Charge / discharge control system, charge / discharge control method, and computer program

Abstract

To provide a charge and discharge control system, a charge and discharge control method, and a computer program capable of supplying a power stored in a battery of an electric automobile.SOLUTION: A charge and discharge control system comprises: an accumulator battery; and a control unit that controls charge and discharge of a battery of an electric automobile. The control unit makes the battery of the electric automobile discharge to charge the accumulator battery in a case where power feeding from a system power supply is stopped.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a charge-discharge control system, a charge-discharge control method, and a computer program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the use of renewable energy has been demanded, and there are condominiums equipped with distributed power sources having solar panels and storage batteries. According to such condominiums, in addition to the alternating current power supplied from the grid power source, power is supplied to electrical loads using distributed power sources such as storage batteries mounted on the photovoltaic power generation system.

[0003] Regarding the technology of supplying power to electrical loads using distributed power sources, there is a technology that does not require adjustment of voltage, frequency, and phase with the grid power source, enables reduction of introduction costs, and enables operation of at least a part of electrical loads even when power supply from the grid power source stops (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to this technology, the power supply system includes a DC power supply device and an electrical load. The DC power supply device is supplied with power from an independent power source that is a separate system from the grid power source and outputs DC power. The electrical load is connected to a first power supply line supplied with power from the grid power source. Also, the electrical load is connected to a second power supply line supplied with power from the DC power supply device. Therefore, the electrical load includes a power supply unit that can receive power from both the first power supply line and the second power supply line. On the other hand, there is a technology that can supply the power stored in an electric vehicle (EV) battery to the home side via V2H (Vehicle to Home) charge-discharge equipment. Thereby, even if a power outage occurs, the power stored in the EV can be used as an emergency power source.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0005] Renewable energy sources are affected by natural conditions such as weather. Therefore, it is desirable to enable the introduction of decentralized energy resources such as electric vehicles (EVs) on the consumer side. The objective of this invention is to provide a charge / discharge control system, a charge / discharge control method, and a computer program that can supply power stored in the battery of an electric vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) In order to solve the above problems, one embodiment of the present invention is a charge / discharge control system comprising a storage battery and a control unit for controlling the charging and discharging of the battery of an electric vehicle, wherein the control unit charges the storage battery by discharging the battery of the electric vehicle when the power supply from the grid is stopped.

[0007] According to the charge / discharge control system of this embodiment, the charge / discharge control system includes a storage battery. An example of a storage battery is one that stores electricity generated by a distributed power source. An example of a distributed power source is a solar power generation system, in which case the storage battery stores electricity generated by the solar power generation system. The charge / discharge control system includes a control unit that controls the charging and discharging of the electric vehicle's battery. The control unit controls the storage of electricity in the electric vehicle's battery and the discharge of electricity from the battery. In the charge / discharge control system, the control unit discharges the electric vehicle's battery when the power supply from the grid is stopped. The storage battery is charged with the electricity discharged from the electric vehicle's battery.

[0008] With this configuration, the charge / discharge control system comprises a storage battery and a control unit that controls the charging and discharging of the electric vehicle's battery. The control unit can charge the storage battery by discharging the electric vehicle's battery when power supply from the grid is interrupted. When power supply from the grid is interrupted, the storage battery can be charged by the electric vehicle's battery, and the storage battery can supply the stored power to the electrical loads contained in the building, thus supplying the power stored in the electric vehicle's battery.

[0009] (2) One embodiment of the present invention may further include a power conditioner that supplies power stored in the battery to electrical loads included in the building when the power supply from the grid power source is stopped in the charge / discharge control system described above. By configuring the system in this way, it is possible to further include a power conditioner that supplies power stored in the battery to the electrical loads in the building when the power supply from the grid is interrupted. Therefore, when the power supply from the grid is interrupted, power stored in the battery charged by the electric vehicle's battery can be supplied to the electrical loads in the building.

[0010] (3) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the charge / discharge control system described above, the control unit may refrain from charging the electric vehicle when the storage battery is being discharged. By configuring it in this way, the control unit in the charge / discharge control system can prevent the electric vehicle from being charged when the battery is discharging, thus allowing the power stored in the battery to be supplied to the electrical loads included in the building.

[0011] (4) One embodiment of the present invention is a charge / discharge control system described above in which the storage battery may be charged with electricity generated by a distributed power source when the power supply from the grid is stopped. With this configuration, in the charge / discharge control system, the battery can be charged with electricity generated by distributed power sources when power supply from the grid is interrupted. Because the battery can be charged with electricity generated by distributed power sources when power supply from the grid is interrupted, the battery can supply the stored power to the electrical loads in the building and can also charge the battery of an electric vehicle.

[0012] (5) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the charge / discharge control system described above, the control unit may charge the electric vehicle with the electricity generated by the distributed power source when the storage battery is fully charged. With this configuration, the control unit in the charge / discharge control system can charge the electric vehicle with the electricity generated by the distributed power source when the battery is fully charged. Once the battery is fully charged, the electricity generated by the distributed power source can be supplied to the electrical loads in the building, and in that situation, the electric vehicle can be charged. The battery can be given priority over the electric vehicle in being fully charged.

[0013] (6) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the charge / discharge control system described above, the control unit may discharge the electric vehicle when the storage battery is not discharged. With this configuration, the charge / discharge control system allows the control unit to charge the battery by discharging the electric vehicle when the battery is not discharged. When power supply from the grid is interrupted, the electric vehicle's battery can charge the battery, and the battery can supply the stored power to the electrical loads in the building, thus supplying the power stored in the electric vehicle's battery.

[0014] (7) In one embodiment of the present invention, in the charge / discharge control system described above, the storage battery may store electricity generated by a distributed power source. With this configuration, the charge / discharge control system includes a storage battery that stores electricity generated by distributed power sources and a control unit that controls the charging and discharging of the electric vehicle's battery. The control unit can charge the storage battery by discharging the electric vehicle's battery when power supply from the grid is interrupted. When power supply from the grid is interrupted, the storage battery can be charged by the electric vehicle's battery, and the storage battery can supply the stored power to the electrical loads contained in the building, thus supplying the power stored in the electric vehicle's battery.

[0015] (8) One embodiment of the present invention is a charge / discharge control method comprising the steps of a battery storing power and a control unit charging the battery by discharging the battery of an electric vehicle when the power supply from the grid is stopped. According to the charge / discharge control method of one embodiment of the present invention, it is substantially the same invention as a charge / discharge control system, differing only in category, and achieves similar functions and effects.

[0016] (9) One embodiment of the present invention is a computer program that causes a computer to perform the steps of determining whether or not the power supply from the grid has stopped, and, if it is determined in the determination step that the power supply from the grid has stopped, to charge the battery by discharging the battery of an electric vehicle. By configuring the system in this way, the computer can determine whether or not power supply from the grid has stopped. If it determines that power supply from the grid has stopped, the battery of the electric vehicle can be discharged, thereby charging the storage battery. When power supply from the grid stops, the storage battery can be charged by the electric vehicle's battery, and the storage battery can supply the stored power to the electrical loads in the building, thus supplying power stored in the electric vehicle's battery. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a charge-discharge control system, a charge-discharge control method, and a computer program that can supply the electric power stored in the battery of an electric vehicle.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] It is a figure which shows the structural example of the charge-discharge control system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. [Figure 2] It is a figure which shows the outline of the power supply system which concerns on this embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a figure which shows the outline of the other power supply system which concerns on this embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a figure which shows the structural example of the building which concerns on this embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation | movement of the charge-discharge control system which concerns on this embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a figure which shows the structural example of the building which concerns on this embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a figure which shows the structural example of the charge-discharge control system which concerns on Modification 1 of the embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation | movement of the charge-discharge control system which concerns on Modification 1 of the embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a figure which shows the structural example of the charge-discharge control system which concerns on Modification 2 of the embodiment. [Figure 10] It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation | movement of the charge-discharge control system which concerns on Modification 2 of the embodiment. [Figure 11] It is a figure which shows the structural example of the charge-discharge control system which concerns on Modification 3 of the embodiment. [Figure 12] It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation | movement of the charge-discharge control system which concerns on Modification 3 of the embodiment.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Next, the charge / discharge control system, charge / discharge control method, and computer program according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are merely examples, and the embodiments to which the present invention is applied are not limited to the following embodiments. In all the figures used to illustrate the embodiments, components with the same function are given the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations are omitted. Furthermore, in this application, "based on XX" means "based on at least XX," and includes cases where it is based on another element in addition to XX. Also, "based on XX" is not limited to cases where XX is used directly, but also includes cases where it is based on something that has been calculated or processed from XX. "XX" is any element (for example, any information).

[0020] (Embodiment) (Charge / Discharge Control System) Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of a charge / discharge control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 1, the charge / discharge control system is installed in a building unit (BU). An example of a building BU is an apartment building with multiple floors. As an example, we will continue the explanation with the case where the building BU has two floors, the first floor and the second floor. A multi-unit dwelling is a building in which multiple households reside and which includes multiple units corresponding to multiple households. Each of the multiple units is supplied with electricity by the power supply system 1, and the supplied electricity is used by the consumers.

[0021] An example of a building unit (BU) is that the first floor includes units 50-1 to 50-3 and common area 60-1, and the second floor includes units 50-4 to 50-6 and common area 60-2. Common areas 60-1 and 60-2 may each include a common corridor (interior corridor, exterior corridor). Any of the common areas 60-1 and 60-2 is referred to as common area 60. Common area 60 is equipped with, for example, lighting, a communal entrance intercom, an electric lock control device, electrical outlets, a telephone security box, and so on. Section 50-1 comprises an access point AP-1 and a lower-level metering device 36-1. In section 50-1, the consumer 30-1 uses electricity. The lower-level metering device 36-1 is a meter that measures the power consumption of section 50-1. Section 50-2 comprises an access point AP-2 and a lower-level metering device 36-2. In section 50-2, the consumer 30-2 uses electricity. The lower-level metering device 36-2 is a meter that measures the power consumption of section 50-2. Section 50-3 comprises an access point AP-3 and a lower-level metering device 36-3. In section 50-3, the consumer 30-3 uses electricity. The lower-level metering device 36-3 is a meter that measures the power consumption of section 50-3.

[0022] Section 50-4 comprises an access point AP-4 and a lower-level metering device 36-4. In section 50-4, the consumer 30-4 uses electricity. The lower-level metering device 36-4 is a meter that measures the power consumption of section 50-4. Section 50-5 comprises an access point AP-5 and a lower-level metering device 36-5. In section 50-5, the consumer 30-5 uses electricity. The lower-level metering device 36-5 is a meter that measures the power consumption of section 50-5. Section 50-6 comprises an access point AP-6 and a lower-level metering device 36-5. In section 50-6, the consumer 30-6 uses electricity. The lower-level metering device 36-6 is a meter that measures the power consumption of section 50-6.

[0023] Additionally, the building BU has an attached parking area PA. The parking area PA includes parking areas PA-1, PA-2, and PA-3. Parking lot PA-1 is equipped with a charge / discharge device CDD-1 that charges and discharges the batteries of electric vehicles parked in parking lot PA-1. Parking lot PA-2 is equipped with a charge / discharge device CDD-2 that charges and discharges the batteries of electric vehicles parked in parking lot PA-2. Parking area PA-3 is equipped with a charge / discharge device CDD-3 that charges and discharges the batteries of electric vehicles parked in parking area PA-3. In the example shown in Figure 1, electric vehicle EV-1 is parked in parking lot PA-1, electric vehicle EV-2 is parked in parking lot PA-2, and electric vehicle EV-3 is parked in parking lot PA-3. Any of the electric vehicles among electric vehicle EV-1, electric vehicle EV-2, and electric vehicle EV-3 is referred to as an electric vehicle EV.

[0024] The charge / discharge control system comprises a battery 100, a power conditioner 200, and a control unit 300. An example of the battery storage system 100 is a stationary battery storage system installed near a parking area (PA) that stores electricity generated by distributed power sources. An example of a distributed power source is a solar power generation system (PV). The battery storage system 100 stores electricity generated by solar cell modules (SC). The power conditioner 200 is connected to the upper metering device 33, the solar cell module SC, the storage battery 100, and the control unit 300. An example of the power conditioner 200 is installed in the common area 60. The power conditioner 200 converts DC power to AC power. Each of customers 30-1 through 30-6 has a contract for electricity supply with the intermediary company. Each of customers 30-1 through 30-6 pays electricity charges to the intermediary company. The intermediary company has a bulk contract for low-voltage electricity with power companies 4, such as power utilities. The details of the bulk contract for low-voltage electricity between the intermediary company and power companies 4 will be described later.

[0025] The power conditioner 200 converts either or both of the low-voltage power received in bulk from the power company 4 and the power from the grid power supply, along with the DC power generated by the solar cell module SC, into AC power, and supplies the converted AC power to each of the customers 30-1 through 30-6 and to the common area 60-1 through common area 60-2. Furthermore, the power conditioner 200 converts either or both of the low-voltage power received in bulk from the power company 4 and the power from the grid power supply, along with the DC power generated by the solar cell module SC, into AC power, and stores the converted AC power in the storage battery 100. For example, during the daytime, the power conditioner 200 converts the DC power generated by the solar cell module SC into AC power, and supplies the converted AC power from customer 30-1 to customer 30-6 and from common area 60-1 to common area 60-2. For example, at night, the power conditioner 200 supplies the electricity stored in the battery 100 to each of the customers 30-1 through 30-6 and to the common area 60-1 through common area 60-2. By configuring it in this way, the DC power generated by the solar cell modules SC can be used as much as possible in the building BU, and the amount of electricity purchased from the power company 4 can be reduced.

[0026] The power conditioner 200 determines whether or not it is receiving power from the power company 4 and the grid power supply. If the power conditioner 200 determines that it is not receiving power from either the power company 4 or the grid power supply due to a power outage or other reason, it outputs information to the control unit 300 indicating that it is not receiving power. The control unit 300 controls the charging and discharging of the electric vehicle (EV) battery. Specifically, the control unit 300 controls the charging and discharging of each of the charging and discharging devices CDD-1 to CDD-3 by outputting control information to each of the charging and discharging devices CDD-1 to CDD-3. When the control unit 300 receives information indicating that power is not being supplied from the power conditioner 200, it creates control information that includes information instructing the electric vehicle EV to discharge its battery. The control unit 300 outputs the created control information from the charge / discharge device CDD-1 to the charge / discharge device CDD-3.

[0027] Each of the charge / discharge devices CDD-1 through CDD-3 acquires control information output by the control unit 300, and based on the information included in the acquired control information that instructs the electric vehicle EV to discharge its battery, it discharges the power stored in the batteries of each of the connected electric vehicles EV-1 through EV-3. Each of the charge / discharge units CDD-1 to CDD-3 stores the power obtained by discharging the batteries of each of the electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-3 in the storage battery 100. Since the storage battery 100 can be charged with the power obtained by discharging the batteries of each of the electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-3, the capacity of the storage battery 100 can be reduced. The battery 100 supplies the stored power to the electrical loads contained in each of the customers 30-1 through 30-6 and in each of the common areas 60-1 through 60-2 within the building BU.

[0028] An example of an electrical load is communication equipment (not shown). In the event of a power outage, the communication equipment operates using power supplied by the power conditioner 200. The communication equipment is connected to each of the access points AP-1 through AP-6 via LAN (Local Area Network) cables. An example of a LAN cable is one that supports PoE (Power over Ethernet) power supply. For example, the communication device and access point AP-1 are connected by a LAN cable wired to section 50-1. For example, the communication device and access point AP-2 are connected by a LAN cable wired to section 50-2. For example, the communication device and access point AP-3 are connected by a LAN cable wired to section 50-3. For example, the communication device and access point AP-4 are connected by a LAN cable wired to section 50-4. For example, the communication device and access point AP-5 are connected by a LAN cable wired to section 50-5. For example, the communication equipment and access point AP-6 are connected by a LAN cable wired to section 50-6. If a power outage occurs and power is not supplied from either the power company 4 or the grid power supply, the power conditioner 200 can supply power stored in the battery 100 to each of the access points AP-1 through AP-6. Therefore, communication from access point AP-1 through access point AP-6 can continue.

[0029] Each of the access points AP-1 through AP-6 operates on power supplied by the communication equipment. Each resident in sections 50-1 through 50-6 (consumers 30-1 through 30-6) can communicate with the outside world via each of the access points AP-1 through AP-6. For example, residents (customers 30-1 to 30-6) may communicate via wireless communication methods such as Wi-Fi or LTE (registered trademark) through each of the access points AP-1 to AP-6. This allows the building's charge / discharge control function to be maintained in the event of a power outage.

[0030] This section explains the conclusion of a bulk contract for low-voltage electricity between the intermediary company and power company 4. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an overview of the power supply system according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the power supply system 1 includes, for example, a house 2, a house 3, a power company 4, an intermediary company 5, a house 6, and a power supply destination 7. House 2 is either an apartment building or a single-family home. House 2 is equipped with a solar power generation system (PV). House 3 is either an apartment building or a single-family home. House 3 is equipped with a solar power generation system (PV) and a battery storage system. Power company 4 purchases surplus electricity from houses 2 and 3 through intermediary company 5. Power company 4 may purchase electricity from house 2, which does not have a battery storage system, at a standard price, and electricity from house 3, which does have a battery storage system, at a premium price higher than the standard price. Power company 4 supplies the electricity purchased through intermediary company 5 to, for example, a house 6 constructed by intermediary company 5 and to intermediary company 5's electricity customer 7.

[0031] The owners of House 2 and House 3 may lease their roofs, etc., to the intermediary company 5. In that case, the intermediary company 5 will install a solar power generation system (PV) on the roof leased from the owner of House 2 and will be responsible for the maintenance and management of the solar power generation system (PV). Intermediary company 5 installs a solar power generation system (PV) on the roof of house 3, which it has leased from the homeowner, installs a battery storage system, and maintains the solar power generation system (PV) and battery storage system. Intermediary company 5 also acts as an intermediary for electricity from power company 4. House 6 is, for example, a house constructed by intermediary company 5. House 6 is either an apartment building or a single-family home. The electricity recipients 7 are operated by intermediary companies 5 or power companies 4. Examples of electricity recipients 7 include offices 71, exhibition halls 72, and factories 73.

[0032] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an overview of another power supply system according to this embodiment. The power supply system 1A shown in Figure 3 includes, for example, a house 20, an electric vehicle 23, a consumer 24, the owner (builder) of the house 20 25, a wholesale electricity market 26, a second business operator 27, a house 28, and the business office 29 of the first business operator, all of which are contracted with an intermediary company 5 (Figure 2). The residence 20 is, for example, a rental apartment building and is equipped with a distributed power source 21, for example, a solar power generation system (PV) and a storage battery. The electricity generated or stored by the distributed power source 21 is supplied at a low cost to the facilities of multiple consumers 24 residing in the residence 20 via the first business operator. In the event of a power outage, power will be supplied from the distributed power source 21, for example, from a battery stored in a common area. The distributed power source 21 may also be configured to cooperate with, for example, the electric vehicle 23 of a customer 24 and supply power to the electric vehicle.

[0033] The first business operator 22 is, for example, the intermediary company 5 in Figure 2. The first business operator 22 supplies surplus electricity from the house 20 to the second business operator. The first business operator 22 also purchases electricity from the second business operator 27 at a low price. The relationship between the first business operator 22 and the second business operator 27 is as shown by the dashed rectangle g10. Furthermore, if the owner 25 leases the roof of the house 20 to the first business operator, the first business operator 22 may pay the owner 25 a land rent for the roof, for example, in proportion to the number of solar panels or in proportion to the amount of electricity generated or consumed. House 28 is another house whose roof is leased to the first business operator 22. Solar panels are installed on the roof of House 28 by the first business operator. The second operator 27 has a power grid. The second operator 27 purchases surplus electricity generated by distributed power sources 21 through the first operator 22 and purchases electricity from the wholesale electricity market 26. The second operator 27 purchases surplus electricity from residences 28. The second operator 27 supplies this electricity to the first operator's offices 29, etc. Note that the system shown in Figure 3 is just one example and is not limited to this.

[0034] Figure 4 shows an example of the building configuration according to this embodiment. Note that the building BU shown in Figure 4 is an example of an apartment building. The building unit (BU) includes an upper metering device 101, a power receiving panel 102, a sensor 103, a distributed power supply 104, a charge / discharge control device CDCD, a distribution panel 106, a lower metering device 107, a distribution panel 108, a switching panel 109, a common area 60, lower metering devices 36-1 to 36-6, sections 50-1 to 50-6, and a branch section 115. The building unit (BU) is connected to a power grid 10 from, for example, power company 4. One example of a power grid 10 is a low-voltage bulk power supply. In the building's BU, a power supply node 121, which supplies power from the distributed power source 104, is located between the power receiving panel 102 and the distribution panel 106. The power supply node 121 is equipped with, for example, a sensor 103 and a terminal block. In Figure 4, solid lines represent power lines, dashed lines represent signal lines, and dotted lines represent, for example, communication lines capable of supplying power. Note that ground wires and other such connections are omitted in Figure 4. Furthermore, the building unit (BU) may be equipped with an output control device, such as a remote control for controlling the output of the solar cell modules (SC), or a device for receiving remote operations from outside the building. The building unit (BU) may also be equipped with a solar expansion panel, for example, to accommodate the addition of more solar cell modules (SC).

[0035] The upper-level metering device 101 has the power grid 10 from the power company connected to its input side, and the input side of the power receiving panel 102 connected to its output side. The power receiving panel 102 is connected to the input side of the distribution panel 106 and to the first output side of the charge / discharge control device CDCD via the power supply node 121. The power receiving panel 102 has the input side of the lower metering device 107 and the input side of the branching section 115 connected to its output side. The lower metering device 107 has the input side of the distribution board 108 connected to its output side. The distribution board 108 has the first input side of the switching panel 109 and the outlet 1103 of the common area 60 connected to its output side. The switch panel 109 has the second output side of the control device 105 connected to its second input side, and the router 1101 and outlet 1102 of the common area 60 connected to its output side. The router 1101 is an example of the communication device described above.

[0036] The charge / discharge control device CDCD comprises a power conditioner 200 and a control unit 300. The power conditioner 200 is connected to the solar cell module SC, the battery 100, and the sensor 103. The control unit 300 is connected to the power conditioner 200, the battery 100, and charge / discharge devices CDD-1 through CDD-3. The branching section 115 has the input sides of each of the lower meter devices 36-1 through 36-6 connected to its first output side. Each output side of lower metering device 36-1 through lower metering device 36-6 is connected to customers 30-1 through 30-6, respectively. The higher-level metering device 101 is a meter for measuring electricity consumption contracted with the power company 4. An example of the higher-level metering device 101 is a bulk power receiving meter. The higher-level metering device 101 measures the electricity consumption of customers 30-1 to 30-6 and the electricity consumption of the common area 60. Another example of the higher-level metering device 101 is a smart meter. The power receiving panel 102 is connected to the higher-level metering device 101 and receives power from the grid 10 through low-voltage bulk power reception. The power receiving panel 102 includes, for example, a current transformer and a circuit breaker 1061 for the grid 10. The power receiving panel 102 supplies the received power to the distribution panel 106. Sensor 103 is connected between the power receiving panel 102 and the distribution panel 106 and detects the direction of the current flowing between the power receiving panel 102 and the distribution panel 106. Sensor 103 outputs the detected result to the charge / discharge control device (CDCD).

[0037] The distributed power source 104 comprises at least a solar cell module SC and a storage battery 100. The distributed power source 104 may also include a fuel cell, a wind power generation system, etc. The power conditioner 200 controls the solar cell module SC and the storage battery 100. The control unit 300 controls the charge / discharge device CDD-3 from the charge / discharge device CDD-1. The Power Conditioner 200 converts the DC power generated by the SC solar modules into AC power that can be used in the home. The power conditioner 200 converts the voltage of surplus DC power generated by solar cell modules SC that are not used in the common area 60 or in customers 30-1 to 30-6 into a voltage that can be used to charge the battery 100, and stores the converted power in the battery 100. When the amount of power generated by the solar cell modules SC is low, the power conditioner 200 supplies the electricity stored in the battery 100 to the common area 60 and to customer 30-1 and then to customer 30-6. The power conditioner 200 controls the charging and discharging of the battery 100 based on the detection result indicating the direction of current flow detected by the sensor 103. The power conditioner 200 detects whether or not power is being supplied from the grid, and if it detects that a power outage has occurred, it supplies the power stored in the battery 100 to the router 1101 and outlet 1102 in the common area 60 via the switchboard 109.

[0038] The distribution board 106 includes, for example, multiple circuit breakers 1061 and sensors 103 for each branch destination. During grid-connected operation, the distribution board 106 branches the power received by the receiving board 102 to multiple sub-circuits and distributes it to the common area 60 and to each of the customers 30-1 and 30-6. Furthermore, the distribution board 106 branches the power supplied via the power conditioner 200 into multiple sub-circuits and distributes it to the common area 60 and to consumers 30-1 through 30-6. Furthermore, if the building unit (BU) has multiple floors, the distribution board 106 may be configured to distribute the power supplied via the power conditioner 200 to each floor. The lower metering device 107 is a meter for measuring the power consumption of the common area 60. The distribution board 108 supplies power to the switching panel 109 and the outlet 1103 in the common area 60. The switch 109 determines whether the grid 10 or the charge / discharge control device CDCD is energized and switches the switch to the side that is energized. When the switch 109 switches the switch to the side that is energized, either the power from the grid or the power supplied via the charge / discharge control device CDCD is supplied to the router 1101 and outlet 1102 in the common area 60. As shown in Figure 4, during a power outage, the power from the battery 100 is supplied directly from the charge / discharge control device CDCD to the switchboard 109, without going through the distribution board 106.

[0039] Common areas 60 include, for example, the electrical facilities of the building's building unit (BU) lobby, corridors, management office, and meeting rooms. Common areas 60 include, for example, a router 1101, outlets 1102 and 1103. Outlet 1103 is supplied with power under normal conditions but not during a power outage. Router 1101 and outlet 1102 are not supplied with power under normal conditions but are supplied with power during a power outage. Lower meter devices 36-1 to 36-6 are meters that measure the power consumption of customers 30-1 to 30-6, respectively. Customers 30-1 to 30-6 are each included in building BU sections 50-1 to 50-6. For example, sections 50-1 to 50-6 each have access points AP-1 to AP-6 and loads LO-1 to LO-6. Examples of loads LO-1 to LO-6 include outlets and lights. Furthermore, the intermediary company 5 acquires the measurement results from the lower metering device 107 and the lower metering devices 36-1 through 36-6, calculates the power consumption based on the acquired results, and collects electricity charges from each of the consumers 30-1 through 30-6. The measurement results from the lower metering device 107 and the lower metering devices 36-1 through 36-6 may be acquired by, for example, the charge / discharge control device CDCD and output to the power company 4.

[0040] (Operation during normal operation and during power outages) Next, with reference to Figure 4, we will explain examples of operation under normal conditions and during a power outage. Under normal circumstances, the electricity generated by the solar cell modules SC is supplied to the distribution board 106 via the power conditioner 200. The distribution board 106 supplies the supplied power to the outlet 1103 in the common area 60 and to each of the customers 30-6 from customer 30-1. If the generated power is insufficient to meet the power demand, the power receiving panel 102 supplies power from the grid 10 to the outlets 1103 in the common area 60 and to consumers 30-1 and 30-6 respectively. If there is a surplus of electricity generated by the solar cell modules SC, the power conditioner 200 charges the battery 100 and then sells the generated electricity to the grid 10 via the power receiving panel 102. Note that the outlet 1103 that normally supplies power to the common area 60 is just one example and is not limited to this. For example, it may also supply power to the lights installed in the common area 60, the control device for the electronic lock at the entrance, etc.

[0041] During a power outage, the charge / discharge control device (CDCD) detects whether or not power is being supplied from the grid and supplies the power stored in the battery 100 to the router 1101 and outlet 1102 in the common area 60 via the switching panel 109. Furthermore, in the event of a power outage, if power is being generated by the solar cell module SC, the charge / discharge control device CDCD may supply the power generated by the solar cell module SC to the distribution board 106. In this case, power may also be supplied from the distribution board 106 to each of the consumers 30-1 through 30-6. Note that the router 1101 and outlet 1102 supplied with power to the common area 60 during a power outage are just examples and are not limited to them. For example, power may also be supplied to emergency lights and electronic lock control devices at the entrance, which are installed in the common area 60. The power conditioner 200 and control unit 300 are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a computer program (software) stored in a memory unit (not shown). Furthermore, some or all of these functional components may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or by collaboration between software and hardware.

[0042] (Operation of the charge / discharge control system) Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the charge / discharge control system according to this embodiment. (Step S1-1) In the charge / discharge control system, the battery 100 stores electricity generated by distributed power sources such as a photovoltaic (PV) power generation system. (Step S2-1) In the charge / discharge control system, the power conditioner 200 determines whether or not the power supply from the grid has stopped. If the power conditioner 200 has not stopped supplying power from the grid, it returns to step S1-1. (Step S3-1) In the charge / discharge control system, if the power conditioner 200 determines in step S2-1 that power supply from the grid has stopped, it outputs information to the control unit 300 indicating that power is not being supplied. When the control unit 300 receives information indicating that power is not being supplied from the power conditioner 200, it creates control information that includes information instructing the electric vehicle's battery to be discharged. The control unit 300 outputs the created control information from the charge / discharge device CDD-1 to the charge / discharge device CDD-3. Each of the charge / discharge devices CDD-1 through CDD-3 acquires control information output by the control unit 300, and based on the information included in the acquired control information that instructs the electric vehicle's battery to discharge, it discharges the power stored in the batteries of each connected electric vehicle, from electric vehicle EV-1 to electric vehicle EV-3.

[0043] (Step S4-1) In the charge / discharge control system, each of the charge / discharge devices CDD-1 to CDD-3 stores the power obtained by discharging the batteries of each of the electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-3 in the storage battery 100. (Step S5-1) In the charge / discharge control system, the power conditioner 200 supplies the power stored in the battery 100 to the electrical loads included in each of the customers 30-1 to 30-6 and in each of the common areas 60-1 to 60-2 within the building BU. (Step S6-1) In the charge / discharge control system, the power conditioner 200 determines whether or not power supply from the grid has been resumed. If power supply from the grid has not been resumed, the system returns to step S3-1; if power supply from the grid has been resumed, the system returns to step S1-1.

[0044] In the embodiments described above, the case in which the building unit (BU) has two floors, the first floor and the second floor, was explained, but the invention is not limited to this example. For example, a building unit (BU) may have three or more floors. In the embodiment described above, we explained a case where the building unit (BU) has two floors, the first floor and the second floor, each with three divisions, but the invention is not limited to this example. For example, each floor of a building unit (BU) may have one or two compartments, or four or more compartments. Furthermore, the number of compartments on each floor of a building unit may differ. In the embodiment described above, the case in which the building unit (BU) is supplied with power from the power company 4 and the grid power source was explained, but the invention is not limited to this example. For example, the building unit (BU) may be powered by power company 4 or by the grid power supply. If the building unit (BU) is powered by power company 4, the power conditioner 200 determines whether or not it is powered by power company 4. If the building unit (BU) is powered by the grid power supply, the power conditioner 200 determines whether or not it is powered by the grid power supply. In the embodiment described above, the case in which the communication equipment supplies power stored in the battery 100 to each of the access points AP-1 to AP-6 was explained, but the invention is not limited to this example. For example, the battery 100 may supply power to each of the access points AP-1 through AP-6. The above-described embodiment described a case where parking lots PA-1 to PA-3 are attached to building BU, but the invention is not limited to this example. For example, the number of parking spaces attached to a building unit (BU) can be one or two, or four or more.

[0045] In the embodiment described above, a case was described in which the battery 100 is installed near the parking area (PA), and the power conditioner 200 and control unit 300 are installed in the common area 60 of the building (BU). However, the embodiment is not limited to this example. For example, the battery 100 may be installed in a location other than the parking area PA, such as a common area 60, and the power conditioner 200 and control unit 300 may be installed in a location other than the common area 60, such as a wall of the building BU. In the embodiment described above, the control unit 300 may output control information, including information instructing the electric vehicle battery to be discharged, from the charge / discharge device CDD-1 to the charge / discharge device CDD-3 at different timings. In Figure 4 of the embodiment described above, a power supply node 121 that supplies power from the distributed power source 104 may be provided between the upper meter device 101 and the power receiving panel 102. Alternatively, in Figure 4, a power supply node 121 that supplies power from the distributed power source 104 may be provided between the distribution panel 106 and the lower meter device 107 and each of the lower meter devices 36-1 to 36-6. Furthermore, in Figure 4, a power supply node 121 that supplies power from the distributed power source 104 may be provided between the distribution board 106 and each of the lower meter devices 36-1 to 36-6. Also, in Figure 4, a power supply node 121 that supplies power from the distributed power source 104 may be provided between the branching section 115 and any of the lower meter devices 36-1 to 36-6.

[0046] Figure 6 shows an example of the building configuration according to this embodiment. Note that the building BU shown in Figure 6 is an example of an apartment building. The building unit (BU) comprises a higher-level metering device 101, a power receiving panel 102, a sensor 103, a distributed power supply 104, a charge / discharge control device CDCD, a distribution panel 106, a lower-level metering device 107, a distribution panel 108, a switching panel 109, a common area 60, lower-level metering devices 36-1 to 36-6, sections 50-1 to 50-6, branch sections 116, 117, and 118. The building unit (BU) is connected to a power grid 10 from, for example, power company 4. One example of a power grid 10 is a low-voltage bulk power supply. The upper-level metering device 101 has the power grid 10 from the power company connected to its input side, and the input side of the power receiving panel 102 connected to its output side. The power receiving panel 102 has the input side of the distribution panel 106 connected to its output side. The distribution board 106 has the output side of the charge / discharge control device CDCD connected to its first output side via the power supply node 121, and the input side of the branching section 116 connected to its second output side. The sensor 103 of the power supply node 121 is connected to the input side of the branching section 118 at the output. The branching section 118 has the input side of the lower meter device 107 connected to the first output side, and the input side of the branching section 117 connected to the second output side.

[0047] The lower metering device 107 has the input side of the distribution board 108 connected to its output side. The distribution board 108 has the outlets 1103 and other devices of the common area 60 connected to its first output side, and the first input side of the switchboard 109 connected to its second output side. The switch panel 109 has the second output side of the charge / discharge control device CDCD connected to its second input side, and the router 1101 and outlets 1102 of the common area 60 connected to its output side. The charge / discharge control device (CDCD) has a distributed power supply 104 connected to its control side. The branching section 116 has the input sides of lower meter devices 36-4 and 36-6 connected to its output side. The branching section 117 has the input sides of lower meter devices 36-1 to 36-3 connected to its output side. Lower meter devices 36-1 to 36-6 are each connected to customers 30-1 to 30-6 on their output sides.

[0048] As shown in Figure 6, in the building BU of this embodiment, power is supplied from the distribution board 106 to the common area 60 and to customers 30-1 through 30-3 via a first route, and to customers 30-4 through 30-6 via a second route. For example, customers 30-1 to 30-3 are each included in multiple units 50-1 to 50-3 on the first floor of the apartment building. For example, customers 30-4 to 30-6 are each included in multiple units 50-4 to 50-6 on the second floor of the apartment building. In this embodiment, during normal times, for example at night, power from the storage battery 100 is supplied to the common area 60 and from customer 30-1, which is a residence on the first floor, to customer 30-3, but not from customer 30-4, which is a residence on the second floor, to customer 30-6. Furthermore, in the event of a power outage, power will be supplied to the router 1101 and outlets 1102 in the common area 60, but not to customers 30-1 through 30-3, which are residences on the first floor, or customers 30-4 through 30-6, which are residences on the second floor. However, in the event of a power outage, power is supplied from router 1101 in the common area 60 to access point AP-1 and then to access point AP-6 via a LAN cable. Furthermore, in the building BU, the distributed power supply 104 is connected, for example, between the distribution board 106 and the lower metering device 107 and the lower metering device 36-1 via a charge / discharge control device CDCD. In the configuration shown in Figure 6, the sensor 103 supplies current to, for example, the common area 60 and the customer 30-1. Therefore, the amount of current detected by the sensor 103 can be reduced without detecting the total current. This means that, for example, in cases where there are many households, even sensors that do not meet the current tolerance requirements can be used in a configuration where the power receiving panel 102 is equipped with a sensor 103. In this case, the distribution board 106 is equipped with a circuit breaker for each path, and a sensor 103 is installed in the path that supplies power from the battery 100.

[0049] According to the charge / discharge control system of this embodiment, the charge / discharge control system comprises a storage battery 100 and a control unit 300 that controls the charging and discharging of the battery of an electric vehicle (EV). The control unit 300 charges the storage battery 100 by discharging the battery of the electric vehicle (EV) when the power supply from the grid is stopped. With this configuration, the charge / discharge control system comprises a storage battery 100 and a control unit 300 that controls the charging and discharging of the electric vehicle (EV) battery. The control unit 300 can charge the storage battery 100 by discharging the EV battery when power supply from the grid is interrupted. When power supply from the grid is interrupted, the EV battery can charge the storage battery 100, and the storage battery 100 can supply the stored power to the electrical loads contained in the building, thus supplying the power stored in the EV battery. Since the EV battery can charge the storage battery 100, the capacity of the storage battery 100 can be reduced.

[0050] The charge / discharge control system further includes a power conditioner 200 that supplies power stored in the battery 100 to the electrical loads included in the building unit (BU) when power supply from the grid is interrupted. By configuring it in this way, a power conditioner 200 can be further provided to supply power stored in the battery 100 to the electrical loads included in the building unit (BU) when power supply from the grid is interrupted. Therefore, when power supply from the grid is interrupted, power stored in the battery 100, which has been charged by the battery of an electric vehicle (EV), can be supplied to the electrical loads included in the building unit (BU).

[0051] In the charge / discharge control system, the battery 100 stores electricity generated by distributed power sources. With this configuration, the charge / discharge control system includes a battery 100 that stores electricity generated by distributed power sources, and a control unit 300 that controls the charging and discharging of the electric vehicle (EV) battery. The control unit 300 can charge the battery 100 by discharging the electric vehicle (EV) battery when power supply from the grid is interrupted. When power supply from the grid is interrupted, the battery 100 can be charged by the electric vehicle (EV) battery, and the battery 100 can supply the stored power to the electrical loads included in the building unit (BU), thus supplying the power stored in the electric vehicle (EV) battery.

[0052] (Modification of Embodiment 1) Figure 7 shows an example of the configuration of a charge / discharge control system according to Modification 1 of the Embodiment. This charge / discharge control system differs from the charge / discharge control system according to the Embodiment in that it includes a power conditioner 200a instead of a power conditioner 200, and a control unit 300a instead of a control unit 300. In addition to the functions of the aforementioned Power Conditioner 200, Power Conditioner 200a has the following functions: The power conditioner 200 determines whether the battery 100 is charging or discharging. If the power conditioner 200a determines that the battery 100 is discharging, it creates control information that includes information indicating that the battery 100 is discharging, and outputs the created control information to the control unit 300a. In addition to the functions of the control unit 300 described above, the control unit 300a has the following functions. The control unit 300a acquires control information output by the power conditioner 200a, and if the acquired control information includes information indicating that the battery 100 is discharging, it creates control information that includes information instructing not to charge the electric vehicle EV battery. The control unit 300 outputs the created control information from the charge / discharge device CDD-1 to the charge / discharge device CDD-3.

[0053] Each of the charge / discharge devices CDD-1 through CDD-3 acquires control information output by the control unit 300, and based on the information included in the acquired control information that instructs not to charge the battery of the electric vehicle EV, it refrains from charging the battery of each of the connected electric vehicles EV-1 through EV-3. By configuring it in this way, the charge / discharge control system allows the control unit 300 to prevent charging the electric vehicle EV when the battery 100 is discharging, thus enabling the power stored in the battery 100 to be supplied to the electrical loads included in the building unit (BU). The first modified example of the building BU configuration according to the embodiment is the same as the building BU configuration example according to the embodiment described with reference to Figures 4 and 6, but with the power conditioner 200 replaced by a power conditioner 200a and the control unit 300 replaced by a control unit 300a. The power conditioner 200a and the control unit 300a are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a computer program (software) stored in a memory unit (not shown). Furthermore, some or all of these functional components may be implemented by hardware such as LSIs, ASICs, FPGAs, and GPUs (including circuitry), or by the collaboration of software and hardware.

[0054] (Operation of the charge / discharge control system) Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a charge / discharge control system according to a modified example of the embodiment 1. (Step S1-2) In the charge / discharge control system, charge / discharge devices CDD-1 to CDD-3 charge electric vehicle EV-1 to electric vehicle EV-3, respectively, using the power stored in battery 100. (Step S2-2) In the charge / discharge control system, the power conditioner 200a determines whether or not the battery 100 is discharging. If it is determined that the battery 100 is not discharging, the system returns to step S1-2.

[0055] (Step S3-2) In the charge / discharge control system, when the power conditioner 200a determines that the battery 100 is discharging, it creates control information that includes information indicating that the battery 100 is discharging, and outputs the created control information to the control unit 300a. The control unit 300a acquires control information output by the power conditioner 200a, and if the acquired control information includes information indicating that the battery 100 is discharging, it creates control information that includes information instructing the electric vehicle EV not to charge. The control unit 300a outputs the created control information from the charge / discharge device CDD-1 to the charge / discharge device CDD-3. Each of the charge / discharge devices CDD-1 through CDD-3 acquires control information output by the control unit 300a and, based on the information included in the acquired control information that instructs not to charge the battery of the electric vehicle EV, refrains from charging the batteries of the connected electric vehicle EV-1 through EV-3. Then, the process proceeds to step S2-2. In the modified example 1 of the above-described embodiment, the case in which the power conditioner 200a and the control unit 300a are installed in the common area 60 of the building BU was described, but the invention is not limited to this example. For example, the power conditioner 200a and the control unit 300a may be installed in a location other than the common area 60, such as the wall of the building BU. According to the charge / discharge control system of the embodiment 1, in the charge / discharge control system of the embodiment, the control unit 300a does not charge the electric vehicle EV when the storage battery 100 is discharging. By configuring it in this way, the charge / discharge control system allows the control unit 300a to prevent charging the electric vehicle EV when the battery 100 is discharging, thus enabling the power stored in the battery 100 to be supplied to the electrical loads included in the building.

[0056] (Modified embodiment 2) Figure 9 shows an example of the configuration of a charge / discharge control system according to a modified example 2 of the embodiment. The charge / discharge control system differs from the charge / discharge control system according to the embodiment in that it includes a power conditioner 200b instead of a power conditioner 200, and a control unit 300b instead of a control unit 300. In addition to the functions of the aforementioned Power Conditioner 200, Power Conditioner 200b has the following functions. If the power conditioner 200b determines that power is not being supplied from either the power company 4 or the grid power supply due to a power outage or other reason, it converts the DC power generated by the solar cell module SC into AC power and supplies the AC power to the storage battery 100. The battery 100 acquires the electricity generated by the solar cell module SC supplied by the power conditioner 200 and charges itself with the acquired electricity.

[0057] With this configuration, in the charge / discharge control system, the battery 100 can be charged with electricity generated by distributed power sources when power supply from the grid is interrupted. Because the battery 100 can be charged with electricity generated by distributed power sources when power supply from the grid is interrupted, the battery 100 can supply the stored power to the electrical loads included in the building unit (BU) and can also charge the battery of an electric vehicle (EV).

[0058] The power conditioner 200b determines whether or not the battery 100 is fully charged. If the power conditioner 200b determines that the battery 100 is fully charged, it creates control information that includes information indicating that the battery 100 is fully charged, and outputs the created control information to the control unit 300b. In addition to the functions of the control unit 300 described above, the control unit 300b has the following functions. The control unit 300b acquires control information output by the power conditioner 200b, and if the acquired control information includes information indicating that the battery 100 has been fully charged, it creates control information that includes information instructing the electric vehicle EV to start charging its battery. The control unit 300b outputs the created control information from the charge / discharge device CDD-1 to the charge / discharge device CDD-3.

[0059] Each of the charge / discharge units CDD-1 through CDD-3 acquires control information output by the control unit 300b and, based on the information included in the acquired control information that instructs the unit to start charging the battery of the electric vehicle EV, begins charging the battery of each of the connected electric vehicles EV-1 through EV-3. With this configuration, in the charge / discharge control system, the control unit 300b can charge the electric vehicle (EV) with the power generated by the distributed power source when the battery 100 is fully charged. When the battery 100 is fully charged, the power generated by the distributed power source can be supplied to the electrical loads included in the building unit (BU), and in that situation, the electric vehicle (EV) can be charged. The battery 100 can be given priority over the electric vehicle (EV) in being fully charged. The second modified example of the building BU configuration according to the embodiment is the same as the building BU configuration example according to the embodiment described with reference to Figures 4 and 6, but with the power conditioner 200 replaced by a power conditioner 200b and the control unit 300 replaced by a control unit 300b. The power conditioner 200b and the control unit 300b are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a computer program (software) stored in a memory unit (not shown). Furthermore, some or all of these functional components may be implemented by hardware such as LSIs, ASICs, FPGAs, and GPUs (including circuitry), or by the collaboration of software and hardware.

[0060] (Operation of the charge / discharge control system) Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a charge / discharge control system according to a modified example 2 of the embodiment. (Steps S1-3) In the charge / discharge control system, the battery 100 is charged with power from the grid power supply provided by the power conditioner 200. (Step S2-3) In the charge / discharge control system, the power conditioner 200 determines whether or not the power supply from the grid has stopped. If the power supply from the grid has not stopped, the process returns to step S1-3. (Step S3-3) In the charge / discharge control system, if the power conditioner 200 determines in step S2-3 that power supply from the grid has stopped, it supplies power generated by the distributed power source to the battery 100. The battery 100 is charged with the power supplied by the power conditioner 200. (Step S4-3) In the charge / discharge control system, the power conditioner 200b determines whether the battery 100 is fully charged. If the battery 100 is not fully charged, the process returns to step S3-3.

[0061] (Step S5-3) In the charge / discharge control system, when the power conditioner 200b determines that the battery 100 has reached full charge, it creates control information that includes information indicating that the battery 100 has reached full charge, and outputs the created control information to the control unit 300b. The control unit 300b acquires control information output by the power conditioner 200b, and if the acquired control information includes information indicating that the battery 100 is fully charged, it creates control information that includes information instructing the electric vehicle EV to start charging its battery. The control unit 300b outputs the created control information from the charge / discharge device CDD-1 to the charge / discharge device CDD-3. Each of the charge / discharge units CDD-1 through CDD-3 acquires control information output by the control unit 300b and, based on the information included in the acquired control information that instructs the start of charging the electric vehicle EV's battery, begins charging the battery of each connected electric vehicle EV-1 through electric vehicle EV-3. Then, the process returns to step S2-3.

[0062] In the modified example 2 of the above-described embodiment, a case was described in which the power conditioner 200b and the control unit 300b are installed in the common area 60 of the building BU, but the invention is not limited to this example. For example, the power conditioner 200b and the control unit 300b may be installed in a location other than the common area 60, such as the wall of the building BU. According to the charge / discharge control system of the modified embodiment 2, in the charge / discharge control system of the embodiment, the storage battery 100 is charged with electricity generated by distributed power sources when the power supply from the grid is stopped. With this configuration, in the charge / discharge control system, the battery 100 can be charged with electricity generated by distributed power sources when power supply from the grid is interrupted. When power supply from the grid is interrupted, the battery 100 can be charged with electricity generated by distributed power sources, and the battery 100 can supply the stored power to the electrical loads included in the building, thus supplying electricity generated by distributed power sources. In the charge / discharge control system according to a modified example 2 of the embodiment, the control unit 300b charges the electric vehicle EV with electricity generated by the distributed power source when the storage battery 100 is fully charged. With this configuration, in the charge / discharge control system, the control unit 300b can charge the electric vehicle (EV) with the power generated by the distributed power source when the battery 100 is fully charged. Once the battery is fully charged, the power generated by the distributed power source can be supplied to the electrical loads included in the building unit (BU), and in that situation, the electric vehicle (EV) can be charged. The battery can be given priority over the electric vehicle (EV) in being fully charged.

[0063] (Modification of Embodiment 3) Figure 11 shows an example of the configuration of a charge / discharge control system according to a modified example of the embodiment 3. The charge / discharge control system differs from the charge / discharge control system according to the embodiment in that it includes a power conditioner 200c instead of a power conditioner 200, and a control unit 300c instead of a control unit 300. In addition to the functions of the aforementioned Power Conditioner 200, the Power Conditioner 200c has the following functions: The power conditioner 200c determines the state of the battery 100, creates control information including the state determination result, and outputs the created control information to the control unit 300c. Here, the state of the battery 100 includes the charging state and the discharging state. The control unit 300c acquires control information output by the power conditioner 200 and obtains the determination result of the state of the battery 100 included in the acquired control information. If the acquired determination result of the state of the battery indicates a discharge state, the control unit 300c creates control information that includes information instructing the electric vehicle EV to discharge. The control unit 300c outputs the created control information from the charge / discharge device CDD-1 to the charge / discharge device CDD-3.

[0064] Each of the charge / discharge devices CDD-1 through CDD-3 acquires control information output by the control unit 300c and, based on the information included in the acquired control information that instructs the electric vehicle EV to discharge its battery, discharges the power stored in the batteries of each connected electric vehicle EV-1 through EV-3. Each of the charge / discharge devices CDD-1 to CDD-3 stores the power obtained by discharging the batteries of each of the electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-3 in the storage battery 100. The battery 100 supplies the stored power to the electrical loads contained in each of the customers 30-1 through 30-6 and in each of the common areas 60-1 through 60-2 within the building BU. According to the charge / discharge control system of the modified embodiment 2, in the charge / discharge control system of the embodiment, the storage battery 100 is charged with electricity generated by distributed power sources when the power supply from the grid is stopped.

[0065] With this configuration, in the charge / discharge control system, the battery 100 can be charged with electricity generated by distributed power sources when power supply from the grid is interrupted. When power supply from the grid is interrupted, the battery 100 can be charged with electricity generated by distributed power sources, and the battery 100 can supply the stored power to the electrical loads included in the building, thus supplying electricity generated by distributed power sources. With this configuration, in the charge / discharge control system, the control unit 300c can charge the battery 100 by discharging the electric vehicle EV when the battery 100 is not discharged. When power supply from the grid is interrupted, the battery 100 can be charged by the electric vehicle EV's battery, and the battery 100 can supply the stored power to the electrical loads in the building, thus supplying the power stored in the electric vehicle EV's battery. The third modified example of the building BU configuration according to the embodiment is the same as the building BU configuration example according to the embodiment described with reference to Figures 4 and 6, but with the power conditioner 200 replaced by a power conditioner 200c and the control unit 300 replaced by a control unit 300c. The power conditioner 200c and the control unit 300c are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a computer program (software) stored in a memory unit (not shown). Furthermore, some or all of these functional components may be implemented by hardware such as LSIs, ASICs, FPGAs, and GPUs (including circuitry), or by the collaboration of software and hardware.

[0066] (Operation of the charge / discharge control system) Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a charge / discharge control system according to a modified example of the embodiment 3. (Steps S1-4) In the charge / discharge control system, the battery 100 stores electricity generated by distributed power sources such as a solar power generation system. (Step S2-4) In the charge / discharge control system, the power conditioner 200 determines whether or not the power supply from the grid has stopped. If the power conditioner 200 has not stopped supplying power from the grid, it returns to step S1-4. (Step S3-4) In the charge / discharge control system, when the power conditioner 200 determines in step S2-1 that power supply from the grid has stopped, it determines the state of the battery 100, creates control information including the result of the state determination, and outputs the created control information to the control unit 300c. The control unit 300c acquires the control information output by the power conditioner 200 and obtains the determination result of the state of the battery 100 included in the acquired control information. The control unit 300c determines whether the acquired determination result of the state of the battery indicates a discharge state. If the determination result of the state of the battery 100 indicates a discharge state, the process returns to step S3-4.

[0067] (Step S4-4) In the charge / discharge control system, the control unit 300c creates control information that includes information instructing the electric vehicle (EV) battery to discharge if the determination result of the state of the storage battery 100 does not indicate a discharge state. The control unit 300c outputs the created control information from the charge / discharge device CDD-1 to the charge / discharge device CDD-3. Each of the charge / discharge devices CDD-1 through CDD-3 acquires control information output by the control unit 300c and, based on the information included in the acquired control information that instructs the electric vehicle EV to discharge its battery, discharges the power stored in the batteries of each connected electric vehicle EV-1 through EV-3. (Step S5-4) In the charge / discharge control system, each of the charge / discharge devices CDD-1 to CDD-3 stores the power obtained by discharging the batteries of each of the electric vehicles EV-1 to EV-3 in the storage battery 100. (Step S6-4) In the charge / discharge control system, the power conditioner 200c determines whether or not power supply from the grid has been restored. If power supply from the grid has not been restored, the system returns to step S3-4; if power supply from the grid has been restored, the system returns to step S1-4. In the modified example 3 of the above-described embodiment, a case was described in which the power conditioner 200c and the control unit 300c are installed in the common area 60 of the building's business unit (BU). However, the invention is not limited to this example. For example, the power conditioner 200c and the control unit 300c may be installed in a location other than the common area 60, such as the wall of the building's BU. In the charge / discharge control system according to the third modified embodiment, the control unit 300c discharges the electric vehicle when the storage battery 100 is not discharged. With this configuration, in the charge / discharge control system, the control unit 300c can charge the battery 100 by discharging the electric vehicle EV when the battery 100 is not discharged. When power supply from the grid is interrupted, the battery 100 can be charged by the electric vehicle EV's battery, and the battery 100 can supply the stored power to the electrical loads in the building, thus supplying the power stored in the electric vehicle EV's battery.

[0068] Although embodiments and their modifications have been described above, these embodiments and their modifications are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, changes, and combinations can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, modified embodiment 1 and modified embodiment 2 may be combined, modified embodiment 1 and modified embodiment 3 may be combined, modified embodiment 2 and modified embodiment 3 may be combined, and modified embodiment 1, modified embodiment 2 and modified embodiment 3 may be combined. These embodiments and their variations are included within the scope and essence of the invention, and at the same time, within the scope of the invention and its equivalents as described in the claims.

[0069] Furthermore, the power conditioners 200, 200a, 200b, and 200c mentioned above, along with the control units 300, 300a, 300b, and 300c, are implemented with a computer, as previously stated. In this case, the program for realizing the function of each functional block is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Alternatively, the program recorded on this recording medium may be loaded into a computer system and executed by the CPU. Here, "computer system" includes hardware such as the OS (Operating System) and peripheral devices. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs. It also includes storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems.

[0070] Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" may include those that dynamically hold programs for a short period of time. Examples of those that dynamically hold programs for a short period of time include communication lines used when transmitting programs via networks such as the Internet or communication lines such as telephone lines. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" may also include volatile memory within server and client computer systems that retain programs for a certain period of time. Furthermore, the above program may be intended to implement some of the functions described above. Also, the above program may be capable of implementing the aforementioned functions in combination with programs already recorded in the computer system. Furthermore, the above program may be implemented using a programmable logic device. A programmable logic device is, for example, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0071] Furthermore, the aforementioned power conditioners 200, 200a, 200b, and 200c, and the control units 300, 300a, 300b, and 300c each have an internal computer. The processes of each of the aforementioned power conditioners 200, 200a, 200b, and 200c, and the control units 300, 300a, 300b, and 300c are stored in program format on a computer-readable recording medium, and the above processes are performed when the computer reads and executes this program. Here, computer-readable recording media refer to magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, semiconductor memory, etc. Alternatively, this computer program may be distributed to a computer via a communication line, and the computer that receives the program may execute it. Furthermore, the above program may be intended to implement some of the functions described above. Furthermore, the aforementioned functions may be implemented in combination with programs already recorded in the computer system, such as so-called differential files (differential programs). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0072] 2, 3, 6, 20 Housing 4. Power companies 5. Intermediary companies 7 Power supply destination 21 Distributed power generation 22 First business operator 23 Electric vehicles 24 Consumer 25 Owners 26. Wholesale Electricity Market 27 Second business operator 28 Housing 29. Business establishment of the first business operator 33 Upper Meter Device 36 Lower Meter Device 30-1, 30-2, 30-3, 30-4, 30-5, 30-6 Consumer 50-1, 50-2, 50-3, 50-4, 50-5, 50-6 classification 60-1, 60-2 Common area 100 Battery 200, 200a, 200b, 200c Power Conditioner 300, 300a, 300b, 300c control unit

Claims

1. A building accommodating multiple households, comprising multiple residential units corresponding to the said multiple households. A battery storage system installed in the building, A charging and discharging device installed in a parking lot having multiple parking spaces adjacent to the aforementioned building, comprising a control unit that controls the charging and discharging of batteries of multiple electric vehicles parked in the parking spaces by outputting control information to a number of charging and discharging devices corresponding to the number of parking spaces, and A power conditioner that supplies power stored in the battery to the electrical loads in the building when power supply from the grid is interrupted, Equipped with, The residential unit is equipped with communication equipment used by the residents of each residential unit, which is powered by the power conditioner, and an access point that can communicate with the communication equipment and communicates with an external device that controls the building's charging and discharging functions. The control unit is a charge / discharge control system that, when power supply from the grid power source is interrupted, charges the storage battery by discharging the battery of the electric vehicle parked in the parking space, and maintains the charging and discharging functions of the building in the event of a power outage in the building by supplying power to the communication equipment and access points provided in each of the multiple residential spaces.

2. The charge / discharge control system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit does not charge the electric vehicle when the storage battery is discharged.

3. The charge / discharge control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the storage battery is charged with electricity generated by a distributed power source when the power supply from the grid power source is stopped.

4. The charge / discharge control system according to claim 3, wherein the control unit charges the electric vehicle with the electricity generated by the distributed power source when the storage battery is fully charged.

5. The charge / discharge control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit discharges the electric vehicle when the storage battery is not discharged.

6. The charge / discharge control system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the storage battery stores electricity generated by distributed power sources.

7. A step of determining whether or not the power supply from the grid has been stopped to a building that houses multiple households and has multiple residential units corresponding to the multiple households, In the determination step, if it is determined that the power supply from the grid power source has stopped, the battery of an electric vehicle connected to a charge / discharge device installed in a parking lot with multiple parking spaces adjacent to the building is discharged to charge the storage battery, and power is supplied to communication equipment used by residents of the residential units and to multiple access points installed in each of the residential units that can communicate with the communication equipment and communicate with external equipment that controls the building's charge / discharge function, thereby maintaining the building's charge / discharge function in the event of a power outage in the building. A charge / discharge control method having the following features.

8. On the computer, A step of determining whether or not the power supply from the grid has been stopped to a building that houses multiple households and has multiple residential units corresponding to the multiple households, In the determination step, if it is determined that the power supply from the grid power source has stopped, the battery of an electric vehicle connected to a charge / discharge device installed in a parking lot with multiple parking spaces adjacent to the building is discharged to charge the storage battery, and power is supplied to communication equipment used by residents of the residential units and to multiple access points installed in each of the residential units that can communicate with the communication equipment and communicate with external equipment that controls the building's charge / discharge function, thereby maintaining the building's charge / discharge function in the event of a power outage in the building. A computer program that executes something.

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