Power Distribution System

Abstract

To provide a power distribution system that enhances a procurement rate of renewable energy from a plurality of operators.SOLUTION: A power distribution system that distributes electric power generated from renewable energy among a plurality of operators, comprises: an information acquisition unit 612a; a surplus power determination unit 612b; a renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit 612c; and a power supply control unit 612d. The surplus power determination unit 612b determines whether or not the power generated from renewable energy is surplus in the respective power consumption areas of the operators. The renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit 612c calculates a renewable energy procurement rate for each of the plurality of power consumption areas. The power supply control unit 612d preferentially supplies the surplus power of a power consumption area where the power generated from renewable energy is in surplus to a power consumption area where the renewable energy procurement rate is low among the plurality of power consumption areas.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to power distribution systems. [Background technology]

[0002] It has been known that a person who installs a private power generation facility transmits the electricity generated using the facility to an electricity demand facility via a transmission and distribution network maintained and operated by a general electric utility (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-103489 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In some cases, multiple businesses that make up a supply chain of products each use electricity generated from renewable energy sources. In such cases, if any of the businesses generates surplus renewable energy and the excess electricity is discarded, the renewable energy procurement rate for the entire supply chain will decrease.

[0005] Although the technology described in Patent Document 1 discloses the consignment of electricity generated by solar power between businesses, it does not take into consideration what to do if surplus electricity occurs throughout the entire supply chain that supplies products. As a result, it is difficult to prevent a decline in the renewable energy procurement rate throughout the entire supply chain when surplus electricity occurs.

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a power distribution system that can increase the procurement rate of renewable energy in a supply chain that supplies products and is made up of multiple businesses. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The gist of the present disclosure is as follows.

[0008] (1) A power distribution system distributes electricity generated by renewable energy among a plurality of businesses. The businesses constitute a supply chain for supplying products. The power distribution system includes a surplus power determination unit, a renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit, and a power supply control unit. The surplus power determination unit determines whether or not there is surplus electricity generated by renewable energy in each of the power consumption areas of the plurality of businesses. The renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit calculates a renewable energy procurement rate in each of the plurality of power consumption areas. The power supply control unit preferentially supplies surplus electricity from a power consumption area with surplus electricity generated by renewable energy to a power consumption area with a low renewable energy procurement rate among the plurality of power consumption areas.

[0009] (2) In (1) above, the renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit calculates the renewable energy procurement rate for all of the plurality of power consumption areas. The power supply control unit supplies the surplus power to the plurality of power consumption areas so that the renewable energy procurement rate for all of the plurality of power consumption areas is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0010] (3) In the above (1) or (2), when the surplus power is supplied to a plurality of the power consumption areas, the power supply control unit supplies the power in order of decreasing renewable energy procurement rate.

[0011] (4) In any one of (1) to (3) above, the power distribution system includes a payment processing unit. The payment processing unit settles an electricity fee equivalent to the price of the surplus electricity between the business operator that supplied the surplus electricity and the business operator to which the surplus electricity was supplied. When there is a sale and purchase of the product or an intermediate product generated in the process of producing the product between the business operator that supplied the surplus electricity and the business operator to which the surplus electricity was supplied, the payment processing unit settles the sale and purchase price by offsetting at least a portion of the electricity fee. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to increase the procurement rate of renewable energy in a supply chain that supplies products and is made up of multiple businesses. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a fully self-consumption on-site PPA. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a supply chain made up of multiple businesses. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining how surplus power is distributed. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a control system according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an entire system including a power distribution system according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a server. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functions of a processor of the server. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a processor of the control system. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing the processing of a processor of the server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, several embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, these descriptions are intended to merely exemplify preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure to such specific embodiments. In the following description, similar components will be given the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted as appropriate.

[0015] As an example, as shown in FIG. 1 , a solar power generation control system 100 according to this embodiment includes a solar panel 102 and a storage battery 124, and is used in the form of a completely self-consumption on-site PPA. In an on-site PPA, a power generation company 300 installs the control system 100 on the premises of a consumer 350, and supplies electricity generated by the control system 100 to the consumer 350 on-site. The power generation company 300 and the consumer 350 conclude a power purchase agreement, i.e., a PPA (Power Purchase Agreement). Based on the PPA, the power generation company 300 installs the control system 100 and also owns and manages the control system 100. Based on the PPA, the consumer 350 pays electricity charges to the power generation company 300.

[0016] In the case of a completely self-consumption type, all of the power generated by the control system 100 is consumed within the premises of the consumer 350. Therefore, the power generated by the control system 100 is supplied only to facilities within the premises of the consumer 350, and the power is not supplied to the power transmission network, power distribution network, etc. of other power systems.

[0017] If the amount of power generated by the control system 100 is in excess of the amount of power required by the consumer 350, the surplus is stored in the storage battery 124. If the amount of power generated by the control system 100 is insufficient for the amount of power required by the consumer 350, the shortfall is made up for by the power stored in the storage battery 124. Alternatively, the shortfall may be made up by the consumer 350 purchasing power from an existing power company 400.

[0018] In this embodiment, a supply chain is formed by multiple businesses to produce a certain product. As an example, the supply chain formed by multiple businesses includes a first business A, a second business B, a third business C, and a fourth business D, as shown in FIG. 2. The first business A produces a first product A. The second business B produces a second product B from the first product A. The third business C produces a third product C from the second product B. The fourth business D produces a fourth product D, which is a final product, from the third product C. The fourth business D sells the fourth product D. The first product A, the second product B, and the third product C are intermediate products produced in the process of producing the fourth product D, which is a final product. Note that the solid arrows in FIG. 2 indicate the flow of power through the power transmission and distribution network 10. The dashed arrows in FIG. 2 indicate the flow of products. The dashed arrows in Figure 2 indicate the flow of product prices and electricity charges.

[0019] These businesses may be, for example, consumers 350, who pay electricity fees to the power generation business 300 based on the PPA and use the electricity to produce products. Alternatively, the businesses may be the power generation business 300. When the business is the power generation business 300, the business inherently owns the electricity generated by the control system 100, and therefore uses the electricity to produce products without paying electricity fees.

[0020] In addition, in a supply chain, a business that stores a first product A, a second product B, a third product C, or a fourth product D may occur. In addition, in a supply chain, a business that freezes or refrigerates these products, or a business that transports these products using electric vehicles may occur. Furthermore, businesses such as product inventory management services and product payment management services may also occur. Since all of these businesses consume electricity, businesses that handle these businesses also constitute the supply chain according to this embodiment. In other words, the businesses that make up the supply chain are not limited to businesses that produce products. Businesses that make up the supply chain may be businesses that are involved in some way in the series of production or distribution processes from when a product or commodity is delivered from the producer to the consumer.

[0021] The building or facility where a first business A produces product A is located in a first power consumption area A. The building or facility where a second business B produces product B is located in a second power consumption area B. The building or facility where a third business C produces product C is located in a third power consumption area C. The building or facility where a fourth business D produces product D is located in a fourth power consumption area D.

[0022] A first business operator A, a second business operator B, a third business operator C, and a fourth business operator D each have a control system 100 in their power consumption area. As shown in FIG. 2 , the solar panels 102 of the control system 100 are provided, for example, on the roofs of buildings in the respective power consumption areas. The control system 100 supplies solar-generated electricity to the buildings or various facilities therein. For example, the control system 100 of the first business operator A supplies solar-generated electricity to a building or facility in the first power consumption area A to produce a first product A. The control system 100 of the second business operator B supplies solar-generated electricity to a building or facility in the second power consumption area B to produce a second product B. The control system 100 of the third business operator C supplies solar-generated electricity to a building or facility in the third power consumption area C to produce a third product C. The control system 100 of a fourth business operator D supplies solar-generated electricity to a building or facility in a fourth power consumption area D to produce a fourth product D.

[0023] In the power consumption areas of the businesses that make up the supply chain, if the sum of the amount of power generated by the solar panels 102 of the control system 100 and the amount of power purchased from the power company 400 is greater than the amount of power consumed, surplus power will be generated. The surplus power in a certain power consumption area may be stored in the storage battery 124 or discarded without being consumed in the power consumption area. If the power generated by the solar panels 102 in the power consumption area of ​​any of the businesses that make up the supply chain is stored or discarded without being used, it becomes difficult to increase the renewable energy procurement rate of the entire supply chain. More specifically, if the power generated by the solar panels 102 is discarded, the renewable energy procurement rate of the entire supply chain decreases. Furthermore, even if the surplus power is stored in the storage battery 124, power loss occurs due to the storage, and some of the power is lost, making it difficult to increase the renewable energy procurement rate of the entire supply chain. The renewable energy procurement rate is the ratio of the amount of power generated by renewable energy to the total amount of power consumed.

[0024] For this reason, in this embodiment, when surplus power occurs in a power consumption area, the surplus power is supplied to other power consumption areas. For example, when surplus power occurs in a first power consumption area A, as shown in FIG. 3 , the surplus power from the first power consumption area A is distributed to a second power consumption area B, which has the lowest renewable energy procurement rate. At this time, the surplus power is distributed to the second power consumption area B so that the second power consumption area B does not have surplus power. If surplus power still occurs in the first power consumption area A even after the surplus power from the first power consumption area A is supplied to the second power consumption area B, the surplus power is distributed to a third power consumption area C, which has the next lowest renewable energy procurement rate after the second power consumption area B. In this way, the surplus power is distributed in order from the power consumption area with the lowest renewable energy procurement rate. Then, the power consumption area to which the surplus power is distributed can reduce the amount of power purchased from the power company 400. This increases the renewable energy procurement rate in power consumption areas with low renewable energy procurement rates, making it possible to increase the renewable energy procurement rate throughout the entire supply chain. Furthermore, increasing the renewable energy procurement rate throughout the entire supply chain that supplies products increases the added value of the product. Furthermore, increasing the renewable energy procurement rate reduces manufacturing costs and increases the added value of the product. This not only reduces the environmental impact, but also makes it possible to declare, for example, in product sales or advertising, that the product is environmentally friendly, with a higher renewable energy procurement rate. Furthermore, obtaining a non-fossil certificate for the use of renewable energy can further reduce manufacturing costs and enhance the competitive advantage of the product. Furthermore, when power company 400 generates electricity using fossil fuels, power consumption areas that receive surplus electricity can reduce the amount of electricity purchased from power company 400, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels.

[0025] Furthermore, in the individual power consumption areas where surplus electricity is distributed, the added value of the products will increase due to the increased renewable energy procurement rate, making it possible to declare that the products are environmentally friendly and have a higher renewable energy procurement rate.

[0026] It should be noted that the control systems 100 in all power consumption areas do not need to be equipped with solar panels 102. For example, in some of the multiple power consumption areas, the control systems 100 may not be equipped with solar panels 102 and may use power purchased from the power company 400. Although such power consumption areas cannot supply surplus power to other power consumption areas, receiving a supply of surplus power can reduce the amount of power purchased from the power company 400, thereby contributing to an improvement in the renewable energy procurement rate throughout the supply chain.

[0027] The distribution of electricity is not limited to surplus electricity. For example, when increasing the procurement rate of renewable energy throughout the supply chain, electricity that is not surplus may be distributed to other businesses along with surplus electricity. The distributed electricity may also include electricity stored in the storage battery 124. The businesses to which distribution is made do not have to be all businesses that make up the supply chain, and distribution may be made only among some of the businesses that make up the supply chain.

[0028] Power supply between power consumption areas is performed by self-consignment. For this reason, the control systems 100 in the power consumption areas are connected to each other via a power transmission and distribution network 10, as shown in Fig. 2. The power transmission and distribution network 10 may be maintained and operated by a power generation company 300.

[0029] While FIG. 3 illustrates a case in which surplus power is generated only in the first power consumption area A, when surplus power is generated in multiple power consumption areas, the surplus power may be distributed in the order of lowest renewable energy procurement rate. For example, surplus power from the first power consumption area A, the second power consumption area B, and the fourth power consumption area D may be supplied to the third power consumption area C via the power transmission and distribution network 10, as shown by the solid arrows in FIG. 2. In this case, if the third power consumption area C cannot consume all of the surplus power, the surplus power may be stored in the storage battery 124 of the control system 100 in each power consumption area. In this case, the surplus power from the first power consumption area A, the second power consumption area B, and the fourth power consumption area D may be supplied to the third power consumption area C in the order of highest surplus power.

[0030] Supplying power to the storage battery 124 is not limited to cases where surplus power occurs throughout the supply chain. For example, the first business operator A, the second business operator B, the third business operator C, and the fourth business operator D may purchase power from different power companies 400, resulting in different unit electricity rates (yen / kWh). Furthermore, the first business operator A, the second business operator B, the third business operator C, and the fourth business operator D may purchase power from the same power company 400, but may have different contracted power amounts, resulting in different unit electricity rates (yen / kWh). In such cases, by supplying power from a business operator with a lower power purchase rate to the storage battery 124 of a business operator with a higher power purchase rate, it is possible to optimize electricity rates throughout the supply chain and reduce electricity costs. Furthermore, when nighttime product manufacturing is unavoidable, even if surplus power does not occur, electricity purchased at a relatively low rate during the night may be stored in the storage battery 124 and distributed to other power consumption areas during the day. This allows the amount of electricity purchased during the day at relatively high rates to be reduced in the distributed power consumption areas, and allows the electricity rates for the entire supply chain to be optimized.

[0031] Furthermore, the first power consumption area A, the second power consumption area B, the third power consumption area C, and the fourth power consumption area D may be located within a predetermined distance range. For example, the first power consumption area A, the second power consumption area B, the third power consumption area C, and the fourth power consumption area D may be located within a radius of 5 km in diameter.

[0032] The first business operator A pays the seller of the raw materials for the first product A. In addition, if the first business operator A trades surplus electricity with another business operator, it settles the electricity fee for the surplus electricity with the other business operator.

[0033] The second business operator B pays the price of the first product A to the first business operator A. Furthermore, if the second business operator B trades surplus electricity with another business operator, it settles the electricity fee for the surplus electricity with the other business operator. If the second business operator B trades surplus electricity with the first business operator A, it may be possible to offset the price of the first product A and the electricity fee with the first business operator A. In this case, the price of the first product A and the electricity fee are offset between the second business operator B and the first business operator A.

[0034] Similarly, third business operator C pays second business operator B for the price of second product B. Furthermore, if third business operator C trades surplus electricity with another business operator, it settles the electricity fee for the surplus electricity with the other business operator. If third business operator C trades surplus electricity with second business operator B, it may be able to offset the price of second product B against the electricity fee with second business operator B. In this case, the price of second product B and the electricity fee are offset between third business operator C and second business operator B.

[0035] Similarly, the fourth business operator D pays the price of the third product C to the third business operator C. Furthermore, if the fourth business operator D trades surplus electricity with another business operator, it settles the electricity fee for the surplus electricity with the other business operator. If the fourth business operator D trades surplus electricity with the third business operator C, it may be able to offset the price of the third product C and the electricity fee with the third business operator C. In this case, the price of the third product C and the electricity fee are offset between the fourth business operator D and the third business operator C.

[0036] 4, the control system 100 provided in each power consumption area includes, for example, a solar panel 102, a connection box 104, a DC / AC high-frequency inverter 106, a high-frequency transformer 108, a ground fault circuit interrupter 110, a first power supply switch 112, a second power supply switch 116, an AC / DC converter 118, a storage battery power supply switch 120, a DC / DC converter 122, a storage battery 124, and a control device 200. The control system 100 further includes a zero-phase-sequence voltage detector 140, a power purchase breaker 142, a reverse power relay 144, a high-frequency transformer 146, a third power supply switch 148, and a fourth power supply switch 150. The control system 100 may further include a controlled device 114. From the perspective of realizing the power distribution function according to this embodiment, the control system 100 only needs to include the solar panel 102, the second power feed switch 116, the fourth power feed switch 150, and the control device 200. Other components of the control system 100 may be additional elements. The controlled device 114 may be equipment in a building or facility for producing products in each power consumption area. In FIG. 4 , dashed arrows extending from the control device 200 to the first power feed switch 112, the second power feed switch 116, the battery power feed switch 120, the third power feed switch 148, and the fourth power feed switch 150 indicate signal lines through which control signals for driving these switches are transmitted.

[0037] The solar panel 102 receives sunlight and generates electricity. The solar panel 102 includes, for example, a plurality of solar cell modules. Each solar cell is composed of, for example, a plurality of solar cell cells. The solar cell receives sunlight and converts solar energy into electricity. The junction box 104, for example, combines output cables that extract DC output generated by each solar cell module into a single cable.

[0038] The DC / AC high frequency inverter 106 converts the power generated by the solar panel 102 from direct current to alternating current. The high frequency transformer 108 transforms the alternating current converted by the DC / AC high frequency inverter 106 to a desired voltage. The earth leakage breaker 110 cuts off the alternating current when the current becomes excessive. The first power feeding switch 112 is composed of an electromagnetic switch, and is a switch for feeding the power generated by the solar panel 102 to the control-target device 114. When the first power feeding switch 112 is turned on, power is fed to the control-target device 114. On the other hand, when the first power feeding switch 112 is turned off, power feeding to the control-target device 114 is stopped.

[0039] The second power supply switch 116 is composed of an electromagnetic switch, and is a switch for supplying the power generated by the solar panel 102 to the control system 100 in the other power consumption area. When the second power supply switch 116 is turned on, the power generated by the solar panel 102 is supplied to the control system 100 in the other power consumption area. When the second power supply switch 116 is turned off, the power supply to the control system 100 in the other power consumption area is stopped.

[0040] In addition, commercial power is supplied to the control system 100 from a power company 400. The commercial power is supplied to a high-frequency transformer 146 via a power purchase breaker 142. The commercial power is, for example, 3φ3W 6.6kV. The power purchase breaker 142 cuts off the commercial power current when it becomes excessive. The zero-phase sequence voltage detector 140 detects the neutral point voltage of the commercial power. The reverse power relay 144 detects reverse power based on the neutral point voltage. When the reverse power relay 144 detects reverse power, a reverse power flow is occurring, and the third power supply switch 148 is turned off.

[0041] The high-frequency transformer 146 transforms commercial AC power to a desired voltage. The third power supply switch 148 is an electromagnetic switch. The AC output from the high-frequency transformer 146 is supplied to the controlled device 114 when the third power supply switch 148 is on and the first power supply switch 112 is on.

[0042] Furthermore, surplus power is supplied to the control system 100 from control systems 100 in other power consumption areas. The fourth power supply switch 150 is composed of an electromagnetic switch, and is a switch for receiving power supplied from the control systems 100 in other power consumption areas. The surplus power in other power consumption areas is supplied to the controlled device 114 when the fourth power supply switch 150 is on and the first power supply switch 112 is on.

[0043] The AC / DC converter 118 converts the AC transformed by the high-frequency transformer 108 into DC. The battery power supply switch 120 is an electromagnetic switch that supplies surplus power to the storage battery 124 as needed. When the battery power supply switch 120 is turned on, power is supplied to the storage battery 124. On the other hand, when the battery power supply switch 120 is turned off, power supply to the storage battery 124 is stopped. The DC / DC converter 122 converts the voltage of the DC converted by the AC / DC converter 118 so that it can be stored in the storage battery 124. When the battery power supply switch 120 is on, the storage battery 124 stores the power generated by the solar panel 102. The control system 100 according to this embodiment is a completely self-consumption type and does not sell power to the power company 400. Furthermore, as described above, surplus power generated by the solar panel 102 is basically supplied to other power consumption areas. Therefore, the battery power supply switch 120 is basically turned off and turned on when necessary.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 5, the overall system 1000 including the power distribution system has a control device 200 of the control system 100 in each power consumption area and a server 600. The server 600 may be owned by the power generation company 300. The control device 200 in each power consumption area and the server 600 can communicate with each other via a communication network 500 configured by optical communication lines or the like. The control device 200 in each power consumption area can also communicate with an external server that provides weather information via the communication network 500.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 6, the server 600 includes a control device 610 and a storage device 620.

[0046] The control device 610 includes a processor 612, a memory 614, and a communication interface 616. The processor 612 includes one or more central processing units (CPUs) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 612 may further include other arithmetic circuits such as a logic unit, a numerical calculation unit, or a graphics processing unit. The memory 614 includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The communication interface 616 corresponds to the communication I / F shown in FIG. 6 and includes an interface circuit for connecting the control device 610 to a network within the server 600 or the communication network 500.

[0047] The storage device 620 includes, for example, a hard disk drive or an optical recording medium and an access device therefor. Various types of information are stored in the storage device 620. The storage device 620 may also store computer programs for executing processes executed on the processor 612.

[0048] The processor 612 of the control device 610 of the server 600 is one aspect of the power distribution system. As shown in FIG. 7 , the processor 612 includes an information acquisition unit 612a, a surplus power determination unit 612b, a renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit 612c, a power supply control unit 612d, and a payment processing unit 612e. Each of these units included in the processor 612 is a functional module implemented by, for example, a computer program running on the processor 612. That is, each of these units included in the processor 612 is configured by the processor 612 and a program, i.e., software, for causing the processor 612 to function. The program may be stored in the memory 614 of the control device 610 or in an externally connected recording medium. Alternatively, each of these units included in the processor 612 may be a dedicated arithmetic circuit provided in the processor 612. At least some of these units included in the processor 612 may be provided outside the server 600 in the overall system 1000.

[0049] The information acquisition unit 612a acquires various information from the control device 200 in each power consumption area. The various information includes the amount of power generated by the solar panels 102, the amount of power purchased from the power company 400, the power fee paid to the power company 400, the amount of power consumed in the power consumption area, and the price for buying and selling products. The various information also includes the amount of surplus power supplied from the control system 100 in another power consumption area and the amount of surplus power supplied to the control system 100 in another power consumption area. This various information is stored in the storage device 620.

[0050] The surplus power determination unit 612b determines whether there is surplus power generated by renewable energy, i.e., solar power, in each of the power consumption areas of the multiple businesses. Specifically, the surplus power determination unit 612b calculates the amount of surplus solar power generated in each power consumption area based on the amount of power generated by the solar panels 102 in each power consumption area, the amount of power purchased from the power company 400, and the amount of power consumption. Here, the amount of surplus power is defined as a value calculated by subtracting the amount of power consumption from the sum of the amount of power generated by the solar panels 102 and the amount of power purchased from the power company 400. The amount of surplus power may be an actual measurement value calculated from the actual measurements of the amount of power generated, the amount of power purchased, and the amount of power consumption, or a predicted value calculated from these predicted values. If the value obtained by subtracting the amount of power consumption from the sum of the amount of power generated by the solar panels 102 and the amount of power purchased from the power company 400 is greater than the amount of power generated by the solar panels 102, the amount of surplus power is determined to be the amount of power generated by the solar panels 102. The surplus power determination unit 612b then determines that the amount of solar-generated power is surplus for a power consumption area where surplus power is occurring, i.e., a power consumption area where the amount of surplus power is greater than 0. As described above, even if no surplus power is occurring, power supplied from another power consumption area may be supplied to the storage battery 124. For example, when products are produced outside of daylight hours, even if no surplus power is occurring, the amount of power purchased from the power company 400 can be reduced by storing power generated by the solar panel 102 during the day in the storage battery 124 prior to production.

[0051] The renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit 612c calculates the renewable energy procurement rate for each of a plurality of power consumption areas. As described above, the renewable energy procurement rate is the ratio of the amount of power generated by renewable energy to the total amount of power consumed. Specifically, the renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit 612c calculates the renewable energy procurement rate for each power consumption area by dividing the amount of power generated by the solar panels 102 by the amount of power consumed.

[0052] The power supply control unit 612d preferentially supplies surplus power from a power consumption area where there is surplus renewable energy, i.e., power generated by solar power, to a power consumption area with a low renewable energy procurement rate among the multiple power consumption areas. Specifically, the power supply control unit 612d transmits a first power supply command to the control system 100 in the power consumption area where the surplus power is occurring, to turn on the second power supply switch 116. Furthermore, the power supply control unit 612d transmits a second power supply command to the control system 100 in the power consumption area with a low renewable energy procurement rate, to turn on the fourth power supply switch 150. When supplying surplus power to multiple power consumption areas, the power supply control unit 612d may supply the power in order of lowest renewable energy procurement rate.

[0053] The renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit 612c may also calculate the renewable energy procurement rate for all of the multiple power consumption areas. In this case, the power supply control unit 612d may supply surplus power to at least one of the multiple power consumption areas so that the renewable energy procurement rate for all of the multiple power consumption areas is a predetermined value. Specifically, the power supply control unit 612d may supply power to at least one of the multiple power consumption areas without storing or discarding the surplus power, thereby making the renewable energy procurement rate for all of the multiple power consumption areas equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The predetermined value may be 100%, 95%, 85%, or 75%. The power supply control unit 612d may also supply power to all of the multiple power consumption areas so that the renewable energy procurement rate for all of the multiple power consumption areas is higher. The power supply control unit 612d may also supply power to the multiple power consumption areas in descending order of the amount of power purchased from the electric power company 400.

[0054] Furthermore, if a power consumption area having surplus solar-generated power has the lowest renewable energy procurement rate among the multiple power consumption areas, the power supply control unit 612d may send a command to reduce the amount of power purchased by that power consumption area without supplying the surplus power to other power consumption areas. Furthermore, the power supply control unit 612d may supply power to the power consumption area to which the surplus power has been supplied so as to prevent further surplus power from being generated. Therefore, once the required amount of power is met in the power consumption area to which the surplus power has been supplied, the power supply control unit 612d supplies the remaining surplus power to the other power consumption areas. In other words, the power supply control unit 612d may supply the amount of power required by each power consumption area to each power consumption area. In this case, specifically, the power supply control unit 612d sends a first power supply command to the control system 100 in the power consumption area having surplus power to turn on the second power supply switch 116 so as to supply the required amount of power to each power consumption area. The amount of electricity required by each power consumption area can be the absolute value of the value obtained by subtracting the amount of electricity consumed from the sum of the amount of electricity generated by the solar panels 102 and the amount of electricity purchased from the power company 400 when the value is negative.

[0055] The settlement processing unit 612e settles the electricity fee equivalent to the price of the surplus electricity between the business operator that supplied the surplus electricity and the business operator to which the surplus electricity was supplied. Furthermore, when there is a sale and purchase of a product related to the supply chain or an intermediate product generated in the process of producing the product between the business operator that supplied the surplus electricity and the business operator to which the surplus electricity was supplied, the settlement processing unit 612e may settle by offsetting at least a part of the price related to the sale and purchase of the product and the electricity fee.

[0056] If surplus electricity is not exchanged between businesses, the payment processing unit 612e can settle only the price for the sale and purchase of the product. On the other hand, if surplus electricity is exchanged between businesses, the payment processing unit 612e can perform processing to settle the price for the sale and purchase of the product and the electricity fee equivalent to the price of the surplus electricity. In this case, if the price for the sale and purchase of the product can be offset against the electricity fee, the payment processing unit 612e will offset the price for the sale and purchase of the product against the electricity fee and make the settlement. The payment processing unit 612e may use an existing electronic payment service. In this case, the overall system 1000 may include the electronic payment service.

[0057] Furthermore, the business operator can choose whether or not to make a payment. If the business operator wishes to make a payment, the business operator inputs a message indicating that the business operator wishes to make a payment from the operation input device to the control device 200, and the control device 200 transmits this message to the server 600, causing the payment processing unit 612e to make the payment. On the other hand, if the business operator does not wish to make a payment, the business operator inputs a message indicating that the business operator does not wish to make a payment from the operation input device to the control device 200, and the control device 200 transmits this message to the server 600, causing the payment processing unit 612e to not make the payment.

[0058] The settlement processing unit 612e settles electricity charges incurred every fixed period, for example, once a month, and the purchase and sale of products for transactions between businesses that make up the supply chain. When settling the price, standard prices for raw material costs, intermediate products, and final products are shared among the businesses that make up the supply chain, and settlement is made at the standard prices. If fluctuations in raw material costs cause a price change from the standard price within a fixed period, the fluctuations may be settled separately. Furthermore, because surplus electricity is traded on a self-consignment basis, the impact of electricity rate fluctuations on the settlement amount can be reduced by specifying the range of fluctuations in electricity rates between businesses in a contract.

[0059] The control device 200 of the control system 100 has a hardware configuration similar to that of the control device 610 of the server 600 shown in FIG. 6. That is, the control device 200 has a processor, a memory, and a communication interface. The hardware functions of the control device 200 are similar to those of the control device 610 of the server 600. Furthermore, the control device 200 may be connected to an operation input device through which operation information is input by a user, and a display device. A keyboard or a mouse is an example of an operation input device, and a liquid crystal display is an example of a display device.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 8 , the processor 210 of the control device 200 includes an information acquisition unit 210a, an information transmission unit 210b, a power supply command reception unit 210c, a power supply control unit 210d, a power reception control unit 210e, a power generation amount prediction unit 210f, a power demand acquisition unit 210g, and a learning unit 210h. Each of these units included in the processor 210 is a functional module implemented by, for example, a computer program running on the processor 210. That is, each of these units included in the processor 210 is configured by the processor 210 and a program for causing the processor 210 to function, i.e., software. The program may be stored in a memory included in the control device 200 or in an externally connected recording medium. Alternatively, each of these units included in the processor 210 may be a dedicated arithmetic circuit provided in the processor 210. At least some of these units included in the processor 612 may be provided in the processor 612 of the server 600.

[0061] The information acquisition unit 210a acquires the amount of power generated by the solar panel 102, the amount of power purchased from the power company 400, the power fee paid to the power company 400, the amount of power consumed, and the price related to the purchase and sale of products. The information acquisition unit 210a also acquires the amount of surplus power supplied from the control system 100 in other power consumption areas and the amount of surplus power supplied to the control system 100 in other power consumption areas.

[0062] The information acquisition unit 210a may acquire an actual measured value as the amount of power generated by the solar panel 102, or may acquire a predicted value predicted by the power generation amount prediction unit 210f. The information acquisition unit 210a acquires, as the amount of power purchased from the power company 400, an actual measured value of the amount of power supplied through the third power supply switch 148 when the third power supply switch 148 is turned on. Alternatively, the information acquisition unit 210a may acquire, as the amount of power purchased from the power company 400, a predicted value of the amount of power to be purchased from the power company 400. For example, if the amount of power to be purchased from the power company 400 is predetermined, the information acquisition unit 210a may acquire the predetermined amount of power. Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 210a acquires, as the power fee to be paid to the power company 400, an electricity fee corresponding to the amount of power purchased from the power company 400. Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 210a acquires, as the amount of power consumption, an actual measured value of the amount of power consumed by buildings or facilities in the power consumption area. Alternatively, the information acquiring unit 210a may acquire, as the amount of power consumption, the predicted value of the amount of power demand predicted by the power demand acquiring unit 210g. Furthermore, the information acquiring unit 210a acquires, as the payment for the purchase and sale of the product, the value obtained by multiplying the unit price of the product and the number of products purchased and sold with other businesses that make up the supply chain. The unit price of the product and the number of products may be input to the control device 200 using an operation input device including a keyboard or a mouse.

[0063] Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 210a acquires the amount of power supplied through the fourth power supply switch 150 when the fourth power supply switch 150 is turned on as the amount of surplus power supplied from the control system 100 in the other power consumption area. Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 210a acquires the amount of power supplied to the control system 100 in the other power consumption area through the second power supply switch 116 when the second power supply switch 116 is turned on as the amount of surplus power supplied to the control system 100 in the other power consumption area. These amounts of power are actually measured by, for example, a smart meter. Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 210a acquires weather information transmitted from an external server via the communication network 500.

[0064] The information transmitting unit 210b transmits to the server 600 the information acquired by the information acquiring unit 210a.

[0065] When the server 600 transmits the first or second power supply command, the power supply command receiving unit 210c receives the first or second power supply command. When the power supply command receiving unit 210c receives the first power supply command from the server 600, the power supply control unit 210d controls the second power supply switch 116 to be on based on the first power supply command. As a result, power generated by the solar panel 102 is supplied to the control system 100 in the other power consumption area. When the power supply command receiving unit 210c receives the second power supply command from the server 600, the power receiving control unit 210e controls the fourth power supply switch 150 to be on based on the second power supply command. As a result, power generated by the solar panel 102 in the control system 100 in the other power consumption area is supplied.

[0066] When the power receiving control unit 210e controls the fourth power supply switch 150 to be on, the power supply control unit 210d appropriately turns off the third power supply switch 148. This reduces the amount of commercial power supplied from the power company 400, improving the renewable energy procurement rate. For example, the amount of commercial power supplied is reduced by the amount of surplus power received from other power consumption areas. The server 600 may instruct the control device 200 on the amount of reduction in the amount of commercial power supplied based on the amount of surplus power supplied.

[0067] The power generation amount prediction unit 210f predicts the amount of power generated by the solar panel 102. For example, the power generation amount prediction unit 210f predicts the amount of power generated by the solar panel 102 based on weather information acquired by the information acquisition unit 210a from an external server.

[0068] The power generation amount prediction unit 210f may be configured with a trained model that has been machine-learned to predict the power generation amount of the solar panel 102. In this case, the learning unit 210h may, for example, use input values ​​x1, x2, x3, x4, and x5 and training data y t A trained model is created from multiple datasets consisting of the training data y tis obtained, and if the output value from the output layer for this input value is y, if the square error is used as the error function, the square error E is E=(1 / 2)·(yy t ) 2 It can be calculated as follows.

[0069] The learning unit 210h inputs the input values ​​included in the data set into the neural network, and compares the obtained output value y with the training data y included in the data set. t Then, the learning unit 210h calculates the weight w and bias b of each node by performing calculations such as backpropagation or stochastic gradient descent to minimize the sum of the squared errors E obtained from multiple learning datasets, thereby creating a trained model. Note that if training data cannot be detected, the learning unit 210h may create a trained model by unsupervised learning or reinforcement learning.

[0070] When the learning unit 210h creates a trained model corresponding to the power generation amount prediction unit 210f, the input values ​​x1, x2, x3, x4, and x5 are, for example, meteorological information such as the amount of solar radiation, weather, temperature, and wind power. t is the actual value of the amount of power generated by the solar panel 102. As a result, when parameters such as the amount of solar radiation, weather, temperature, and wind power are input into the created trained model, a predicted value of the amount of power generated by the solar panel 102 is output from the trained model.

[0071] The power demand acquisition unit 210g acquires the amount of power demand in each power consumption area. For example, the amount of power demand in each power consumption area may be determined in advance in a demand plan. In this case, the power demand acquisition unit 210g acquires the amount of power demand from the demand plan. The demand plan may be stored in the memory of the control device 200.

[0072] The power demand acquisition unit 210g may also predict the amount of power demand and acquire the predicted amount of power demand. In this case, the power demand acquisition unit 210g may be configured with a trained model that has been machine-learned to predict the amount of power demand. In this case, the learning unit 210h may, in the same manner as above, acquire, for example, input values ​​x1, x2, x3, x4, and x5 and training data y t A trained model is created from a plurality of data sets consisting of the above. When the learning unit 210h creates a trained model for predicting the amount of electricity demand, the input values ​​x1, x2, x3, x4, and x5 are, for example, parameters such as the shipping volume of products produced in each electricity consumption area, the production plan, the operating status of the production equipment, the operating time, and the accumulated usage time representing the degree of deterioration of the equipment. Here, the production plan may include the planned shipping volume and the process plan. In addition, the training data y t is the actual value of the amount of electricity used in each electricity consumption area. By inputting these parameters into the trained model, the trained model will output a predicted value of the amount of electricity demand.

[0073] Next, the chronological flow of processing by the processor 612 of the server 600 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. First, the information acquisition unit 612a acquires the amount of power generated by the solar panels 102, the amount of power consumed, the amount of power purchased, the power rates, and the prices related to the purchase and sale of products from the control devices 200 in each power consumption area (step S10). Next, the surplus power determination unit 612b calculates the amount of surplus power generated by solar power in each of the power consumption areas of the multiple businesses (step S12).

[0074] Next, the renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit 612c calculates the renewable energy procurement rate for each of the plurality of power consumption areas (step S14). Next, the surplus power determination unit 612b determines whether or not there is surplus power generated by solar power in each of the plurality of power consumption areas of the plurality of businesses, i.e., whether or not surplus power is occurring (step S16).

[0075] If surplus power is generated in step S16, the power supply control unit 612d supplies the surplus power to the power consumption area with the lowest renewable energy procurement rate among the plurality of power consumption areas (step S18).

[0076] Next, the surplus power determination unit 612b determines whether surplus power is still occurring (step S20). If surplus power is still occurring in step S20, the power supply control unit 612d supplies the surplus power to the power consumption area with the next lowest renewable energy procurement rate among the multiple power consumption areas (step S22). After step S22, the process returns to step S20.

[0077] If there is no surplus power in step S20, the payment processing unit 612e performs payment processing (step S24).

[0078] As described above, according to this embodiment, when a surplus of solar-generated electricity occurs in a power consumption area of ​​a business that constitutes a supply chain that supplies products, the surplus electricity is distributed to a power consumption area with a low renewable energy procurement rate. This increases the renewable energy procurement rate in the power consumption area with a low renewable energy procurement rate, making it possible to increase the renewable energy procurement rate throughout the supply chain.

[0079] Furthermore, by substituting the value obtained from renewable energy, i.e., electricity charges, for part of the monetary transactions between businesses in the supply chain, it is possible to manage money efficiently and reduce the complicated procedures involved in monetary transactions. Furthermore, by creating a production plan based on power generation forecasts and sharing this throughout the supply chain, it is possible to improve the renewable energy utilization rate in production itself. Furthermore, by applying the technology of this invention only to specific end products, it is possible to create products that use 100% renewable energy. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 100 Control System 102 Solar Panels 104 Junction box 106 DC / AC high frequency inverter 108 High Frequency Transformer 110 Earth leakage breaker 112 First power supply switch 114 Controlled Equipment 116 Second power supply switch 118 AC / DC Converter 120 Battery power supply switch 122 DC / DC converter 124 Storage battery 140 Zero-phase voltage detector 142 Power purchase breaker 144 Reverse Power Relay 146 High Frequency Transformer 148 Third power supply switch 150 Fourth power supply switch 200 control device 210 processors 210a Information acquisition section 210b Information transmission unit 210c Power supply command receiver 210d Power supply control unit 210e Power receiving control unit 210f Power generation forecast section 210g Electricity demand acquisition department 210h Learning Department 212 memory 300 power generation companies 350 Consumer 400 electric power companies 500 Communication Network 600 servers 610 Control device 612 processor 612a Information Acquisition Department 612b Surplus power determination unit 612c Renewable Energy Procurement Rate Calculation Department 612d Power supply control unit 612e Payment processing unit 614 memory 616 Communication Interface 620 Storage Device 1000 Whole System

Claims

1. A power distribution system that distributes electricity generated by renewable energy among multiple businesses that make up a supply chain that supplies products, a surplus power determination unit that determines whether or not there is surplus power generated by renewable energy in each of the power consumption areas of the plurality of businesses; a renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit that calculates a renewable energy procurement rate in each of the plurality of power consumption areas; a power supply control unit that supplies surplus power generated by renewable energy in a power consumption area with a surplus to a power consumption area having a low renewable energy procurement rate among the plurality of power consumption areas; A power distribution system comprising:

2. the renewable energy procurement rate calculation unit calculates the renewable energy procurement rate for all of the plurality of power consumption areas; 2. The power distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the power supply control unit supplies the surplus power to at least one of the plurality of power consumption areas so that the renewable energy procurement rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined value in all of the plurality of power consumption areas.

3. The power distribution system according to claim 1 , wherein when the surplus power is supplied to a plurality of the power consumption areas, the power supply control unit supplies the power in order of decreasing renewable energy procurement rate.

4. a payment processing unit that settles an electricity fee corresponding to the price of the surplus electricity between a business operator that supplied the surplus electricity and a business operator to which the surplus electricity was supplied, 2. The power distribution system according to claim 1, wherein, when there is a sale and purchase of the product or an intermediate product arising in the process of producing the product between the business operator that supplied the surplus power and the business operator to which the surplus power was supplied, the settlement processing unit offsets the price related to the sale and purchase with at least a portion of the electricity fee to settle the transaction.

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