediction unit 523 predicts the demand for electricity for each consumer 30 based on the remaining battery power of the battery 40 of each of the multiple consumers 30. For example, the demand prediction unit 523 predicts that a consumer 30 whose remaining battery power of the battery 40 is a predetermined amount or less needs (has demand) to have a charged battery 40 delivered. The demand prediction unit 523 may predict the demand for electricity for each consumer 30 based on the daily power usage of the multiple consumers 30 and the remaining battery power of the battery 40.

[0052] Here, the demand forecasting unit 523 may perform the demand forecast using AI. For example, the demand forecasting unit 523 may perform the demand forecast for each of the multiple consumers 30 using a trained model that is machine-learned based on consumer information (e.g., power usage per day, remaining battery power, etc.) of each of the multiple consumers 30 and the demand of the battery 40 at that time.

[0053] The demand forecast may utilize weather information for the location of each consumer 30. The demand forecast may also utilize information on the elapsed time since the delivery of the charged battery 40 to each consumer 30.

[0054] Furthermore, the demand forecasting unit 523 generates demand forecast information based on the demand forecast result, and stores the generated demand forecast information in the forecast information storage unit 535. For example, the forecast information storage unit 535 stores, as the demand forecast information, the consumer ID of the consumer 30, the demand forecast result, and the like, in association with each other.

[0055] The demand forecasting unit 523 may use meteorological information for the location of each consumer 30 for demand forecasting.

[0056] The collection and delivery planning unit 524 determines the power generation facility 10 to which the battery 40 will be delivered based on the predicted power generation amount (or surplus power) of each power generation facility 10, and creates a delivery plan for delivering the battery 40 for charging to the determined power generation facility 10. For example, the collection and delivery planning unit 524 plans to preferentially deliver the battery 40 for charging to a power generation facility 10 that is expected to produce a large amount of surplus power among the multiple power generation facilities 10, based on the predicted power generation amount (or surplus power).

[0057] The delivery plan for the power generation facility 10 includes, for example, information on the power generation facility 10 at the delivery destination (such as name and address (location)), information on the batteries 40 to be delivered to the power generation facility 10 (such as battery ID and battery location information), and the vehicle ID of the vehicle 51 used for delivery. The delivery plan may also include information on the delivery date (scheduled delivery date) or delivery date and time (scheduled delivery date and time). Note that the batteries 40 to be delivered to the power generation facility 10 may be, for example, batteries 40 that have been exchanged for charged batteries 40 at the consumer 30 and then collected, batteries 40 that have been collected from the consumer 30 and then stored at the delivery base 31 as batteries 40 for charging, or new uncharged batteries 40.

[0058] Furthermore, the collection and delivery planning unit 524 determines the consumer 30 to which the battery 40 will be delivered based on the demand forecast result for each consumer 30, and creates a delivery plan for delivering the charged battery 40, which has been charged by the power generation facility 10, to the determined consumer 30. For example, the collection and delivery planning unit 524 makes a plan to preferentially deliver the charged battery 40 to consumers 30 among the multiple consumers 30 where the remaining battery power of the battery 40 used by each consumer 30 is low or where the remaining battery power is likely to be insufficient.

[0059] The delivery plan for the consumer 30 includes, for example, information about the consumer 30 at the delivery destination (such as name and address (location)), information about the battery 40 to be delivered to the consumer 30 (such as battery ID and battery location information), and the vehicle ID of the vehicle 51 to be used for delivery. The delivery plan may also include information about the delivery date (scheduled delivery date) or delivery date and time (scheduled delivery date and time). Note that the battery 40 to be delivered to the consumer 30 may be, for example, a battery that has been charged at the power generation facility 10 and collected, a battery that has been charged at the power generation facility 10 and collected and is stored at the delivery base 31, or a new charged battery 40.

[0060] Furthermore, when collecting charged batteries 40 from the power generation facility 10, the collection and delivery planning unit 524 refers to the battery information stored in the battery information storage unit 534, and creates a collection plan for collecting batteries 40 that have been fully charged or batteries 40 that will take less than a predetermined time to complete charging, depending on the charging status at each power generation facility 10. The predetermined time is, for example, the time (estimated time) it will take for a vehicle 51 heading for collection to arrive. The collection and delivery planning unit 524 may also collect batteries 40 that can be determined to have been fully charged, based on information on the time since the battery 40 was delivered to the power generation facility 10 or the time since charging began.

[0061] The collection and delivery planning unit 524 may also create a delivery plan for delivering the charged batteries 40 collected from the power generation facility 10 and the used batteries 40 collected from the consumers 30 to the delivery base 31. The collection and delivery planning unit 524 may also create a delivery plan for delivering the charged batteries 40 collected from the power generation facility 10 to another company 32 in the industry.

[0062] The collection and delivery planning unit 524 may select the vehicle 51 to be used for the delivery of the battery 40 based on the load and type of general cargo other than the battery 40. For example, when selecting the vehicle 51 to be used for the delivery of the battery 40, the collection and delivery planning unit 524 may preferentially select a vehicle 51 with a lighter load than a vehicle 51 with a large load of general cargo other than the battery 40. For example, the vehicle 51 may be heavily loaded with cargo on the outbound route and not loaded or lightly loaded with cargo on the return route, or conversely, may be not loaded or lightly loaded with cargo on the outbound route and heavily loaded with cargo on the return route. The collection and delivery planning unit 524 may refer to the vehicle information stored in the vehicle information storage unit 533 and create a delivery plan to load the battery 40 on the route with no or lightly loaded cargo.

[0063] Furthermore, the collection and delivery planning unit 524 determines the priority of an instruction to deliver the battery 40 relative to an instruction to deliver a package. For example, the collection and delivery planning unit 524 may lower the priority of an instruction to deliver the battery 40 relative to an instruction to deliver a package. For example, the collection and delivery planning unit 524 may preferentially load the package onto the vehicle 51 so that no package is unable to be loaded due to the loading of the battery 40 onto the vehicle 51, and may load the battery 40 when there is room for loading. Furthermore, the collection and delivery planning unit 524 may raise the priority of an instruction to deliver the battery 40 relative to an instruction to deliver a package. For example, when a consumer 30 urgently needs a charged battery 40, the collection and delivery planning unit 524 may preferentially deliver the battery 40.

[0064] Here, the collection and delivery plan unit 524 may use AI to determine a delivery plan for the battery 40. For example, the collection and delivery plan unit 524 may create a delivery plan using a trained model that is machine-learned based on the prediction results of the power generation amount (or surplus power) of each power generation facility 10 described above, the demand prediction results of each consumer 30, the battery information stored in the battery information storage unit 534, the vehicle information stored in the vehicle information storage unit 533, or a delivery plan (or a delivery plan that has actually been used) created for learning the delivery route, the delivery route status, and the like.

[0065] In addition, the collection and delivery planning unit 524 may create a delivery plan using a learned model that has been machine-learned based on the power generation equipment information of each of the multiple power generation equipment 10 described above and the weather (e.g., weather) at the location of each of the power generation equipment 10, consumer information of each of the multiple consumers 30 (e.g., remaining battery charge, or daily power usage and remaining battery charge, etc.), battery information stored in the battery information memory unit 534, vehicle information stored in the vehicle information memory unit 533, or a delivery plan (or a delivery plan that has actually been used) created for learning delivery routes, delivery route conditions, etc.

[0066] The collection and delivery planner 524 may create a delivery plan (e.g., select the battery 40 to be delivered) or change the use (e.g., whether to use it as a power source for an EV, etc.) based on the usage conditions (usage history) of the battery 40, such as the usage period, number of charge and discharge cycles, season, and temperature. For example, the collection and delivery planner 524 may add information such as the usage period of the battery 40, the number of charge and discharge cycles, season, and temperature as features to be used in machine learning, and may create a delivery plan using a trained model based on this information. This allows the collection and delivery planner 524 to create a highly accurate delivery plan even if the capacity stored in the battery 40 varies depending on the usage period of the battery 40, the number of charge and discharge cycles, season, and temperature.

[0067] The collection and delivery plan unit 524 also stores the created delivery plan and collection plan in the collection and delivery plan storage unit 536. The delivery plan is associated with, for example, information on the delivery destination (name, address (location), etc.), information on the batteries 40 to be delivered (battery ID, battery location information, etc.), the vehicle ID of the vehicle 51 to be used for delivery, etc. The collection plan is associated with, for example, information on the collection destination (name, address (location), etc.), information on the batteries 40 to be collected (battery ID, battery location information, etc.), the vehicle ID of the vehicle 51 to be used for collection, etc.

[0068] The delivery instruction unit 525 transmits a delivery instruction based on the delivery plan created by the delivery planning unit 524 to the vehicle 51. Alternatively, the delivery instruction unit 525 may transmit a delivery instruction based on the delivery plan created by the delivery planning unit 524 to the vehicle 51 via the delivery base 31.

[0069] For example, the delivery instruction unit 525 issues a delivery instruction based on a delivery plan for delivering the battery 40 for charging to the power generation facility 10 determined as the delivery destination. The delivery instruction unit 525 also issues a delivery instruction based on a delivery plan for delivering the battery 40 charged by the power generation facility 10 to the consumer 30 determined as the delivery destination. As an example, this delivery instruction corresponds to a delivery slip used for general package delivery.

[0070] The delivery instruction unit 525 also issues collection instructions based on a collection plan for collecting the batteries 40 from the power generation facility 10 or the consumer 30. The delivery instruction unit 525 also issues delivery instructions based on a delivery plan for delivering the batteries 40 to the delivery base 31 or another company 32 in the industry.

[0071] When the delivery instruction unit 525 issues a delivery instruction for the battery 40 stored at the delivery base 31, the delivery instruction unit 525 may issue an instruction to the delivery base 31 in advance to charge or discharge the battery 40 depending on the storage status of the stored battery 40 (e.g., storage period, storage environment (presence or absence of natural disasters, etc.)). For example, the delivery instruction unit 525 may issue a delivery instruction to instruct the battery 40 to be delivered to the power generation facility 10 to discharge before delivering the battery 40 to the power generation facility 10. Furthermore, when the storage period of the battery 40 to be delivered to the consumer 30 is long, the delivery instruction unit 525 may issue a delivery instruction to instruct the battery 40 to be charged before delivering the battery to the consumer 30.

[0072] [Distribution process in battery distribution system] Next, the operation of the delivery management process executed by delivery management device 500 in battery delivery system 100 will be described.

[0073] First, the operation of the delivery instruction process for the delivery management device 500 to deliver the rechargeable battery 40 to the power generation facility 10 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for issuing a delivery instruction to a power generation facility according to this embodiment.

[0074] The delivery management device 500 acquires power generation facility information together with the name and location of the power generation facility 10 from each of the multiple power generation facilities 10 (step S101). In addition, the delivery management device 500 acquires meteorological information (e.g., weather forecast) for the location of each power generation facility 10 from an external server that provides meteorological information (step S103).

[0075] Next, the delivery management device 500 predicts the amount of power generated and surplus power of each of the power generation facilities 10 based on the acquired power generation facility information and meteorological information (for example, a weather forecast) (step S105).

[0076] Next, the delivery management device 500 determines the power generation facility 10 to which the battery 40 will be delivered based on the predicted power generation amount (or surplus power) of each power generation facility 10, and creates a delivery plan for delivering the battery 40 for charging to the determined power generation facility 10. For example, the delivery management device 500 plans to preferentially deliver the battery 40 for charging to a power generation facility 10 that is expected to produce a large amount of surplus power among the multiple power generation facilities 10 based on the predicted power generation amount (or surplus power) (step S107).

[0077] Then, the delivery management device 500 issues delivery instructions to the vehicle 51 based on the created delivery plan. For example, the delivery management device 500 issues a delivery slip for delivering the batteries 40 for charging and the number of batteries 40 to the power generation facility 10 at the determined delivery destination based on the created delivery plan, and issues delivery instructions to the vehicle 51 (step S109). Note that the number of batteries 40 may be determined based on the amount of power consumed by the consumer.

[0078] Next, the operation of the collection instruction process for the delivery management device 500 to collect the charged battery 40 from the power generation facility 10 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of collection instruction processing from the power generation facility 10 according to this embodiment.

[0079] The delivery management device 500 acquires information on the charging status of the battery 40 being charged by the power generation facility 10 (step S201). For example, the delivery management device 500 acquires information on the charge amount (e.g., charging rate (SOC)) of the battery 40 from the power generation facility 10.

[0080] The delivery management device 500 determines whether charging of the battery 40 is complete (or whether the time until charging is complete is less than a predetermined time) based on the charging status of the battery 40 (step S203). If the delivery management device 500 determines that there is no battery 40 that has been fully charged (or that there is no battery 40 that has been fully charged in less than a predetermined time) (NO), it performs the process of step S203 again.

[0081] On the other hand, if the delivery management device 500 determines that there is a battery 40 that has been fully charged (or a battery 40 whose charging time is less than a predetermined time) (YES), it creates a collection plan to collect the battery 40 from the power generation equipment 10 (step S205).

[0082] Then, the delivery management device 500 issues a collection instruction to the vehicle 51 based on the created collection plan. For example, the delivery management device 500 issues a collection instruction to the vehicle 51 to collect the charged battery 40 from the power generation facility 10 at the determined delivery destination based on the created collection plan (step S207).

[0083] Next, the operation of the delivery instruction process for the delivery management device 500 to deliver the charged battery 40 to the consumer 30 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for issuing a delivery instruction to the customer 30 according to the present embodiment.

[0084] The delivery management device 500 acquires consumer information (e.g., remaining battery power, etc.) from each of the multiple consumers 30 (step S301). The delivery management device 500 may acquire power usage (e.g., power usage per day) from each of the multiple consumers 30 as the consumer information.

[0085] Next, the delivery management device 500 performs a demand forecast for each of the multiple consumers 30 based on the acquired consumer information (step S303). For example, the delivery management device 500 performs a demand forecast for electricity for each of the multiple consumers 30 based on the remaining battery power of the battery 40 of each of the multiple consumers 30. Note that the delivery management device 500 may perform a demand forecast for electricity for each of the multiple consumers 30 based on the daily power usage of the multiple consumers 30 and the remaining battery power of the battery 40.

[0086] Next, the delivery management device 500 determines the consumer 30 to which the battery 40 will be delivered based on the demand forecast result for each consumer 30, and creates a delivery plan for delivering the charged battery 40, which has been charged by the power generation facility 10, to the determined consumer 30 (step S305). For example, the delivery management device 500 makes a plan to preferentially deliver the charged battery 40 to consumers 30 among the multiple consumers 30 where the remaining battery power of the battery 40 used by each consumer 30 is low or where the remaining battery power is likely to be insufficient.

[0087] Then, the delivery management device 500 issues delivery instructions to the vehicle 51 based on the created delivery plan. For example, the delivery management device 500 issues a delivery slip for delivering the charged battery 40 to the consumer 30 that is the determined delivery destination based on the created delivery plan, and issues delivery instructions to the vehicle 51 (step S307).

[0088] When issuing an instruction to deliver a charged battery 40 to a consumer facility 30, the delivery management device 500 may also issue an instruction to collect the battery 40 that has been used at the consumer facility 30 at the delivery destination.

[0089] As described above, the battery delivery system 100 of this embodiment is equipped with a delivery management device 500 (an example of a management section) that issues delivery instructions to deliver a battery 40 to a power generation facility 10 using a vehicle 51 (an example of a mobile body), and delivers a battery 40 charged in the power generation facility 10 to a consumer 30 using the vehicle 51.

[0090] As a result, the battery distribution system 100 can charge surplus electricity from the power generation equipment 10 into the battery 40 and send it to the consumer 30 using the vehicle 51, thereby reducing power loss in the power generation equipment 10 and enabling effective use of the electricity generated by the power generation equipment 10.

[0091] For example, the delivery management device 500 predicts the amount of power generation of each of the multiple power generation facilities 10 based on at least weather information, and determines the power generation facility 10 to be the delivery destination of the battery 40 based on the predicted amount of power generation. For example, the delivery management device 500 predicts surplus power based on the predicted amount of power generation, and determines the power generation facility 10 to be the delivery destination of the battery 40 based on the predicted surplus power. Then, the delivery management device 500 issues a delivery instruction to deliver the battery 40 (battery 40 for charging) to the power generation facility determined as the delivery destination.

[0092] As a result, the battery distribution system 100 can charge the battery 40 from the power generation facility 10 that has the greatest amount of power generated (or surplus power) and send it to the consumer 30, thereby reducing power loss in the power generation facilities 10.

[0093] The delivery management device 500 also performs a power demand forecast based on the remaining capacity of the battery 40 of each of the multiple consumers 30, and determines the consumer 30 to which the battery 40 will be delivered based on the demand forecast. Then, the delivery management device 500 issues a delivery instruction to deliver the battery 40 charged by the power generation facility 10 to the consumer 30 determined as the delivery destination.

[0094] As a result, the battery distribution system 100 can send batteries 40 charged by the power generation equipment 10 to those of multiple consumers 30 where demand for electricity is high, thereby reducing power loss in the power generation equipment 10 and supplying the necessary electricity to the consumers 30.

[0095] Furthermore, the delivery management device 500 issues a collection instruction to collect the battery 40 delivered to the power generation facility 10 based on the charging status of the battery 40. For example, the charging status is the amount of charge of the battery 40 (e.g., the state of charge (SOC)), or the time since the battery 40 was delivered or the time since charging started.

[0096] This enables the battery delivery system 100 to collect the batteries 40 charged in the power generation equipment 10 at the appropriate time and deliver them to the consumers 30.

[0097] In addition, the delivery management device 500 issues delivery instructions to deliver the batteries 40 collected from the power generation equipment 10 to a delivery base 31 (an example of a specified base), and when delivering the batteries 40 charged at the power generation equipment 10 to the consumer 30, issues delivery instructions to deliver the batteries 40 delivered from the power generation equipment 10 to the delivery base 31 to the consumer 30.

[0098] As a result, if the timing of collecting the charged battery 40 from the power generation equipment 10 does not match the timing of delivering the charged battery 40 to the consumer 30, the battery distribution system 100 can store the battery at the distribution center 31 and deliver it to the consumer 30 at the appropriate time.

[0099] In addition, when the battery 40 charged in the power generation facility 10 is delivered to the consumer 30, the delivery management device 500 issues a collection instruction to collect the battery 40 that was used at the consumer 30.

[0100] As a result, the battery delivery system 100 delivers charged batteries 40 to consumers 30 and then collects them in exchange for used batteries 40, resulting in high delivery efficiency.

[0101] Furthermore, the delivery management device 500 manages the battery 40 by associating it with location information and information regarding the amount of charge.

[0102] This allows the battery distribution system 100 to manage the location and charging state of each battery 40, thereby enabling the batteries 40 to be appropriately distributed to the power generation facilities 10 and consumers 30.

[0103] Furthermore, the vehicle 51 is used for delivering packages in the home delivery system 50, and delivers the battery 40 as a package.

[0104] As a result, the battery delivery system 100 utilizes the existing home delivery system 50 to deliver the batteries 40, thereby reducing delivery costs.

[0105] Furthermore, the delivery management device 500 determines the priority of the delivery instruction for the battery 40 relative to the delivery instruction for the package.

[0106] This allows the battery delivery system 100 to appropriately adjust the delivery of general luggage and the delivery of the battery 40. For example, the battery delivery system 100 can deliver electricity from the power generation facility 10 to the consumer 30 using the battery 40 without affecting general luggage delivered by the home delivery system 50, by lowering the priority of the instruction to deliver the battery 40 relative to the instruction to deliver luggage. Also, for example, the battery delivery system 100 can deliver the battery 40 preferentially to the consumer 30 who urgently needs a charged battery 40, by raising the priority of the instruction to deliver the battery 40 relative to the instruction to deliver luggage.

[0107] Furthermore, the delivery management device 500 prioritizes vehicles 51 carrying less cargo over vehicles 51 carrying more cargo for delivery of the batteries 40 among the multiple vehicles 51.

[0108] As a result, the battery delivery system 100 can deliver electricity from the power generation facility 10 to the consumer 30 using the battery 40 without affecting general parcels delivered by the parcel delivery system 50.

[0109] The power generation facility 10 also includes a power transmission system that generates power using renewable energy and transmits the generated power to consumers 30 via power lines, and a charging system that charges a battery 40 with the generated power.

[0110] As a result, the battery distribution system 100 can charge surplus electricity generated by the power generation equipment 10 that cannot be distributed to the power transmission and distribution network 20 into the battery 40 using the charging system and distribute it to the consumer 30.

[0111] In addition, information related to the power purchase price is set for the delivery of the battery 40 to the power generation facility 10, and information related to the power selling price is set for the delivery of the battery 40 to the consumer 30.

[0112] As a result, the battery delivery system 100 can purchase electricity from the power generation facility 10 and sell the electricity to the consumer 30 at a set transaction price when delivering electricity using the battery 40.

[0113] In addition, the battery delivery method in the battery delivery system 100 includes a step in which the delivery management device 500 issues a delivery instruction to deliver the battery 40 to the power generation equipment 10 using a vehicle 51, and a step in which the delivery management device 500 issues a delivery instruction to deliver the battery 40 charged in the power generation equipment 10 to a consumer 30 using the vehicle 51.

[0114] As a result, the battery distribution system 100 can charge surplus electricity from the power generation equipment 10 into the battery 40 and send it to the consumer 30 using the vehicle 51, thereby reducing power loss in the power generation equipment 10 and enabling effective use of the electricity generated by the power generation equipment 10.

[0115] [Expansion to the electricity market and business] 7 is a diagram showing an example of deployment of the battery distribution system 100 according to this embodiment in the electricity market. The battery distribution system 100 is also capable of participating in the market (buying and selling electricity) in a VPP (Virtual Power Plant) business. For example, the battery distribution system 100 is also capable of participating in a supply-demand adjustment market or a wholesale electricity market that adjusts electricity resources by buying and selling electricity (adjustment power) required to match the supply and demand of electricity overall, including electricity from the power generation company in the battery distribution system 100 and electricity from other power generation companies, including thermal power generation and nuclear power generation.

[0116] For example, when there is surplus power in the battery distribution system 100, the battery distribution system 100 may sell the power purchased from the power generation facility 10 to a power transmission and distribution company that transmits power from other power generation companies, or to a retail electricity company that buys and sells electricity from the other power generation companies. Also, when there is a shortage of power in the battery distribution system 100, the battery distribution system 100 may purchase power from other power generation companies from a power transmission and distribution company or a retail electricity company. This makes it possible to achieve an overall supply and demand balance and a stable supply of power.

[0117] In addition, the battery 40 stored at the distribution base 31 in the battery distribution system 100 may be discharged to a power transmission and distribution company that transmits electricity from other power generation companies, or may be charged by that power transmission and distribution company.

[0118] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of business development using the battery delivery system 100 according to this embodiment. In the battery delivery system 100, the battery 40 can be used to realize home delivery of electricity, and therefore the system can be developed into a VPP business as described with reference to Fig. 7. In addition, by using a cartridge-type battery as the battery 40, the battery delivery system 100 can be developed into a sharing business such as a car sharing business using EVs or a battery sharing business.

[0119] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to the above, and various design changes, etc. are possible within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0120] For example, in the battery delivery system 100, the delivery management device 500 may notify the delivery destination in advance when instructing the delivery of the battery 40. Furthermore, when giving a delivery instruction to deliver the battery 40 to the power generation facility 10, for example, the delivery management device 500 may notify the delivery destination in advance that a large amount of power is expected to be generated and surplus power is expected to be generated, and may issue a delivery instruction to deliver the battery 40 after receiving a request from the power generation facility 10 at the delivery destination. Furthermore, when giving a delivery instruction to deliver the battery 40 to a consumer 30, the delivery management device 500 may notify the delivery destination in advance that the remaining battery power is expected to be insufficient, and may issue a delivery instruction to deliver the battery 40 after receiving a request from the consumer 30 at the delivery destination.

[0121] For example, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the battery 40 is delivered using the existing home delivery system 50, but any delivery system can be used. For example, a dedicated delivery system specialized for the delivery of the battery 40 may be constructed.

[0122] The above-mentioned delivery management device 500 has a computer system inside. A program for realizing the functions of each of the components of the above-mentioned delivery management device 500 may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to perform processing in each of the components of the above-mentioned delivery management device 500. Here, "reading a program recorded on a recording medium into a computer system and executing it" includes installing the program into a computer system. The "computer system" here includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. The "computer system" may also include multiple computer devices connected via a network including the Internet, a WAN, a LAN, a dedicated line, and other communication lines. The "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a portable medium such as a flexible disk, an optical magnetic disk, a ROM, a CD-ROM, and a storage device such as a hard disk built into a computer system. In this way, the recording medium storing the program may be a non-transient recording medium such as a CD-ROM. The recording medium also includes a cloud-type storage medium using multiple storage media and a storage medium in which each data is stored in the form of a blockchain.

[0123] The recording medium also includes a recording medium installed inside or outside and accessible from a distribution server to distribute the program. The program may be divided into a plurality of parts, downloaded at different times, and then combined by each component of the delivery management device 500, or each of the divided programs and data may be distributed by a different distribution server. Furthermore, the "computer-readable recording medium" includes a recording medium that holds a program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory (RAM) in a computer system that becomes a server or a client when a program is transmitted via a network. The program may be a recording medium for implementing part of the above-mentioned functions. Furthermore, the program may be a recording medium that can realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system, that is, a so-called difference file (difference program).

[0124] In addition, some or all of the functions of the delivery management device 500 in the above-mentioned embodiment may be realized as an integrated circuit such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration). Each function may be individually processed, or some or all of the functions may be integrated into a processor. The integrated circuit method is not limited to LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. In addition, when an integrated circuit technology that replaces LSI appears due to the advancement of semiconductor technology, an integrated circuit based on that technology may be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0125] 10 Power generation equipment, 11 Solar panel, 12 Power conditioner, 13 Distribution board, 14 DC / DC converter, 20 Power transmission and distribution network, 30 Consumer, 31 Delivery base, 32 Other companies in the industry, 40 Battery, 50 Home delivery system, 51 Vehicle, 100 Battery delivery system, 500 Delivery management device, 510 Communication unit, 520 Control unit, 521 Information acquisition unit, 522 Power generation forecast unit, 523 Demand forecast unit, 524 Collection and delivery plan unit, 525 Delivery instruction unit, 530 Memory unit, 531 Power generation equipment information memory unit, 532 Consumer information memory unit, 533 Vehicle information memory unit, 534 Battery information memory unit, 535 Forecast information memory unit, 536 Collection and delivery plan memory unit

Claims

1. A management unit that issues a delivery instruction to deliver a battery to a power generation facility using a mobile object, and a delivery instruction to deliver the battery charged at the power generation facility to a consumer using the mobile object; Equipped with The management unit managing the battery in association with location information and information regarding the amount of charge; When the battery is delivered from the power generation facility to the consumer using the mobile body, the location information is updated to the location information of the mobile body when the battery is loaded onto the mobile body, and the location information is updated to the name or location of the consumer when the battery is delivered to the consumer, thereby managing the delivery status of the battery; When the battery is delivered from the consumer to the power generation facility using the mobile body, the location information is updated to the location information of the mobile body when the battery is loaded onto the mobile body, and the location information is updated to the name or address of the power generation facility when the battery is delivered to the power generation facility, thereby managing the delivery status of the battery; When the battery is delivered to a specified base, the storage status of the battery is managed by updating the location information to the name or address of the specified base in response to the delivery of the battery to the specified base. Battery delivery system.

2. A management unit that issues a delivery instruction to deliver a battery to a power generation facility using a mobile object, and a delivery instruction to deliver the battery charged at the power generation facility to a consumer using the mobile object; Equipped with The management unit managing the battery in association with location information and information regarding a remaining battery level; When the battery is delivered from the power generation facility to the consumer using the mobile body, the location information is updated to the location information of the mobile body when the battery is loaded onto the mobile body, and the location information is updated to the name or location of the consumer when the battery is delivered to the consumer, thereby managing the delivery status of the battery; When the battery is delivered from the consumer to the power generation facility using the mobile object, the battery remaining amount is acquired, and when the battery is loaded onto the mobile object, the location information is updated to the location information of the mobile object, and when the battery is delivered to the power generation facility, the location information is updated to the name or address of the power generation facility, thereby managing the delivery status of the battery and the usage amount of the battery at the consumer. Battery delivery system.

3. The management unit predicting the amount of power generated by each of the plurality of power generation facilities based on at least meteorological information, determining the power generation facility to be a delivery destination of the battery based on the prediction of the amount of power generated, and issuing a delivery instruction to deliver the battery to the power generation facility determined as the delivery destination.

3. The battery delivery system of claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The management unit performing a demand forecast for electric power based on the remaining capacity of the battery of each of the plurality of consumers, determining the consumer to which the battery will be delivered based on the demand forecast, and issuing a delivery instruction to deliver the battery, which has been charged by the power generation facility, to the consumer determined as the delivery destination; 4. A battery delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The management unit issue a collection instruction to collect the battery delivered to the power generation facility based on the charging status of the battery, and when delivering the battery charged at the power generation facility to the consumer, issue a collection instruction to collect the battery that was used at the consumer.

5. A battery delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The management unit issue a delivery instruction to deliver the battery collected from the power generation facility to a specified base, and when delivering the battery charged at the power generation facility to the consumer, issue a delivery instruction to deliver the battery delivered from the power generation facility to the specified base to the consumer; updating the location information in response to the battery being delivered to the predetermined base; 6. The battery delivery system of claim 5.

7. The moving body is It is used for delivering packages in a parcel delivery system. Delivering the battery as the package; 7. A battery delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The power generation facility includes: Generate electricity using renewable energy, a power transmission system that transmits the generated power to the consumer via a power transmission line; a charging system that charges the battery with the generated power; 8. The battery delivery system of claim 1 , comprising:

9. Information regarding a power purchase price is set for the delivery of the battery to the power generation facility, and information regarding a power selling price is set for the delivery of the battery to the consumer.

9. A battery delivery system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A battery distribution method executed by a management unit as a computer in a battery distribution system, comprising: The management unit, issuing a delivery instruction to deliver the battery to the power generation facility using a mobile object; issuing a delivery instruction to deliver the battery charged by the power generation facility to a consumer using the mobile object; managing the battery by associating location information and information regarding a charge amount with the battery; Including, In the managing step, When the battery is delivered from the power generation facility to the consumer using the mobile body, the location information is updated to the location information of the mobile body when the battery is loaded onto the mobile body, and the location information is updated to the name or location of the consumer when the battery is delivered to the consumer, thereby managing the delivery status of the battery; When the battery is delivered from the consumer to the power generation facility using the mobile body, the location information is updated to the location information of the mobile body when the battery is loaded onto the mobile body, and the location information is updated to the name or address of the power generation facility when the battery is delivered to the power generation facility, thereby managing the delivery status of the battery; When the battery is delivered to a specified base, the storage status of the battery is managed by updating the location information to the name or address of the specified base in response to the delivery of the battery to the specified base. Battery delivery method.

11. A battery distribution method executed by a management unit as a computer in a battery distribution system, comprising: The management unit, issuing a delivery instruction to deliver the battery to the power generation facility using a mobile object; issuing a delivery instruction to deliver the battery charged by the power generation facility to a consumer using the mobile object; managing the battery by associating location information and information regarding a remaining battery level with the battery; Including, In the managing step, When the battery is delivered from the power generation facility to the consumer using the mobile body, the location information is updated to the location information of the mobile body when the battery is loaded onto the mobile body, and the location information is updated to the name or location of the consumer when the battery is delivered to the consumer, thereby managing the delivery status of the battery; When the battery is delivered from the consumer to the power generation facility using the mobile object, the battery remaining amount is acquired, and when the battery is loaded onto the mobile object, the location information is updated to the location information of the mobile object, and when the battery is delivered to the power generation facility, the location information is updated to the name or address of the power generation facility, thereby managing the delivery status of the battery and the usage amount of the battery at the consumer. Battery delivery method.

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