Emissions trading intermediation device, emissions trading intermediation system, emissions trading intermediation method and program

Abstract

To accurately identify CO2 reductions in various phases in households, and to trade the reductions in the households collectively in an emissions trading market, thereby allowing the households to easily participate in emissions trading.SOLUTION: An emissions trading mediation system S includes: subscriber terminal devices 2 owned by each of multiple small-scale consumers; purchaser terminal devices 3 owned by each of multiple consumers who are purchasers of CO2 emissions; and an emissions trading mediation apparatus 1 configured to calculate the total of CO2 reductions generated in the small-scale consumers, as CO2 emissions available for sale in emissions trading, receive desired emissions to be purchased by the consumers from the purchaser terminal devices 3 owned by the multiple consumers of CO2 emissions, collate, based on a request received from the subscriber terminal devices 2 of the small-scale consumers, the desired emissions to be purchased with the total CO2 emissions calculated for the small-scale consumers, and sell the CO2 emissions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an emissions trading intermediation device, an emissions trading intermediation system, an emissions trading intermediation method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, such as CO2, which are believed to be a contributing factor to global climate change, is a pressing issue today. To effectively curb greenhouse gas emissions, countries and companies have adopted emissions trading systems (also known as "emissions trading schemes," but the term "emissions trading" is used in this specification). These systems allocate CO2 and other greenhouse gas emission allowances to each country or company, and allow countries or companies that exceed their allowances to trade these allowances with countries or companies that have excess allowances. To date, emissions trading systems have primarily been used by large companies that emit large amounts of greenhouse gases. However, in recent years, changes in the global environment have necessitated further acceleration of greenhouse gas emission reductions. This calls for promoting CO2 emission reductions at smaller scales, such as at households. To achieve this, a key issue is how to increase incentives for households to reduce CO2 emissions.

[0003] From this perspective, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a system in which an electric power company acquires the amount of power generated at an end-user site, converts the acquired amount of power generated into points that indicate contributions to greenhouse gas emission reductions, aggregates the acquired amount of power generated across multiple end-user sites, and sells the points on an emissions trading market through a trust company. The electric power company distributes the compensation obtained from the sales in proportion to the points of each end-user site.

[0004] Furthermore, in Patent Document 2, in order to reliably calculate the amount of CO2 reduction caused by activities outside the home, history information of activities outside the home, such as use of public transportation, shopping, and use of EVs, is recorded on an IC card, and the corresponding greenhouse gas reduction amount is stored in association with the history information in the home controller. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-33081 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-38234 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] One way to increase motivation for reducing greenhouse gases such as CO2 among ordinary households is to allow them to easily sell their CO2 emissions reductions on an emissions trading market. However, in the case of Patent Document 1, it is assumed that power generation is performed at the end user's site, making it difficult to apply to all ordinary households. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 aims to make it possible to grasp the amount of CO2 reductions in each household's daily life, which is useful for collecting basic data for households to participate in an emissions trading market. However, it lacks a mechanism for efficiently aggregating the amount of reductions achieved by each household, and therefore the reductions are too small for individual households to participate in an emissions trading market.

[0007] In order to solve the above and other problems, one object of the present invention is to provide an emissions trading intermediation device, an emissions trading intermediation system, an emissions trading intermediation method and a program that enable accurate understanding of the amount of CO2 reduction in each household in various aspects, and that aggregates the amount of reduction in each household so that it can be traded in the emissions trading market, thereby allowing each household to easily participate in emissions trading. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is an emissions trading intermediary device that includes a processing unit that tallys up, for each of a plurality of small-scale consumers, the amount of greenhouse gas reductions generated by the each of the small-scale consumers as greenhouse gas emissions that can be sold in emissions trading, receives from a plurality of potential purchasers of greenhouse gas emissions the emissions that each of the potential purchasers wishes to purchase, and, based on a request from each of the small-scale consumers, compares the greenhouse gas emissions tally for each of the small-scale consumers with the emissions that each of the potential purchasers wishes to purchase, and sells the greenhouse gas emissions. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately grasp the greenhouse gas reduction amount at each small-scale consumer in various aspects, and to aggregate the reduction amount at each small-scale consumer and make it possible to trade it on the emissions trading market, thereby enabling each small-scale consumer to easily participate in emissions trading. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an emissions trading intermediation system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration and functions of an emissions trading intermediation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 2 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration and functions of a subscriber terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration and functions of a purchaser terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a subscriber emission amount storage unit of an emission amount trading intermediary device. FIG. [Figure 6] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a subscriber emission amount storage unit of an emission amount trading intermediary device. FIG. [Figure 7] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a subscriber emission amount storage unit of an emission amount trading intermediary device. FIG. [Figure 8]10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a subscriber emission amount storage unit of an emission amount trading intermediary device. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an emission trading storage unit of an emission trading intermediary device. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a subscriber information storage unit of an emissions trading intermediary device. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a required discharge amount storage unit of a purchaser terminal device. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a purchased emission amount storage unit of the purchaser terminal device. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart illustrating data processing by an emission management unit of an emission trading intermediary device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart illustrating data processing by an emissions trading unit of an emissions trading intermediary device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart illustrating data processing in a purchaser terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating data processing in the emissions trading intermediation system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a transaction screen of a subscriber terminal device. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a transaction screen of a purchaser terminal device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on an embodiment thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] <Emissions trading intermediary system> FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the overall configuration of an emissions trading intermediation system S in one embodiment of the present invention. The emissions intermediation system S illustrated in FIG. 1 is configured by an emissions intermediation device 1, a subscriber terminal device 2, and a purchaser terminal device 3, which are communicably connected via a network 4. The network 4 can be configured to include various communication networks such as the Internet, a WAN, a LAN, and a mobile communication network. The emissions trading intermediation device 1, the subscriber terminal device 2, and the purchaser terminal device 3 are each configured as a computer with communication capabilities. The subscriber terminal device 2 is particularly preferably configured as a personal device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal. The emissions intermediation device 1 and the purchaser terminal device 3 may each be configured as a cloud computing system consisting of multiple nodes distributed over the network 4.

[0013] In the emissions trading intermediary system S of FIG. 1, the emissions trading intermediary device 1 aggregates, from each subscriber terminal device 2, the relatively small amounts of greenhouse gas reductions generated by small-scale consumers, such as households, that are equipped with each subscriber terminal device 2, into emission allowances that can be sold in the emissions trading market. This allows the small amounts of emission allowances generated by each small-scale consumer to be consolidated into an amount that can be sold in the emissions trading market. Meanwhile, purchaser terminal devices 3 send requests to purchase emission allowances to the emissions trading intermediary device 1. Each purchaser terminal device 3 is located at a large-scale consumer that belongs to a production sector that emits relatively large amounts of greenhouse gases. A large-scale consumer that needs to purchase emission allowances to promote carbon neutrality sends an emission allowance purchase request to the emissions trading intermediary device 1 through the purchaser terminal device 3. The emissions trading intermediary device 1 matches the greenhouse gas reduction amounts received and aggregated from the subscriber terminal devices 2 of the small-scale consumers with the emission allowance purchase requests of large-scale consumers received from the purchaser terminal devices 3, and sells the requested emission allowances (greenhouse gas emissions) to the large-scale consumer. The configurations of the emissions trading intermediary device 1, subscriber terminal device 2, and purchaser terminal device 3 that make up the emissions trading intermediary system S of this embodiment, and the data processing they perform, will be described below with reference to diagrams and other information related to data processing flow and sequence examples. For simplicity, "greenhouse gas" will be referred to as "CO2," the representative component, hereinafter. Furthermore, what the emissions trading intermediary device 1 receives from each small-scale consumer is the amount of greenhouse gas reduced by that consumer, but for simplicity, the subject of trading will be referred to as "CO2 emissions (or simply "emissions" if not unclear)" or "emission allowances."

[0014] <Emissions Trading Intermediary Device 1> Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration and functions of the emissions trading intermediation device 1 of this embodiment. In Figure 2, the emissions trading intermediation device 1 comprises a processor 11 such as a CPU or GPU, memory 12 having storage devices such as ROM and RAM, auxiliary storage unit 13 having storage devices such as HDD and SSD, input / output unit 14 having input devices such as a keyboard, touch panel, mouse and microphone, and output devices such as a monitor display, speaker and printer, a data interface unit (data IF unit) 15 that sends and receives data between each hardware unit, and a communication unit 16 that communicates with the network 4.

[0015] The subscriber terminal device 2 and the purchaser terminal device 3, which will be described later, can also be basically configured as computers having the hardware configuration exemplified in FIG.

[0016] Next, the functions of the emissions trading intermediary device 1 according to this embodiment will be explained again with reference to Figure 2. The emissions trading intermediary device 1 has the functional blocks of an emissions management unit 121, an emissions trading unit 122, and an emissions data provision unit 123. These functional blocks are realized by the processor 11 in Figure 2 executing the corresponding programs, and each program can be configured to be stored in the auxiliary storage unit 13 and read into the memory 12 by the processor 11 for execution.

[0017] The data used by the above functional blocks is stored in the subscriber emission memory unit 131, the emissions trading memory unit 132, the subscriber information memory unit 133, and the trading data memory unit 134, which are data storage areas provided in the auxiliary memory unit 13. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the subscriber emission memory unit 131, the emissions trading memory unit 132, and the subscriber information memory unit 133 are stored for each subscriber terminal device 2, such as subscriber X and subscriber Y. This is to grasp the CO2 emissions for each subscriber who owns a subscriber terminal device 2. Each subscriber can be further grouped into a unit called a small-scale consumer. As an example, if a four-person household consisting of parents and two children each owns a smartphone as a subscriber terminal device 2 and each subscribes to the emissions trading intermediation system S of this embodiment, the household is considered a small-scale consumer including four subscribers. By recording the emissions for each subscriber in this way, it is possible to transfer emissions within the small-scale consumer. Note that each data storage area will be described later with examples.

[0018] The emission management unit 121 has a function of aggregating and recording data on CO2 emissions from each subscriber (data on emission allowances to be sold). The CO2 emissions acquired for the subscriber terminal device 2 of each small-scale consumer are stored and tallied in the subscriber emission storage unit 131.

[0019] The CO2 emission data recorded by the emission management unit 121 is divided into four categories according to various aspects of the activities of small-scale consumers (for example, activities related to daily household life). The subscriber emission storage unit 131 stores purchase emission data, travel emission data, plant emission data, and energy consumption emission data, as shown in Figures 5 to 8.

[0020] (1) Emissions recorded for purchases The emission management unit 121 acquires, for each subscriber, the CO2 emissions (carbon footprint) associated with items purchased in daily life, etc., from payment records at the time of purchase of the items, information posted on the mail order site where the purchase was made, etc., and stores this as purchase emission data. The emission management unit 121 acquires such data related to the carbon footprint based on pre-registered subscriber information (described below), such as credit card information, barcode payment app link information, internet mail order app link information, etc. If CO2 emission data cannot be obtained from these information sources, it may be configured so that it can be manually entered from the subscriber terminal device 2.

[0021] FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of purchase emission data. The subscriber emission storage unit 131 shown in FIG. 5 is in the form of a data table, but the data storage format is not limited to this. This also applies to other data storage units shown later in data table format. The numerical and other data shown in FIG. 5 are merely examples and are not particularly meaningful in themselves (the same applies hereinafter in the specification and drawings). The purchase emission data shown in FIG. 5 records the purchase date, product name, quantity, price, and corresponding CO2 emissions (carbon footprint) of an item, in association with an ID, which is an identification code for each record. Recording the CO2 emissions of purchased items in this way motivates members of small-scale consumers using the subscriber terminal device 2 to purchase items with as little CO2 emissions as possible and with a minimal burden on the environment, thereby promoting CO2 emission reductions at home and elsewhere.

[0022] (2) CO2 emissions recorded for location changes The emission management unit 121 records, as travel emission data, CO2 emissions when members of a small-scale consumer (such as a family member of an ordinary household) who use the subscriber terminal device 2 move geographically by various means of transportation. People travel by a variety of means of transportation, from walking and bicycles to cars, trains, buses, taxis, and airplanes, and the amount of CO2 emissions varies depending on the means of transportation. The emission management unit 121 records the means of transportation used by the user of the subscriber terminal device 2 by linking this information with location information, travel route information, and travel speed information of the subscriber terminal device 2 obtained from a map app or the like, and travel route information obtained from a car navigation app, a transit route search app, etc., and records CO2 emissions based on the CO2 emissions per unit travel distance set for each means of transportation.

[0023] FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of travel emission data. The travel emission data shown in FIG. 6 includes the date of travel, the starting and ending points of the travel, the means of travel, and the amount of emissions, all associated with an ID, which is an identification code for each record. In this embodiment, for each travel route, the CO2 emissions resulting from traveling by the means of travel that provides the shortest travel time for that route are used as a reference, and the difference between this and the CO2 emissions resulting from traveling by a means of travel with lower CO2 emissions is calculated. This difference is then recorded as the amount of CO2 emissions that can be sold (negative emissions). For example, in FIG. 6, in the case of "traveling by train from Station A to Station B," the difference is recorded as 100 g less CO2 emissions than traveling the same distance by car, which is faster. For "traveling from Post Office C to Supermarket D," the difference is 0 because the fastest means of travel was traveled by car. For "traveling from Supermarket D to Bookstore E," the CO2 emissions are 0 because the travel was by foot, and the difference is large compared to traveling by the fastest means of travel (e.g., taxi). In this way, the more people use means of transportation that emit less CO2 and place less strain on the environment, the more CO2 emissions they can sell, which can increase motivation to reduce CO2 emissions at home, etc.

[0024] (3) CO2 emissions recorded in relation to CO2 absorption and fixation by plants The emission management unit 121 has a function of calculating, for example, on a monthly basis, the amount of CO2 absorbed by plants through photosynthesis, estimated from the vegetation on the land occupied by the small-scale consumer using the subscriber terminal device 2. Specifically, the amount of CO2 absorbed and fixed from the air by plants through photosynthesis is calculated as sellable CO2 emissions (negative emissions). The CO2 absorption amount is calculated monthly based on the vegetation and area of ​​the target land, obtained from aerial photographs, satellite photographs, etc., and recorded as plant emission data in the subscriber emission storage unit 131. Figure 7 shows an example of the plant emission data structure. The plant emission data shown in Figure 7 includes the following fields: year and month of calculation, vegetation type, area, and CO2 absorption amount, associated with an ID for identifying each record. Calculation of CO2 absorption amount using satellite photographs is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent No. 4856747. The plant emission data may also include the contribution of plants cultivated in each small-scale consumer's home garden, etc. In the case of an apartment building, the amount of CO2 absorption based on the land on which the apartment building is built may be calculated by dividing the amount of CO2 absorption by the number of condominium owners.

[0025] (4) CO2 emissions recorded in relation to energy consumption The emission management unit 121 records CO2 emissions related to electricity, gas, and water and sewerage consumption by small-scale consumers using the subscriber terminal device 2, and records the data as energy consumption and emission data. The electricity, gas, and water and sewerage consumption amounts can be obtained from data stored in, for example, smart meters, which are the respective usage measurement devices, or other systems that manage energy usage in homes, such as a home energy management system (HEMS). FIG. 8 shows an example of the structure of energy consumption and emission data. In the example of FIG. 8, the following items are recorded in association with an ID for identifying each record: the year and month of energy consumption, the type of energy, the amount used, the price, and the difference. Regarding energy consumption, for example, a method can be used: based on the average electricity consumption for a given month, the actual amount of electricity consumption obtained from a smart meter is calculated. If the amount is low, the CO2 reduction amount (negative emissions) corresponding to the difference can be recorded as sellable CO2 emissions. This method can increase motivation to reduce household energy consumption and suppress CO2 emissions.

[0026] The emissions trading unit 122 has an emissions trading function, which sells the CO2 emissions aggregated from each small-scale consumer through each subscriber terminal device 2 to a large-scale consumer who wishes to purchase the emissions through their own purchaser terminal device 3. At this time, the CO2 emissions purchased from each small-scale consumer and the CO2 emissions sold to each large-scale consumer are stored and tallied in the emissions trading memory unit 132 by the emissions trading unit 122.

[0027] Fig. 9 shows an example of the configuration of the emissions trading storage unit 132. The emissions trading storage unit 132 shown in Fig. 9 stores the CO2 emissions that the emissions trading intermediary device 1 has purchased from the subscriber terminal device 2 of each small-scale consumer, along with their aggregated values. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 9, each record identified by an ID stores the date on which the CO2 emissions were purchased, the small-scale consumer from which they were purchased, the purchase amount, and the purchase price. The purchase price is determined by the corresponding purchase amount and the assessed price per unit purchase amount of CO2 at the time of purchase. The assessed price per unit purchase amount is stored, for example, in the trading data storage unit 134, which will be described later.

[0028] Figure 9 also records the sold emission amount data. The sold emission amount data is the CO2 emissions sold by the emissions trading intermediary device 1 to each large-scale consumer through the purchaser terminal device 3 of each large-scale consumer, and the aggregated value. Specifically, as shown in Figure 9, each record identified by an ID stores the date on which the CO2 emissions were sold, the large-scale consumer to which the emissions were sold, the sold amount, and the sold amount. The sold amount is determined by the corresponding sold amount and the assessed amount per unit sold amount of CO2 at the time of sale. The assessed amount per unit sold amount is stored, for example, in the trading data storage unit 134, which will be described later.

[0029] The subscriber information storage unit 133 stores subscriber information about each subscriber. FIG. 10 shows an example of subscriber information stored in the subscriber information storage unit 133. The subscriber information includes various information necessary for the emissions trading intermediary device 1 to register each subscriber in the emissions trading intermediary system S to enable emissions trading and to acquire and tally CO2 emissions from each subscriber. In the example of FIG. 10, the subscriber information includes terminal identification information used by the emissions trading intermediary device 1 to identify each subscriber, credit card information for acquiring the subscriber's purchase history, IC card ticket information used to calculate CO2 emissions associated with travel, route search app linkage information, owned vehicle information (e.g., car model, year, etc.), home and workplace address information used to determine whether CO2 emissions associated with travel are private or public, owned land information such as the location and extent of the subscriber's land used to acquire CO2 emissions associated with plants, energy contract information including contract numbers for electricity, gas, water, sewerage, etc. used to acquire CO2 emissions associated with energy consumption, and financial institution transaction information such as account information used to settle the payment for emissions trading. The subscriber information is not limited to the above information, and may include other necessary information, such as a password for ensuring information security between the emissions trading intermediary device 1, biometric authentication information, and the like.

[0030] The emission data providing unit 123 has the function of extracting a record of CO2 emissions for a specified period from the subscriber emission memory unit 131 in response to a request from the subscriber terminal device 2 of a small-scale consumer and providing it to the requesting small-scale consumer.

[0031] As described above, the trading data storage unit 134 stores data used for data processing by the emissions trading unit 122, such as the assessed price per unit of emissions when purchasing or selling CO2 emissions, in an appropriate data format. The trading data storage unit 134 may also store other data such as the upper limit of purchase emissions for each large-scale consumer that purchases CO2 emissions.

[0032] <Subscriber terminal device 2> Next, the subscriber terminal device 2 (first terminal device) will be described. Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration and functions of the subscriber terminal device 2 of this embodiment. In Figure 3, the subscriber terminal device 2, like the emissions trading intermediary device 1 described above, comprises a processor 21, memory 22, auxiliary storage unit 23, input / output unit 24, data IF unit 25, and communication unit 26.

[0033] Next, the functions of the subscriber terminal device 2 will be described again with reference to Fig. 3. The subscriber terminal device 2 has the functional blocks of an emissions management unit 221 and an emissions trading unit 222. These functional blocks are realized by the processor 21 in Fig. 3 executing the corresponding programs, and each program can be stored in the auxiliary storage unit 23 and read into the memory 22 by the processor 21 for execution.

[0034] The data used by the above-mentioned functional blocks is stored in a discharge amount storage unit 231 and a subscriber information storage unit 232, which are data storage areas provided in the auxiliary storage unit 23.

[0035] The emission management unit 221 has the function of acquiring from the emissions trading intermediary device 1 and recording the amount of CO2 emissions or reductions thereof that occur through various activities of the small-scale consumer, such as an ordinary household, to which the subscriber terminal device 2 belongs.

[0036] The emissions trading unit 222 has a function of requesting the emissions trading intermediary apparatus 1 to execute a transaction such as the sale of CO2 emissions.

[0037] The emission storage unit 231 stores data that has been acquired and recorded about the CO2 emissions related to the subscriber terminal device 2 obtained from the emission trading intermediary device 1. The data stored in the emission storage unit 231 corresponds to the data recorded in the subscriber emission storage unit 131 of the emission trading intermediary device 1.

[0038] The subscriber information storage unit 232 stores information about the subscriber of the subscriber terminal device 2, and corresponds to the data in the subscriber information storage unit 133 in the emissions trading intermediation device 1. When a change occurs in the subscriber information registered in the emissions trading intermediation device 1, each subscriber can request the emissions trading intermediation device 1 to register the change via the emissions management unit 221.

[0039] <Purchaser terminal device 3> Next, the purchaser terminal device 3 (second terminal device) will be described. Fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration and functions of the purchaser terminal device 3 of this embodiment. In Fig. 4, the purchaser terminal device 3, like the emissions trading intermediary device 1 and subscriber terminal device 2 described above, comprises a processor 31, memory 32, auxiliary storage unit 33, input / output unit 34, data IF unit 35, and communication unit 36.

[0040] The data used by the above-mentioned functional blocks is stored in a required emission amount storage unit 331 and a purchased emission amount storage unit 332, which are data storage areas provided in the auxiliary storage unit 33.

[0041] The emissions management unit 321 has the function of aggregating and recording the predicted and actual CO2 emissions generated by large-scale consumers in various industrial sectors to which the purchaser terminal device 3 belongs from each business establishment, etc., and calculating the amount of CO2 emissions that needs to be purchased based on the imposed emission cap and the predicted value. The emissions purchase processing unit 322 has the function of accessing the emissions trading intermediary apparatus 1 based on the emissions that need to be purchased calculated by the emissions management unit 321, and executing the purchase process for the necessary emissions. Each large-scale consumer that owns a purchaser terminal device 3 can procure the necessary CO2 emission allowances through the emissions trading intermediary apparatus 1 based on the imposed CO2 emission cap and the predicted and actual CO2 emissions.

[0042] FIG. 11 shows an example of the configuration of the required emission amount storage unit 331, and FIG. 12 shows an example of the configuration of the purchased emission amount storage unit 332. The required emission amount storage unit 331 stores a date and the required emission amount, which is the amount of emission that needs to be purchased on that date, in association with an ID for identifying each stored record. The purchased emission amount storage unit 332 stores a date, the amount of emission purchased on that date, and the purchase price in association with an ID for identifying each stored record. The emission purchase processing unit 322 sends an emission amount purchase order to the emissions trading intermediary device 1 based on the required emission amount recorded in the required emission amount storage unit 331, and records the resulting purchased emission amount and purchase price in the purchased emission amount storage unit 332. Each large-scale consumer that owns a purchaser terminal device 3 can procure the required CO2 emission allowances through the emissions trading intermediary device 1 based on the imposed CO2 emission upper limit, predicted CO2 emission amounts, and actual CO2 emission amounts.

[0043] <Data processing by the emissions trading intermediary device 1, subscriber terminal device 2, and purchaser terminal device 3> Next, the data processing executed by the emissions trading intermediary device 1, subscriber terminal device 2, and purchaser terminal device 3 in the present embodiment described above will be described.

[0044] <<Data processing by the emissions trading intermediary device 1>> First, the data processing executed by the emissions management unit 121 and emissions trading unit 122 of the emissions trading intermediary apparatus 1 having the configuration and functions described above will be described with reference to Figures 13 and 14. Figure 13 is a flowchart showing an example of data processing by the emissions management unit 121 of the emissions trading intermediary apparatus 1. The emissions trading intermediary apparatus 1 aggregates CO2 emissions from various aspects of daily activities of small-scale consumers such as ordinary households equipped with subscriber terminal devices 2, thereby identifying them as emission allowances that can be sold in the emissions trading market, enabling even small-scale consumers to easily carry out emissions trading. At the same time, the emissions trading intermediary apparatus 1 provides the CO2 emissions and CO2 sales amounts recorded for each subscriber terminal device 2 to small-scale consumers via each subscriber terminal, thereby increasing the motivation of each small-scale consumer to change their lifestyle, including their energy consumption, to a carbon-free one.

[0045] 13, in step S1, the emissions management unit 121 executes the following processing steps for each subscriber terminal device 2. In the data processing in Figure 13, it is assumed that the subscriber terminal device 2 and the purchaser terminal device 3 have completed the login processing required to exchange data with the emissions trading intermediary device 1.

[0046] In step S2, for one subscriber terminal device 2, the emission management unit 121 obtains CO2 emissions related to the purchase of goods by linking with credit card information, mail order apps, etc., CO2 emissions related to travel by linking with car navigation apps, map apps, and route search apps, CO2 absorption amount related to plants based on plant cultivation area obtained from satellite photos, aerial photos, etc., and CO2 emissions related to energy consumption such as electricity from smart meter measurements, etc.

[0047] In step S3, the emission amount management unit 121 records each of the acquired emission amounts in the subscriber emission amount storage unit 131.

[0048] In step S4, the emission management unit 221 determines whether it has received a request for the CO2 emission amount and its aggregated value from the subscriber terminal device 2. If a request for the CO2 emission amount has been received (YES in step S4), in step S5 the emission management unit 121 transmits the CO2 emission amount recorded for the subscriber terminal device 2. If a request for the CO2 emission amount has not been received (NO in step S4), the emission management unit 121 proceeds to step S6.

[0049] In step S6, emission management unit 121 determines whether an instruction to end data processing has been received via input / output unit 15. If an instruction to end data processing has been received (YES in step S6), emission management unit 121 ends this data processing. If an instruction to end data processing has not been received (NO in step S6), emission management unit 121 returns to step S1 and continues the process of acquiring and tallying the CO2 emissions for each subscriber terminal device 2. According to this type of data processing, emission trading intermediary device 1 can acquire and tally the CO2 emissions for each subscriber terminal device 2, and provide a record of the CO2 emissions to each subscriber terminal device 2 in response to a request from each subscriber terminal device 2.

[0050] Next, an example of data processing by the emissions trading unit 122 will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a flowchart illustrating data processing executed by the emissions trading unit 122. In Fig. 14, the emissions trading unit 122 continuously monitors emissions trading requests from each subscriber terminal device 2 in a loop of step 11, and executes transactions in response to the requests.

[0051] In step S12, the emissions trading unit 122 monitors whether an instruction to start trading has been input via the input / output unit 14, and if it determines that an instruction to start trading has not been input (NO in step S12), it continues to monitor the input of the trading instruction. If it determines in step S12 that an instruction to start trading has been input (YES in step S12), the emissions trading unit 122 executes an emissions trading inquiry in step S13. Specifically, the emissions trading unit 122 inquires of the emissions management unit 121 whether the emissions can be sold. If the emissions can be sold, in step S14, the emissions trading unit 122 executes emissions trading.

[0052] In step S15, the emissions trading unit 122 determines whether to end the data processing of Fig. 14. The end instruction is given via the input / output unit 14. If it is determined that there is no end instruction (NO in step S15), the emissions trading unit 122 returns to step S11 and continues to monitor whether an instruction to start emissions trading has been input. If it is determined in step S15 that there is an end instruction, the emissions trading unit 122 ends the data processing of Fig. 14.

[0053] The data processing performed by the emissions trading unit 122 allows for easy selling of CO2 emissions as needed while continuously monitoring trading start requests from the subscriber terminal device 2. This increases motivation to reduce CO2 emissions in daily life and encourages a shift to a carbon-free lifestyle.

[0054] <<Data processing by purchaser terminal device 3>> Next, data processing executed by the purchaser terminal device 3 having the above-mentioned configuration and functions will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of data processing by the purchaser terminal device 3. The purchaser terminal device 3 enables a large-scale consumer equipped with the purchaser terminal device 3 to procure the necessary CO2 emissions from outside for the portion that exceeds the imposed CO2 emission upper limit.

[0055] Referring to FIG. 14, in step S21, the emission amount management unit 321 aggregates and records the CO2 emissions of the large-scale consumer to which the purchaser terminal device 3 belongs.

[0056] In step S22, the emission management unit 321 calculates the required amount of CO2 emissions to be procured from outside based on the aggregated CO2 emissions and the upper limit of CO2 emissions imposed on the large-scale consumer.

[0057] In step S23, the emissions purchasing processing unit 322 monitors whether an instruction to start trading has been input through the input / output unit 34, and if it determines that an instruction to start trading has not been input (NO in step S23), it returns to step S21 and continues aggregating CO2 emissions. If it determines in step S23 that an instruction to start trading has been input (YES in step S23), in step S24 the emissions purchasing processing unit 322 executes an emissions trading inquiry with the emissions trading intermediary apparatus 1. Specifically, the emissions purchasing processing unit 322 inquires of the emissions trading intermediary apparatus 1 whether emissions can be purchased. If emissions can be purchased, in step S25 the emissions purchasing processing unit 322 executes emissions trading with the emissions trading intermediary apparatus 1.

[0058] In step S26, the emission purchasing processing unit 322 determines whether to end data processing as the purchaser terminal device 3. The end instruction is given via the input / output unit 34. If it is determined that there is no end instruction (NO in step S26), the emission purchasing processing unit 322 returns to step S21 and causes the emission management unit 321 to continue aggregating CO2 emissions. If it is determined in step S26 that there is an end instruction, the emission purchasing processing unit 322 ends data processing as the purchaser terminal device 3.

[0059] According to the data processing performed by the purchaser terminal device 3 described above, it is possible to continuously monitor the CO2 emissions of the large-scale consumer to which the purchaser terminal device 3 belongs, and easily purchase CO2 emissions as needed.

[0060] <<Data processing in the emissions trading intermediary system S>> Next, data processing executed in the emissions trading intermediary system S, which has the emissions trading intermediary device 1, subscriber terminal device 2, and purchaser terminal device 3 having the configurations and functions described above, will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Fig. 16 is a sequence diagram showing an example of data processing in the emissions trading intermediary system S. In the emissions trading intermediary system S, the emissions trading intermediary device 1 aggregates and purchases CO2 emissions from multiple subscriber terminal devices 2, and on the other hand sells the purchased CO2 emissions to large-scale consumers equipped with purchaser terminal devices 3. In other words, the emissions trading intermediary device 1 purchases surplus CO2 emissions from small-scale consumers, matches them with large-scale consumers who need CO2 emissions, and sells them to the large-scale consumers in need.

[0061] In Figure 16, it is assumed that the subscriber terminal device 2 and the purchaser terminal device 3 have logged in to the emissions trading intermediary device 1 and are able to exchange data. Referring to Figure 16, in step S31, the emissions trading unit 122 of the subscriber terminal device 2 inquires about the amount of CO2 emissions that can be sold to the emissions trading intermediary device 1. The subscriber terminal device 2 has the function of obtaining CO2 emission records from the emissions trading intermediary device 1 and the function of requesting emissions trading from the emissions trading intermediary device 1, and does not essentially perform its own data processing within itself. Therefore, the data processing in the subscriber terminal device 2 is explained in Figure 16 in relation to the emissions trading intermediary device 1. However, it is possible to optionally perform data processing such as issuing a reminder to the subscriber that CO2 emissions are excessive or outputting advice on reducing CO2 emissions based on the CO2 emission records received from the emissions trading intermediary device 1.

[0062] In step S32, the emissions trading unit 122 of the emissions trading intermediary apparatus 1, based on the inquiry from the subscriber terminal apparatus 2, tallies up the CO2 emissions of the purchaser who wishes to purchase, which have been acquired from the purchaser terminal apparatus 3.

[0063] In step S33, the emissions trading unit 122 responds to the subscriber terminal device 2 that made the inquiry about the amount of CO2 emissions that can be purchased.

[0064] In step S34, the emissions trading intermediary device 1 receives the emissions purchase request from the subscriber terminal device 2, and in step S35, executes the required purchase processing based on the CO2 purchase price per unit amount at the time of the transaction.

[0065] In step S36, the emissions trading unit 122 transmits the purchase result to the subscriber terminal device 2, and ends the series of CO2 emissions purchasing processes.

[0066] Meanwhile, with regard to the sale of CO2 emissions to the purchaser terminal device 3, the emissions trading intermediary device 1 receives an inquiry about CO2 emissions that can be purchased from the purchaser terminal device 3 in step S37, tallying up the CO2 emissions that can be sold in step S38, and responding to the purchaser terminal device 3 that made the inquiry with the CO2 emissions that can be sold in step S39.

[0067] In step S40, the emissions trading intermediary device 1 receives a CO2 emissions purchase request from the purchaser terminal device 3 based on the response in step S39, and in step S41, performs the required sales processing based on the CO2 sales price per unit quantity at the time of the transaction.

[0068] In step S42, the emissions trading intermediary device 1 transmits the results of the selling process in step S41 to the buyer terminal device 3 of the buyer.

[0069] As described above, the emissions trading intermediary device 1 of this embodiment aggregates the emissions of small-scale consumers who wish to sell their excess CO2 emissions, matches them with large-scale consumers who wish to purchase the CO2 emissions, and performs the sales process, so even small-scale consumers can easily trade CO2 emissions.

[0070] <User Interface of Subscriber Terminal Device 2> Next, a description will be given of a user interface provided in the subscriber terminal device 2 of this embodiment that executes the above-mentioned data processing. Fig. 17 shows an operation screen 27, which is a user interface provided in the subscriber terminal device 2. The operation screen 27 shown in Fig. 17 is typically a display screen of a smartphone, tablet terminal, or the like that is set to function as the subscriber terminal device 2, but is not limited to these.

[0071] 17 includes a current on-hand emission amount display section 271, a transaction operation section 272, an emission amount transfer operation section 273, and a cancel button 274. Note that the display items and their layout on the screen are not limited to those shown in the example of FIG.

[0072] The current on-hand emission amount display unit 271 displays the latest CO2 emission amount recorded in the subscriber emission amount memory unit 131 of the subscriber terminal device 2. The trading operation unit 272 displays the amount of CO2 emission amount that can be sold and the purchase price received from the emissions trading intermediary device 1, and is provided with an input field for CO2 emission amount that the user wishes to sell. By entering the amount of CO2 emission amount that can be sold in the input field and pressing the sell button, the user can easily carry out the procedure for selling CO2 emission amounts from the subscriber terminal device 2.

[0073] The emission transfer operation unit 273 is used to transfer CO2 emissions from a subscriber terminal device 2 owned by a member of a small-scale consumer to a subscriber terminal device 2 owned by another member. For example, suppose that a small-scale consumer is a family of four consisting of a parent, a parent, and two children, and that each member has a smartphone or other such device as a subscriber terminal device 2. In this case, for example, one of the children can transfer his or her CO2 emissions to the father's subscriber terminal device 2. In the example of FIG. 17, "Purchase" is selected as the emission type and "Father" is selected as the transferee from the pull-down menu. By operating the OK button from this menu, the entered quantity of emissions is sent to the emissions trading intermediary device 1. In the emissions trading intermediary device 1, the emission management unit 121 transfers the corresponding quantity from the CO2 emissions recorded for the "child's" subscriber terminal device 2 to the CO2 emissions recorded for the "father's" subscriber terminal device 2.

[0074] A cancel button 274 is provided for executing a process to cancel the display and operation on this screen.

[0075] Using the operation screen of such a subscriber terminal device 2, CO2 emissions from an ordinary household or the like can be easily sold on the emissions trading market. In addition, CO2 emissions can be easily exchanged between users who own subscriber terminal devices 2.

[0076] <User Interface of Purchaser Terminal Device 3> Next, we will explain the user interface provided in the purchaser terminal device 3 of this embodiment that executes the above-mentioned data processing. Fig. 17 shows an example operation screen 37, which is a user interface provided in the purchaser terminal device 3. The example operation screen 37 shown in Fig. 17 is typically a display screen of a personal computer or the like that constitutes the purchaser terminal device 3, but is not limited to this.

[0077] The example screen in FIG. 18 includes a purchasable emissions field 371, a current selling price field 372, a desired emissions field 373, a purchase button 374, and a back button 375. The purchasable emissions field 371 indicates the amount of CO2 emissions that can be sold to the purchaser terminal device 3, as calculated by the emissions trading intermediary device 1. The current selling price field 372 indicates the latest selling price per unit of CO2. The desired emissions field 373 indicates the amount of CO2 emissions that the purchaser terminal device 3 requests the emissions trading intermediary device 1 to purchase. This value can be entered within the range of values ​​displayed in the purchasable emissions field 371. By operating the purchase button 374, a purchase request for the quantity entered in the desired emissions field 373 is sent to the emissions trading intermediary device 1. The cancel button 375 is an operation button for issuing an instruction to cancel the input on the operation screen 37. This operation screen 37 of the purchaser terminal device 3 allows large-scale consumers to easily purchase the amount of CO2 emissions they need.

[0078] Note that the operation screen 27 of the subscriber terminal device 2 illustrated in Figure 17 and the operation screen 37 of the purchaser terminal device 3 illustrated in Figure 18 are both examples, and the items to be displayed and their arrangement can be changed as appropriate without being restricted by these.

[0079] The emissions trading intermediary device 1 in the embodiment of the present invention described above makes it possible to accurately grasp the CO2 emissions of each small-scale consumer at various stages, and also makes it possible to aggregate the CO2 emissions of each small-scale consumer and trade them in the emissions trading market, thereby enabling each small-scale consumer to easily participate in emissions trading.

[0080] In addition, the CO2 emissions may be calculated based on at least one of the CO2 emissions corresponding to the goods purchased by each small-scale consumer, the CO2 emissions required when members of each small-scale consumer travel, the amount of CO2 absorbed by plants grown by each small-scale consumer, and the CO2 emissions related to the energy consumed by each small-scale consumer.

[0081] In this way, the CO2 emissions from each small-scale consumer can be accurately grasped and tallied.

[0082] The CO2 emissions required for each member of the small-scale consumer to travel can be calculated as the difference between the CO2 emissions if the member were to use the shortest means of transportation for the route they travel and the CO2 emissions of the means of transportation actually used.

[0083] In this way, it is possible to objectively grasp the amount of CO2 emissions reduction associated with travel.

[0084] The CO2 emissions corresponding to the goods purchased by each of the small-scale consumers can be calculated as the difference between the average CO2 emissions calculated for the goods purchased and the CO2 emissions calculated for the goods actually purchased.

[0085] This allows users to objectively understand the difference in CO2 emissions due to different purchased items, and also provides motivation for choosing items that have a low CO2 emission and a low environmental impact.

[0086] In addition, an emissions trading intermediary system S according to another embodiment of the present invention comprises a subscriber terminal device 2 owned by each of a plurality of small-scale consumers, a purchaser terminal device 3 owned by each of a plurality of consumers who are purchasers of CO2 emissions, and an emissions trading intermediary device 1 configured to aggregate the amount of CO2 reduction generated by each of the small-scale consumers as CO2 emissions that can be sold in emissions trading, receive the CO2 emissions that each of the plurality of CO2 emissions consumers wishes to purchase from the purchaser terminal device 3 owned by the consumers, and, based on a request received from the subscriber terminal device 2 of each of the small-scale consumers, compare the CO2 emissions aggregated for each of the small-scale consumers with the CO2 emissions that each consumer wishes to purchase, and sell the CO2 emissions.

[0087] The above-described series of processes can be executed by hardware or software. In other words, the functional configuration of FIG. 5 is merely an example and is not particularly limited. That is, it is sufficient that the business information management system 100 is provided with a function that can execute the above-described series of processes as a whole, and the type of functional block used to realize this function is not particularly limited to the examples of FIGS. 2 to 4. Furthermore, one functional block may be configured by hardware alone or by software alone.

[0088] When a series of processes is executed by software, the programs that make up the software are installed into a computer or the like from a network or a recording medium. The computer may be a computer built into dedicated hardware. Alternatively, the computer may be a computer that can execute various functions by installing various programs, such as a general-purpose personal computer.

[0089] In this specification, the steps of describing a program to be recorded on a recording medium include not only processes that are performed chronologically in accordance with the order, but also processes that are not necessarily performed chronologically but are performed in parallel or individually.

[0090] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The present invention can take various other embodiments, and it is also possible to combine the configurations of the above embodiments and modifications. Furthermore, various modifications such as omissions and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included within the scope and spirit of the invention described in this specification, etc., and are included in the invention described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] S Emissions Trading Intermediary System 1. Emissions Trading Intermediary 2. Subscriber terminal equipment 3. Purchaser terminal device 121,221,321 Emissions Management Department 122,222 Emissions Trading Department 123 Emissions Data Provider 131 Subscriber emissions storage unit 232 Subscriber information storage unit 322 Emissions Purchasing Department

Claims

1. aggregating the greenhouse gas reductions generated by each of the plurality of small-scale consumers as greenhouse gas emissions that can be sold in emissions trading; receiving, from a plurality of potential purchasers of greenhouse gas emissions, a desired purchase amount for each of said potential purchasers; a processing unit that compares the greenhouse gas emissions aggregated for each of the small-scale consumers with the desired purchase amount based on a request from each of the small-scale consumers, and sells the greenhouse gas emissions; The amount of greenhouse gas reduction is calculated based on at least one of the greenhouse gas emissions corresponding to the goods purchased by each of the small-scale consumers, the greenhouse gas emissions required when members of each of the small-scale consumers travel, the amount of greenhouse gas absorption by plants grown by each of the small-scale consumers, and the greenhouse gas emissions related to the energy consumed by each of the small-scale consumers, The greenhouse gas emissions required for the movement of each member of the small-scale consumer are calculated as the difference between the greenhouse gas emissions if the member uses the shortest means of transportation along the route he or she travels and the greenhouse gas emissions of the means of transportation actually used. Emissions trading intermediary device.

2. 2. The emissions trading intermediary device according to claim 1, wherein the greenhouse gas emissions corresponding to the goods purchased by each of the small-scale consumers are calculated as a difference obtained by subtracting the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for the goods actually purchased from the average greenhouse gas emissions calculated for the goods purchased.

3. a first terminal device owned by each of a plurality of small-scale consumers; a second terminal device owned by each of a plurality of consumers who are purchasers of greenhouse gas emissions; tallying up the greenhouse gas reductions generated by each of the small-scale consumers as greenhouse gas emissions that can be sold in emissions trading; receiving greenhouse gas emission amounts desired to be purchased from each of the consumers from the second terminal devices owned by the consumers; a processing unit that compares the greenhouse gas emissions aggregated for each of the small-scale consumers with the desired purchase amount based on a request received from the first terminal device of each of the small-scale consumers, and sells the greenhouse gas emissions; The amount of greenhouse gas reduction is calculated based on at least one of the greenhouse gas emissions corresponding to the goods purchased by each of the small-scale consumers, the greenhouse gas emissions required when members of each of the small-scale consumers travel, the amount of greenhouse gas absorption by plants grown by each of the small-scale consumers, and the greenhouse gas emissions related to the energy consumed by each of the small-scale consumers, an emissions trading intermediary device that calculates the greenhouse gas emissions required for each member of the small-scale consumer to travel as the difference between the greenhouse gas emissions if the member uses the means of transportation that takes the shortest time along the route the member travels and the greenhouse gas emissions of the means of transportation that the member actually uses; An emissions trading intermediary system that includes:

4. The information processing device aggregating the greenhouse gas reductions generated by each of the plurality of small-scale consumers as greenhouse gas emissions that can be sold in emissions trading; receiving, from a plurality of potential purchasers of greenhouse gas emissions, a desired purchase amount for each of said potential purchasers; based on a request from each of the small-scale consumers, comparing the greenhouse gas emissions aggregated for each of the small-scale consumers with the emissions they wish to purchase, and selling the greenhouse gas emissions; Calculating the greenhouse gas reduction amount based on at least one of the greenhouse gas emissions corresponding to the goods purchased by each of the small-scale consumers, the greenhouse gas emissions required for the movement of members of each of the small-scale consumers, the greenhouse gas absorption amount by plants grown by each of the small-scale consumers, and the greenhouse gas emissions related to the energy consumed by each of the small-scale consumers, The greenhouse gas emissions required for the movement of each member of the small-scale consumer are calculated as the difference between the greenhouse gas emissions if the member uses the shortest means of transportation along the route they travel and the greenhouse gas emissions of the means of transportation actually used. Emissions trading intermediation method.

5. In the information processing device, a process of aggregating the greenhouse gas reduction amount generated by each of a plurality of small-scale consumers as greenhouse gas emissions that can be sold in emissions trading; receiving, from a plurality of potential purchasers of greenhouse gas emissions, the greenhouse gas emissions amount each of the potential purchasers wishes to purchase; a process of comparing the greenhouse gas emissions aggregated for each of the small-scale consumers with the desired purchase amount based on a request from each of the small-scale consumers, and selling the greenhouse gas emissions; a process of calculating the greenhouse gas reduction amount based on at least one of greenhouse gas emissions corresponding to goods purchased by each of the small-scale consumers, greenhouse gas emissions required for the movement of members of each of the small-scale consumers, greenhouse gas absorption by plants cultivated by each of the small-scale consumers, and greenhouse gas emissions related to energy consumed by each of the small-scale consumers; A process of calculating the greenhouse gas emissions required for the movement of each member of the small-scale consumer as a difference obtained by subtracting the greenhouse gas emissions of the means of transportation actually used from the greenhouse gas emissions if the member uses the means of transportation that takes the shortest time along the route traveled by the member; A program that executes the following.

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