Electric power management device, electric power management method, and program

Abstract

This electric power management device comprises: a first market price acquisition unit (11) that acquires a first market price including an electricity selling market price in a first market where electricity quantity trading is conducted; a second market price acquisition unit (12) that acquires a second market price including an electricity selling market price in a second market where electricity quantity trading is conducted; and a discharging planning unit (14) that, on the basis of at least one of the electricity selling market price in the first market and the electricity selling market price in the second market, formulates a discharge plan for electric power charged in battery equipment.

Description

Power management device, power management method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a power management device, a power management method, and a program.

[0002] The recent liberalization of the electricity retail market has led to an increase in electricity retailers, such as those relying on procurement from the Japan Electric Power Exchange (JEPX) and those using battery devices for supply and demand adjustment. These retailers are private companies and are expected to secure profits. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a charge / discharge planning device that can further improve system utilization efficiency and increase imbalance profits.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-93652

[0004] However, the technology of Patent Document 1 does not take into account the existence of multiple electricity trading markets, and in the case where multiple electricity trading markets exist, it is difficult to improve the profits of retail electricity suppliers.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention provides a power management device, a power management method, and a program that can improve the profits of electricity retailers when multiple electricity trading markets exist.

[0006] A power management device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a first market price acquisition unit that acquires a first market price including the electricity selling market price of a first market where electricity volume trading takes place, a second market price acquisition unit that acquires a second market price including the electricity selling market price of a second market where electricity volume trading takes place, and a discharge planning unit that formulates a discharge plan for electricity charged to a battery device based on at least one of the electricity selling market price of the first market and the electricity selling market price of the second market.

[0007] A power management method according to one embodiment of the present invention acquires a first market price including a power market price in a first market where power volume trading is conducted, acquires a second market price including a power market price in a second market where power volume trading is conducted, and formulates a discharge plan for power charged to a battery device based on at least one of the power market price in the first market and the power market price in the second market.

[0008] A program according to one aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the above-described power management method.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize a power management device or the like that can improve the profits of electricity retailers when multiple power trading markets exist.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a power management system according to embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of a charge / discharge management device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a power management system according to embodiment 2. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of other party's bid information according to embodiment 2. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of a charge / discharge management device according to embodiment 2. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a power management system according to embodiment 3. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of a charge / discharge management device according to embodiment 3. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a power management system according to embodiment 4. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of a charge / discharge management device according to embodiment 4.

[0011] Before describing each embodiment of the present invention, the background to the invention will be described. Note that, hereinafter, a retailer of electricity will be referred to as a retail electricity supplier.

[0012] Due to the deregulation of the electricity market, an increasing number of retail electricity suppliers (new power suppliers) are relying on the procurement of electricity from the Japan Electric Power Exchange (JEPX). Specifically, retail electricity suppliers procure electricity for the day (next day) by 10:00 the day before from the spot market (also called the day-ahead market), which is a wholesale electricity market operated by JEPX. The spot market price for the day is determined around 10:30 the day before. The spot market is a market where electricity to be delivered the next day is traded, and for example, a market where 48 products are traded, with each day divided into 30-minute intervals, and a blind single-price auction is used as the contract method.

[0013] In addition, retail electricity suppliers are required to submit their procurement plans to the Organization for Cross-regional Coordination of Transmission Operators (OCCTO) by 12:00 the day before, but it is difficult to finalize the demand-side control plan for the day at the time of submission.

[0014] Therefore, to avoid imbalances caused by deviations from planned values ​​after the procurement plan is submitted to OCCTO, electricity is traded in the advance market (also called the intraday market). After electricity to be delivered the next day is traded in the spot market, unexpected power generation problems or sudden increases in demand may occur between then and the actual delivery, and the advance market is a market to deal with such supply-demand mismatches that occur after the formulation of the next-day plan.

[0015] In this way, it is assumed that an electricity retailer will conduct electricity transactions in two electricity trading markets, for example, the spot market and the hourly market. Furthermore, since an electricity retailer is a private company, it is desirable for the profits of the electricity retailer to be improved, but Patent Document 1 does not disclose a technology for improving the profits of the electricity retailer by taking into account electricity transactions in the two electricity trading markets.

[0016] Therefore, the inventors of the present application have conducted extensive research into power management devices and the like that can improve the profits of retail electricity suppliers when multiple electricity trading markets exist, and have devised the power management devices and the like described below.

[0017] Each embodiment will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

[0018] The embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, components, component placement and connection configurations, steps, and step order shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components not described in the independent claims are described as optional components.

[0019] Furthermore, each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily an exact illustration. Therefore, for example, the scales of the figures do not necessarily match. Furthermore, in each figure, substantially the same components are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted or simplified.

[0020] Furthermore, in this specification, terms indicating relationships between elements such as coincidence, as well as numerical values ​​and numerical ranges, are not expressions that express only the strict meaning, but are expressions that mean that they also include a substantially equivalent range, for example, a difference of about several percent (or about 10%).

[0021] Furthermore, in this specification, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" do not refer to the number or order of components unless otherwise specified, but are used for the purpose of avoiding confusion and distinguishing between components of the same type.

[0022] First Embodiment A power management system according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

[0023] [1-1. Configuration of Power Management System] First, the configuration of a power management system including a power management device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the power management system according to the present embodiment. Note that an electricity retailer has battery devices that it manages itself, or battery devices that are installed at consumers and can be controlled by the electricity retailer. The battery devices are, for example, but are not limited to, storage batteries. Furthermore, the battery devices are connected to charging / discharging equipment that can charge and discharge the battery devices.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 1, the power management system includes a charge / discharge management device 10, a first market price storage unit 20, and a second market price storage unit 30. Note that Fig. 1 shows an exemplary functional configuration of the power management system, and the functional configuration of the power management system is not limited to that shown in Fig. 1.

[0025] The charge / discharge management device 10 is an example of a power management device, and is an information processing device for improving the profits of an electricity retailer by checking the market prices of each of the multiple electricity trading markets when multiple electricity trading markets exist. The charge / discharge management device 10 has, as its functional configuration, a first market price acquisition unit 11, a second market price acquisition unit 12, a charging planning unit 13, and a discharging planning unit 14.

[0026] The charge / discharge management device 10 is realized by a hardware configuration including a non-volatile memory storing a program, a volatile memory serving as a temporary storage area for executing the program, an input / output port, a communication interface, and a processor for executing the program. The first market price acquisition unit 11, the second market price acquisition unit 12, the charge planning unit 13, and the discharge planning unit 14 are realized by a processor for executing the program stored in the memory. The charge / discharge management device 10 may be realized by a stationary personal computer (PC), a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet, a dedicated computer, a server (e.g., a cloud server), or a combination thereof.

[0027] The first market price acquisition unit 11 acquires a predicted value or an actual value of the first market price in the first market where energy trading is conducted. The first market price acquisition unit 11 acquires, for example, a predicted value or an actual value of the first market price from a first market price storage unit 20 that stores a predicted value or an actual value of the first market price. The first market price acquisition unit 11 is configured to include, for example, a communication circuit (or a communication module). Note that hereinafter, the predicted value or the actual value of the first market price (the first market price predicted value or the first market price actual value) will also be simply referred to as the first market price.

[0028] In this embodiment, the first market is a spot market, and the first market price acquisition unit 11 acquires a spot price, which is a trading price in the spot market. The spot price includes, for example, the price of each of two or more frames obtained by dividing a 24-hour day into predetermined time periods. For example, the predetermined period is 30 minutes, and the spot price includes the price of each of 48 frames. The spot price for the day is determined around 10:30 on the previous day. The first market price acquisition unit 11 may acquire a spot price forecast value (an example of a first market price forecast value) before the spot price for the day is determined, or may acquire a spot price actual value (an example of a first market price actual value) after the spot price for the day is determined.

[0029] The second market price acquisition unit 12 acquires a predicted value or an actual value of the second market price in the second market where energy trading is conducted. The second market price acquisition unit 12 acquires, for example, a predicted value or an actual value of the second market price from a second market price storage unit 30 that stores a predicted value or an actual value of the second market price. The second market price acquisition unit 12 is configured to include, for example, a communication circuit (or a communication module). Note that hereinafter, the predicted value or the actual value of the second market price (the second market price predicted value or the second market price actual value) will also be simply referred to as the second market price.

[0030] In this embodiment, the second market is a pre-hour market, and the second market price acquisition unit 12 acquires pre-hour prices, which are trading prices in the pre-hour market. The pre-hour prices include, for example, the prices of two or more frames obtained by dividing a 24-hour day into predetermined time periods. For example, the predetermined period is 30 minutes, and the pre-hour prices include the prices of 48 frames.

[0031] Here, we will explain trading in the pre-hours market. Trading in the pre-hours market uses the continuous trading method, which is executed according to the principle of price priority and time priority. The principle of price priority and time priority states that lower price sell orders take priority over higher price sell orders, higher price buy orders take priority over lower price buy orders, and for buy and sell orders with the same price, the buy and sell order registered earlier takes priority over the buy and sell order registered later based on the time they were registered in the trading system.

[0032] The advance market is positioned as a place where balancing groups make final supply-demand adjustments after the spot market to match supply and demand as closely as possible. In the advance market, electricity is additionally bought and sold in 30-minute increments to avoid imbalances.

[0033] The charging planning unit 13 formulates a charging plan to reduce the charging cost when charging the battery device. The charging planning unit 13 formulates a charging plan to preferentially charge the battery device during a time period when at least one of the first market price and the second market price (here, the power purchase market price in the first market and the power purchase market price in the second market, e.g., the bid price) is lowest. The charging plan includes the time period for charging the battery device, the power trading market for charging (here, the first market or the second market), the charge amount, and the power purchase market price. The lowest price may be, for example, the lowest price within 48 frames of the next day, or may be equal to or lower than a predetermined price. The charge / discharge management device 10 does not necessarily have to include the charging planning unit 13.

[0034] The discharge planning unit 14 formulates a discharge plan to increase profits when discharging the battery device. The discharge planning unit 14 formulates a discharge plan for the electricity stored in the battery device based on the first market price and the second market price (here, the electricity selling market price in the first market and the electricity selling market price in the second market, e.g., the selling bid price) from the next day onwards. The discharge plan includes the time period for discharging the battery device, the electricity trading market for discharging (here, the first market or the second market), the amount of discharge, the electricity selling market price, etc.

[0035] The charge / discharge management device 10 may further include a communication unit for communicating with other devices, a presentation unit for presenting a charging plan, etc. The communication unit can communicate with other devices via wire or wirelessly and is realized, for example, by a communication circuit (or a communication module). The presentation unit can present the charging plan, etc. by display or sound and is realized, for example, by a display device such as a liquid crystal display device, a sound output device such as a microphone, etc.

[0036] In the following description, when referring to both the charging plan and the discharging plan, they will also be referred to as the charging and discharging plan.

[0037] The first market price storage unit 20 is a storage device that stores the first market price. The first market price storage unit 20 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory or a hard disk drive (HDD), but is not limited to these.

[0038] The charge / discharge management device 10 may have a function of predicting a predicted first market price value based on the past performance of the first market price or the like.

[0039] The second market price storage unit 30 is a storage device that stores the second market price. The second market price storage unit 30 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory or a HDD, but is not limited to this.

[0040] The charge / discharge management device 10 may have a function of predicting a predicted second market price value based on the past performance of the second market price or the like.

[0041] As described above, the charge / discharge management device 10 is configured to formulate a charge / discharge plan for battery devices so as to make more profits for the retail electricity supplier by utilizing the difference in electricity prices between charging and discharging.

[0042] [1-2. Operation of the charge / discharge management device] Next, the operation of the charge / discharge management device 10 configured as described above will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation (power management method) of the charge / discharge management device 10 according to this embodiment. Note that the following describes a case where the first market price is a spot price ([yen / kWh]) and the second market price is an advance price (for example, a selling bid price (bid unit price [yen / kWh]) to the advance market).

[0043] 2 , the charging planning unit 13 determines whether to formulate a charging plan from the first market price predicted value based on an instruction from the user or whether the spot price has been determined at the time of formulating the charging plan (S11). When the charging planning unit 13 has received an instruction from the user indicating that the charging plan will be formulated based on the first market price predicted value or when the spot price for the next day has not been determined at the time of formulating the charging plan, the charging planning unit 13 determines to formulate a charging plan from the first market price predicted value.

[0044] Next, when the charging planning unit 13 determines to formulate a charging plan from the first market price predicted value (Yes in S11), it acquires the first market price predicted value from the first market price storage unit 20 (S12). When the charging planning unit 13 determines not to formulate a charging plan from the first market price predicted value (No in S11), it acquires the first market price actual value from the first market price storage unit 20 (S13). The charging planning unit 13 acquires, for example, the first market price predicted value or the first market price actual value for the next day. Note that in step S12, the first market price predicted value includes at least the predicted value of the electricity selling market price in the first market and may further include the predicted value of the electricity purchasing market price in the first market. Also, in step S13, the first market price actual value includes at least the actual value of the electricity selling market price in the first market and may further include the actual value of the electricity purchasing market price in the first market.

[0045] Next, the charging planning unit 13 formulates a charging plan for the next day based on the predicted first market price value or the actual first market price value for the next day (S14).

[0046] Here, a method for formulating a charging plan by the charging plan unit 13 will be described. The method will be described separately for a case where charging is performed (power is purchased) from the first market and a case where charging is performed (power is purchased) from the second market. First, a case where a charging plan is formulated for charging from the spot market, which is an example of the first market, will be described.

[0047] For example, the charging planning unit 13 may predict the lowest price for a day and the section (e.g., period) in which the lowest price will occur based on a weather forecast (≠ meteorological forecast) using a fixed rule, and may formulate a charging plan so that charging will occur in the section in which the predicted lowest price will occur. The weather forecast is, for example, a weather forecast for the next day. For example, if the next day is a sunny day in the mid-season or if the lowest price for that day is predicted to occur between X o'clock and X+N o'clock, the charging planning unit 13 may formulate a charging plan so that charging will occur in that time period. For example, the fixed rule may be, but is not limited to, a table in which weather forecasts are associated with time periods in which the lowest price will occur.

[0048] Furthermore, the charging planning unit 13 may, for example, predict the lowest price within a day and the section where the lowest price will occur (e.g., a period) through statistical processing based on a weather forecast (≠ meteorological forecast), and formulate a charging plan to perform charging in the section where the predicted lowest price will occur. The charging planning unit 13 may predict the section where the lowest price will occur through statistical processing based on predetermined conditions. The predetermined conditions are a combination of a period (e.g., the last N days, the same date for N years, etc.), weather (e.g., sunny, rainy, cloudy), and day type (e.g., weekend, public holiday, weekday), but may include at least one of them. The charging planning unit 13 may, for example, predict the section where the lowest price will occur based on statistics for each combination of period, weather, and day type (e.g., values ​​based on past contract results in the spot market).

[0049] Furthermore, the charging planning unit 13 may predict the lowest price within a day and the section in which the lowest price will occur based on at least one of data such as past power demand records, weather records, weather forecasts, and holiday information, and may formulate a charging plan to charge in the section in which the predicted lowest price will occur. The charging planning unit 13 may input the at least one piece of data into, for example, a machine learning model that performs statistical estimation based on feature engineering, a neural network-based machine learning model that does not require feature engineering, or the like, and thereby acquire the predicted result of the section in which the lowest price will occur as the output of the machine learning model.

[0050] The lowest price may be the lowest price in one day (for example, 48 frames), or may be a price equal to or lower than a predetermined price.

[0051] Next, a case will be described in which a charging plan for charging is formulated from the time-ahead market, which is an example of a second market. The time-ahead market is a continuous trading system, and therefore the price varies for each contract. In addition, in the time-ahead market, a bidder cannot bid if there is a buy (or sell) bidder with a higher (or lower) price than the bidder. However, if the buy (or sell) bid price is too high (or too low), there is a trade-off in that the price difference between charging and discharging becomes small (i.e., profits become small). In this case, the charging planning unit 13 can make a bid (buy bid) based on past bidding records or a bid (buy bid) based on a future bid prediction.

[0052] Examples of bidding based on past bidding records include, but are not limited to, a first method of bidding targeting seasons, time periods, etc. when bidding prices fall, and a second method of bidding at a price that is likely to result in a contract. Note that during intermediate periods (e.g., spring and autumn), electricity demand falls and bid prices tend to be lower during the daytime when surplus electricity is more likely to be generated from naturally variable power sources (power generation facilities that utilize natural energy, such as solar power generation facilities and wind power generation facilities).

[0053] In the first method, for example, since there is a high possibility that low prices can be agreed upon during the daytime, especially during interim periods, the charging planning unit 13 may formulate a charging plan such that charging is carried out by bidding during daytime hours during interim periods.

[0054] In the second method, the charging planning unit 13 predicts a price that is predicted not to rise any higher based on, for example, statistics of past bidding records (time-ahead market contract records, i.e., the above-mentioned electricity purchase market price records) or based on statistical estimation (point estimation, interval estimation, etc.), and determines the bid price based on the predicted price. The bid price may be calculated as the predicted price + α1, or may be the predicted price. α1 may be set in advance and stored in the charge / discharge management device 10.

[0055] Furthermore, as a bid based on a future bid prediction, the charging planning unit 13 may predict the advance price of the advance market for the next day with an interval by, for example, statistical estimation, a machine learning model, or the like, and determine the bidding time and the bid price (here, the buy bid price). The interval here refers to a prediction interval (an estimated value of the statistical fluctuation range of the predicted value). The charging planning unit 13 may, for example, predict the worst-case minimum price or predict the distribution of the bid prices themselves. An example of a method for predicting the worst-case minimum price is, but is not limited to, a method in which the upper end of an X% prediction interval is considered to be the worst-case value. The upper end of an X% prediction interval is the upper value of a range in which the predicted value falls with a probability of X%. X% is, for example, set in advance. The machine learning model is trained in advance by machine learning to use, for example, information about the next day (e.g., a weather forecast, weather forecast, holiday information, power demand forecast, power shortage forecast, etc.) as input information and output the worst-case minimum price or the distribution of the bid prices themselves for the next day.

[0056] The charging planning unit 13 formulates a charging plan so that charging is performed at the price and time period determined by any of the above methods. The charging planning unit 13 may compare the prices calculated by all of the above methods and formulate a charging plan so that charging is performed in the market and time period for which the lowest price is calculated.

[0057] Next, the discharge planning unit 14 repeatedly executes steps S15 and S16 every 30 minutes on the next day.

[0058] The discharge planning unit 14 acquires the second market price predicted value or actual value from the second market price memory unit 30 (S15), and formulates a 30-minute discharge plan for the next day based on the acquired second market price predicted value or actual value (S16).

[0059] Here, a method for formulating a discharge plan by the discharge planning unit 14 will be described. The method will be described separately for cases where discharge is to be performed in the first market and cases where discharge is to be performed in the second market. First, a case where a discharge plan is to be formulated for discharging in the spot market, which is an example of the first market, will be described.

[0060] The discharge planning unit 14 formulates a discharge plan to prioritize discharging (selling electricity) in high-price slots based on price prediction. For example, if the profit unit price exceeds a predetermined value (profit margin, etc.) in the following formula 1, the discharge planning unit 14 may determine to discharge in that slot.

[0061] Profit unit price = (discharge unit price - charge unit price) x (1 - charge / discharge loss) x charge / discharge feasibility coefficient ... (Equation 1)

[0062] The discharge unit price here is the selling bid price, and the charge unit price is the spot price. The charge / discharge possibility coefficient takes a discrete value of 0 or 1. In sections where battery equipment can be used, 1 is used as the charge / discharge possibility coefficient, and in sections where battery equipment cannot be used, 0 is used as the charge / discharge possibility coefficient. Examples of sections where battery equipment cannot be used include sections where electric vehicles (EVs) are out and sections where use is prohibited due to other purposes. The discharge planning unit 14 may obtain information such as the planned use of battery equipment and determine the charge / discharge possibility coefficient.

[0063] Next, a case where a discharge plan for discharging to an hour-ahead market, which is an example of a secondary market, is formulated will be described.

[0064] The discharge planning unit 14 can make a bid (a sell bid) based on past bidding records. Examples of bidding based on past bidding records include, but are not limited to, a third method in which a bid is made targeting a season or time period when bidding prices are high, and a fourth method in which a bid is made at a price that is likely to be concluded. Note that in summer and winter, bid prices tend to rise due to high demand for electricity and supply shortages.

[0065] In the third method, for example, since there is a high possibility that high prices can be traded in the morning and evening, especially in summer and winter, the discharge planning unit 14 may formulate a discharge plan so that discharge is carried out by bidding (selling bids) in the morning and evening, for example, in summer and winter.

[0066] In the fourth method, the discharge planning unit 14 predicts a price that is predicted not to become any lower, for example, based on statistics of past bidding results or statistical estimation (point estimation, interval estimation, etc.), and determines a bid price (selling bid price) based on the predicted price. The bid price may be the predicted price minus α2, or may be the predicted price. α2 may be preset and stored in the charge / discharge management device 10.

[0067] Although the above describes an example in which a discharging plan is formulated after a charging plan is formulated, for example, the charging plan and the discharging plan may be formulated simultaneously. For example, when charging from the spot market and discharging to the spot market, the charging plan unit 13 and the discharging plan unit 14 may formulate the charging plan and the discharging plan based on trends of low prices (for example, low prices in the electricity purchase market) and high prices (for example, high prices in the electricity sale market) based on price prediction.

[0068] The charging planning unit 13 predicts the market price for purchasing electricity when charging using one of the following methods, as explained above: a method for predicting the section in a day where the lowest price will occur using a fixed rule based on a weather forecast (≠ weather forecast), a method for predicting the section in a day where the lowest price will occur using statistical processing based on a weather forecast (≠ weather forecast), and a method for predicting the section in a day where the lowest price will occur based on at least one of data such as past electricity demand records, weather records, weather forecasts, and holiday information.

[0069] Furthermore, the charging planning unit 13 and the discharging planning unit 14 make a charge / discharge determination based on the difference between the charging unit price and the discharging unit price from the price prediction value for a certain period (e.g., X days in the future). The charging planning unit 13 and the discharging planning unit 14 determine whether to charge or discharge based on this difference. If the charging slot is i and the discharging slot is j, the charging planning unit 13 and the discharging planning unit 14 may obtain an expected value of the price difference between slots i and j (i ≠ j) by statistical processing, calculate an expected value of the profit unit price taking into account charging / discharging losses, and determine whether to charge or discharge based on the calculated expected value of the profit unit price. The charging planning unit 13 and the discharging planning unit 14 may determine whether to charge or discharge using, for example, the following Equation 2.

[0070] Profit unit price = expected price difference x (1 - charging / discharging loss) x charging / discharging possibility coefficient ... (Equation 2)

[0071] For example, the charging planning unit 13 and the discharging planning unit 14 may determine whether the profit unit price exceeds a predetermined value (profit margin, etc.), and if it is determined that the profit unit price exceeds the predetermined value, may determine to perform charging and discharging by giving priority to a slot with a larger expected value. The expected value of the price difference is calculated by subtracting the charging unit price of slot i from the discharging unit price of slot j. The charging and discharging loss is set in advance.

[0072] The charging planning unit 13 and the discharging planning unit 14 may use Equation 2 to sequentially determine combinations of charging time slots and discharging time slots that result in a unit profit price equal to or greater than a predetermined unit price or that maximize the unit profit price. In this case, for example, the charging planning unit 13 and the discharging planning unit 14 determine, for each slot for which a combination has not yet been determined, a combination that results in a minimum charging unit price and a maximum discharging unit price. The charging planning unit 13 and the discharging planning unit 14 may also formulate a charging and discharging plan by, for example, strictly determining an optimal solution for a combination of charging time slots and discharging time slots that maximizes the unit profit price. The charging planning unit 13 and the discharging planning unit 14 may calculate the unit profit price for all combinations (where i≠j) of 48 charging slots and 48 discharging slots, and determine combinations of charging time slots and discharging time slots that result in a unit profit price equal to or greater than a predetermined unit price or that maximize the unit profit price.

[0073] The method for formulating the charge and discharge plans in the charge planning unit 13 and the discharge planning unit 14 is not limited to the above. The charge planning unit 13 and the discharge planning unit 14 may, for example, formulate a charge and discharge plan taking into account the cost of procuring electricity from the first market (e.g., charging cost) and the discharge profit associated with discharging to the second market. The charge planning unit 13 and the discharge planning unit 14 may, for example, formulate a charge and discharge plan so that the difference between the charging cost based on the first market price and the amount of charge to the battery device from the first market and the discharge profit based on the second market price and the amount of discharge from the battery device to the second market is large (e.g., greater than a predetermined value). The charge cost and the discharge profit here are assumed to be positive values. The charge cost is the cost of the electricity retailer calculated based on, for example, the amount of charge to the battery device from the first market multiplied by the first market price. The discharge profit is the profit of the electricity retailer calculated based on the amount of discharge from the battery device to the second market multiplied by the second market price.

[0074] After submitting a procurement plan to OCCTO, imbalance costs may be incurred due to charging and discharging of battery devices, and a charging and discharging plan may be formulated taking these imbalance costs into consideration. For example, the charging cost may further include a first imbalance cost associated with charging the battery device from the first market, and the discharge revenue may further include a second imbalance cost associated with discharging from the battery device to the second market. When charging the battery device from the first market, the retail electricity supplier will procure more electricity than in the procurement plan submitted to OCCTO. The first imbalance cost is calculated based on the difference in the amount of energy from the procurement plan and the first imbalance price. The charging cost may be increased by including the first imbalance cost. Furthermore, when discharging from the battery device to the second market, an imbalance may occur depending on the procurement plan, the actual procurement value, and the amount of discharge. The second imbalance cost is calculated based on the difference between the procurement plan and the amount of energy obtained by subtracting the amount of discharge from the actual procurement value, and the second imbalance price. The discharge revenue may be reduced by including the second imbalance cost. In addition, the charging planning unit 13 and the discharging planning unit 14 may formulate a charging / discharging plan so that the difference between the charging cost based on the first market price and the first imbalance cost associated with charging the battery equipment from the first market and the discharging revenue based on the second market price and the second imbalance cost associated with discharging from the battery equipment to the second market is large (for example, larger than a predetermined value).

[0075] (Embodiment 2) A power management system according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 3 to 5. The following description will focus on differences from embodiment 1, and descriptions of content that is the same as or similar to embodiment 1 will be omitted or simplified.

[0076] [2-1. Configuration of Power Management System] First, the configuration of a power management system including a power management device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the power management system according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, it is assumed that contract information is open in the second market. In other words, bid information of other parties is made public in the second market. The bid information includes bid prices for each time slot (each product). An example of a second market having such a system is the pre-hours market, but this is not limiting. In the following, it is assumed that the second market is the pre-hours market.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 3, the power management system according to the present embodiment includes a charge / discharge management device 10a instead of the charge / discharge management device 10 of the power management system according to the first embodiment.

[0078] The charge / discharge management device 10 a includes a second market bid information monitoring unit 15 in addition to the charge / discharge management device 10 according to the first embodiment.

[0079] The second market bid information monitoring unit 15 monitors (e.g., sequentially monitors) bid information of other parties in the second market. The bid information includes the selling bid volume and selling bid price of other parties by slot (by time zone), but it is sufficient to include at least the selling bid price by slot. In other words, the second market bid information monitoring unit 15 only needs to monitor at least the selling bid price by slot of other parties in the second market. Furthermore, the second market bid information monitoring unit 15 determines whether each selling bid price by slot of other parties satisfies a predetermined condition, and permits discharge in the slot of the selling bid price determined to satisfy the predetermined condition, and prohibits discharge in the slot of the selling bid price determined not to satisfy the predetermined condition. The second market bid information monitoring unit 15 outputs, for example, information indicating the slot determined to permit discharge to the discharge planning unit 14. The second market bid information monitoring unit 15 is an example of a bid information monitoring unit. Note that the bid information monitoring unit may also monitor the selling bid prices of other parties in the first market.

[0080] An example of bid information monitored by the second market bid information monitoring unit 15 will now be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of other party's bid information according to this embodiment. Fig. 4 shows sell bid information in the time-ahead market on or after the day after X o'clock.

[0081] As shown in Fig. 4, the bidding information includes a bid price (selling bid price per slot) [yen / 0.1 MW] and a bid quantity (selling bid quantity per slot) [MW] for each time slot (frame). The second market bidding information monitoring unit 15 monitors, for example, bidding information such as that shown in Fig. 4 and determines whether or not discharge is possible for each slot. The bidding information shown in Fig. 4 is, for example, but is not limited to, bid information from at least one other person.

[0082] The predetermined condition is, for example, that the selling bid price exceeds a threshold price. For example, when the selling bid price of another person for each slot exceeds the threshold price, the second market bid information monitoring unit 15 determines that the predetermined condition is met and permits discharge in the slot of the selling bid price.

[0083] The discharge planning unit 14 formulates a discharge plan to discharge in a slot where other parties' selling bid prices are high among the slots (time slots) for which discharge is permitted by the second market bid information monitoring unit 15. For example, when there is a slot in which other parties' selling bid prices exceed a threshold price, the discharge planning unit 14 formulates a discharge plan to place a selling bid at a price below the selling bid price of that slot. For example, the discharge planning unit 14 may formulate a discharge plan to place a selling bid at a price equal to or higher than the threshold price and lower than the selling bid price of that slot.

[0084] In this way, the discharge planning unit 14 according to this embodiment can make a bid (selling bid) based on the past bidding record, as well as a bid (selling bid) based on the monitoring of bids made by others.

[0085] [2-2. Operation of Charge / Discharge Management Device] Next, the operation of the charge / discharge management device 10a configured as described above will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation (power management method) of the charge / discharge management device 10a according to this embodiment. The flowchart shown in Fig. 5 includes steps S21 and S22 in addition to the flowchart shown in Fig. 2.

[0086] After step S15, the second market bidding information monitoring unit 15 determines for the slot whether the bidding information of other parties it is monitoring satisfies the specified conditions (S21), and if the slot satisfies the specified conditions (Yes in S21), it allows discharge at the slot (S22), and if the slot does not satisfy the specified conditions (No in S21), it returns to step S15 and continues processing for the next slot.

[0087] Here, the determination of whether or not discharge is possible using predetermined conditions will be described. For the Xth frame's purchase bid request, the threshold price is α, and the other party's selling bid price is β.

[0088] The second market bid information monitoring unit 15 compares the threshold price α with the selling bid price β, and if the selling bid price β is greater than the threshold price α, it determines that the slot satisfies the predetermined condition and permits the discharge of the Xth frame. If the selling bid price β is less than or equal to the threshold price α, it determines that the slot does not satisfy the predetermined condition and prohibits the discharge of the Xth frame because the contract cannot be concluded. The second market bid information monitoring unit 15 makes a similar determination for each slot. Note that if the predetermined condition is not satisfied, it is advisable not to place a bid at all, in order to prevent unnecessary bidding information from being provided to others.

[0089] The threshold price α may be determined based on, for example, the first market price (electricity purchase market price) at the time of charging in the charging plan. The second market bid information monitoring unit 15 may determine the threshold price α based on, for example, the following Equation 3 or Equation 4.

[0090] Threshold price α = charging price + profit margin ... (Equation 3) Threshold price α = charging price + profit margin × (1 - charging / discharging loss rate) ... (Equation 4)

[0091] The profit margin and the charge / discharge loss rate may be set in advance and stored in the charge / discharge management device 10a.

[0092] (Embodiment 3) A power management system according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 6 and 7. The following description will focus on differences from embodiment 2, and descriptions of content that is the same as or similar to embodiment 2 will be omitted or simplified.

[0093] [3-1. Configuration of Power Management System] First, the configuration of a power management system including a power management device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the power management system according to this embodiment.

[0094] As shown in FIG. 6, the power management system according to the present embodiment includes a charge / discharge management device 10b instead of the charge / discharge management device 10a of the power management system according to the second embodiment.

[0095] The charge and discharge management device 10b includes, in addition to the components of the charge and discharge management device 10a according to the second embodiment, a first market bidding unit 16 and a second market bidding unit 17. It is sufficient that the charge and discharge management device 10b includes at least one of the first market bidding unit 16 and the second market bidding unit 17. The charge and discharge management device 10b does not necessarily have to include the second market bidding information monitoring unit 15.

[0096] The first market bid implementation unit 16 executes bidding processing for the first market. For example, when submitting a buying bid to the first market, the first market bid implementation unit 16 transmits the amount of power for each time period based on the charging plan (i.e., the amount of power charged to the battery device) to a management device that manages the first market. The first market bid implementation unit 16 may submit a bid for an amount of power that includes the amount of power to be supplied to consumers and the amount of power for charging the battery device. Note that the first market bid implementation unit 16 may also submit a selling bid to the first market based on the discharging plan.

[0097] In this way, the first market bidding implementation unit 16 may function as a first bidding implementation unit that places bids (buy bids) on the first market for charging power to battery equipment based on a charging plan, or as a second bidding implementation unit that places bids (sell bids) on the first market for discharging power from battery equipment based on a discharging plan.

[0098] The second market bid implementation unit 17 executes bidding processing for the second market. For example, when placing a buy bid for the second market, the second market bid implementation unit 17 transmits the amount of power for each time period based on the charging plan (i.e., the amount of charge to the battery device) and the buy bid price to the management device that manages the second market. Also, for example, when placing a sell bid for the second market, the second market bid implementation unit 17 transmits the amount of power for each time period based on the discharging plan (i.e., the amount of discharge from the battery device) and the sell bid price to the management device that manages the second market.

[0099] In this way, the second market bidding implementation unit 17 may function as a first bidding implementation unit that places bids (buy bids) on the second market for charging power to battery equipment based on a charging plan, or as a second bidding implementation unit that places bids (sell bids) on the second market for discharge power from battery equipment based on a discharging plan.

[0100] [3-2. Operation of Charge / Discharge Management Device] Next, the operation of the charge / discharge management device 10b configured as described above will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation (power management method) of the charge / discharge management device 10b according to this embodiment. Fig. 7 shows the operation when placing a sell bid on the secondary market. The flowchart shown in Fig. 7 includes step S31 in addition to the flowchart shown in Fig. 5.

[0101] When a discharge plan for discharging to the second market (here, the time-ahead market) is formulated in step S16, the second market bidding implementation unit 17 executes a sell bid to the second market (S31). The second market bidding implementation unit 17 transmits to the second market the time period for the sell bid, the sell bid price, and the discharge amount.

[0102] Even if the selling bid price β is greater than the threshold price α, if another party submits a lower bid after the selling bid price β, the other party's bid will take priority due to the price priority principle. Therefore, the second market bidding unit 17 may submit a selling bid immediately before the bidding deadline, or step S21 shown in FIG. 7 may be executed immediately before the deadline. The second market bidding unit 17 may also submit a bid ahead of other parties, targeting a selling bid price and time period with a high probability of bidding. The second market bidding unit 17 may predict an optimal selling bid price and time period based on selling bids based on past bidding records or a discharge plan for submitting selling bids based on monitoring of other parties' bids, and submit a bid early. Here, "early" may be, for example, before the second market bid information monitoring unit 15 acquires the bid information shown in FIG. 4 or before a predetermined time has elapsed after the discharge plan is formulated in step S16 shown in FIG. 7. The predetermined time period may be preset and stored in the charge / discharge management device 10b.

[0103] (Fourth Embodiment) A power management system according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 8 and 9. The following description will focus on differences from the third embodiment, and descriptions of the same or similar aspects as the third embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

[0104] [4-1. Configuration of Power Management System] First, the configuration of a power management system including a power management device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the power management system according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the battery device is a storage battery mounted on an electric vehicle that runs on electricity, such as an EV. The electric vehicle is not limited to an EV, and may be an electric motorcycle (EV motorcycle), etc. In addition, the electric vehicle is detachably connected to charging and discharging equipment.

[0105] As shown in FIG. 8, the power management system according to the present embodiment includes a charge / discharge management device 10c instead of the charge / discharge management device 10b of the power management system according to the third embodiment.

[0106] The charge and discharge management device 10c includes a vehicle information management unit 18 in addition to the components of the charge and discharge management device 10b according to the third embodiment. Note that the charge and discharge management device 10c does not necessarily have to include at least one of the second market bid information monitoring unit 15, the first market bid implementation unit 16, and the second market bid implementation unit 17.

[0107] The vehicle information management unit 18 manages vehicle management information that indicates the presence status of electric vehicles at charging and discharging locations. The presence information includes information that indicates whether the electric vehicle is present at the charging and discharging location, the amount of time the vehicle is present, and the planned use such as the time of entry and exit. The vehicle information management unit 18 may manage the presence information based on the usage plan of the electric vehicle. The charging and discharging location is a location where charging and discharging equipment that can charge and discharge the battery device mounted on the electric vehicle is installed, for example, but is not limited to, the home of the user of the electric vehicle. The vehicle information management unit 18 is an example of a management unit.

[0108] [4-2. Operation of Charge / Discharge Management Device] Next, the operation of the charge / discharge management device 10c configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation (power management method) of the charge / discharge management device 10c according to this embodiment. FIG. 9 shows an operation in which a battery device is mounted on an EV and a charge / discharge plan is formulated taking into account whether the EV can be controlled. The flowchart shown in FIG. 9 includes steps S41 and S42 in addition to the flowchart shown in FIG. 7.

[0109] 9 , when the first predicted market price value or the first actual market price value is acquired (S12 or S13), the vehicle information management unit 18 acquires vehicle management information for the EV equipped with the battery device (S41). The vehicle management information may include, for example, information indicating the planned use of the EV for the next day. The vehicle management information may be acquired, for example, from an information terminal owned by the EV user, or from a server device that manages vehicle management information.

[0110] Next, the vehicle information management unit 18 identifies the time when the electric vehicle is present at the charging / discharging location based on the acquired vehicle management information. The vehicle information management unit 18 identifies the time when the EV enters and leaves the charging / discharging location based on the vehicle management information, thereby identifying the time when the electric vehicle is present (e.g., the time period when the electric vehicle is present).

[0111] Charging and discharging may be performed at different locations. In this case, the vehicle information management unit 18 may separately identify the time when the vehicle is present at the charging location and the time when the vehicle is present at the discharging location based on the acquired vehicle management information. Furthermore, there may be multiple charging and discharging locations, and the vehicle information management unit 18 may identify the time when the vehicle is present at each of the multiple charging and discharging locations. In this case, the vehicle management information may include information such as the travel route, the destination, and the availability of charging and discharging facilities at the destination.

[0112] Next, in step S14, the charging planning unit 13 formulates a charging plan such that the battery device is charged preferentially during a time period when the EV is present at the charging / discharging location (or charging location) and the first market price (here, the electricity purchase market price) is lowest. For example, the charging planning unit 13 formulates a charging plan such that the battery device is charged during a time period when the price is lowest among the time periods when the EV can be charged. The lowest price may be, for example, the lowest price among the time periods when the EV can be charged, or may be equal to or lower than a predetermined price.

[0113] In step S16, the discharge planning unit 14 formulates a discharge plan so that the battery device is discharged at the first market price during charging in the charge plan and during a time period after the charging start time in the charge plan and when the EV is present at the discharge location. For example, the discharge planning unit 14 formulates a discharge plan so that the battery device is discharged during a time period when the price is highest during a time period when the EV can discharge. The highest price may be, for example, the highest price during a time period when the EV can discharge, or may be equal to or higher than a predetermined price.

[0114] In addition, in this embodiment, since the charge / discharge management device 10c is equipped with a second market bidding information monitoring unit 15, the discharge planning unit 14 may formulate a discharge plan to discharge the battery equipment during the time period when the EV is present at the discharge location and the price is lowest among the time periods determined by the second market bidding information monitoring unit 15 to satisfy the specified conditions.

[0115] (Effects, etc.) The invention derived from the disclosure of this specification and the effects, etc. obtained by the invention will be described below.

[0116] (Technology 1) A power management device including a first market price acquisition unit that acquires first market prices including the electricity selling market prices of a first market where electricity volume trading takes place, a second market price acquisition unit that acquires second market prices including the electricity selling market prices of a second market where electricity volume trading takes place, and a discharge planning unit that formulates a discharge plan for electricity charged in a battery device based on at least one of the electricity selling market prices of the first market and the electricity selling market prices of the second market.

[0117] This makes it possible to formulate a discharge plan for discharging (selling) power from battery devices based on the power selling market prices in the two power trading markets, the first market and the second market. For example, it is possible to sell power to a market that is expected to be more profitable based on the power selling market prices in the two power trading markets. Therefore, the power management device makes it possible to improve the profits of electricity retailers when there are multiple power trading markets, such as the first market and the second market.

[0118] (Technology 2) A power management device according to Technology 1, wherein the first market price further includes a power purchase market price in the first market, the second market price further includes a power purchase market price in the second market, and the power management device further includes a charging planning unit that formulates a charging plan to charge the battery equipment based on at least one of the power purchase market price in the first market and the power purchase market price in the second market.

[0119] This makes it possible to formulate a charging plan for charging (purchasing) battery devices based on the power purchase market prices in the two power trading markets, the first market and the second market. For example, it is possible to purchase power from a market that is expected to be more profitable based on the power purchase market prices in the two power trading markets. Therefore, with the power management device, when there are multiple power trading markets, the first market and the second market, it is possible to improve the profits of electricity retailers by taking advantage of the price difference between the power purchase market price and the power sale market price.

[0120] (Technology 3) The power management device of Technology 2 further includes a first bidding unit that places a bid for charging power to the battery device based on the charging plan in one of the first market and the second market, and a second bidding unit that places a bid for discharging power from the battery device based on the discharging plan in one of the first market and the second market.

[0121] This allows buying and selling bids to be made automatically, improving the convenience of the power management device.

[0122] (Technology 4) The discharge planning unit is a power management device of Technology 2 or 3 that formulates the discharge plan so that, when the selling bid price of another party in the first market or the second market exceeds a threshold price, a selling bid is made at a price lower than the selling bid price of the other party.

[0123] This allows a selling bid to be made when the selling bid price of another party exceeds the threshold price, that is, when a selling bid can be made at a high price, thereby improving the probability of securing a certain level of discharge profit through discharging.

[0124] (Technology 5) The power management device according to Technology 4, wherein the threshold price is defined based on the following formula 1: Threshold price = Charging price + Profit margin (Formula 1)

[0125] This makes it possible to secure a discharge profit that exceeds the profit margin through discharge.

[0126] (Technology 6) The power management device of Technology 4, in which the threshold price is defined based on the following formula 2: Threshold price = (charging price + profit margin) * (1 - charging / discharging loss rate) (Formula 2)

[0127] This allows for consideration of charge and discharge losses, making it possible to secure discharge profits that exceed the profit margin through discharge.

[0128] (Technology 7) The power management device is Technology 3 or any of Technologies 4 to 6 subordinate to Technology 3, further comprising a bid information monitoring unit that allows discharge when the selling bid price of another party in the first market or the second market satisfies predetermined conditions.

[0129] This allows for the discharge of electricity based on the bidding information of other parties in the secondary market, thereby improving the probability of bidding in a sell bid. This allows for more reliable profits and improves the profits of electricity retailers.

[0130] (Technology 8) The power management device of Technology 7 is provided with the battery device mounted on an electric vehicle, and further including a management unit that manages vehicle management information indicating the presence status of the electric vehicle at a charging / discharging location, the charging planning unit formulates the charging plan to charge the battery device during a time period when the electric vehicle is present at the charging / discharging location and the market price for electricity in the first market is lowest, and the discharging planning unit formulates the discharging plan to discharge the battery device during a time period when the bid information monitoring unit determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied and when the electric vehicle is present at the charging / discharging location.

[0131] This means that even if the battery device is installed in an electric vehicle, the electric vehicle can be charged and discharged during times when it is available for charging and discharging, thereby improving the profits of the retail electricity supplier.

[0132] (Technology 9) The power management device is any of technologies 2 to 8, in which the charging planning unit and the discharging planning unit formulate the charging plan and the discharging plan so as to increase the difference between the charging cost based on the electricity purchase market price in the first market and the amount of charging from the first market to the battery device, and the discharge revenue based on the electricity sales market price in the second market and the amount of discharging from the battery device to the second market.

[0133] This will increase the difference between charging costs and discharging revenues, which means that the revenues of retail electricity suppliers can be further improved.

[0134] (Technology 10) The charging planning unit and the discharging planning unit are a power management device according to any one of technologies 2 to 8, and formulate the charging plan and the discharging plan so as to increase the difference between a charging cost based on the electricity purchase market price in the first market and a first imbalance cost associated with charging the battery device from the first market, and a discharging profit based on the electricity sales market price in the second market and a second imbalance cost associated with discharging from the battery device to the second market.

[0135] This allows the charging plan and the discharging plan to be formulated so as to increase the difference between the charging cost and the discharging profit, thereby reducing the imbalance cost. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the profits of the electricity retailer from the viewpoint of reducing the imbalance cost paid by the electricity retailer.

[0136] (Technology 11) This is a power management device of Technology 9, wherein the charging cost further includes a first imbalance cost associated with charging the battery device from the first market, and the discharging revenue further includes a second imbalance cost associated with discharging from the battery device to the second market.

[0137] This makes it possible to formulate a charging plan and a discharging plan that take the first imbalance cost and the second imbalance cost into consideration.

[0138] (Technology 12) The power management device of any one of technologies 1 to 11, wherein the first market is a spot market and the second market is a time-ahead market.

[0139] This makes it possible to improve the profits of electricity retailers when there are multiple electricity trading markets, including a spot market and an hourly market.

[0140] (Technology 13) A power management method that acquires a first market price including a power selling market price in a first market where power volume trading is conducted, acquires a second market price including a power selling market price in a second market where power volume trading is conducted, and formulates a discharge plan for power charged in a battery device based on at least one of the power selling market price in the first market and the power selling market price in the second market.

[0141] This provides the same effects as the power management device described above.

[0142] (Technology 14) A program for causing a computer to execute the power management method described in Technology 13.

[0143] This provides the same effects as the power management device described above.

[0144] These general or specific aspects may be realized as a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a non-transitory recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, or as any combination of the system, method, integrated circuit, computer program, or recording medium. The program may be pre-stored in the recording medium, or may be supplied to the recording medium via a wide area communication network including the Internet.

[0145] (Other Embodiments) While the power management device and the like according to one or more aspects have been described above based on Embodiments 1 to 4 (each embodiment), the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. As long as they do not deviate from the spirit of the present invention, various modifications conceivable by those skilled in the art to the present embodiments and configurations constructed by combining components of different embodiments may also be included in the present invention.

[0146] For example, in each of the above embodiments, an example has been described in which the first market is a spot market and the second market is an ahead-of-hours market, but this is not limiting, and the first market may be either a spot market or an ahead-of-hours market, or another first energy trading market, and the second market may be either a spot market or an ahead-of-hours market, or another second energy trading market. Examples of other first energy trading markets and other second energy trading markets include markets established by system revisions, etc., and markets established under systems in countries other than Japan.

[0147] In addition, in the above-described embodiments, examples of charging electricity from the spot market or the time-ahead market and discharging electricity to the spot market or the time-ahead market have been described. However, the power management device may be configured to formulate a discharge plan for discharging electricity generated by a private power generation facility managed by an electricity retailer and charged into a battery device. In this case, the power management device may not include a first market price acquisition unit and a charging plan unit. Examples of private power generation facilities include, but are not limited to, power generation facilities that utilize natural energy, such as solar power generation facilities and wind power generation facilities.

[0148] In each of the above embodiments, each component may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for that component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0149] The order in which the steps in the flowchart are executed is merely an example for specifically explaining the present invention, and other orders may be used. Some of the steps may be executed simultaneously (in parallel) with other steps, or some of the steps may not be executed.

[0150] The division of functional blocks in the block diagram is an example, and multiple functional blocks may be realized as a single functional block, one functional block may be divided into multiple blocks, or some functions may be moved to another functional block.Furthermore, the functions of multiple functional blocks having similar functions may be processed in parallel or time-shared by a single piece of hardware or software.

[0151] Furthermore, the power management apparatus according to the above-described embodiments may be realized as a single apparatus or may be realized by multiple apparatuses. When the power management apparatus is realized by multiple apparatuses, the components of the power management apparatus may be distributed among the multiple apparatuses in any manner. When the power management apparatus is realized by multiple apparatuses, the communication method between the multiple apparatuses is not particularly limited, and may be wireless communication or wired communication. Furthermore, wireless communication and wired communication may be combined between the apparatuses.

[0152] Furthermore, each component described in each of the above embodiments may be implemented as software or, typically, as an LSI, which is an integrated circuit. These components may be individually integrated into a single chip, or some or all of them may be integrated into a single chip. While the term "LSI" is used here, it may also be referred to as an IC, system LSI, super LSI, or ultra LSI depending on the level of integration. Furthermore, the integrated circuit implementation is not limited to LSIs; it may also be implemented using dedicated circuits (general-purpose circuits that execute dedicated programs) or general-purpose processors. It is also possible to use FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), which can be programmed after LSI fabrication, or reconfigurable processors, which allow the connection or settings of circuit cells within an LSI to be reconfigured. Furthermore, if an integrated circuit technology that replaces LSIs emerges due to advances in semiconductor technology or other derivative technologies, it is natural that such technology may be used to integrate the components.

[0153] A system LSI is an ultra-multifunctional LSI manufactured by integrating multiple processing units on a single chip, and is specifically a computer system comprising a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, etc. The ROM stores computer programs. The system LSI achieves its functions when the microprocessor operates in accordance with the computer programs.

[0154] Another aspect of the present invention may be a computer program that causes a computer to execute each of the characteristic steps included in the power management method shown in any of FIGS. 2, 5, 7, and 9.

[0155] Furthermore, for example, the program may be a program to be executed by a computer. Another aspect of the present invention may be a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which such a program is recorded. For example, such a program may be recorded on a recording medium and distributed or circulated. For example, the distributed program may be installed in a device having another processor, and the program may be executed by the processor, thereby causing the device to perform each of the above processes.

[0156] 10, 10a, 10b, 10c Charging and discharging management device (power management device) 11 First market price acquisition unit 12 Second market price acquisition unit 13 Charging planning unit 14 Discharging planning unit 15 Second market bidding information monitoring unit (bidding information monitoring unit) 16 First market bidding implementation unit (first bidding implementation unit, second bidding implementation unit) 17 Second market bidding implementation unit (first bidding implementation unit, second bidding implementation unit) 18 Vehicle information management unit (management unit)

Claims

1. A power management device comprising: a first market price acquisition unit that acquires first market prices including the electricity selling market prices of a first market where electricity volume trading takes place; a second market price acquisition unit that acquires second market prices including the electricity selling market prices of a second market where electricity volume trading takes place; and a discharge planning unit that formulates a discharge plan for electricity charged in a battery device based on at least one of the electricity selling market prices of the first market and the electricity selling market prices of the second market.

2. The power management device of claim 1, wherein the first market price further includes a power purchase market price of the first market, the second market price further includes a power purchase market price of the second market, and the power management device further comprises a charging planning unit that formulates a charging plan to charge the battery device based on at least one of the power purchase market price of the first market and the power purchase market price of the second market.

3. The power management device according to claim 2, further comprising: a first bidding unit that submits bids for charging power to the battery equipment based on the charging plan to one of the first market and the second market; and a second bidding unit that submits bids for discharging power from the battery equipment based on the discharging plan to one of the first market and the second market.

4. The power management device of claim 2 or 3, wherein the discharge planning unit formulates the discharge plan so that, when the selling bid price of another party in the first market or the second market exceeds a threshold price, a selling bid is made at a price lower than the selling bid price of the other party.

5. The power management device according to claim 4, wherein the threshold price is defined based on the following formula 1: threshold price=charging price+profit margin (formula 1).

6. The power management device according to claim 4, wherein the threshold price is defined based on the following formula 2: Threshold price = (charging price + profit margin) * (1 - charging / discharging loss rate) (formula 2).

7. The power management device according to claim 3, further comprising a bid information monitoring unit that permits discharge when the selling bid price of other parties in the first market or the second market satisfies a predetermined condition.

8. The power management device according to claim 7, wherein the battery equipment is mounted on an electric vehicle, and further comprising a management unit that manages vehicle management information indicating the presence status of the electric vehicle at a charging / discharging location, the charging planning unit formulates the charging plan so that the battery equipment is charged during a time period when the electric vehicle is present at the charging / discharging location and the market price for electricity purchases in the first market is at its lowest, and the discharging planning unit formulates the discharging plan so that the battery equipment is discharged during a time period when the bid information monitoring unit determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied and when the electric vehicle is present at the charging / discharging location.

9. The power management device described in claim 2 or 3, wherein the charging planning unit and the discharging planning unit formulate the charging plan and the discharging plan so as to increase the difference between the charging cost based on the electricity purchase market price in the first market and the amount of charging from the first market to the battery equipment, and the discharge revenue based on the electricity sales market price in the second market and the amount of discharging from the battery equipment to the second market.

10. The power management device of claim 2 or 3, wherein the charging planning unit and the discharging planning unit formulate the charging plan and the discharging plan so as to increase the difference between the charging cost based on the electricity purchase market price in the first market and a first imbalance cost associated with charging the battery equipment from the first market, and the discharge profit based on the electricity sales market price in the second market and a second imbalance cost associated with discharging from the battery equipment to the second market.

11. The power management device of claim 9, wherein the charging cost further includes a first imbalance cost associated with charging the battery device from the first market, and the discharging revenue further includes a second imbalance cost associated with discharging from the battery device to the second market.

12. The power management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first market is a spot market, and the second market is a time-ahead market.

13. A power management method comprising: acquiring a first market price including a power selling market price in a first market where power volume trading is conducted; acquiring a second market price including a power selling market price in a second market where power volume trading is conducted; and formulating a discharge plan for power charged in a battery device based on at least one of the power selling market price in the first market and the power selling market price in the second market.

14. A program for causing a computer to execute the power management method according to claim 13.

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