Environmental evaluation method, processing circuit, and environmental management system

Abstract

This environmental evaluation method includes: acquiring impact information indicating an impact on the environment caused by the use of energy by an operating device (400) that operates by being supplied with energy; acquiring consumption information indicating the amount of energy consumed by the operating device; and calculating an environmental evaluation value indicating an evaluation of the operating device with respect to the environment, corresponding to the amount of energy consumed, on the basis of the impact information and the consumption information.

Description

Environmental assessment method, processing circuit, and environmental management system

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an environmental assessment method, a processing circuit, and an environmental management system.

[0002] For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a server that receives energy consumption amounts from multiple businesses and calculates carbon dioxide emissions corresponding to the energy consumption amounts of each business. The server has an arithmetic formula for calculating carbon dioxide emissions for the energy consumption amounts of multiple energy types.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-183186

[0004] The evaluation of carbon dioxide emissions in Patent Document 1 is based only on the type of energy and the amount of energy used.

[0005] An object of one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an environmental assessment method, a processing circuit, and an environmental management system that improve the accuracy of assessment of the environment caused by energy use.

[0006] An environmental evaluation method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes acquiring impact information indicating the impact on the environment caused by the use of energy by an operating device that operates by being supplied with energy, acquiring consumption information indicating the amount of energy consumed by the operating device, and calculating an environmental evaluation value indicating the operating device's evaluation of the environment based on the amount of energy consumed, based on the impact information and the consumption information.

[0007] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an environmental management system according to an exemplary embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an operating device according to an embodiment. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server according to an embodiment. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of managing environmental evaluation values ​​in an environmental management system according to an embodiment.

[0008] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. Among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not recited in an independent claim showing a top concept will be described as optional components. Each figure in the accompanying drawings is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily an exact drawing. In each figure, substantially identical components are assigned the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions may be omitted or simplified.

[0009] An environmental management system 1 according to an exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 . FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the environmental management system 1 according to an exemplary embodiment. The environmental management system 1 includes one or more first processing circuits 100, one or more second processing circuits 200, one or more third processing circuits 300, and one or more operating devices 400. Although not limited thereto, in this embodiment, the first processing circuit 100, the second processing circuit 200, and the third processing circuit 300 are included in the operating device 400. Furthermore, the environmental management system 1 includes two or more operating devices 400, and further includes a server 500 that communicates with the two or more operating devices 400.

[0010] The operating device 400 operates when energy is supplied. The first processing circuit 100 acquires impact information indicating the impact on the environment caused by the energy use by the operating device 400. The second processing circuit 200 acquires consumption information indicating the amount of energy consumed by the operating device 400. The third processing circuit 300 calculates an environmental evaluation value indicating an evaluation of the operating device 400 with respect to the environment according to the amount of energy consumed, based on the impact information and the consumption information.

[0011] The impact information may be information related to the amount of environmental pollutant emissions resulting from the use of energy by the operating device 400. Examples of environmental pollutants are greenhouse gases, air pollutants, soil pollutants, and water pollutants. In the present embodiment, the environmental pollutants include at least greenhouse gases, but are not limited to these. The environmental evaluation value may be an evaluation value based on the amount of environmental pollutant emissions from the operating device 400 according to the amount of energy consumed. The amount of environmental pollutant emissions may include direct emissions due to the operation of the operating device 400 and indirect emissions related to the operation of the operating device 400.

[0012] Direct emissions are the amount of environmental pollutants emitted by the operating device 400 itself due to its use of energy. Indirect emissions are the amount of environmental pollutants that are not emitted by the operating device 400 itself, but are generated in connection with the use of energy by the operating device 400. Examples of indirect emissions may include emissions from the manufacturing process of the operating device 400 through disposal, emissions from the manufacturing process of the energy source through to the supply process, emissions from the manufacturing process of the energy storage device through to disposal.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an operating device 400 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the operating device 400 includes a prime mover 410, a storage device 420, a control circuit 430, and an operation processing circuit 440. The operation processing circuit 440 includes a first processing circuit 100, a second processing circuit 200, and a third processing circuit 300. In this embodiment, the operating device 400 further includes a communication device 450, although this is not limited thereto. The storage device 420 stores energy supplied to the operating device 400. The prime mover 410 generates power to operate the operating device 400 using the energy stored in the storage device 420.

[0014] The operating device 400 may be fixed or movable. The movable operating device 400 may have a structure that moves when an external force is applied, or may have a structure that moves autonomously using power generated by a prime mover 410. The movable operating device 400 may have a structure that carries a person, a structure that carries an object, or a structure that carries neither a person nor an object. Examples of the operating device 400 may include automobiles, motorcycles, trains, ships, aircraft, construction machinery, loading and unloading machinery, industrial machinery, agricultural machinery, robots, transport vehicles, generators, and various other forms of mobility.

[0015] The storage device 420 has a structure according to the form of energy to be stored. Examples of the structure of the storage device 420 include a tank structure for storing energy in the form of a solid, liquid, or gas, and a primary or secondary battery structure for storing electrical energy. The operating device 400 may have a structure for fixedly mounting the storage device 420, or a structure for detachably mounting the storage device 420 so that the storage device 420 can be replaced.

[0016] Examples of prime mover 410 may include a fluid machine that converts fluid energy into mechanical energy, a heat engine that converts thermal energy into mechanical energy, and an electric motor that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Operating device 400 may include two or more prime movers 410. For example, the two or more prime movers 410 may operate the same part of operating device 400, or may operate two or more different parts of operating device 400. For example, the two or more prime movers 410 may include a first prime mover that operates operating device 400 and a second prime mover that generates energy to operate the first prime mover. In this embodiment, prime mover 410 includes, but is not limited to, one or more of an electric motor such as a rotating electric machine and a heat engine such as an internal combustion engine.

[0017] The energy supplied to the operating device 400 and used by the prime mover 410 may be energy called secondary energy, energy generated from secondary energy, energy generated using secondary energy, or energy generated from biomass resources. Secondary energy is produced by converting, processing, or otherwise treating primary energy. Primary energy is energy that can be extracted directly from nature and is also the source of secondary energy. Examples of primary energy include fossil energy such as oil, coal, and natural gas, nuclear energy such as uranium ore, and natural energy such as hydropower, wind power, tidal power, geothermal power, and solar power.

[0018] Examples of secondary energy may include gasoline, diesel, alcohol such as ethanol, propane gas, city gas, methane, hydrogen, coke, electricity, or a combination of two or more thereof. An example of energy produced from secondary energy may include hydrogen produced by reforming city gas. Examples of energy produced using secondary energy may include hydrogen produced by water electrolysis and synthetic fuels. An example of synthetic fuel may include e-fuels produced from waste carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Examples of energy produced from biomass resources may include bioethanol, biodiesel fuel, and biogas.

[0019] The supplied energy may include energy derived from fossil fuels, energy derived from living organisms such as animals and plants, energy derived from renewable energy, energy derived from nuclear fuels, energy derived from waste, or a combination of two or more of these.

[0020] The communicator 450 mediates communication between devices external to the operating device 400 and the control circuit 430 and operation processing circuit 440. The communicator 450 mediates communication between the server 500 and the control circuit 430 and operation processing circuit 440 via the communication network N. The communicator 450 may include one or more communicators that realize a communication function of mediating communication with external devices and a communication function of mediating communication with the communication network N. The communication may be wired communication, wireless communication, or a combination thereof. Any known communicator may be used for the communicator 450.

[0021] In the present embodiment, the communicator 450 includes at least a wireless communicator including an antenna for wireless communication. Examples of wireless communication used by the communicator 450 may include wireless LANs (Local Area Networks) such as Wi-Fi, wireless PANs (Personal Area Networks) such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and ZigBee (registered trademark), and short-range wireless communication such as RF-ID (Radio Frequency Identification) and NFC (Near Field Communication).

[0022] The communication network N is not particularly limited and may include, for example, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, or a combination of two or more of these. The communication network N may be configured to use short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and ZigBee (registered trademark), a network dedicated line, a dedicated line of a telecommunications carrier, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a mobile communication network, the Internet network, satellite communication, or a combination of two or more of these. The mobile communication network may use a fourth-generation mobile communication system, a fifth-generation mobile communication system, or the like. The communication network N may include one or more communication networks.

[0023] The communicator 450 or the operating device 400 includes a communication circuit that controls the transmission and reception of information via the communicator 450. The communication circuit controls the transmission and reception of signals between an external device or communication network N of the operating device 400 and the control circuit 430 or the operation processing circuit 440. For example, the communication circuit may be configured to perform processes such as establishing a communication connection and converting signals between transmission and reception signals and processing signals.

[0024] In this embodiment, the control circuit 430 includes, but is not limited to, a processor 431 and a memory. The control circuit 430 may include storage within the control circuit 430 or separately from the control circuit 430. The memory and storage of the control circuit 430 are collectively referred to as a storage unit 432. A portion of the storage unit 432 may be external to the control circuit 430 and connected to the control circuit 430.

[0025] The operational processing circuit 440 includes at least one processor 441 and at least one memory. The operational processing circuit 440 may include storage within the operational processing circuit 440 or separately from the operational processing circuit 440. The at least one memory and storage of the operational processing circuit 440 are collectively referred to as at least one storage device 442. A portion of the at least one storage device 442 may be external to the operational processing circuit 440 and connected to the operational processing circuit 440. The control circuit 430 may include some or all of the functions of the operational processing circuit 440.

[0026] At least one processor 441 can function as a processor for the processing circuits 100, 200, and 300. One processor 441 may function as a processor for one of the processing circuits 100, 200, and 300, or may function as a processor for two or more of the processing circuits 100, 200, and 300. At least one memory 442 can function as a memory for the processing circuits 100, 200, and 300. One memory 442 may function as a memory for one of the processing circuits 100, 200, and 300, or may function as a memory for two or more of the processing circuits 100, 200, and 300.

[0027] The processor executes functions, methods, or combinations thereof implemented by code or instructions included in a program stored in storage. Examples of processors include a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessing unit (MPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microprocessor, a processor core, a multiprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The processor may implement each process described herein using a logic circuit formed on an integrated circuit (an integrated circuit (IC) chip, a large-scale integration (LSI)), or a dedicated circuit. These circuits may be implemented using one or more integrated circuits. Multiple processes may be implemented using a single integrated circuit.

[0028] The memory temporarily stores programs loaded from storage and provides a working area for the processor. The memory also temporarily stores various data generated while the processor is executing the programs. Examples of memory include semiconductor memories such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory).

[0029] The storage stores programs and various data, and examples of the storage include a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), and semiconductor memory such as flash memory.

[0030] Some or all of the functions of the control circuit 430 and the operation processing circuit 440 may be realized by software functions implemented by a processor and memory, dedicated hardware circuits such as electronic circuits or integrated circuits, or a combination of software functions and hardware circuits.

[0031] The control circuit 430 controls the operation of the prime mover 410 so as to cause the prime mover 410 to perform a target operation, based on commands input to the operating device 400 and detection results of various sensors mounted on the operating device 400. For example, the control circuit 430 controls the amount of energy supplied to the prime mover 410.

[0032] The operation processing circuit 440 generates energy information related to the energy used in the operating device 400. The energy information includes one or more of consumption information indicating the amount of energy consumed by the operating device 400 and evaluation value information indicating an environmental evaluation value related to the environment of the operating device 400 according to the amount of energy consumed, and in this embodiment includes all of these.

[0033] The second processing circuit 200 of the operation processing circuit 440 generates consumption information. The second processing circuit 200 may obtain information on the amount of energy supplied to the prime mover 410 from the control circuit 430 and calculate the amount of energy consumed using the information. The second processing circuit 200 may calculate the amount of energy consumed using the information on the amount of energy supplied to the prime mover 410 and detection results of various sensors mounted on the operating device 400. When the energy is a mixture of two or more energy sources, the second processing circuit 200 may calculate the amount of consumption of each energy source contained in the mixture.

[0034] The third processing circuit 300 generates evaluation value information. The third processing circuit 300 calculates an environmental evaluation value of the operating device 400 corresponding to the energy consumption amount using the energy consumption amount and the impact information. For example, the third processing circuit 300 may calculate an impact level indicating the degree of impact that the operating device 400 directly has on the environment due to its energy consumption, based on the energy consumption amount. The impact level may correspond to the amount of environmental pollutants directly emitted by the operating device 400 corresponding to the energy consumption amount. The third processing circuit 300 may apply the impact information to the impact level to correct the impact level, such as by adding or subtracting, and determine the corrected impact level as the environmental evaluation value. The corrected impact level may correspond to the amount of environmental pollutants emitted by the operating device 400 corresponding to the energy consumption amount, including direct and indirect emissions. The third processing circuit 300 may calculate the environmental evaluation value using a different index by performing arithmetic processing on the corrected impact level.

[0035] To calculate the impact, the third processing circuit 300 calculates the amount of environmental pollutants directly emitted by the prime mover 410 as a result of using the energy, based on the amount of energy consumed. For example, the memory 442 pre-stores emission information indicating the mass of environmental pollutants emitted per unit amount of energy. If the energy is a mixture of two or more energy sources, the memory 442 may store emission information for each of the energy sources included in the mixture.

[0036] The emission information may be set for each type of energy used, may be set according to the prime mover 410, or may be set according to a combination of the type of energy and the prime mover 410. For example, the mass of environmental pollutants emitted per unit amount of energy may differ depending on the type of prime mover 410, such as an internal combustion engine or an electric motor. For example, even if multiple prime movers 410 are internal combustion engines, the mass of environmental pollutants emitted per unit amount of energy may differ depending on the structure of the prime movers 410. Therefore, the emission information may differ depending on the prime mover 410.

[0037] The third processing circuit 300 calculates the direct emission amount of environmental pollutants caused by the energy by applying the emission information of the energy to the energy consumption amount. If the energy is a mixture of two or more energy sources, the third processing circuit 300 may calculate the direct emission amount of environmental pollutants for each energy source included in the mixture. The third processing circuit 300 may use the direct emission amount of environmental pollutants as the impact degree, or may calculate another index corresponding to the direct emission amount of environmental pollutants as the impact degree. For example, if the prime mover 410 is an internal combustion engine, the direct emission amount of environmental pollutants includes greenhouse gas emissions. If the prime mover 410 is an electric motor, the direct emission amount of environmental pollutants is zero.

[0038] Some or all of the impact information may be stored in advance in the storage device 442. The first processing circuit 100 may obtain some or all of the impact information from an external device 2 located outside the operating device 400 via the communication device 450, and store the information in the storage device 442.

[0039] The external device 2 may store impact information related to the energy to be supplied to the operating device 400. For example, the external device 2 may be the server 500. Other examples of the external device 2 may include an energy supplier in a sales station of an energy distributor, an information terminal in the station, a server of the distributor, an information terminal in a sales station of a distributor of the storage device 420, a server or information terminal of an energy manufacturer, a server or information terminal of a manufacturer of the storage device 420, a server or information terminal of a generator of an energy source used to generate energy, a server or information terminal of an operator of an energy storage facility, a server or information terminal of a treatment company of the storage device 420, a server or information terminal of a manufacturer of the operating device 400, a server or information terminal of a treatment company of the operating device 400, a server or information terminal of a manufacturer of the prime mover 410, a server or information terminal of a distributor of parts for the operating device 400, and a server or information terminal of a manufacturer of parts for the operating device 400.

[0040] Examples of servers include server computers. Examples of information terminals may include desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, and other electronic devices, including computers.

[0041] The first processing circuit 100 may directly connect to an energy supplier or an information terminal in an energy vending station via the communicator 450 and acquire impact information related to the supplied energy from the energy supplier or the information terminal. A mobile terminal of a user of the operating device 400 may directly connect to the energy supplier or the information terminal and acquire impact information related to the supplied energy, and the first processing circuit 100 may connect to the mobile terminal via the communicator 450 and acquire the impact information from the mobile terminal.

[0042] The first processing circuit 100 may connect to the server via the communicator 450 and the communication network N and acquire impact information from the server. The first processing circuit 100 may acquire information about the vending station from the energy supplier or an information terminal, for example, when accounting for the supplied energy, and transmit the information to the server. The first processing circuit 100 may store the information about the vending station in the memory 442 and transmit it to the server at any timing. The server may transmit impact information related to the supplied energy to the first processing circuit 100 based on the received information. The first processing circuit 100 may associate the impact information with the information about the vending station and store the association information in the memory 442.

[0043] The information about the vending station may include one or more of identification information of the vending station, the location of the vending station, the date and time when energy was supplied to the operating device 400 at the vending station, the type of energy supplied to the operating device 400 at the vending station, the amount of energy supplied to the operating device 400 at the vending station, and identification information of the energy supplied to the operating device 400 at the vending station. Some or all of the information about the vending station may be input by a user of the operating device 400 to an input device of the operating device 400, and the first processing circuit 100 may acquire the input information. The information about the vending station is one type of energy supply information.

[0044] A mobile terminal of a user of the operating device 400 may connect to the server via the communication network N and acquire impact information related to the supplied energy from the server, and the first processing circuit 100 may acquire the impact information from the mobile terminal via the communicator 450. The mobile terminal may acquire information about the vending station from the energy supplier or the information terminal, for example, when accounting for the supplied energy, and transmit the information to the server. The mobile terminal may store information about the vending station and transmit the information to the server at any time. Some or all of the information about the vending station may be input into the mobile terminal by the user of the mobile terminal, and the mobile terminal may transmit information about the vending station, including the input information, to the server.

[0045] The server may transmit impact information related to the supplied energy to the mobile terminal based on the received information. The first processing circuit 100 may connect to the mobile terminal via the communicator 450 and acquire the impact information from the mobile terminal. The first processing circuit 100 may acquire information about the vending station along with the impact information from the mobile terminal, and store the impact information and the information about the vending station in association with each other in the memory 442. Examples of the mobile terminal may include smart devices such as smartphones, smartwatches, and tablets.

[0046] The connection between the first processing circuit 100 or the mobile terminal and the server may be via a website or an application program installed on the first processing circuit 100 or the mobile terminal.

[0047] The impact information may include energy type information indicating the degree of environmental impact caused by the type of energy supplied to the operating device 400. The energy type information may be provided by an energy supplier or an information terminal of a sales station of a retailer that supplies energy or the energy-charged storage device 420. The energy type information may be provided by a server or an information terminal of a retailer or other business in response to provision of information about the sales station.

[0048] The energy type information may be information associated with the amount of environmental pollutant emissions resulting from the use of that type of energy. For example, the energy type information may be information associated with greenhouse gas emissions and indicating the greenhouse gas emission coefficient of that type of energy. For example, the emission coefficient may be expressed in units of greenhouse gas emissions per unit amount of energy, such as kiloliters or kilowatts. The emission coefficient increases as the amount of greenhouse gas generated per unit amount of energy increases. In order to determine the environmental evaluation value, the third processing circuit 300 may apply the energy type information to the impact degree according to the amount of energy consumed, thereby making corrections such as an increase to the impact degree. The energy type information may be stored in the memory 442 as the above-mentioned emission information.

[0049] The impact information may include energy source type information indicating the degree of environmental impact caused by the type of energy source used to generate the energy supplied to the operating device 400. The energy source type information may be provided by an energy supplier or an information terminal of a sales station of a distributor that supplies energy or the energy-charged storage device 420. The energy source type information may be provided by a server or an information terminal of a distributor, energy manufacturer, energy mixer, or other business in response to provision of information about the sales station.

[0050] The energy source type information may be information associated with the origin of the energy source of that type. The energy source type information may include a coefficient that, for example, increases the degree of impact on the environment depending on the origin of the energy source. In order to determine the environmental evaluation value, the third processing circuit 300 may apply the energy source type information to the impact degree according to the energy consumption amount, thereby correcting the impact degree by, for example, increasing the impact degree.

[0051] Here, energy can be produced by subjecting an energy source to treatment such as conversion or processing. Examples of energy sources can include fossil fuels such as petroleum, coal, and natural gas, nuclear fuels such as uranium ore, biomass resources, waste, and natural energy. Examples of natural energy can include hydropower, wind power, tidal power, geothermal power, and solar power. Natural energy is renewable energy. Biomass is an organic resource derived from living organisms such as plants and animals. Examples of the origin of energy sources can include fossil fuel-derived, biological-derived, renewable energy-derived, nuclear fuel-derived, and waste-derived.

[0052] For example, the energy source type information may include a coefficient that reduces the premium on the degree of impact according to the amount of energy consumed as the proportion of renewable energy-derived or biological energy sources in the total energy increases.

[0053] The impact information may include substance-related information indicating the degree of impact on the environment caused by the type of environmental pollutant. The substance-related information may indicate the degree of impact on the environment depending on the type of environmental pollutant. The substance-related information may include coefficients defined for each type of environmental pollutant. For example, if the environmental pollutant is a greenhouse gas, the substance-related information may include coefficients defined for each type of greenhouse gas and indicating the degree of impact on global warming. Examples of such coefficients include global warming potentials defined for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. The global warming potential for carbon dioxide is 1, for methane it is 25, and for nitrous oxide it is 298.

[0054] To determine the environmental assessment value, the third processing circuit 300 may apply a coefficient such as the global warming potential of the same type of environmental pollutant to the emission amount of each type of environmental pollutant corresponding to the energy consumption, for example by multiplying the coefficient, to make a correction such as an increase in the impact. The energy source type information may be provided by an energy supplier or an information terminal of a sales station of a distributor that supplies energy or an energy-charged storage device 420. The energy source type information may be provided by a server or an information terminal of a distributor, energy manufacturer, energy blender, or other business in response to the provision of information about the sales station.

[0055] The impact information may include production trace information indicating the degree of environmental impact caused by the production of energy. For example, the degree of impact may be expressed by the amount of emissions of environmental pollutants caused by the production of energy, an emission factor, or other indicators related thereto. In order to determine the environmental evaluation value, the third processing circuit 300 may apply the production trace information to the impact degree corresponding to the amount of energy consumed, thereby correcting the impact degree by adding or subtracting a premium.

[0056] The production tracing information may include energy production tracing information indicating the impact of the process of producing energy on the environment. The energy production tracing information may include production information indicating the degree of impact on the environment that may occur in the process of producing energy from an energy source. The production information includes information indicating the degree of impact on the environment caused by the production activities of an energy manufacturer. The energy production tracing information may include transportation information indicating the degree of impact on the environment caused by the transportation of the energy source from the energy generation company that generates the energy source to the energy manufacturer. The degree of impact caused by transportation varies depending on the transportation means and transportation distance of the energy source. For example, the greater the amount of environmental pollutants emitted by the transportation means of the energy source, the greater the degree of impact, and the longer the transportation distance, the greater the degree of impact.

[0057] If the energy is a mixture of two or more energies, the production information may indicate the degree of environmental impact caused by the production activities of a manufacturer of each of the energies constituting the mixture and the degree of environmental impact caused by the production activities of a blending business that produces the mixture from the two or more energies. The transportation information may indicate, for each of the energies constituting the mixture, the degree of environmental impact caused by the transportation of the energy source from the generator to the manufacturer and the degree of environmental impact caused by the transportation of the energy from the manufacturer to the blending business.

[0058] In the claims and the specification, energy "mixing businesses" are included in energy "manufacturing businesses" and are expressed as energy "manufacturing businesses," except when it is necessary to explain them separately from energy "manufacturing businesses."

[0059] With regard to the energy production tracing information, one or more of the production information, transportation information, two or more degrees of impact included in the production information, and two or more degrees of impact included in the transportation information may be calculated by the manufacturer, blender, or generator. Energy production tracing information including all of the above may be calculated by the manufacturer or blender. The energy production tracing information may be provided by an energy supplier or information terminal at a sales station of a distributor that supplies energy or energy-charged storage devices 420. The energy production tracing information may be provided by a server or information terminal of a distributor, energy manufacturer, energy blender, or other operator in response to the provision of information about the sales station.

[0060] The production tracing information may include energy source generation tracing information indicating the impact on the environment of the process of generating an energy source. The energy source generation tracing information may include generation information indicating the degree of impact on the environment that may occur in the process of generating the energy source. The generation information includes the degree of impact on the environment caused by the generation activities of the energy source generator. Examples of generators may include fossil fuel or nuclear fuel mining operators, biomass producers such as plants, and biomass processors such as waste. The generation information may be calculated by the generator.

[0061] The energy source generation tracing information may be provided by an energy supplier or information terminal at a sales station of a distributor that supplies energy or pre-energized storage 420. The energy source generation tracing information may be provided by a server or information terminal of a distributor, energy manufacturer, energy source generator, or other business in response to provision of information about the sales station.

[0062] The production tracing information may include energy storage tracing information that indicates the impact of the process of storing energy on the environment. The energy storage tracing information may include storage information that indicates the degree of impact on the environment caused by the operation of a storage facility that stores energy produced by a manufacturer. The storage facility may be a facility that stores energy from the time the energy is produced until it is supplied to a distributor. The storage tracing information may include transportation information that indicates the degree of impact on the environment caused by the transportation of energy from the energy manufacturer to the storage facility. The storage information or transportation information may be calculated by the storage facility operator or the energy manufacturer.

[0063] The energy storage tracing information may be provided by an energy supplier or information terminal at a sales station of a distributor that supplies energy or pre-energized storage 420. The energy storage tracing information may be provided by a server or information terminal of a distributor, energy manufacturer, storage facility operator, or other business in response to provision of information about the sales station.

[0064] The manufacturing trace information may include storage device manufacturing trace information indicating the impact on the environment of the manufacturing process of the storage device 420 that stores energy. The storage device manufacturing trace information may include manufacturing information indicating the degree of impact on the environment caused by the manufacturing activities of the storage device 420 manufacturer. The storage device manufacturing trace information may include transportation information indicating the degree of impact on the environment caused by the transportation of the storage device 420 or the energy. Examples of the transportation of the storage device 420 or the energy may include the transportation of the storage device 420 from the storage device 420 manufacturer to the energy manufacturer, and the transportation of the energy from the energy manufacturer to the storage device 420 manufacturer. The manufacturing information or transportation information of the storage device manufacturing trace information may be calculated by the storage device 420 manufacturer or the energy manufacturer.

[0065] The storage battery manufacturing tracing information may be provided by an information terminal of a sales station of a distributor that supplies the energy-charged storage battery 420. The storage battery manufacturing tracing information may be provided by a server or information terminal of a distributor, an energy manufacturer, a manufacturer of the storage battery 420, or another business in response to the provision of information about the sales station. The storage battery 420 that is the subject of the storage battery manufacturing tracing information may be a storage battery that is replaced to supply energy to the operating device 400, such as a primary battery or a secondary battery.

[0066] If the energy is electricity, production tracing information including energy production tracing information, energy source generation tracing information, and energy storage tracing information may be calculated by the electricity utility.

[0067] The production tracing information may include reservoir disposal tracing information that indicates the impact on the environment of the process of disposing of the energy reservoir 420. The reservoir disposal tracing information may include processing information that indicates the degree of impact on the environment caused by the processing activities of a disposal company that disposes of the reservoir 420. The reservoir disposal tracing information may include transportation information that indicates the degree of impact on the environment caused by the transportation of the reservoir 420 for collection. The reservoir disposal tracing information may be calculated by the disposal company.

[0068] The reservoir disposal tracing information may be provided by an information terminal at a sales station of a distributor that supplies the energy-charged reservoir 420. The reservoir disposal tracing information may be provided by a server or information terminal of a distributor, a reservoir 420 processing business, or other business in response to provision of information about the sales station. The reservoir 420 that is the subject of the reservoir disposal tracing information may be a reservoir that is replaced to supply energy to the operating device 400, such as a primary battery or a secondary battery.

[0069] The impact information may include supply trace information indicating the degree of impact on the environment caused by the supply of energy to the operating device 400. For example, the degree of impact may be expressed by the amount of emissions of environmental pollutants caused by the supply of energy, an emission coefficient, or other indicators related thereto. In order to determine the environmental evaluation value, the third processing circuit 300 may apply the supply trace information to the impact degree corresponding to the amount of energy consumed, thereby correcting the impact degree by adding or subtracting a premium.

[0070] The supply tracing information may include energy supply tracing information indicating the impact on the environment of the process from energy production or storage to its supply to the operating device 400. The energy supply tracing information may include supply location information indicating the degree of impact on the environment caused by the supply location from which the operating device 400 receives energy. The supply location information may include operation information indicating the degree of impact on the environment caused by the operation of the energy seller from which the operating device 400 receives energy supply. The supply location information may include transportation information indicating the degree of impact on the environment caused by the transportation of energy from the energy manufacturer or energy storage facility to the seller. The supply location information or transportation information of the energy supply tracing information may be calculated by the energy manufacturer, the energy storage facility operator, or the energy seller.

[0071] The energy supply tracing information may be provided by an energy supplier or an information terminal at a sales station of an energy distributor, or by a server or an information terminal of a distributor, an energy manufacturer, an operator of a storage facility, or any other business in response to provision of information about the sales station.

[0072] The supply tracing information may include storage device supply tracing information indicating the impact on the environment of the process from the manufacture of the energy storage device 420 to its supply to the operating device 400. The storage device supply tracing information may include supply location information indicating the degree of impact on the environment caused by the supply location from which the operating device 400 receives the supply of the energy-filled storage device 420. The supply location information may include operation information indicating the degree of impact on the environment caused by the operation of the storage device 420 seller from which the operating device 400 receives the storage device 420. The supply location information may include transportation information indicating the degree of impact on the environment caused by the transportation of the energy-filled storage device 420 from the storage device 420 manufacturer or energy producer to the seller. The supply location information or transportation information of the storage device supply tracing information may be calculated by the storage device 420 manufacturer, the energy producer, or the storage device 420 seller.

[0073] The reservoir supply tracing information may be provided by an information terminal at a vending station of a distributor supplying the energized reservoir 420. The reservoir supply tracing information may be provided by a server or information terminal of a distributor, energy producer, manufacturer of the reservoir 420, or other entity in response to provision of information about the vending station.

[0074] The supply tracing information may include supply area tracing information indicating the degree of environmental impact due to differences in the composition of energy depending on the supply area from which the operating device 400 receives energy. Even if the energy is the same, the energy may be produced with a composition suited to the supply area. For example, if the energy is a blend of gasoline and ethanol, the blend ratio may differ depending on the climatic characteristics of the supply area, such as a warm or cold region. The degree of impact indicated by the supply area tracing information increases as the composition has a greater impact on the environment, such as the amount of environmental pollutant emissions caused by the composition. The supply area tracing information may be calculated by a distributor that supplies energy or an energy-filled storage device 420, an energy manufacturer, or a storage device 420 manufacturer. The supply area tracing information is one type of energy supply information.

[0075] The supply area tracing information may be provided by an energy supplier or an information terminal at a sales station of a distributor that supplies energy or pre-energized storage 420. The supply area tracing information may be provided by a server or an information terminal of a distributor, an energy manufacturer, a manufacturer of storage 420, or other business in response to provision of information about the sales station.

[0076] The supply tracing information may include supply time tracing information indicating the degree of environmental impact due to differences in the composition of energy depending on the time when the operating device 400 receives the energy supply. Even if the energy is the same, the energy may be produced with a composition suited to its supply time. For example, if the energy is a blend of gasoline and ethanol, the blend ratio may change depending on the season of the supply area, such as summer or winter. The degree of impact indicated by the supply time tracing information increases as the composition has a greater impact on the environment, such as the amount of environmental pollutant emissions caused by the composition. The supply time tracing information may be calculated by a distributor that supplies the energy or the energy-filled storage device 420, an energy manufacturer, or a storage device 420 manufacturer.

[0077] The supply time tracing information may be provided by an energy supplier or an information terminal at a sales station of a distributor that supplies energy or the energy-charged storage device 420. The supply time tracing information may be provided by a server or an information terminal of a distributor, an energy manufacturer, a manufacturer of the storage device 420, or another business in response to provision of information about the sales station. The supply time tracing information is one type of energy supply information.

[0078] The supply tracing information may include source location tracing information indicating the degree of environmental impact due to differences in the composition of energy depending on the region where the source that generates and supplies energy from the energy source is located. Examples of sources may include energy manufacturers and blenders. The source location tracing information may indicate the degree of environmental impact due to differences in the composition of energy depending on the region where the energy manufacturer or blender is located. For example, a specific facility of a manufacturer or blender may supply energy to a specific region and produce or blend energy with a composition set for that supply target. Even for the same energy, the composition of the energy may differ depending on the facility. The degree of impact indicated by the source location tracing information increases as the composition has a greater impact on the environment, such as the amount of emissions of environmental pollutants caused by the composition. The source location tracing information may be calculated by the energy manufacturer or blender.

[0079] The source location tracing information may be provided by an energy supplier or information terminal at a distributor's sales station that supplies energy or pre-energized storage 420. The source location tracing information may be provided by a server or information terminal of a distributor, energy manufacturer, energy blender, or other business in response to provision of information about the sales station. The source location tracing information is one type of energy supply information.

[0080] The supply tracing information may include source timing tracing information indicating the degree of environmental impact due to differences in energy composition depending on the time of energy supply from the energy source. Examples of sources may include energy manufacturers and blenders. The source timing tracing information may indicate the degree of environmental impact due to differences in energy composition depending on the season in which the energy manufacturer or blender ships the energy. A specific facility of a manufacturer or blender may produce or blend and ship energy with a seasonally set composition to a supply target in a specific region. Even for the same energy, the energy composition may vary depending on the shipping season. The degree of impact indicated by the source timing tracing information increases as the composition has a greater impact on the environment, such as the amount of environmental pollutant emissions due to the composition. The source timing tracing information may be calculated by the energy manufacturer or blender.

[0081] The source timing tracing information may be provided by an energy supplier or information terminal at a distributor's vending station that supplies energy or pre-energized storage 420. The source timing tracing information may be provided by a server or information terminal of a distributor, energy manufacturer, energy blender, or other business in response to provision of information about the vending station. The source timing tracing information is one type of energy supply information.

[0082] The impact information may include apparatus trace information indicating the degree of impact on the environment caused by the operating apparatus 400. For example, the degree of impact may be expressed by the amount of emissions of environmental pollutants caused by the operating apparatus 400 itself, an emission coefficient, or other indicators related thereto. In order to determine the environmental evaluation value, the third processing circuit 300 may apply the apparatus trace information to the impact degree according to the amount of energy consumption, thereby correcting the impact degree by adding or subtracting a premium.

[0083] The device tracing information may include first device tracing information indicating the degree of impact on the environment of the process leading up to the start of use of the operating device 400. The first device tracing information may include manufacturing information indicating the degree of impact on the environment caused by the manufacturing activities of the manufacturer of the operating device 400. The first device tracing information may include transportation information indicating the degree of impact on the environment caused by the transportation of the operating device 400. An example of the transportation of the operating device 400 may include the transportation of the operating device 400 from the manufacturer of the operating device 400 to a distributor of the operating device 400. The first device tracing information may include operation information indicating the degree of impact on the environment caused by the operations of the distributor of the operating device 400. The manufacturing information, transportation information, or operation information of the first device tracing information may be calculated by the manufacturer of the operating device 400 or the distributor of the operating device 400.

[0084] The first device trace information may be provided by a server or information terminal of the manufacturer of the operating device 400, the distributor of the operating device 400, or any other business in response to the provision of information about the operating device 400.

[0085] The device tracing information may include second device tracing information indicating the degree of impact on the environment of the maintenance process of the operating device 400 after it has been put into use. The second device tracing information may indicate the degree of impact on the environment caused by maintenance, inspection, repair, part replacement, etc. of the operating device 400 after it has been put into use. The second device tracing information may be calculated by a manufacturer of the operating device 400, a distributor of the operating device 400, a repairer of the operating device 400, a manufacturer of parts for the operating device 400, or a distributor of parts for the operating device 400.

[0086] The second device trace information may be provided by a server or information terminal of a manufacturer of the operating device 400, a distributor of the operating device 400, a repairer of the operating device 400, a manufacturer of parts for the operating device 400, a distributor of parts for the operating device 400, or other business in response to the provision of information about the operating device 400.

[0087] The device tracing information may include third device tracing information indicating the degree of impact on the environment of the processing process of the operating device 400 after use. The third device tracing information may include processing information indicating the degree of impact on the environment caused by processing activities by a processing company that disposes of the operating device 400 after use. The third device tracing information may include transportation information indicating the degree of impact on the environment caused by transportation for collection of the operating device 400 after use. The processing information or transportation information of the third device tracing information may be calculated by the manufacturer or processing company of the operating device 400.

[0088] The third device trace information may be provided by a server or information terminal of the manufacturer of the operating device 400, the distributor of the operating device 400, the processor of the operating device 400, or other business in response to the provision of information regarding the operating device 400.

[0089] The unit tracing information may include fourth unit tracing information indicating the degree of impact on the environment of the process leading up to the start of use of prime mover 410. The fourth unit tracing information may include manufacturing information indicating the degree of impact on the environment caused by manufacturing activities by the manufacturer of prime mover 410. The fourth unit tracing information may include transportation information indicating the degree of impact on the environment caused by transportation of prime mover 410. An example of the transportation of prime mover 410 may include transportation of prime mover 410 from the manufacturer of prime mover 410 to the manufacturer of operating device 400. The manufacturing information or transportation information of the fourth unit tracing information may be calculated by the manufacturer of prime mover 410 or the manufacturer of operating device 400.

[0090] The fourth device trace information may be provided by a server or information terminal of the manufacturer of the operating device 400, the distributor of the operating device 400, the manufacturer of the prime mover 410, or another business in response to the provision of information regarding the operating device 400 or the prime mover 410.

[0091] For example, the third processing circuit 300 may calculate the degree of impact on the environment according to the amount of energy consumption using the amount of energy consumption and information on emissions of environmental pollutants. The third processing circuit 300 may apply energy type information in the impact information to the degree of impact to correct the degree of impact. The third processing circuit 300 may apply energy source type information in the impact information to the degree of impact to correct the degree of impact. The third processing circuit 300 may apply one or more pieces of information included in the manufacturing trace information, supply trace information, and equipment trace information of the impact information to correct the degree of impact.

[0092] The third processing circuit 300 calculates an environmental evaluation value of the operating device 400 according to the energy consumption amount, based on the calculated or corrected degree of influence. The environmental evaluation value may be a value of an index associated with the degree of influence, or may be the degree of influence. The environmental evaluation value may be set to decrease as the degree of influence increases.

[0093] Note that part of the impact information may be acquired or used as other information by the operation processing circuit 440. For example, energy type information may be acquired or used by the operation processing circuit 440 as emission information for calculating energy consumption. One or more of the supply area tracing information, supply time tracing information, supply source location tracing information, and supply source time tracing information may be acquired or used by the operation processing circuit 440 as energy supply information for correcting the impact information or the environmental evaluation value.

[0094] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a server 500 according to an embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the server 500 includes a server processing circuit 510, a storage device 520, and a communication device 530. The communication device 530 mediates communication between the server 500 and the control circuit 430 or the operation processing circuit 440 of the operating device 400 via a communication network N. The communication between the communication device 530 and the communication network N may be wired communication, wireless communication, or a combination thereof. Any known communication device may be used as the communication device 530. The communication device 530 may include a communication circuit that controls the transmission and reception of information via the communication device 530.

[0095] The memory unit 520 includes a storage device, examples of which include a HDD, an SSD, and a semiconductor memory.

[0096] The server processing circuit 510 includes a processor 511 and a memory 512. The processor 511 may have the configuration exemplified for the processor 441 of the operating device 400. The memory 512 may have the configuration exemplified for the memory of the operating device 400.

[0097] The server processing circuit 510 is connected to a communication network N via a communicator 530, and is connected to two or more operating devices 400 in the environment management system 1 via the communication network N so as to be able to communicate data therewith. The connection between the server processing circuit 510 and the operating devices 400 may be via a website or an application program installed on the operating devices 400.

[0098] The server processing circuit 510 acquires the environmental evaluation value of the operating device 400 from the third processing circuit 300 of each operating device 400 and stores it in the storage device 520. In this case, the third processing circuit 300 of the operating device 400 may transmit to the server processing circuit 510, along with the environmental evaluation value, one or more of identification information set for the operating device 400, information indicating a first attribute that is an attribute set for the operating device 400, and information indicating a second attribute that is an attribute of the energy supplied to the operating device 400. The server processing circuit 510 associates the received information with each other and stores it in the storage device 520. The server processing circuit 510 may also associate two or more pieces of received information with each other and store them in the storage device 520. For example, the server processing circuit 510 may associate the environmental evaluation value with the identification information and the identification information with the attribute.

[0099] The identification information may be any information that allows the operating device 400 to be identified and distinguished from other operating devices. The identification information may be an identification code that is a combination of symbols including letters and numbers. This allows the server processing circuit 510 to identify the operating device 400 that transmitted the environment evaluation value. For example, the identification information may be stored in advance in the memory 442 of the operation processing circuit 440 of the operating device 400.

[0100] Examples of the first attribute may include a manager, manufacturer, and distributor of the operating device 400. The manager of the operating device 400 is a person who purchases or leases and operates the operating device 400. For example, information on the first attribute may be stored in the storage device 442 of the operating device 400.

[0101] Examples of the second attribute may include the type of energy received, the date and time the energy was received, and the location where the energy was received. For example, the information of the second attribute may be set by the operation processing circuit 440 based on information about the vending station and stored in the memory 442.

[0102] The server processing circuit 510 may store in the storage device 520, each of the identification information of two or more operating devices 400 and one or more of the environmental evaluation value, first attribute, and second attribute of the operating device 400 corresponding to the identification information, in association with each other. For example, the server processing circuit 510 may associate the identification information with the environmental evaluation value and associate the identification information with the attribute. The server processing circuit 510 may use the identification information as key information to group the environmental evaluation values ​​according to the first attribute, the second attribute, or both. The server processing circuit 510 may aggregate the environmental evaluation values ​​grouped according to the attributes and store the aggregation results in the storage device 520. By grouping and aggregating according to the first attribute, an environmental evaluation for each manager, manufacturer, or distributor can be obtained. By grouping and aggregating according to the second attribute, an environmental evaluation for each energy supply location or supply period can be obtained. The server processing circuit 510 may transmit or present the aggregated environmental evaluation values ​​according to the attributes to an information terminal or server of the manager, manufacturer, or distributor of the operating device 400 corresponding to the attribute.

[0103] An example of the operation of managing the environmental evaluation value by the environmental management system 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of managing the environmental evaluation value in the environmental management system 1 according to the embodiment.

[0104] In step S101, the first processing circuit 100 of the operating device 400 acquires impact information related to the operating device 400 and stores it in the storage device 442. For example, the first processing circuit 100 acquires device trace information of the impact information from a server or information terminal of the manufacturer of the operating device 400 or the like. Some or all of the device trace information may be stored in the storage device 442 in advance.

[0105] In step S102, the operating device 400 receives a supply of energy at an energy sales station. The operating device 400 may have the storage device 420 replaced.

[0106] In step S103, the first processing circuit 100 of the operating device 400 acquires information about the vending station from the vending station and stores it in the memory 442. The information about the vending station may include identification information of the vending station, the location of the vending station, identification information of the energy supplied from the vending station to the operating device 400, the type of energy, the amount of the energy, the date and time the energy was supplied from the vending station to the operating device 400, or information including two or more of these. For example, the information about the vending station may include at least identification information of the vending station or identification information of the energy. The first processing circuit 100 may acquire the information about the vending station from an energy supplier or an information terminal in the vending station. Furthermore, the first processing circuit 100 may acquire information related to energy in the impact information from the energy supplier or the information terminal. Note that the first processing circuit 100 may acquire some or all of the information about the vending station by a user manually inputting the information into an input device of the operating device 400.

[0107] In step S104, the first processing circuit 100 of the operating device 400 accesses various servers and transmits information about the vending station, including at least the vending station identification information or the energy identification information, to the servers. The servers transmit impact information corresponding to the information about the vending station to the operating device 400. The first processing circuit 100 associates the received impact information with the information acquired in step S103 and stores it in the memory 442. For example, the first processing circuit 100 may acquire one or more of energy type information, energy source type information, production trace information, and supply trace information from the impact information.

[0108] In step S105, the second processing circuit 200 of the operating device 400 calculates the amount of energy consumed by the operation of the operating device 400. Examples of the period for which the amount of energy consumed is calculated include a specific period, every predetermined time period, and the period until the operating device 400 receives the next supply of energy.

[0109] In step S106, the third processing circuit 300 of the operating device 400 calculates, based on the amount of energy consumed, the degree of impact on the environment caused by the energy consumption of the operating device 400. For example, the third processing circuit 300 may calculate, as the degree of impact, the amount of direct emissions of environmental pollutants from the operating device 400 corresponding to the amount of energy consumed.

[0110] In step S107, the third processing circuit 300 of the operating apparatus 400 corrects the degree of influence by applying the influence information to the degree of influence, and determines the environment evaluation value based on the corrected degree of influence.

[0111] In step S108, the third processing circuit 300 of the operating device 400 transmits the environmental evaluation value of the operating device 400 to the server 500. For example, the third processing circuit 300 may transmit, together with the environmental evaluation value, the identification information and attribute information of the operating device 400 stored in the memory 442. In this example, the attribute information includes a first attribute set for the operating device 400 and a second attribute of the energy supplied to the operating device 400.

[0112] In step S109, the server 500 classifies the environmental evaluation values ​​based on the identification information and attribute information and stores them in the storage device 520. For example, the server 500 may add the received environmental evaluation value to the aggregation result to which the received environmental evaluation value corresponds, among the aggregation results of the environmental evaluation values ​​that have already been grouped. The server 500 may store the aggregation results after addition in the storage device 520.

[0113] Through steps S101 to S109 as described above, the server 500 can group, tally, and manage the environmental evaluation values ​​of two or more operating devices 400 according to the attribute information.

[0114] Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. In other words, various modifications and improvements are possible within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, various modifications made to the embodiments and embodiments constructed by combining components of different embodiments are also included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0115] For example, in the embodiment, the operating device 400 includes the first processing circuit 100, the second processing circuit 200, and the third processing circuit 300, but is not limited to this.

[0116] For example, the server 500 may include the third processing circuit 300. In this case, the server 500 may acquire, from the operating device 400, identification information of the operating device 400, impact information related to the operating device 400, and information on the energy consumption of the operating device 400, and calculate the environmental evaluation value of the operating device 400.

[0117] For example, the server 500 may include the first processing circuit 100 and the third processing circuit 300. In this case, the server 500 may acquire, from the operating device 400, identification information of the operating device 400, information on the energy consumption amount of the operating device 400, information on the energy supplied to the operating device 400, and information on a vending station for the energy. The server 500 may acquire impact information based on the information on the vending station, and calculate an environmental evaluation value of the operating device 400 based on the information acquired from the operating device 400 and the impact information. The information on the vending station may include identification information of the vending station, the location of the vending station, the date and time when energy was supplied to the operating device 400 at the vending station, and identification information of the energy.

[0118] For example, the server 500 may include a first processing circuit 100, a second processing circuit 200, and a third processing circuit 300. In this case, the server 500 may acquire, from the operating device 400, identification information of the operating device 400, information about the energy supplied to the operating device 400, information about a vending station for the energy, and information about the amount of energy supplied to the prime mover 410. The server 500 may calculate the energy consumption of the operating device 400 based on the information acquired from the operating device 400, and acquire impact information based on the information about the vending station. Furthermore, the server 500 may calculate an environmental evaluation value of the operating device 400 based on the energy consumption and the impact information. The information about the vending station may include identification information of the vending station, the location of the vending station, the date and time when energy was supplied to the operating device 400 at the vending station, and identification information of the energy.

[0119] For example, the server 500 may include the first processing circuit 100. In this case, the server 500 may acquire, from the operating device 400, identification information of the operating device 400, information about the energy supplied to the operating device 400, and information about a vending station for the energy. The server 500 may acquire impact information based on the information about the vending station and transmit the impact information to the operating device 400 together with the information about the vending station. The operating device 400 may calculate an amount of energy consumption and calculate an environmental evaluation value of the operating device 400 using the amount of energy consumption and the impact information acquired from the server 500. The information about the vending station may include identification information of the vending station, a location of the vending station, a date and time when energy was supplied to the operating device 400 at the vending station, and identification information of the energy.

[0120] For example, the server 500 may include the first processing circuit 100 and the second processing circuit 200. In this case, the server 500 may acquire, from the operating device 400, identification information of the operating device 400, information about the energy supplied to the operating device 400, information about a vending station for the energy, and information about the amount of energy supplied to the prime mover 410. The server 500 may calculate the energy consumption of the operating device 400 based on the information acquired from the operating device 400, and acquire impact information based on the information about the vending station. Furthermore, the server 500 may transmit the impact information and the information about the energy consumption to the operating device 400 together with information about the vending station. The operating device 400 may calculate an environmental evaluation value of the operating device 400 using the information acquired from the server 500. The information about the vending station may include identification information of the vending station, the location of the vending station, the date and time when energy was supplied to the operating device 400 at the vending station, and identification information of the energy.

[0121] For example, the server 500 may include the second processing circuit 200. In this case, the server 500 may acquire, from the operating device 400, identification information of the operating device 400, information about the energy supplied to the operating device 400, information about a sales station for the energy, and information about the amount of energy supplied to the prime mover 410. The server 500 may calculate the amount of energy consumed by the operating device 400 based on the information acquired from the operating device 400. The server 500 may transmit the information about the energy consumption to the operating device 400 together with information about the sales station. The operating device 400 may acquire impact information based on the information about the sales station, and calculate the environmental evaluation value of the operating device 400 using the impact information and the information acquired from the server 500.

[0122] Examples of aspects of the technology of the present disclosure are as follows: An environmental evaluation method according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes acquiring impact information indicating an impact on an environment caused by the use of energy by an operating device that operates by being supplied with energy, acquiring consumption information indicating an amount of energy consumed by the operating device, and calculating an environmental evaluation value indicating an evaluation of the operating device with respect to the environment according to the amount of energy consumed, based on the impact information and the consumption information.

[0123] According to the first aspect, it is possible to perform an environmental assessment of energy use by an operating device based on the environmental impact caused by the energy use by the operating device and the amount of energy consumed by the operating device. This allows the environmental assessment to be performed based on the impact caused by the energy use by the operating device, thereby improving the accuracy of the environmental assessment.

[0124] In the first aspect, the environmental evaluation method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure may further include acquiring the environmental evaluation values ​​of the plurality of operating devices, acquiring attribute information indicating attributes of energy supplied to the plurality of operating devices, and aggregating or grouping the environmental evaluation values ​​of the plurality of operating devices by the attribute of the energy.

[0125] According to the second aspect, it is possible to collectively evaluate the environment for a plurality of operating devices by energy attribute, which makes it easier to understand the environmental impact of each energy attribute.

[0126] In the first or second aspect, the environmental assessment method according to the third aspect of the present disclosure may further include obtaining energy supply information indicating one or more of the area where the operating device received energy supply, the time when the operating device received energy supply, the area where a supply source that generates and supplies energy from an energy source is located, and the time when energy was supplied from the supply source, and correcting either or both of the impact information and the environmental assessment value in accordance with the energy supply information.

[0127] According to the third aspect, either or both of the impact information and the environmental assessment value can be varied depending on one or more of the region where energy is supplied to the operating device, the time when energy is supplied to the operating device, the region where the energy supply source is located, and the time when energy is supplied from the supply source. Thus, it is possible to obtain a highly accurate environmental assessment value that takes into account differences in region and time for the supply of energy to the operating device and the supply of energy from the supply source.

[0128] In any of the first to third aspects, in the environmental assessment method according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the impact information may include manufacturing trace information indicating the impact on the environment of one or more of the processes of producing energy from an energy source, generating an energy source, and manufacturing an energy storage device that stores energy and supplies it to the operating device.

[0129] According to the fourth aspect, it is possible to obtain a highly accurate environmental evaluation value that takes into consideration the impact on the environment of one or more of the energy production process, the energy source generation process, and the energy storage device manufacturing process.

[0130] In any of the first to fourth aspects, in the environmental evaluation method according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the impact information may include supply trace information indicating the impact on the environment of the process from the manufacture of energy or an energy storage device that stores energy to the supply to the operating device.

[0131] According to the fifth aspect, it is possible to obtain a highly accurate environmental evaluation value that takes into consideration the impact on the environment of the process from the manufacture of energy or an energy storage device until it is supplied to an operating device.

[0132] In any of the first to fifth aspects, the environmental evaluation method according to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure may further include correcting the environmental evaluation value according to either or both of the type of energy used by the operating device and the type of energy source of the energy used by the operating device.

[0133] According to the sixth aspect, even if the operating devices consume energy of different types or from different energy sources, the environment can be evaluated using an environmental evaluation value according to the energy consumed, making it easier to manage the environmental evaluation.

[0134] In any of the first to sixth aspects, the environmental evaluation method according to the seventh aspect of the present disclosure may further include correcting the environmental evaluation value in accordance with the impact on the environment of one or more of the processes leading up to the start of use of the operating device, the process of maintaining the operating device after use has started, and the process of processing the operating device after use has ended.

[0135] According to the seventh aspect, the accuracy of the environmental evaluation value can be improved by taking into account correction of the environmental evaluation value for factors other than energy consumption.

[0136] In any of the first to seventh aspects, in an environmental assessment method according to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, the environmental assessment value may be an assessment value relating to greenhouse gas emissions according to energy consumption.

[0137] According to the eighth aspect, greenhouse gases can have an impact on the environment depending on the amount of emissions, which makes the evaluation content indicated by the environmental evaluation value clear.

[0138] In any of the first to eighth aspects, in the environmental evaluation method according to the ninth aspect of the present disclosure, the environmental evaluation value may be determined to be higher as the proportion of biological energy or renewable energy contained in the energy supplied to the operating device increases.

[0139] According to the ninth aspect, the accuracy of the environmental evaluation value can be improved by taking into account the proportion of biological energy or renewable energy contained in the energy.

[0140] A processing circuit according to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure performs the following operations: acquiring impact information indicating the impact on the environment caused by the use of energy by an operating device that operates by being supplied with energy; acquiring consumption information indicating the amount of energy consumed by the operating device; and calculating, based on the impact information and the consumption information, an environmental evaluation value indicating the operating device's evaluation of the environment in accordance with the amount of energy consumed.

[0141] According to the tenth aspect, the same effects as those of the environmental evaluation method according to the above aspects of the present disclosure can be obtained.

[0142] An environmental management system according to an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure includes an operating device that operates when energy is supplied to it, a first processing circuit that acquires impact information indicating the impact on the environment caused by the operating device's use of energy, a second processing circuit that acquires consumption information indicating the amount of energy consumed by the operating device, and a third processing circuit that calculates an environmental evaluation value indicating the operating device's evaluation of the environment in accordance with the amount of energy consumed based on the impact information and the consumption information.

[0143] According to the eleventh aspect, the same effects as those of the environmental evaluation method according to the above aspects of the present disclosure can be obtained.

[0144] A part or all of the method of the present disclosure may be realized by, for example, a circuit such as a CPU or an LSI, an IC card, or a stand-alone module, etc. Multiple elements included in the method of the present disclosure may be realized by one device, or may be realized by two or more devices in a shared manner.

[0145] The present disclosure may also be a computer program that causes a computer to execute a method according to each aspect of the present disclosure. Such a computer program can achieve the same effects as the method according to each aspect of the present disclosure. The computer program may, for example, be a program recorded on a non-transitory, tangible, computer-readable recording medium, and may be configured to be read from the recording medium using a recording medium drive device and installed on a computer. The computer program may, for example, be a program that can be distributed via a transmission medium such as the Internet, and may be configured to be downloaded and installed on a computer.

[0146] The functions of the elements disclosed herein can be performed using circuits or processing circuits, including general-purpose processors, special-purpose processors, integrated circuits, ASICs, conventional circuits, and / or combinations thereof, configured or programmed to perform the disclosed functions. A processor is considered a processing circuit or circuit because it includes transistors and other circuitry. In this disclosure, a circuit, unit, or means is hardware that performs the recited functions or hardware that is programmed to perform the recited functions. The hardware may be hardware disclosed herein or other known hardware that is programmed or configured to perform the recited functions. Where the hardware is a processor, which is considered a type of circuit, the circuit, means, or unit is a combination of hardware and software, and the software is used to configure the hardware and / or processor.

[0147] All numbers such as ordinal numbers and quantities used in this specification are provided as examples to specifically explain the technology of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to the illustrated numbers. The connection relationships between components are provided as examples to specifically explain the technology of the present disclosure, and the connection relationships that realize the functions of the present disclosure are not limited to these.

[0148] Because the present disclosure may be embodied in various forms without departing from the scope of its essential characteristics, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than the description in the specification, and therefore the exemplary embodiments and modifications are intended to be illustrative and not limiting. All modifications within the scope of the claims and their equivalents are intended to be embraced by the claims.

Claims

1. An environmental evaluation method comprising: acquiring impact information indicating the impact on the environment caused by the use of energy by an operating device that operates by being supplied with energy; acquiring consumption information indicating the amount of energy consumed by the operating device; and calculating an environmental evaluation value indicating the operating device's evaluation of the environment in accordance with its amount of energy consumption based on the impact information and the consumption information.

2. The environmental evaluation method of claim 1, further comprising: acquiring the environmental evaluation values ​​of the plurality of operating devices; acquiring attribute information indicating the attributes of the energy supplied to the plurality of operating devices; and aggregating or grouping the environmental evaluation values ​​of the plurality of operating devices by the attribute of the energy.

3. The environmental assessment method according to claim 1, further comprising: acquiring energy supply information indicating one or more of the area where the operating device received energy supply, the time when the operating device received energy supply, the area where a supply source that generates and supplies energy from an energy source is located, and the time when energy was supplied from the supply source; and correcting either or both of the impact information and the environmental assessment value according to the energy supply information.

4. The environmental assessment method of claim 1, wherein the impact information includes manufacturing trace information indicating the environmental impact of one or more of the processes of producing energy from an energy source, generating an energy source, and manufacturing an energy storage device that stores energy and supplies it to the operating device.

5. The environmental evaluation method according to claim 1, wherein the impact information includes supply trace information indicating the impact on the environment of the process from the manufacture of energy or an energy storage device that stores energy to the supply to the operating device.

6. The environmental evaluation method according to claim 1, further comprising correcting the environmental evaluation value according to either or both of the type of energy used by the operating device and the type of energy source of the energy used by the operating device.

7. The environmental evaluation method according to claim 1, further comprising correcting the environmental evaluation value in accordance with the impact on the environment of one or more of the processes leading up to the start of use of the operating device, the process of maintaining the operating device after use has begun, and the process of processing the operating device after use has ended.

8. The environmental evaluation method according to claim 1, wherein the environmental evaluation value is an evaluation value relating to greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with energy consumption.

9. The environmental evaluation method according to claim 1, wherein the environmental evaluation value is determined to be higher as the proportion of biological energy or renewable energy contained in the energy supplied to the operating equipment increases.

10. A processing circuit that performs the following operations: acquiring impact information indicating the impact on the environment caused by the use of energy by an operating device that operates by being supplied with energy; acquiring consumption information indicating the amount of energy consumed by the operating device; and calculating an environmental evaluation value that indicates the operating device's evaluation of the environment in accordance with the amount of energy consumed, based on the impact information and the consumption information.

11. An environmental management system comprising: an operating device that operates when energy is supplied; a first processing circuit that acquires impact information indicating the impact on the environment caused by the operating device's use of energy; a second processing circuit that acquires consumption information indicating the amount of energy consumed by the operating device; and a third processing circuit that calculates an environmental evaluation value that indicates the operating device's evaluation of the environment in accordance with the amount of energy consumed, based on the impact information and the consumption information.

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