Emissions calculation device, emission calculation method and program

Abstract

To accurately identify greenhouse gas emissions in various phases in each household, and allow each household to easily participate in emissions trading.SOLUTION: An emissions tabulation apparatus 1 calculates, for a small-scale consumer such as a general household having a plurality of constituting members, greenhouse gas emissions based on activity records of the constituent members. and sums the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for each of the constituent members to tabulate greenhouse gas emissions of the small-scale consumer. The emissions tabulation apparatus 1 includes an emissions transfer unit 123 which is configured to transfer at least a part of the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for one constituent member, to the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for one of other constituent members.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an emission amount totalizing device, an emission amount totalizing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Curbing emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO2, which are believed to be one of the causes of global climate change, is an urgent issue today. To effectively curb greenhouse gas emissions, countries have adopted emissions trading systems (also known as "emissions trading schemes," but the term "emissions trading" is used in this specification). These systems allocate emission allowances for greenhouse gases such as CO2 to each country or company, and allow countries or companies that exceed their emission allowances to trade these allowances with countries or companies that have surplus allowances. To date, emissions trading systems have been used primarily by large companies that emit large amounts of greenhouse gases. However, in recent years, changes in the global environment have made it necessary to further accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Based on this recognition, there has been a demand to promote the reduction of CO2 emissions even at small units such as average households.

[0003] From this perspective, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a system that utilizes disclosure services that disclose the usage records of each consumer, which are already provided to consumers by electric power companies and gas companies on the Internet, to make it possible to more easily and accurately grasp CO2 emissions from ordinary households, etc., and automatically accesses these services in sequence to collect various types of usage data, thereby automatically entering multiple types of usage data into an environmental household account book. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-226715 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, while the system in Patent Document 1 can grasp CO2 emissions related to energy consumption in an average household, it cannot aggregate greenhouse gas emissions such as CO2 resulting from the various activities of each individual household member. In order to promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in average households, it is necessary to visualize the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from each individual's activities and to increase motivation for reducing emissions through participation in emissions trading. To this end, an emissions aggregation system is needed that can precisely aggregate greenhouse gas emissions resulting from each individual's activities and also enable people to participate in emissions trading with peace of mind.

[0006] In order to solve the above and other problems, one object of the present invention is to provide an emissions counting device, an emissions counting method, and a program that enable each household to accurately grasp greenhouse gas emissions in various aspects and that allow each household to easily participate in emissions trading. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is an emissions aggregation device that includes a processing unit that calculates greenhouse gas emissions for a small-scale consumer having multiple members based on the activity records of each of the members and aggregates the greenhouse gas emissions of the small-scale consumer by adding up the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for each of the members, and the processing unit is configured to transfer at least a portion of the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for any of the members to the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for any of the other members. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately grasp greenhouse gas emissions in various aspects of each household, and each household can easily participate in emissions trading. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an emission amount totalization system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration and functions of an emission amount totalizing 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] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a subscriber emission amount storage unit of the emission amount totaling device. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a subscriber emission amount storage unit of the emission amount totaling device. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a subscriber emission amount storage unit of the emission amount totaling device. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a subscriber emission amount storage unit of the emission amount totaling device. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a subscriber information storage unit of the emission amount totalization device. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a consumer emission amount storage unit of the emission amount totalizing device. [Figure 10] 4 is a flowchart illustrating data processing by the emission amount totalizing device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram illustrating data processing in the emission amount totalization system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a subscriber terminal device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on an embodiment thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] <Emissions calculation system> FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the overall configuration of an emission amount collection system S according to an embodiment of the present invention. The emission amount collection system S illustrated in FIG. 1 is configured by an emission amount collection device 1 and subscriber terminal devices 2 that are communicably connected via a network 3. The network 3 can be configured to include various communication networks such as the Internet, a WAN, a LAN, and a mobile communication network. The emission amount collection device 1 and subscriber terminal devices 2 are each configured as computers with communication functions. The subscriber terminal devices 2 are particularly preferably configured as personal devices such as smartphones and tablet devices. The emission amount collection device 1 may be configured as a cloud computing system made up of multiple nodes distributed over the network 3.

[0012] The emissions totalizing device 1 may be communicably connected to an external device, such as an emissions trading system that executes transactions in the emissions trading market 4. In this case, each subscriber terminal device 2 connected to the emissions totalizing device 1 is configured to function as a terminal device that executes data processing for emissions trading via the emissions totalizing device 1.

[0013] In the emissions aggregation system S of FIG. 1 , the emissions aggregation device 1 aggregates the relatively small amounts of greenhouse gas emissions generated by small-scale consumers such as households by acquiring data on various activities of each subscriber terminal device 2 holder, such as purchasing goods, traveling using transportation, cultivating plants, and energy consumption of electricity, gas, and water, and then calculates the corresponding greenhouse gas emissions. The greenhouse gas emissions calculated for each subscriber terminal device 2 are aggregated by the group or organization to which the holder of the subscriber terminal device 2 belongs, such as an ordinary household. In the example of FIG. 1 , such groups or organizations are illustrated as small-scale consumers A and B. As mentioned above, small-scale consumers are typically ordinary households, but may also be other organizations such as micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. A small-scale consumer is typically composed of a relatively small number of members, such as a family of four (parents and two children). However, the scope of small-scale consumers in the application of the present invention is not limited by the number of members.

[0014] Within a small-scale consumer, greenhouse gas emissions can be transferred between members. Furthermore, members who can engage in emissions trading within the small-scale consumer can be designated in advance. This configuration facilitates the aggregation of greenhouse gas emissions for each small-scale consumer and aims to raise each member's awareness of greenhouse gas emissions through flexible handling of emissions within the small-scale consumer. Furthermore, if there is overlap in the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for each member, the emissions aggregation device 1 functions to eliminate the overlap. For example, if a family travels in one car, such as on a family trip, the greenhouse gas emissions associated with that trip can be calculated for each household based on the travel records recorded in each subscriber terminal device 2.

[0015] The configurations of the emission tabulation device 1 and subscriber terminal device 2 that make up the emission tabulation system S of this embodiment, as outlined above, and the data processing they perform will be described later with reference to diagrams and other figures showing examples of data processing flows and data processing sequences. For simplicity, the term "greenhouse gas" will be referred to as "CO2," the representative component, hereinafter. For simplicity, the greenhouse gas emissions calculated by the emission tabulation device 1 for each small-scale consumer will be referred to as "CO2 emissions (or simply "emissions" if not unclear)" or "emission allowances" as the subject of trading. From a carbon-neutral perspective, the amount of CO2 reduction or absorption that is the subject of trading can be understood as negative emissions.

[0016] <Emissions counting device 1> 2 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration and functions of the emission amount totalizing device 1 of this embodiment. In Fig. 2, the emission amount totalizing device 1 includes a processor 11 such as a CPU or a GPU, a memory 12 having storage devices such as a ROM or a RAM, an auxiliary storage unit 13 having storage devices such as an HDD or an SSD, an input / output unit 14 having input devices such as a keyboard, a touch panel, a mouse, and a microphone, and output devices such as a monitor display, a speaker, and a printer, a data interface unit (data IF unit) 15 that transmits and receives data between the various hardware units, and a communication unit 16 that communicates with the network 3.

[0017] The subscriber terminal device 2, which will be described later, can also be basically configured as a computer having the hardware configuration exemplified in FIG.

[0018] Next, the functions of the emission amount totalizing device 1 according to this embodiment will be described again with reference to Fig. 2. The emission amount totalizing device 1 has functional blocks of an emission amount management unit 121, an emission amount calculation unit 122, an emission amount transition unit 123, and an emission amount data provision unit 124. These functional blocks are realized by the processor 11 in Fig. 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.

[0019] The data used or generated by the above functional blocks are stored in the subscriber emission amount storage unit 131, the subscriber information storage unit 132, the consumer emission amount storage unit 133, and the analysis data storage unit 134, which are data storage areas provided in the auxiliary storage unit 13. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the subscriber emission amount storage unit 131 and the subscriber information storage unit 132 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 is further grouped into a unit called a small-scale consumer. As an example, in a four-person household consisting of parents and two children, each person owns a smartphone as a subscriber terminal device 2 and is each subscribed to the emission aggregation system S of this embodiment, the household is recognized as small-scale consumer A including four subscribers. By recording the emissions for each subscriber in this manner, emission transfer within the small-scale consumer becomes possible. The CO2 emissions calculated for each subscriber terminal device 2 are aggregated for each small-scale consumer. Note that each data storage area will be described later with examples.

[0020] The emission management unit 121 has the function of aggregating and recording data on CO2 emissions for each subscriber. The CO2 emissions acquired for the subscriber terminal device 2 of each small-scale consumer are stored in the subscriber emission memory unit 131, and are also aggregated for each small-scale consumer and stored in the consumer emission memory unit 133. The calculation of the CO2 emissions for each subscriber terminal device 2 is performed by the emission calculation unit 122.

[0021] The CO2 emission data recorded by the emission management unit 121 is divided into four categories according to various aspects of the activities of each member of the small-scale consumer (for example, activities related to daily household life). As shown in Figures 4 to 7, the subscriber emission storage unit 131 stores purchase emission data, transportation emission data, plant emission data, and energy consumption emission data. Each category will be explained below.

[0022] (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 calculation unit 122 calculates data related to such carbon footprints 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, the subscriber may be configured to be able to manually input it from the subscriber terminal device 2.

[0023] FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of purchase emission data. While the subscriber emission storage unit 131 shown in FIG. 4 is in the form of a data table, 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. 4 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. 4 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.

[0024] (2) CO2 emissions recorded for travel 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 cycling to automobiles, trains, buses, taxis, and airplanes, and the amount of CO2 emissions varies depending on the means of transportation. The emission calculation unit 122 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 calculates the CO2 emissions based on the CO2 emissions per unit travel distance set for each means of transportation.

[0025] FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of travel emission data. The travel emission data shown in FIG. 5 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. The difference between this and the CO2 emissions resulting from traveling by a means of travel with lower CO2 emissions is calculated, and this difference is recorded as the amount of CO2 emissions that can be sold (negative emissions). For example, in FIG. 5, 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.

[0026] If, as a result of calculating the CO2 emissions related to the movement of each member, it is determined that the date, time, and section of movement for multiple members are the same or very similar, the emission management unit 121 determines that the CO2 emissions for those members have been recorded in duplicate, and can aggregate and record them as the CO2 emissions of any one member. This allows for more accurate calculation of CO2 emissions for small-scale consumers such as households. This concept of preventing duplicate calculation of CO2 emissions can also be applied to emissions in other categories.

[0027] (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 land occupied or used by the small-scale consumer using the subscriber terminal device 2. These plants are assumed to be home gardens where households rent land to grow crops, or trees growing on the household's property. The amount of CO2 absorbed and fixed from the air through plant 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 the type of crop grown in the home garden and the planted area declared by the household. The calculated CO2 absorption amount is then recorded in the subscriber emission storage unit 131 as plant emission data. Figure 6 shows an example of the configuration of plant emission data. The plant emission data shown in Figure 6 includes the year and month of calculation, vegetation type, area, and CO2 absorption amount, each associated with an ID for identifying each record. Calculation of CO2 absorption using satellite images is disclosed, for example, in Patent No. 4856747. In the case of apartment buildings, the CO2 absorption based on the land on which the apartment building is built may be calculated by dividing it by the number of condominium owners.

[0028] (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 consumed by small-scale consumers using the subscriber terminal device 2 as energy consumption and emission data. The emission calculation unit 122 can acquire the electricity, gas, and water and sewerage consumption amounts from, for example, smart meters, which are the respective usage measurement devices, or data stored in other systems that manage energy usage in homes, such as a home energy management system (HEMS), and calculate CO2 emissions using CO2 emission data corresponding to the unit usage of each energy. FIG. 7 shows an example of the configuration of energy consumption and emission data. In the example of FIG. 7, 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, such as calculating the amount of actual power consumption obtained from a smart meter based on the average power consumption for a certain month. If the amount is low, the CO2 reduction amount (negative emissions) corresponding to the difference can be recorded as CO2 emissions that can be sold. This method can increase motivation to reduce household energy consumption and suppress CO2 emissions. Furthermore, for example, when a small-scale consumer that has installed a distributed power generation facility such as a solar power generation facility sells surplus electricity to an electric power company, etc., the amount of CO2 reduction calculated by multiplying the difference between the CO2 emission intensity of the grid power and the CO2 emission intensity of the distributed power generation facility such as a solar power generation facility by the amount of electricity sold may be taken into account.

[0029] The emission transfer unit 123 has a function of transferring (transferring) recorded CO2 emissions between subscriber terminal devices 2 in response to requests from each subscriber terminal device 2. In this embodiment, a configuration can be adopted in which the members who can execute emissions trading and receive compensation at a small-scale consumer are limited. For example, only a predetermined representative of the small-scale consumer can execute emissions trading. In this case, members other than the representative cannot benefit from the compensation from emissions trading. Therefore, a configuration is adopted in which CO2 emissions generated by members other than the representative during travel can be transferred (transferred) to the representative. In this case, if points are issued as compensation from the receiving member to the transferring member in response to the transfer of emissions between members, even members such as minors who cannot directly participate in emissions trading can be motivated to reduce emissions. The representative member has the authority to execute emissions trading. The CO2 emissions, which are identified for each small-scale consumer, such as plant emissions and energy consumption emissions, can be aggregated in the subscriber terminal device 2 owned by the representative member.

[0030] The subscriber information storage unit 132 stores subscriber information about each subscriber. Fig. 8 shows an example of the subscriber information stored in the subscriber information storage unit 132. The subscriber information includes various information necessary for the emission totalizing device 1 to register each subscriber in the emission totalizing system S to enable emissions trading and to acquire and total the CO2 emissions of each subscriber. In the example of Fig. 8, the subscriber information includes terminal identification information used by the emission totalizing 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.), address information such as home and workplace 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 related to plants, energy contract information including contract numbers for electricity, gas, water, sewerage, etc. used to acquire CO2 emissions related to energy consumption, and financial institution transaction information such as account information used to settle payments for emissions trading. 8 includes a representative / auxiliary account that indicates whether the account is a representative account or an auxiliary account, and an emissions trading permission flag that indicates whether the account has the authority to execute emissions trading. If the representative / auxiliary account indicates that the account is a representative, the emissions management unit 121 aggregates the plant emissions and energy consumption emissions of the small-scale consumers to which the account belongs in the subscriber terminal device 2. If the emissions trading permission flag indicates that the account has the authority to execute emissions trading, the emissions management unit 121 processes a request for emissions trading from the subscriber terminal device 2. 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 subscriber terminal device 2 and the emissions aggregation device 1, and biometric authentication information.

[0031] The consumer emission storage unit 133 aggregates and stores the CO2 emissions calculated for the subscriber terminal devices 2 owned by the members, on a small-scale consumer basis. FIG. 9 shows an example of the configuration of the consumer emission storage unit 133. In the consumer emission storage unit 133 shown in FIG. 9, the CO2 emissions of subscribers X, Y, and Z belonging to consumer A are aggregated and stored on a monthly basis. In the example of FIG. 9, subscriber X is set as the representative of consumer A, so CO2 emissions of all categories are recorded for subscriber X, and plant emissions and energy consumption emissions are not recorded for subscribers Y and Z, who are affiliated accounts. The emission transfer performed by the emission transfer unit 123 between subscribers is reflected in the records of the consumer emission storage unit 133 shown in FIG. 9.

[0032] The emission data providing unit 124 has the function of extracting records of CO2 emissions for a specified period from the subscriber emission memory unit 131 or the consumer emission memory unit 133 in response to a request from the subscriber terminal device 2 of a small-scale consumer, and providing the records to the requesting small-scale consumer.

[0033] The analysis data storage unit 134 stores, in an appropriate data format, data that the emission calculation unit 122 uses in the CO2 emission calculation process for each subscriber terminal device 2. For specific data examples, please refer to the explanation of the subscriber emission storage unit 131.

[0034] <Subscriber terminal device 2> Next, the subscriber terminal device 2 will be described. Fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration and functions of the subscriber terminal device 2 of this embodiment. In Fig. 3, the subscriber terminal device 2, like the emission amount totalizing 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.

[0035] Next, the functions of the subscriber terminal device 2 will be described again with reference to Fig. 3. The subscriber terminal device 2 has functional blocks of an emission amount shift request unit 221, an emission amount trading request unit 222, an emission amount data request unit 223, and an emission amount management unit 224. These functional blocks are realized by the processor 21 in Fig. 3 executing the corresponding program, and each program can be stored in the auxiliary storage unit 23 and read into the memory 22 by the processor 21 for execution.

[0036] The data used by the above-mentioned functional blocks or the data generated or received is stored in an emission amount storage unit 231 and a subscriber information storage unit 232, which are data storage areas provided in the auxiliary storage unit 23.

[0037] The emission amount transfer request unit 221 has a function of issuing a request to the emission amount transfer unit 123 of the emission amount totalization device 1 to execute a transfer (transfer) of CO2 emissions between subscribers. Basically, the emission amount transfer request unit 221 requests a process in which the owner of the subscriber terminal device 2 transfers the emissions held by that owner to another subscriber. However, for example, it may be possible for a subscriber with a representative account to request an emission amount transfer between the subscriber terminal devices 2 of other subscribers.

[0038] The emissions trading request unit 222 has a function of requesting the emissions counting device 1 or another external device to execute an emissions trading (effectively execute a sale). The function of the emissions trading request unit 222 can be configured to be executable only by the subscriber terminal device 2 of a subscriber who has a representative account at the consumer.

[0039] The emission data request unit 223 has a function of requesting the emission data providing unit 124 of the emission totalizing device 1 to provide the emission data stored in the subscriber emission storage unit 131 or the consumer emission storage unit 133.

[0040] The emission management unit 224 has the function of obtaining and recording CO2 emissions generated by various activities of small-scale consumers, such as ordinary households, to which the subscriber terminal device 2 belongs, as subscriber emissions and consumer emissions from the emission aggregation device 1.

[0041] The emission amount storage unit 231 stores data on CO2 emissions related to the subscriber terminal device 2 or CO2 emissions aggregated as a consumer, obtained from the emission amount collection device 1. The data stored in the emission amount storage unit 231 corresponds to the data recorded in the subscriber emission amount storage unit 131 and the consumer emission amount storage unit 133 of the emission amount collection device 1.

[0042] 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 132 in the emission amount calculation device 1. When a change occurs in the subscriber information registered in the emission amount calculation device 1, each subscriber can request the emission amount calculation device 1 to register the change via the input / output unit 24 and the emission amount management unit 224.

[0043] <Data processing by the emission counting device 1 and subscriber terminal device 2> Next, the data processing executed by the emission amount totalizing device 1 and the subscriber terminal device 2 in the present embodiment described above will be described.

[0044] <<Data processing by the emissions aggregation device 1>> First, the data processing executed by the emission amount totalizing device 1 having the above-described configuration and functions will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of data processing by the emission amount totalizing device 1. The emission amount totalizing device 1 calculates, totalizes, and visualizes CO2 emissions in various aspects of daily activities of small-scale consumers such as ordinary households equipped with subscriber terminal devices 2, thereby increasing the motivation of each consumer to change their lifestyle, including their energy consumption, to a carbon-free one.

[0045] 10, in step S1, the emission management unit 121 of the emission amount totalizing device 1 repeatedly executes the following processing steps for each subscriber terminal device 2 and each small-scale consumer. Note that in the data processing of Fig. 10, it is assumed that the subscriber terminal device 2 has completed the login processing required to exchange data with the emission amount totalizing device 1.

[0046] In step S2, for one subscriber terminal device 2, the emissions management unit 124 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, route search apps, etc., CO2 absorption amount related to plants based on satellite photos, aerial photos, etc. or plant cultivation area obtained from declarations by subscribers, and CO2 emissions related to energy consumption such as electricity from smart meter measurements, etc.

[0047] In step S3, the emission management unit 124 aggregates and records the CO2 emissions related to plants and the CO2 emissions related to energy consumption in the subscriber terminal device 2 designated as the representative account of the small-scale consumers (see FIG. 9).

[0048] In step S4, if the emission amount shifting unit 123 has received an emission amount shifting request from the subscriber terminal device 2, it executes emission amount shifting processing in accordance with the request.

[0049] In step S5, the emission management unit 121 records each calculated emission amount in the subscriber emission amount storage unit 131.

[0050] In step S6, the emission data providing unit 124 determines whether it has received a request for the CO2 emission amounts and their aggregated values ​​from the emission data requesting unit 223 of the subscriber terminal device 2. If a request for CO2 emission data has been received (YES in step S6), then in step S7 the emission data providing unit 124 transmits the CO2 emission data recorded for that subscriber terminal device 2. In this case, the emission data providing unit 124 may also provide aggregated emission data for the consumer to which the subscriber terminal device 2 belongs. Following the processing of step 7, or if it is determined in step S6 that a request for CO2 emission amounts has not been received, the emission management unit 121 repeats the loop processing of step S1, and if the processing for the subscriber terminal devices 2 of all consumers has been completed, the emission management unit 121 proceeds to the processing of step S8.

[0051] In step S8, the emission management unit 121 determines whether an instruction to end data processing has been received via the input / output unit 14. If an instruction to end data processing has been received (YES in step S8), the emission management unit 121 ends this data processing. If an instruction to end data processing has not been received (NO in step S8), the emission management unit 121 returns to step S1 and continues the process of acquiring and aggregating the CO2 emissions for each subscriber terminal device 2 of each consumer. According to this type of data processing, the emission amount aggregation device 1 acquires and aggregates the CO2 emissions for each subscriber terminal device 2, and can provide a record of the CO2 emissions to each subscriber terminal device 2 in response to a request from each subscriber terminal device 2. Furthermore, the emission amount aggregation device 1 transfers emissions between subscriber terminal devices 2 as needed, and aggregates plant emissions and energy consumption emissions into a subscriber terminal device 2 that has a representative account.

[0052] Although not included in the configuration of this embodiment, the emission counting device 1 may be configured to access the emissions trading market system and execute emissions trading (effectively emissions selling trading) in response to an emissions trading execution request from the subscriber terminal device 2. In this case, only a representative account of the consumer that has been determined to have the authority to execute emissions trading may be able to request emissions trading.

[0053] <<Data processing in the emissions calculation system S>> Next, data processing executed in an emission amount totalizing system S having an emission amount totalizing device 1 and a subscriber terminal device 2 with the above-described configuration and functions will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of data processing in the emission amount totalizing system S. In the emission amount totalizing system S, the emission amount totalizing device 1 calculates CO2 emissions in various aspects of life for subscriber terminal devices 2 belonging to multiple small-scale consumers, aggregates the data for each small-scale consumer, and provides the data to the subscriber terminal device 2. CO2 emissions can be exchanged between subscriber terminal devices 2 belonging to the same consumer.

[0054] 11, it is assumed that the subscriber terminal device 2 has logged in to the emission amount collection device 1 and is able to exchange data. The subscriber terminal device 2 has the function of acquiring CO2 emission records from the emission amount collection device 1 and the function of requesting the emission amount collection device 1 to transfer emissions between subscriber terminal devices 2, but it does not essentially perform its own data processing within itself. Therefore, data processing in the subscriber terminal device 2 is explained in FIG. 11 in relation to the emission amount collection 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 data received from the emission amount collection device 1.

[0055] First, the emission data request process will be described. In step S11, the emission data request unit 223 of the subscriber terminal device 2 inquires of the emission amount calculation device 1 about the CO2 emissions that have been calculated and calculated. In step S12, the inquiry data sent by the emission data request unit 223 can include request specifications such as the time range of the requested emission amount data. The target of the requested data may also include CO2 emissions calculated for other subscriber terminal devices 2 within the consumer, and CO2 emission data aggregated for the consumer.

[0056] In step S13, the emission data providing unit 124 of the emission totalizing device 1 extracts the requested emission data from the subscriber emission storage unit 131 and the consumer emission storage unit 133 based on the inquiry from the subscriber terminal device 2.

[0057] In step S14, the emission amount data providing unit 124 transmits the extracted emission amount data to the subscriber terminal device 2 that originated the inquiry.

[0058] In step S15, the emission amount data requesting unit 223 of the subscriber terminal device 2 outputs the received emission amount data through the input / output unit 24. An example of outputting emission amount data will be described later with reference to an example of the interface of the subscriber terminal device 2.

[0059] Next, the emission amount transfer request will be described. In step S21, the emission amount transfer request unit 221 of the subscriber terminal device 2 executes emission amount transfer request processing, and in step S22, transmits data for emission amount transfer to the emission amount totalizing device 1. The emission amount transfer data includes designation of the source and destination subscriber terminal devices 2, as well as the category (purchase, movement, plants, energy consumption) and quantity of CO2 emissions to be transferred.

[0060] In step S23, the emission amount transfer unit 123 of the emission amount totalizing device 1 executes emission amount transfer processing between the subscriber terminal devices 2 based on the received emission amount transfer data. At this time, if any problem is found in executing the emission amount transfer processing, such as a problem that the emission amount recorded at the transfer source is insufficient for the requested transfer quantity, the emission amount transfer unit 123 of the emission amount totalizing device 1 may notify the requesting subscriber terminal device 2 of that fact.

[0061] If the emission amount transfer process is executed without any particular problems, the emission amount transfer unit 123 of the emission amount totalizing device 1 transmits a notification that emission amount transfer has been executed to the requesting subscriber terminal device 2. At this time, emission amount data of the transfer source and transfer destination may be transmitted together.

[0062] As described above, a subscriber belonging to a consumer can receive CO2 emission data from the emission amount totalization device 1 by making a request from the subscriber terminal device 2. In addition, a subscriber belonging to a consumer can transfer (transfer) CO2 emission amounts between subscribers by making a request from the subscriber terminal device 2.

[0063] <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. 12 shows a display screen 27, which is an example of a user interface provided in the subscriber terminal device 2. The display screen 27 shown in Fig. 11 is typically a display screen of a smartphone, tablet terminal, or the like that is configured to function as the subscriber terminal device 2, but is not limited to these.

[0064] 12 includes a current CO2 emission display section 271, an emission trading operation section 272, an emission transfer operation section 273, and a cancel button 274. Note that the display, operation, and other items and their layout on the screen are not limited to those shown in the example of FIG.

[0065] The current CO2 emission display unit 271 displays the latest CO2 emission amount recorded in the subscriber emission memory unit 131 of the subscriber terminal device 2. This current CO2 emission display unit 271 may be configured to display the CO2 emission amount aggregated as a consumer or the CO2 emission amount aggregated for other subscriber terminal devices 2.

[0066] The emissions trading operation unit 272 displays the amount of CO2 emissions that can be sold and the purchase price received from the emissions totalizing device 1, and is provided with an input field for the amount of CO2 emissions that the user wishes to sell. By entering the amount of CO2 emissions that can be sold within the range that can be sold in the input field and pressing the sell button, the procedure for selling CO2 emissions can be easily carried out from the subscriber terminal device 2. The amount of CO2 emissions that can be sold can be grasped as the total sum of the negative emissions calculated by the emissions totalizing device 1.

[0067] The emission amount transfer operation unit 273 is used to transfer CO2 emissions from a subscriber terminal device 2 owned by one 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 two parents and two children, and each member has a subscriber terminal device 2 such as a smartphone. In this case, for example, one of the children can transfer his or her CO2 emissions to the subscriber terminal device 2 of the father, who is the family representative. In the example of FIG. 12, "Transfer" is selected as the emission type and "Representative" as the transfer destination from the pull-down menu. By operating the confirm button from this menu, the entered quantity of emissions is sent to the emission amount calculation device 1 (see FIG. 11). In the emission amount calculation device 1, the emission amount transfer unit 123 transfers the corresponding quantity from the CO2 emissions recorded for the "child" subscriber terminal device 2 to the CO2 emissions recorded for the "representative (father)" subscriber terminal device 2. It would be convenient if the result of this emission amount transfer process was automatically reflected in the current CO2 emission amount display unit 271. As described above, in conjunction with this emission amount transfer process, a predetermined compensation such as points according to the transferred emission amount may be registered in the subscriber terminal device 2 of the child who transferred the emission amount. In this way, minors who do not directly participate in emission amount trading can also be motivated to reduce CO2 emissions.

[0068] The cancel button 274 is provided for executing a process for canceling the display and operation on the display screen 27.

[0069] According to this example of the display screen of the subscriber terminal device 2, it is possible to easily find out the CO2 emissions of an average household, etc., and to easily carry out emissions trading and transfer of CO2 emissions between subscribers through the subscriber terminal device 2.

[0070] The display screen 27 of the subscriber terminal device 2 illustrated in FIG. 12 is an example, and the display items, operation items, and their arrangement can be changed as appropriate without being restricted to the example.

[0071] The emission counting 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 in various situations, and also makes it possible for each small-scale consumer to easily participate in emissions trading.

[0072] 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.

[0073] In this way, the CO2 emissions from each small-scale consumer can be accurately grasped and tallied.

[0074] The amount of CO2 absorbed by the plants grown by each of the members and the amount of CO2 emitted in relation to the energy consumed by each small-scale consumer can be aggregated for each small-scale consumer.

[0075] In this way, it becomes easier to tally up CO2 emissions from small-scale consumers.

[0076] A member who transfers CO2 emissions to another member can be configured to receive a predetermined compensation within the small-scale consumer.

[0077] In this way, even members who do not actually participate in emissions trading can be motivated to reduce CO2 emissions.

[0078] It is possible to allow predetermined members among the members of the consumer to execute emissions trading based on the CO2 emissions calculated for that small-scale consumer.

[0079] In this way, restrictions can be placed on minors and others to prevent them from getting involved in monetary transactions associated with emissions trading.

[0080] If there is an overlap between the CO2 emissions calculated for multiple members of a small-scale consumer, the overlap can be eliminated when the CO2 emissions of each member are added together.

[0081] In this way, the accuracy of the CO2 emissions calculation for each small-scale consumer can be improved.

[0082] The above-described series of processes can be executed by hardware or software. In other words, the functional configurations in Figures 2 and 3 are merely examples and are not particularly limited. In other words, it is sufficient that the emission amount counting device 1 and the subscriber terminal device 2 are provided with the functions to execute the above-described series of processes as a whole, and the functional blocks used to realize these functions are not particularly limited to the examples in Figures 2 and 3. Furthermore, one functional block may be configured as a single piece of hardware or as a single piece of software.

[0083] 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.

[0084] 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.

[0085] 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]

[0086] S Emissions Counting System 1. Emissions calculation device 2. Subscriber terminal equipment 121,224 Emissions Management Department 122 Emissions Calculation Department 123 Emissions Transition 124 Emissions Data Provider 131 Subscriber emissions storage unit 132 Subscriber information storage unit 133 Consumer emissions storage unit 221 Emissions Transition Request Section 222 Emissions Trading Request Section 223 Emissions Data Request Section

Claims

1. Calculating greenhouse gas emissions for a small-scale consumer having multiple members based on activity records that are records of the daily activities of each member, including purchases, travel, and energy consumption; an emission counting device including a processing unit that counts greenhouse gas emissions of the small-scale consumers by adding up the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for each of the constituent members, the processing unit is configured to transfer at least a part of the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for any one of the members to the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for any other one of the members, and the member who transferred the greenhouse gas emissions to any one of the other members receives a predetermined compensation within the small-scale consumer. Emissions tallying device.

2. 2. The emission calculation device of claim 1, wherein the greenhouse gas emissions of each of the members are calculated based on at least one of the greenhouse gas emissions corresponding to the items purchased by each of the members, the greenhouse gas emissions required for each of the members to travel, the amount of greenhouse gas absorption by plants grown in the small-scale consumers, and the greenhouse gas emissions related to the energy consumed in each of the small-scale consumers.

3. 3. The emission amount calculation device according to claim 2, wherein the amount of greenhouse gas absorption by plants grown by each of the members and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions related to energy consumed by each of the small-scale consumers are calculated for each of the small-scale consumers.

4. 4. The emission counting device according to claim 1, wherein predetermined members among the members can execute emission trading based on the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for the small-scale consumers.

5. 5. The emission calculation device according to claim 1, wherein, when there is an overlap between the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for a plurality of members of the small-scale consumer, the overlap is eliminated when the greenhouse gas emissions of each of the members are added together.

6. The information processing device Calculating greenhouse gas emissions for a small-scale consumer having multiple members based on activity records that are records of the daily activities of each member, including purchases, travel, and energy consumption; Adding up the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for each of the members; transferring at least a portion of the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for any one of the members to the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for any other of the members; a predetermined compensation is given within the small-scale consumer to the member who has transferred the greenhouse gas emissions to any of the other members; Emissions calculation method.

7. In the information processing device, A process of calculating greenhouse gas emissions for a small-scale consumer having multiple members based on an activity record that is a record of each member's daily activities, including purchases, travel, and energy consumption; A process of summing up the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for each of the members; transferring at least a portion of the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for any of the members to the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for any of the other members; a process of providing a predetermined compensation within the small-scale consumer to the member who has transferred the greenhouse gas emissions to any of the other members; A program that executes the following.

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