Information processing method, information processing device, and program

Abstract

This information processing method comprises: a step (S11) for acquiring facility data of a facility managed in each of a plurality of energy management systems (20); a step (S12) for extracting and grouping energy management systems (20) pertaining to facility data similar to facility data pertaining to one energy management system (20); a step (S11) for acquiring energy supply / demand data; and a step (S13) for evaluating the validity of the energy saving performance of the one energy management system (20) and outputting the evaluation result by comparing the respective pieces of energy supply / demand data of the grouped energy management systems (20).

Description

Information processing method, information processing device, and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing method, an information processing device, and a program.

[0002] Energy management systems such as microgrids are now in practical use. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an energy management system that can easily improve the renewable energy utilization rate in the amount of power consumed in a microgrid.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-193861

[0004] However, there is a demand for evaluating energy management systems. Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an information processing method and the like that can evaluate the validity of an energy management system.

[0005] An information processing method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing method executed by a computer and for evaluating the validity of an energy management system included in a plurality of energy management systems, and includes the steps of acquiring facility data for facilities managed in each of the plurality of energy management systems, extracting energy management systems from the plurality of energy management systems related to facility data similar to facility data related to the one energy management system and grouping them together with the one energy management system, acquiring energy supply and demand data for each of the facilities managed in the grouped energy management systems, and evaluating the validity of the energy saving performance of the one energy management system by comparing the energy supply and demand data of each of the grouped energy management systems and outputting the evaluation results.

[0006] In addition, an information processing device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device that evaluates the validity of an energy management system included in a plurality of energy management systems, and includes: a facility data acquisition unit that acquires facility data for facilities managed in each of the plurality of energy management systems; a real-world cluster generation unit that extracts energy management systems from the plurality of energy management systems that have facility data similar to facility data for the one energy management system and groups them together with the one energy management system; an energy supply and demand data acquisition unit that acquires energy supply and demand data for each of the facilities managed in the grouped energy management systems; and a validity evaluation unit that evaluates the validity of the energy saving performance of the one energy management system by comparing the energy supply and demand data for each of the grouped energy management systems and outputs the evaluation result.

[0007] Furthermore, one aspect of the present disclosure can also be realized as a program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method described above.

[0008] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a non-transitory recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to evaluate the validity of an energy management system.

[0010] 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] (Knowledge that formed the basis of the disclosure) In recent years, a review of energy supply and demand has led to calls for energy conservation and cost reductions. Against this backdrop, energy management systems (EMS), which are capable of comprehensively managing energy supply and demand for each management unit, are becoming more widespread. On the other hand, even if an energy management system has achieved energy conservation and cost reductions, there are cases where even greater energy conservation and cost reductions are possible under similar conditions. In other words, even when there is room for further energy conservation and cost reductions, the energy management system may make it appear as if energy conservation and cost reductions have been achieved. Therefore, there is a demand for the ability to evaluate the validity of an energy management system (for example, from the perspective of energy conservation and cost reductions).

[0012] Here, there is the concept of structural health monitoring. This is generally known as a technology for assessing the durability and safety of a structure by attaching sensors to various parts of the structure to measure the load on the structure and predicting the progression of damage and deterioration of the structure based on the load. In other words, structural health monitoring evaluates the durability and safety of a structure by predicting how the structure will progress if it is continuously exposed to the same conditions.

[0013] It is assumed that an energy management system can achieve similar energy and cost savings under the same conditions. Conversely, if an energy management system is unable to achieve similar energy and cost savings under the same conditions, it can be assessed that the energy management system is not achieving appropriate energy and cost savings.

[0014] This disclosure describes an information processing method for evaluating the energy saving and cost saving of individual energy management systems based on the differences in energy saving and cost saving within the same group when energy management systems under the same conditions are viewed as a group.

[0015] A more specific outline of the present disclosure is as follows.

[0016] An information processing method according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing method executed by a computer and for evaluating the validity of an energy management system included in a plurality of energy management systems, and includes the steps of acquiring facility data for facilities managed in each of the plurality of energy management systems, extracting energy management systems from the plurality of energy management systems that have facility data similar to facility data for the one energy management system and grouping them together with the one energy management system, acquiring energy supply and demand data for each of the facilities managed in the grouped energy management systems, and comparing the energy supply and demand data for each of the grouped energy management systems to evaluate the validity of the energy saving performance of the one energy management system and outputting the evaluation result.

[0017] According to this information processing method, when evaluating the validity of the energy-saving performance of a single energy management system, energy management systems with similar facility data can be considered as a single group, and the validity of the energy-saving performance can be evaluated by comparing the energy supply and demand data within that group. When the facility data is similar, the energy supply and demand data of the energy management systems tends to be similar. In other words, the validity of the energy-saving performance can be evaluated based on whether the energy supply and demand data of the single energy management system tends to be similar to that of other energy management systems in the group. Therefore, it is possible to evaluate the validity of an energy management system from the perspective of the similarity tendency of the energy supply and demand data.

[0018] In addition, the information processing method according to the second aspect is the information processing method according to the first aspect, wherein the facility data for each of the plurality of energy management systems includes at least one of the total floor area of ​​the facility, the equipment configuration and equipment attributes of the electrical equipment installed in the facility.

[0019] According to this, energy management systems with similar facility data can be considered as one group based on facility data that includes at least one of the total floor area of ​​the facility managed by the energy management system, the equipment configuration and equipment attributes of the electrical equipment installed in the facility.

[0020] Furthermore, the information processing method according to the third aspect is the information processing method according to the first or second aspect, wherein each of the plurality of energy management systems is a HEMS that manages energy supply and demand on an individual household basis, a BEMS that manages energy supply and demand on an individual facility basis such as a business establishment, or a FEMS that manages energy supply and demand on an individual factory basis.

[0021] This makes it possible to evaluate the validity of energy management systems such as HEMS, which manages energy supply and demand on an individual household basis, BEMS, which manages energy supply and demand on an individual facility basis such as a business establishment, or FEMS, which manages energy supply and demand on an individual factory basis.

[0022] An information processing method according to a fourth aspect is the information processing method according to the first or second aspect, in which each of the plurality of energy management systems is a microgrid.

[0023] This makes it possible to evaluate the validity of the energy management system for the microgrid.

[0024] Furthermore, an information processing method according to a fifth aspect is an information processing method according to the first or second aspect, in which each of the plurality of energy management systems is a CEMS that manages energy supply and demand on a community basis consisting of a plurality of households.

[0025] This makes it possible to evaluate the validity of the energy management system for a CEMS that manages energy supply and demand on a community basis consisting of multiple homes.

[0026] In addition, the information processing method according to the sixth aspect is an information processing method according to the first or second aspect, in which each of the multiple energy management systems is a VPP that manages energy supply and demand in predetermined units, including the sale of electricity via a power transmission and distribution network.

[0027] This makes it possible to evaluate the validity of the energy management system for a VPP that manages energy supply and demand in predetermined units, including the sale of electricity via a power transmission and distribution network.

[0028] Furthermore, the information processing method according to the seventh aspect is the information processing method according to the sixth aspect, further comprising a step of acquiring energy price data for facilities managed in the grouped energy management systems, wherein the energy supply and demand data for each of the facilities managed in the grouped energy management systems includes the amount of electricity sold and purchased at the facility, and the output step further comprises evaluating the economic adequacy of the one energy management system using the amount of electricity sold and purchased at the facilities managed in the one energy management system and the acquired energy price data, and outputting the evaluation result.

[0029] This allows the economic validity of a single energy management system to be evaluated based on the amount of electricity sold and the amount of electricity purchased as energy supply and demand data.

[0030] In addition, an information processing method according to an eighth aspect is an information processing method according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, and further includes a step of acquiring weather data related to facilities managed by each of a plurality of energy management systems, and in the output step, the energy supply and demand data of each of the grouped energy management systems is compared with energy supply and demand data that have similar weather data, thereby evaluating the validity of the energy saving performance of one energy management system and outputting the evaluation result.

[0031] According to this, the validity of the energy-saving performance of a single energy management system can be evaluated by comparing only the energy supply and demand data of each grouped energy management system that has similar weather data, that is, only the energy supply and demand data of the energy management systems that have similar weather data.

[0032] In addition, an information processing device according to a ninth aspect is an information processing device that evaluates the validity of an energy management system included in a plurality of energy management systems, and includes: a facility data acquisition unit that acquires facility data for facilities managed in each of the plurality of energy management systems; a real-world cluster generation unit that extracts energy management systems from the plurality of energy management systems that have facility data similar to facility data for the one energy management system and groups them together with the one energy management system; an energy supply and demand data acquisition unit that acquires energy supply and demand data for each of the facilities managed in the grouped energy management systems; and a validity evaluation unit that evaluates the validity of the energy saving performance of the one energy management system by comparing the energy supply and demand data for each of the grouped energy management systems and outputs the evaluation result.

[0033] This provides the same effects as the information processing method described above.

[0034] A program according to a tenth aspect is a program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method according to any one of the first to sixth aspects.

[0035] According to this, by using a computer, the same effects as those of the information processing method described above can be achieved.

[0036] Furthermore, these comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a non-transitory recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0037] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement and connection configurations, steps, and step order shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not recited in independent claims will be described as optional components. Note that each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily an exact illustration. Furthermore, in each figure, substantially identical components are assigned the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions may be omitted or simplified.

[0038] (Embodiment) [Configuration] First, the configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an information processing system 100 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 100 includes an energy management system 20 (only a control terminal is shown here), a server 40, and a display device 60. The server 40, the energy management system 20, and the display device 60 are communicatively connected via a network such as the Internet. Each control terminal corresponds to a terminal capable of managing a single energy management system. In other words, FIG. 1 shows that the information processing system 100 includes multiple energy management systems 20. The server 40 is also communicatively connected to a weather database (not shown).

[0039] The energy management system 20 is a group of devices that manages the energy supply and demand in a facility under management, and is realized by control terminals, sensors, etc. as shown in Fig. 1. The energy management system 20 can manage the balance of power consumption from the perspective of energy conservation, by purchasing power from the grid (power purchase) and selling power generated in the facility to the grid (power sale). In other words, the energy management system can evaluate whether energy conservation has been achieved if the amount of purchased power has decreased, or whether energy conservation has not been achieved if the amount of purchased power has increased.

[0040] Alternatively, even if the amount of purchased electricity does not decrease, if the amount of electricity sold increases, it can be evaluated as an overall energy saving. However, since such an evaluation is based on a comparison with past performance on the same energy management system, in reality, further energy savings may be possible. In other words, there may be room for improvement in the energy saving performance of the energy management system.

[0041] The sale of generated electricity to a grid (power sales) can be realized in a virtual power plant (VPP) that assumes such power sales via a power transmission and distribution network. In this embodiment, a VPP will be described as an example of an energy management system. Depending on the scale and the unit of management, the energy management system may also be a home energy management system (HEMS) that manages energy supply and demand on a per-household basis, a condominium energy management system (MSMS) that manages energy supply and demand on a per-household basis within a building, a building energy management system (BEMS) that manages energy supply and demand on a facility basis such as a business office, or a factory energy management system (FEMS) that manages energy supply and demand on a factory basis. Alternatively, the energy management system may be a microgrid or a community energy management system (CEMS) that manages energy supply and demand on a community basis consisting of multiple houses.

[0042] When an energy management system is a VPP, it can be evaluated not only from the perspective of the amount of energy bought and sold, but also from the perspective of the cost fluctuations caused by energy buying and selling, i.e., cost savings instead of energy savings. In other words, in this case, it is possible to evaluate the economic efficiency of the energy management system.

[0043] The server 40 is realized as a cloud server or edge server that implements the functions of an information processing device, and is a device that processes input information and outputs other information. The server 40 includes a processor and a memory, and performs the function of an information processing device by the processor executing a predetermined program stored in the memory, evaluates the validity of the energy saving performance of the energy management system 20, and outputs the evaluation results. The server 40 includes a data acquisition unit 41, a real-world cluster generation unit 42, and a validity evaluation unit 43.

[0044] The data acquisition unit 41 includes a function as a weather data acquisition unit that acquires weather data related to the plurality of energy management systems 20, a function as an energy supply and demand data acquisition unit that acquires energy supply and demand data for each of the plurality of energy management systems 20, a function as a facility data acquisition unit that acquires facility data for each of the plurality of energy management systems 20, and a function as an energy price data acquisition unit that acquires energy price data for each of the plurality of energy management systems 20. In the following description, the data acquisition unit 41 is described as acquiring weather data, energy supply and demand data, facility data, and energy price data related to all of the plurality of energy management systems 20, but after grouping is complete, the data acquisition unit 41 may also acquire weather data, energy supply and demand data, and energy price data for only the energy management systems 20 in the group to be evaluated.

[0045] Information on a plurality of target energy management systems 20 is registered in the data acquisition unit 41. Specifically, facility data of the plurality of registered energy management systems 20 is stored in a storage unit (not shown) accessible by the data acquisition unit 41. The data acquisition unit 41 then accesses the storage unit to read and acquire the facility data of the plurality of registered energy management systems 20.

[0046] The facility data is data on facilities managed by each energy management system 20. The facility data includes, for example, the total floor area of ​​the facility, at least one of the equipment configuration and equipment attributes of the electrical equipment installed in the facility, and information on the location of the facility. The total floor area allows for estimation of the electrical equipment managed by the energy management system and the output scale of the electrical equipment, so grouping, as described below, can be performed based on the total floor area alone. For more accurate grouping, it is preferable that the facility data also include the equipment configuration and equipment attributes of the electrical equipment. The equipment configuration of the electrical equipment is information indicating the type and quantity of electrical equipment included. Furthermore, the equipment attributes of the electrical equipment are information indicating the total rated power of the included electrical equipment. By including the specific equipment configuration and equipment attributes of the electrical equipment in addition to the size estimated from the total floor area, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not to include electrical equipment in the same group.

[0047] The data acquisition unit 41 queries a weather database based on location information to acquire weather data as data on weather conditions at the location of the facility managed by each energy management system 20. Weather conditions may affect the operating efficiency of electrical equipment at the facility. Therefore, the weather data is used to compare energy management systems 20 with similar weather conditions.

[0048] The energy supply and demand data is acquired from the energy management system 20 and includes the amount of electricity sold and purchased in the facility. More specifically, the energy supply and demand data is the instantaneous values ​​of the amount of electricity sold and purchased by each energy management system 20. The amount of electricity sold and purchased are continuously acquired and accumulated as data of time-series changes.

[0049] The energy price data is obtained from the management server of an energy supplier, and is information indicating the selling price per unit of electricity sold and the purchasing price per unit of electricity purchased. Since the energy price data changes from moment to moment, it is obtained as information on the time change.

[0050] The real-world cluster generation unit 42 generates groups (also called real-world clusters) of the multiple energy management systems 20, each of which has similar facility data. As a result, the group to which an energy management system 20 to be evaluated belongs includes other energy management systems 20 with similar facility data. Therefore, it is possible to compare energy management systems 20 under similar conditions simply by comparing energy-saving performance and economy within this group.

[0051] In generating groups, the facility data is determined to be similar if all parameters, such as physical quantities, among one or more parameters included in the facility data match by 80% or more. Alternatively, the facility data is determined to be similar if 50% or more of the individual parameters match by 80% or more. Alternatively, the facility data is determined to be similar if 80% or more of the individual parameters match by 50% or more.

[0052] The above conditions for determining similarity of facility data are merely examples, and the conditions for determining similarity may be adjusted appropriately depending on how many energy management systems 20 are desired to be included in a group.

[0053] The validity evaluation unit 43 extracts, for each energy management system 20 in the group, energy management systems 20 whose weather data is similar to the weather data of the energy management system 20 being evaluated. Regarding the determination of similarity of the weather data, the weather data is determined to be similar when all of the parameters, such as one or more physical quantities, included in the weather data match at 80% or more. Alternatively, the weather data is determined to be similar when 50% or more of the individual parameters match at 80% or more. Alternatively, the weather data is determined to be similar when 80% or more of the individual parameters match at 50% or more.

[0054] The above-described conditions for determining similarity of weather data are merely examples, and the conditions for determining similarity may be adjusted appropriately depending on how many energy management systems 20 are desired to be extracted.

[0055] Next, the validity evaluation unit 43 compares the acquired energy supply and demand data for the extracted energy management systems 20. For example, the validity evaluation unit 43 calculates average energy supply and demand data among the extracted energy management systems 20, and uses the average energy supply and demand data as a reference. Then, the validity evaluation unit 43 assigns a score out of five levels, such as 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, to energy management systems 20 with energy supply and demand data significantly higher than the reference, energy management systems 20 with energy supply and demand data higher than the reference, energy management systems 20 with energy supply and demand data equivalent to the reference, energy management systems 20 with energy supply and demand data lower than the reference, and energy management systems 20 with energy supply and demand data significantly lower than the reference. Here, a higher score indicates a better result. Information indicating the assigned score is then output as the evaluation result. In other words, the validity evaluation unit 43 evaluates the validity of the energy management system 20 being evaluated from the perspective of energy-saving performance. The validity of the energy management system 20 may also be interpreted as the soundness of the energy management system 20.

[0056] Furthermore, the validity evaluation unit 43 also evaluates the validity of the energy management system 20 from the energy price data. However, it is not essential to evaluate the validity of the energy management system 20 from the energy price data. First, the energy price data is used to calculate the cost (cost balance) that has changed with respect to the amount of electricity sold and the amount of electricity purchased for the acquired energy supply and demand data related to the extracted energy management system 20.

[0057] For example, the validity evaluation unit 43 multiplies the amount of electricity sold by the selling price and subtracts the product of the amount of electricity purchased by the purchasing price. This calculates the cost of energy consumed in the facilities managed by the energy management system 20 over a certain period of time. The validity evaluation unit 43 compares the calculated costs. For example, the average cost is calculated among the extracted energy management systems 20, and using this average cost as a standard, a score out of five levels (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.) is assigned to energy management systems 20 with costs significantly higher than the standard, energy management systems 20 with costs higher than the standard, energy management systems 20 with costs equivalent to the standard, energy management systems 20 with costs lower than the standard, and energy management systems 20 with costs significantly lower than the standard. Here, a higher score indicates a better result. Information indicating the assigned score is then output as the evaluation result. In other words, the validity evaluation unit 43 evaluates the validity of the energy management system 20 being evaluated from an economical perspective.

[0058] The validity evaluation unit 43 also displays an image of the evaluation results (a list of energy management systems 20 and the scores assigned to each) by outputting it to the display device 60 as a presentation image, and presents it to, for example, the manager of the energy management system 20.

[0059] The display device 60 is a display device such as a smartphone, tablet device, smartwatch, television, or projector, which has a display located around the manager or other person to whom the image related to the evaluation result is presented. Note that the display of a projector refers to the projection surface, and the term projector is understood to include both the projection device and the projection surface. Alternatively, the display device 60 may be smart glasses worn by the manager or other person, with the display positioned in front of the manager or other person's eyes. The display device 60 presents the presentation image output from the server 40 to the manager or other person by displaying it on the display. Based on the more accurate evaluation results presented in the above manner, the manager can consider maintenance of the energy management system 20 that has an abnormality.

[0060] [Operation] Next, the operation of the information processing system 100 described above will be described, focusing on the operation of the server 40, with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the information processing device according to the embodiment.

[0061] 2, when the operation of the information processing system 100 is started, the data acquisition unit 41 acquires various data (step S11). At this time, facility data necessary for grouping (described later) and weather data for extracting the energy management system 20 can be acquired once and do not need to be acquired continuously. On the other hand, energy supply and demand data and energy price data are acquired continuously for the time required for evaluation.

[0062] The real-world cluster generation unit 42 divides and groups the multiple energy management systems 20 into one or more groups based on the acquired facility data (step S12). As described above, this is performed by processing so that a group including one energy management system 20 to be evaluated includes other energy management systems 20 related to facility data similar to that one energy management system 20. The generated group will include energy management systems 20 with similar facility data.

[0063] The validity evaluation unit 43 then compares the energy supply and demand data of the energy management systems 20 within the group extracted based on the weather data, and the calculated costs, to evaluate the validity of the energy saving performance and economic efficiency of the energy management systems 20 within the group (step S13). As the evaluation result, the validity evaluation unit 43 assigns a score to each energy management system 20 and outputs an evaluation result indicating the score. For example, the evaluation result is displayed as an image on the display device 60.

[0064] Other Embodiments Although the embodiments have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0065] For example, the information processing system described in the above embodiment may be realized as a single device that includes all of the components, or may be realized by allocating functions to multiple devices and coordinating these multiple devices. In the latter case, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a PC, or the like may be used as the device corresponding to the information processing device.

[0066] In the above-described embodiment, the processing performed by a specific processing unit may be performed by another processing unit. The order of multiple processing operations may be changed, or multiple processing operations may be performed in parallel.

[0067] In the above-described embodiments, each component may be realized by executing a software program suitable for that component, or by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0068] Furthermore, each component may be realized by hardware. For example, each component may be a circuit (or integrated circuit). These circuits may form a single circuit as a whole, or each may be a separate circuit. Furthermore, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

[0069] Furthermore, the general or specific aspects of the present disclosure may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, etc. Furthermore, the general or specific aspects of the present disclosure may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0070] For example, the present disclosure may be realized as an information processing method executed by a computer, or as a program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method. The present disclosure may also be realized as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which such a program is recorded.

[0071] In addition, this disclosure also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to each embodiment that a person skilled in the art would think of, or forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment within the scope that does not deviate from the intent of this disclosure.

[0072] The present disclosure is effective in operating an energy management system.

[0073] 20 Energy management system 40 Server (information processing device) 41 Data acquisition unit 42 Real-world cluster generation unit 43 Validity evaluation unit 60 Display device 100 Information processing system

Claims

1. An information processing method executed by a computer for evaluating the validity of one energy management system included in a plurality of energy management systems, the method comprising: obtaining facility data of facilities managed in each of the plurality of energy management systems; extracting an energy management system related to facility data similar to the facility data related to the one energy management system among the plurality of energy management systems, and grouping it together with the one energy management system; obtaining energy supply and demand data of each facility managed in the grouped energy management systems; and evaluating the validity of the energy-saving performance of the one energy management system by comparing the energy supply and demand data of each of the grouped energy management systems, and outputting an evaluation result.

2. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the facility data related to each of the plurality of energy management systems includes at least one of the total floor area of the facility and the equipment configuration and equipment attributes of the electrical equipment installed in the facility.

3. Each of the plurality of energy management systems is a HEMS that manages energy supply and demand on a per-household basis, a BEMS that manages energy supply and demand on a per-office basis, or a FEMS that manages energy supply and demand on a per-factory basis. The information processing method according to claim 1.

4. Each of the plurality of energy management systems is a microgrid. The information processing method according to claim 1.

5. Each of the plurality of energy management systems is a CEMS that manages energy supply and demand in a community unit consisting of a plurality of households. The information processing method according to claim 1.

6. Each of the plurality of energy management systems is a VPP that manages energy supply and demand in a predetermined unit including power sales via a power transmission and distribution network. The information processing method according to claim 1.

7. Further including the step of obtaining energy price data of facilities managed in the grouped energy management system, the energy supply and demand data of each facility managed in the grouped energy management system includes the electricity sales volume and electricity purchase volume in the facility, and in the step of outputting, further using the electricity sales volume and electricity purchase volume in the facility managed in the one energy management system and the obtained energy price data to evaluate the economic validity of the one energy management system and output an evaluation result. The information processing method according to claim 6.

8. Further including the step of obtaining weather data related to facilities managed in each of a plurality of energy management systems, and in the step of outputting, comparing the energy supply and demand data with similar weather data among the energy supply and demand data of each grouped energy management system to evaluate the energy saving performance validity of the one energy management system and output an evaluation result. The information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. An information processing apparatus for evaluating the validity of one energy management system included in a plurality of energy management systems, comprising: a facility data acquisition unit for acquiring facility data of facilities managed in each of the plurality of energy management systems; a real-world cluster generation unit for extracting an energy management system related to facility data similar to the facility data related to the one energy management system among the plurality of energy management systems and grouping it together with the one energy management system; an energy supply and demand data acquisition unit for acquiring the energy supply and demand data of each facility managed in the grouped energy management system; and a validity evaluation unit for evaluating the energy saving performance validity of the one energy management system by comparing the energy supply and demand data of each grouped energy management system and outputting an evaluation result.

10. A program for causing the computer to execute the information processing method according to claim 1.

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