Environmental value management method and environmental value management device

Abstract

This environmental value management method is used in a facility provided with a distributed power supply system equipped with a fuel cell device including at least one fuel cell unit. The environmental value management method comprises a step of calculating an environmental value for offsetting at least part of an environmental load caused by the power consumption of the facility, said environmental load including a first environmental load due to the fact that a first power amount of the power amount generated by the fuel cell device is consumed in the facility.

Description

Environmental value management method and environmental value management device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an environmental value management method and an environmental value management device.

[0002] Various proposals have been made for management systems for power generation facilities. For example, Patent Literature 1 proposes a system that evaluates the value of electricity generated by power generation facilities with a low environmental impact or using natural energy, and aims to promote the introduction of power generation facilities with a low environmental impact or power generation facilities that use natural energy.

[0003] Patent No. 5175798

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide, as an example, an environmental value management method and an environmental value management device that can more appropriately calculate environmental value for offsetting environmental loads caused by electricity consumption at facilities than conventional methods.

[0005] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the present disclosure is an environmental value management method for a facility equipped with a distributed power generation system including a fuel cell device including at least one fuel cell unit, comprising a step of calculating an environmental value for offsetting at least a portion of the environmental load caused by the facility's electricity consumption, including a first environmental load caused by the facility consuming a first amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device.

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is an environmental value management device for a facility equipped with a distributed power generation system having a fuel cell device including at least one fuel cell unit, the device comprising: a communicator that acquires the amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device; and a controller that calculates an environmental value for offsetting at least a portion of the environmental load caused by electricity consumption at the facility, including a first environmental load caused by consumption of a first amount of electricity at the facility from the amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device.

[0007] The environmental value management method and environmental value management device according to one aspect of the present disclosure have the effect of enabling the environmental value for offsetting the environmental load caused by the electricity consumption of a facility to be calculated more appropriately than ever before.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an environmental value management device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation (environmental value management method) of the environmental value management device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an environmental value management device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation (environmental value management method) of the environmental value management device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation (environmental value management method) of the environmental value management device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation (environmental value management method) of the environmental value management device according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation (environmental value management method) of the environmental value management device according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation (environmental value management method) of the environmental value management device according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation (environmental value management method) of the environmental value management device according to the seventh embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation (environmental value management method) of the environmental value management device according to the eighth embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation (environmental value management method) of the environmental value management device according to the ninth embodiment. Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation (environmental value management method) of the environmental value management device of the tenth embodiment. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation (environmental value management method) of the environmental value management device of the eleventh embodiment. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a distributed power supply system. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation (environmental value management method) of the environmental value management device of the thirteenth embodiment. Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation (environmental value management method) of the environmental value management device of the fourteenth embodiment. Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of an overall system.

[0009] Patent Document 1 discloses that a power generation facility includes an energy acquisition unit that acquires natural energy, a power generation unit that generates electricity from the acquired natural energy, an information control unit that generates generated electricity information about the electricity generated by the power generation unit, and a communication unit that transmits the generated electricity information to a management server, and that the management server determines compensation for the electricity information transmitted from the power generation facility using preset compensation information. However, the calculation of environmental value for offsetting the environmental load caused by the electricity consumption of the power generation facility is not considered.

[0010] Therefore, a first aspect of the present disclosure is an environmental value management method for a facility equipped with a distributed power generation system including a fuel cell device including at least one fuel cell unit, comprising a step of calculating an environmental value for offsetting at least a portion of the environmental load caused by the facility's electricity consumption, including a first environmental load caused by the facility consuming a first amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device.

[0011] As described above, the environmental value management method of this aspect can calculate the environmental value for offsetting the environmental load caused by the electricity consumption of a facility more appropriately than ever before.

[0012] Specifically, the hydrogen supplied to fuel cell devices from hydrogen sources generally comes in three types: "grey hydrogen," in which carbon dioxide (CO2) is emitted into the atmosphere when hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels such as natural gas; "blue hydrogen," in which the increase in CO2 in the atmosphere is suppressed by processing the CO2 generated during the production of "grey hydrogen" using an appropriate method (for example, underground storage CCS); and "green hydrogen," which is produced by water electrolysis using renewable energy such as solar power and wind power.

[0013] Here, while no CO2 is emitted during power generation in a fuel cell device, hydrogen species other than green hydrogen used in power generation in a fuel cell device involve CO2 emissions during the hydrogen production process, so the consumption of electricity by a fuel cell device that generates electricity using at least one hydrogen species other than green hydrogen can also be considered an environmental burden.

[0014] Therefore, the environmental value management method of this aspect can accurately estimate the environmental load caused by the facility's consumption of the first amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device by determining to what extent the first amount of electricity is obtained from each of "gray hydrogen," "blue hydrogen," and "green hydrogen." As a result, it can accurately calculate a first environmental value for offsetting the first environmental load caused by the facility's consumption of the first amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device.

[0015] A second aspect of the environmental value management method of the present disclosure may be such that, in the environmental value management method of the first aspect, the environmental load caused by the facility's electricity consumption includes a second environmental load caused by the facility consuming a second amount of electricity out of the amount of electricity received from the grid power source.

[0016] When procuring electricity from a grid power source, among the electricity menus provided by electricity retailers based on contracts with consumers, there are two types: a "renewable energy electricity menu" in which the proportion of electricity generated from renewable energy is 100%, and a "not-renewable energy electricity menu" in which the proportion of electricity generated from renewable energy is not 100%. A "not-renewable energy electricity menu" is an electricity menu in which the proportion of electricity generated from renewable energy is less than 100%, and for example, electricity that contains at least a portion of electricity generated from fossil fuels such as thermal power generation falls into this category.

[0017] Therefore, the environmental value management method of this aspect can accurately estimate the environmental load caused by the facility consuming the second amount of power, out of the amount of power received from the grid power supply, by determining whether the second amount of power is obtained from the "renewable energy power menu" or the "not renewable energy power menu." As a result, it can accurately calculate the environmental value for offsetting the second environmental load caused by the facility consuming the second amount of power, out of the amount of power received from the grid power supply.

[0018] The environmental value management method of a third aspect of the present disclosure may comprise the step of outputting information indicating that an environmental value has been acquired to an external device in the environmental value management method of the first or second aspect.

[0019] Information indicating that the above environmental value has been acquired can be used to report to relevant government agencies under the law that establishes a framework for addressing global warming (Global Warming Countermeasures Act) and to report to relevant government agencies under the Act on Special Measures Concerning Procurement of Renewable Energy Electricity by Electric Utilities (Renewable Energy Special Measures Act).

[0020] In addition, this information can be used to make reports (declarations) based on the international initiative (RE100 initiative) which aims to cover 100% of the electricity used by companies with renewable energy.

[0021] Furthermore, the information can be used to report (respond) to the CDP environmental questionnaire sent by the UK-based NGO (CDP) to companies on behalf of investors interested in ESG investments.

[0022] Therefore, the environmental value management method of this embodiment includes a step of outputting information indicating that the environmental value has been acquired to an external device, thereby making it possible to prepare various reports related to ESG in a timely manner compared to when such information is not output to an external device.

[0023] The environmental value management method according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure may be the environmental value management method according to the third aspect, further comprising the step of outputting information indicating the environmental load to an external device.

[0024] The information indicating the environmental impact can be used to report to relevant government agencies under the Global Warming Countermeasures Act and the Renewable Energy Special Measures Act. The information can also be used to report based on the RE100 Initiative. Furthermore, the information can also be used to report to the CDP questionnaire.

[0025] Therefore, by including a step of outputting information indicating the environmental load to an external device, the environmental value management method of this embodiment can prepare various reports related to ESG in a timely manner compared to when such information is not output to an external device.

[0026] An environmental value management method of a fifth aspect of the present disclosure is the environmental value management method of the second aspect, comprising the steps of calculating a first amount of electricity and calculating a second amount of electricity, and the step of calculating the environmental value may comprise the steps of calculating a first environmental value for offsetting at least a portion of the first environmental load and calculating a second environmental value for offsetting at least a portion of the second environmental load.

[0027] The first environmental load caused by the facility consuming a first amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device can be estimated by determining the extent to which the first amount of electricity was obtained from each of "gray hydrogen," "blue hydrogen," and "green hydrogen." The second environmental load caused by the facility consuming a second amount of electricity received from a grid power source can be estimated by determining whether the second amount of electricity was obtained from the "renewable energy electricity menu" or the "not renewable energy electricity menu."

[0028] Therefore, the environmental value management method of this embodiment includes a step of calculating a first amount of electricity and a step of calculating a second amount of electricity, thereby making it possible to accurately calculate a first environmental value for offsetting the first environmental load and a second environmental value for offsetting the second environmental load.

[0029] An environmental value management method according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure may include, in the environmental value management method according to the fifth aspect, a step of calculating a third environmental value that is a sum of the first environmental value and the second environmental value.

[0030] As described above, the environmental value management method of this embodiment includes a step of calculating a third environmental value, thereby making it possible to accurately calculate the third environmental value for offsetting the environmental load caused by the consumption in the facility of both the amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device and the amount of electricity received from the grid power source.

[0031] The environmental value management method of a seventh aspect of the present disclosure may include, in the environmental value management method of the fifth aspect, a step of outputting information indicating that the first environmental value and the second environmental value have been acquired to an external device.

[0032] The effects of the environmental value management method of this embodiment can be easily understood from the above content, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0033] An environmental value management method according to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure may be the environmental value management method according to the sixth aspect, further comprising the step of outputting information indicating that the third environmental value has been acquired to an external device.

[0034] The effects of the environmental value management method of this embodiment can be easily understood from the above content, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0035] The environmental value management method of a ninth aspect of the present disclosure may be the environmental value management method of the fifth aspect, further comprising the steps of calculating a first environmental load based on a first amount of electricity and calculating the second environmental load based on a second amount of electricity.

[0036] As described above, the environmental value management method of this embodiment makes it possible to estimate the first environmental load caused by the consumption at a facility of a first amount of electricity generated by a fuel cell device by determining to what extent the first amount of electricity was obtained by utilizing each of "gray hydrogen," "blue hydrogen," and "green hydrogen."

[0037] In addition, the environmental value management method of this aspect makes it possible to estimate the second environmental load caused by the facility consuming a second amount of electricity out of the amount of electricity received from the grid power source by determining whether the second amount of electricity was obtained from the ``renewable energy electricity menu'' or the ``not renewable energy electricity menu.''

[0038] An environmental value management method according to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure may include, in the environmental value management method according to the sixth aspect, a step of calculating a third environmental load that is the sum of the first environmental load and the second environmental load.

[0039] As described above, the environmental value management method of this embodiment includes a step of calculating the third environmental load, thereby making it possible to accurately calculate the environmental load caused by the consumption in the facility of both the amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device and the amount of electricity received from the grid power source.

[0040] An environmental value management method of an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure may include, in the environmental value management method of the seventh aspect, a step of outputting information indicating the first environmental load and information indicating the second environmental load to an external device.

[0041] The effects of the environmental value management method of this embodiment can be easily understood from the above content, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0042] An environmental value management method according to a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure may be the environmental value management method according to the eighth aspect, further comprising the step of outputting information indicating the third environmental load to an external device.

[0043] The effects of the environmental value management method of this embodiment can be easily understood from the above content, so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0044] The environmental value management method of the thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure may be any one of the environmental value management methods of the seventh, eighth, eleventh, and twelfth aspects, in which information indicating the first amount of electricity and information indicating the second amount of electricity are also output to an external device.

[0045] The information indicating the first amount of electricity and the information indicating the second amount of electricity can be used as information for reporting to relevant government agencies under the Global Warming Countermeasures Act and to relevant government agencies under the Renewable Energy Special Measures Act. The information can also be used as information for reporting under the RE100 Initiative. Furthermore, the information can also be used as information for reporting to the CDP questionnaire.

[0046] Therefore, the environmental value management method of this embodiment outputs information indicating the first amount of electricity and information indicating the second amount of electricity to an external device, making it possible to prepare various reports related to ESG in a timely manner compared to when such information is not output to an external device.

[0047] An environmental value management method of a fourteenth aspect of the present disclosure may be the environmental value management method of the second or thirteenth aspect, wherein the distributed power generation system includes a solar power generation device including at least one solar power generation unit, and may include a step of calculating a third amount of electricity consumed by the facility from the amount of electricity generated by the solar power generation device.

[0048] A solar power generation system is a renewable energy power source that utilizes renewable energy and is a zero-emission power source. Therefore, the environmental value management method of this aspect includes a step of calculating a third amount of electricity consumed by the facility out of the amount of electricity generated by the solar power generation system, thereby making it possible to appropriately grasp the facility's contribution to CO2 reduction.

[0049] An environmental value management method according to a fifteenth aspect of the present disclosure may be the environmental value management method according to the fourteenth aspect, further comprising the step of outputting information indicating the third amount of power to an external device.

[0050] As described above, the third amount of electricity consumed by the facility out of the amount of electricity generated by the solar power generation device is data necessary for understanding the facility's contribution to CO2 reduction. Therefore, information indicating the third amount of electricity can be used as information for reporting to relevant government agencies under the Global Warming Countermeasures Act and to relevant government agencies under the Renewable Energy Special Measures Act. Furthermore, the information can be used as information for reporting based on the RE100 Initiative. Furthermore, the information can be used as information for reporting to the CDP questionnaire. Therefore, by outputting information indicating the third amount of electricity to an external device, the environmental value management method of this aspect can prepare various ESG-related reports in a more timely manner than when such information is not output to an external device.

[0051] An environmental value management method of a sixteenth aspect of the present disclosure is an environmental value management method of any one of the first aspect and the fifth to eighth aspects, wherein the environmental value may include a value indicating the degree of contribution to the use of renewable energy.

[0052] An environmental value management method according to a seventeenth aspect of the present disclosure is the environmental value management method according to the sixteenth aspect, wherein the value indicating the degree of contribution to renewable energy use may include a renewable energy certificate.

[0053] According to the above, the environmental value management method of this aspect makes it possible to easily grasp the added value of the amount of electricity derived from renewable energy as a renewable energy certificate.

[0054] An environmental value management method of an eighteenth aspect of the present disclosure is an environmental value management method of any one of the first aspect and the fifth to eighth aspects, wherein the environmental value may include a value indicating the degree of contribution to CO2 reduction.

[0055] An environmental value management method according to a nineteenth aspect of the present disclosure is the environmental value management method according to the eighteenth aspect, wherein the value indicating the degree of contribution to CO2 reduction may include carbon credits.

[0056] As described above, the environmental value management method of this aspect makes it possible to easily grasp carbon credits for offsetting CO2 emissions.

[0057] An environmental value management method according to a twentieth aspect of the present disclosure is the environmental value management method according to any one of the first aspect and the ninth to twelfth aspects, wherein the environmental load may include CO2 emissions.

[0058] A 21st aspect of the present disclosure is an environmental value management device for a facility equipped with a distributed power generation system having a fuel cell device including at least one fuel cell unit, comprising: a communicator that acquires the amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device; and a controller that calculates an environmental value for offsetting at least a portion of the environmental load caused by the facility's electricity consumption, including a first environmental load caused by the facility consuming a first amount of electricity from the amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device.

[0059] With this configuration, the environmental value management device of this aspect can calculate the environmental value for offsetting the environmental load caused by the electricity consumption of the facility more appropriately than ever before.

[0060] The detailed effects of the environmental value management device of this embodiment are the same as those of the environmental value management method of the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described here.

[0061] Specific examples of the above-described aspects of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Each of the specific examples described below is an example of the above-described aspects of the present disclosure. Therefore, unless otherwise stated in the claims, the shapes, numerical values, components, arrangement positions and connection forms of the components shown below do not limit the scope of the claims.

[0062] Furthermore, among the components described below, components that are not described in the independent claims that represent the highest concept of the present disclosure are described as optional components. Furthermore, in the drawings, components with the same reference numerals may not be described in detail. The drawings are schematic illustrations of each component for ease of understanding, and the shapes, dimensional ratios, and the like may not be accurately depicted.

[0063] Furthermore, in the operation of the apparatus, the order of steps may be changed or known steps may be added as necessary.

[0064] First Embodiment [Device Configuration] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an environmental value management device according to a first embodiment.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 1 , the overall system 100 includes a facility 10 , an environmental value management device 20 , and a distributed power generation system 30 .

[0066] Here, a facility 10 is provided with a distributed power system 30 including a fuel cell device 31 that includes at least one fuel cell unit. Examples of the facility 10 include, but are not limited to, a factory, a store, etc. The facility 10 is provided with power loads that are configured to consume power supplied from the distributed power system 30. If the facility 10 is a factory, examples of the power loads include production equipment and air conditioning equipment. If the facility 10 is a store, examples of the power loads include refrigeration equipment, freezing equipment, air conditioning equipment, etc. Therefore, the facility 10 or the manager of the facility 10 can also be considered as power consumers.

[0067] The distributed power system 30 may be, for example, a system that supplies large amounts of power to a power grid. In this case, the fuel cell device 31 includes a group of fuel cell units each consisting of a plurality of fuel cell units including a fuel cell stack. The detailed configuration of such a distributed power system 30 will be described in the following examples.

[0068] The fuel cell device 31 is a device that generates electricity using hydrogen supplied from a hydrogen supply source (not shown) under the control of an appropriate control device. The electricity generated by the fuel cell device 31 may be supplied via a power grid to, for example, an electric load in a facility 10 that receives the service of the electricity generated by the fuel cell device 31. A well-known device may be used as the fuel cell device 31. An example of the hydrogen supply source is, but is not limited to, a hydrogen storage tank. The hydrogen storage tank may be composed of a single or multiple hydrogen tanks.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 1, the environmental value management device 20 includes a communication device 21 and a controller 22 .

[0070] The communicator 21 is a device that acquires the amount of power generated by the fuel cell device 31. For example, the communicator 21 may acquire the power FC measured by a power meter in the fuel cell device 31 at an appropriate timing via a communication network.

[0071] The controller 22 calculates an environmental value for offsetting at least a portion of the environmental load caused by the power consumption of the facility 10, including a first environmental load caused by the facility 10 consuming a first amount of power out of the amount of power generated by the fuel cell device 31. The controller 22 may also calculate an environmental value for offsetting at least a portion of the environmental load caused by the power consumption of the facility 10, including a second environmental load caused by the facility 10 consuming a second amount of power out of the amount of power received from the grid power supply. Examples of the "environmental load" include the amount of power consumed using fossil fuels and the CO2 emissions resulting from that amount of power consumption. Details of the "environmental load" will be described in the examples. Examples of the "environmental value" include renewable energy certificates and carbon credits (hereinafter referred to as "credits"). Details of the "environmental value" will be described in the examples.

[0072] The controller 22 may be any device having a control function, and includes an arithmetic processing unit (not shown) and a storage unit (not shown) that stores a control program. The arithmetic processing unit reads and executes the control program stored in the storage unit, thereby performing predetermined control in the controller 22. An example of the arithmetic processing unit is a microprocessor. An example of the storage unit is a memory.

[0073] [Operation] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the environmental value management device (environmental value management method) of the first embodiment.

[0074] The following operations may be performed, for example, by the arithmetic processing unit of the controller 22 reading out a control program from the storage unit of the controller 22. However, it is not essential that the following operations be performed by the controller 22. An operator may perform some of the operations. In the following example, a case where the operations are controlled by the controller 22 will be described.

[0075] In step S10, the communicator 21 obtains the amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device 31 via the communication network, and calculates an environmental value to offset at least a portion of the environmental load caused by the electricity consumption of the facility 10, including a first environmental load caused by the consumption in the facility 10 of a first amount of electricity out of the amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device 31.

[0076] Although not shown here, the operation of the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment may include a step of calculating an environmental value for offsetting at least a portion of the environmental load caused by the electricity consumption of the facility 10, including a second environmental load caused by the facility 10 consuming a second amount of electricity out of the amount of electricity received from the grid power source.

[0077] The method for calculating the "environmental value" explained above will be explained in detail in the examples.

[0078] As described above, the environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment can calculate the environmental value for offsetting the environmental load caused by the power consumption of the facility 10 more appropriately than ever before.

[0079] Specifically, the hydrogen supplied to the fuel cell device 31 from the hydrogen supply source generally comes in three types: "grey hydrogen," in which carbon dioxide (CO2) is emitted into the atmosphere when hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels such as natural gas; "blue hydrogen," in which the increase in CO2 in the atmosphere is suppressed by processing the CO2 generated during the production of "grey hydrogen" using an appropriate method (for example, underground storage CCS); and "green hydrogen," which is produced by water electrolysis using renewable energy such as solar power and wind power.

[0080] Therefore, the environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment can accurately estimate the environmental load caused by the consumption of the first amount of power in the facility 10 by determining to what extent "gray hydrogen," "blue hydrogen," and "green hydrogen" are used to obtain the first amount of power out of the amount of power generated by the fuel cell device 31. As a result, it is possible to accurately calculate the first environmental value for offsetting the first environmental load caused by the consumption of the first amount of power in the facility 10 out of the amount of power generated by the fuel cell device 31.

[0081] Furthermore, when procuring electricity from a grid power source, among the electricity menus provided by electricity retailers based on contracts with consumers, there are "renewable energy electricity menus" in which the proportion of electricity using renewable energy is 100%, and "not renewable energy electricity menus" in which the proportion of electricity using renewable energy is not 100%, and for example, electricity that contains at least a portion of electricity using fossil fuels such as thermal power generation falls into this category.

[0082] Therefore, the environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment can accurately estimate the environmental load caused by the second amount of power being consumed in the facility 10 by determining whether the second amount of power received from the grid power supply is obtained from the "renewable energy power menu" or the "not renewable energy power menu." As a result, it is possible to accurately calculate an environmental value for offsetting the second environmental load caused by the second amount of power being consumed in the facility 10 from the amount of power received from the grid power supply.

[0083] Second Embodiment FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an environmental value management device according to a second embodiment.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 3 , the overall system 100 may include an external device 40 in addition to the environmental value management device 20 and the distributed power supply system 30 .

[0085] Here, the environmental value management device 20 and the distributed power supply system 30 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0086] Information indicating that an environmental value for offsetting at least a portion of the environmental load caused by the electricity consumption of the facility 10 has been acquired from the environmental value management device 20 is output to the external device 40 via a communication network from the environmental value management device 20.

[0087] The external device 40 is a device for outputting a report or the like including the above information. Here, the external device 40 may be a device within the facility 10. In this case, the external device 40 may be a monitor or a printer provided at an appropriate location within the facility 10. The external device 40 may also be, but is not limited to, an information terminal carried by the manager of the facility 10. For example, the external device 40 may be an external system that electronically transmits a report including the above information. For example, when a report including the above information is electronically submitted to a public institution or the like, the external system may be a server managed by the institution.

[0088] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the environmental value management device (environmental value management method) of the second embodiment.

[0089] The following operations may be performed, for example, by the arithmetic processing unit of the controller 22 reading out a control program from the storage unit of the controller 22. However, it is not essential that the following operations be performed by the controller 22. An operator may perform some of the operations. In the following example, a case where the operations are controlled by the controller 22 will be described.

[0090] Here, step S10 in FIG. 4 is the same as step S10 in FIG. 2, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0091] In step S20, information indicating that an environmental value for offsetting at least a portion of the environmental load caused by the electricity consumption of the facility 10 has been acquired is output from the environmental value management device 20 to the external device 40 via the communication network.

[0092] Information indicating that the above environmental value has been acquired can be used to report to relevant government agencies under the law that establishes a framework for addressing global warming (Global Warming Countermeasures Act) and to report to relevant government agencies under the Act on Special Measures Concerning Procurement of Renewable Energy Electricity by Electric Utilities (Renewable Energy Special Measures Act).

[0093] In addition, this information can be used to make reports (declarations) based on the international initiative (RE100 initiative) which aims to cover 100% of the electricity used by companies with renewable energy.

[0094] Furthermore, the information can be used to report (respond) to the CDP environmental questionnaire sent by the UK-based NGO (CDP) to companies on behalf of investors interested in ESG investments.

[0095] Therefore, the environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment includes step S20 of outputting information indicating that the above-mentioned environmental value has been acquired to the external device 40, thereby making it possible to prepare various reports related to ESG in a timely manner compared to when such information is not output to the external device 40.

[0096] The environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment may be the same as those of the first embodiment except for the above-mentioned features.

[0097] Third Embodiment The environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment are the same as those of the second embodiment, except for the control content of the controller 22, which will be explained below.

[0098] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the environmental value management device (environmental value management method) of the third embodiment.

[0099] The following operations may be performed, for example, by the arithmetic processing unit of the controller 22 reading out a control program from the storage unit of the controller 22. However, it is not essential that the following operations be performed by the controller 22. An operator may perform some of the operations. In the following example, a case where the operations are controlled by the controller 22 will be described.

[0100] Here, steps S10 and S20 in FIG. 5 are similar to steps S10 and S20 in FIG. 4, respectively, and therefore will not be described.

[0101] First, in step S1, the communicator 21 acquires the amount of power generated by the fuel cell device 31 via the communication network, and calculates a first amount of power from the acquired amount of power. Details of the calculation method for the "first amount of power" will be described in the examples.

[0102] Next, in step S11, a first environmental load caused by the consumption in facility 10 of a first amount of electricity out of the amount of electricity generated by fuel cell device 31 is calculated. In other words, in the environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment, the first environmental load caused by the consumption in facility 10 of a first amount of electricity out of the amount of electricity generated by fuel cell device 31 can be estimated by determining to what extent "gray hydrogen," "blue hydrogen," and "green hydrogen" were used to obtain the first amount of electricity. Details of the method for calculating the "first environmental load" will be described in the examples.

[0103] Next, after the operation of step S20 has been performed, in step S21, information indicating the environmental load due to the power consumption of the facility 10, including the first environmental load caused by the facility 10 consuming a first amount of power out of the amount of power generated by the fuel cell device 31, is output from the environmental value management device 20 to the external device 40 via the communication network. Details of the "external device 40" are the same as those described above, and therefore will not be described again.

[0104] The information indicating the environmental impact can be used to report to relevant government agencies under the Global Warming Countermeasures Act and the Renewable Energy Special Measures Act. The information can also be used to report based on the RE100 Initiative. Furthermore, the information can also be used to report to the CDP questionnaire.

[0105] Therefore, the environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment include step S21 of outputting information indicating the environmental load to the external device 40, making it possible to prepare various reports related to ESG in a timely manner compared to when such information is not output to the external device 40.

[0106] The order of the operation of step S20 and the operation of step S21 is arbitrary. These operations may be performed in the reverse order to that described above, or may be performed simultaneously.

[0107] The environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment may be the same as those of the first or second embodiment except for the above-mentioned features.

[0108] Fourth Embodiment The environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, except for the control content of the controller 22, which will be explained below.

[0109] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the environmental value management device (environmental value management method) of the fourth embodiment.

[0110] The following operations may be performed, for example, by the arithmetic processing unit of the controller 22 reading out a control program from the storage unit of the controller 22. However, it is not essential that the following operations be performed by the controller 22. An operator may perform some of the operations. In the following example, a case where the operations are controlled by the controller 22 will be described.

[0111] Here, step S1 in FIG. 6 is the same as step S1 in FIG. 5, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0112] In step S10A, a first environmental value is calculated to offset at least a part of the first environmental load caused by the first amount of electricity consumed in step S1 at the facility 10. Details of the method for calculating the "first environmental value" will be described in the examples.

[0113] Next, in step S2, the communicator 21 acquires the amount of power received from the grid power supply via the communication network, and calculates a second amount of power from the acquired amount of power. Details of the calculation method for the "second amount of power" will be described in the examples.

[0114] Next, in step S10B, a second environmental value is calculated to offset at least a part of the second environmental load caused by the second amount of electricity consumed in step S2 at the facility 10. Details of the method for calculating the "second environmental value" will be described in the examples.

[0115] Note that step S10 in FIG. 2 may include either or both of the above-mentioned "step S10A of calculating a first environmental value" and "step S10B of calculating a second environmental value."

[0116] The first environmental load caused by the consumption in facility 10 of a first amount of power out of the amount of power generated by fuel cell device 31 can be estimated by determining the amount of power obtained by using each of "gray hydrogen," "blue hydrogen," and "green hydrogen" for the first amount of power. In addition, the second environmental load caused by the consumption in facility 10 of a second amount of power out of the amount of power received from the grid power supply can be estimated by determining from which power menu, the "renewable energy power menu" or the "not renewable energy power menu," the second amount of power was obtained.

[0117] Therefore, the environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment include a step of calculating a first amount of electricity and a step of calculating a second amount of electricity, thereby making it possible to accurately calculate a first environmental value for offsetting the first environmental load and a second environmental value for offsetting the second environmental load.

[0118] The environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment may be the same as any of the first to third embodiments except for the above-mentioned features.

[0119] Fifth Embodiment The environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment are the same as those of the fourth embodiment, except for the control content of the controller 22, which will be explained below.

[0120] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the environmental value management device (environmental value management method) of the fifth embodiment.

[0121] The following operations may be performed, for example, by the arithmetic processing unit of the controller 22 reading out a control program from the storage unit of the controller 22. However, it is not essential that the following operations be performed by the controller 22. An operator may perform some of the operations. In the following example, a case where the operations are controlled by the controller 22 will be described.

[0122] Here, steps S1, S10A, S2 and S10B in FIG. 7 are similar to steps S1, S10A, S2 and S10B in FIG. 6, respectively, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0123] In step S10C, a third environmental value is calculated by combining the first environmental value in step S10A and the second environmental value in step S10B. Details of the method for calculating the "third environmental value" will be explained in the examples.

[0124] As described above, the environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment include step S10C for calculating the third environmental value, and thus can accurately calculate the third environmental value for offsetting the environmental load caused by the consumption in the facility 10 of both the amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device 31 and the amount of electricity received from the grid power source.

[0125] The environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment may be the same as any of the first to fourth embodiments except for the above-mentioned features.

[0126] Sixth Embodiment The environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment are the same as those of the fourth embodiment, except for the control content of the controller 22, which will be explained below.

[0127] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the environmental value management device (environmental value management method) of the sixth embodiment.

[0128] The following operations may be performed, for example, by the arithmetic processing unit of the controller 22 reading out a control program from the storage unit of the controller 22. However, it is not essential that the following operations be performed by the controller 22. An operator may perform some of the operations. In the following example, a case where the operations are controlled by the controller 22 will be described.

[0129] Here, steps S1, S10A, S2 and S10B in FIG. 8 are similar to steps S1, S10A, S2 and S10B in FIG. 6, respectively, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0130] In step S20A, information indicating that the first environmental value in step S10A and the second environmental value in step S10B have been acquired is output from the environmental value management device 20 to the external device 40 via the communication network. Details of the "external device 40" are the same as those described above, and therefore will not be described here.

[0131] In step S20 of FIG. 4, information indicating that either or both of the above-mentioned "first environmental value" and "second environmental value" have been acquired may be output from the environmental value management device 20 to the external device 40.

[0132] The effects of the environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment can be easily understood from the above, and therefore a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0133] The environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment may be the same as any of the first to fifth embodiments except for the above-mentioned features.

[0134] Seventh Embodiment The environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment are the same as those of the fifth embodiment, except for the control content of the controller 22, which will be explained below.

[0135] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the environmental value management device (environmental value management method) of the seventh embodiment.

[0136] The following operations may be performed, for example, by the arithmetic processing unit of the controller 22 reading out a control program from the storage unit of the controller 22. However, it is not essential that the following operations be performed by the controller 22. An operator may perform some of the operations. In the following example, a case where the operations are controlled by the controller 22 will be described.

[0137] Here, steps S1, S10A, S2, S10B and S10C in FIG. 9 are similar to steps S1, S10A, S2, S10B and S10C in FIG. 7, respectively, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0138] In step S20B, information indicating that the third environmental value has been acquired in step S10C is output from the environmental value management device 20 to the external device 40 via the communication network. Details of the "external device 40" are the same as those described above, and therefore will not be described here.

[0139] The effects of the environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment can be easily understood from the above, and therefore a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0140] The environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment may be the same as any of the first to sixth embodiments except for the above-mentioned features.

[0141] Eighth Embodiment The environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment are the same as those of the fourth embodiment, except for the control content of the controller 22, which will be explained below.

[0142] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the environmental value management device (environmental value management method) of the eighth embodiment.

[0143] The following operations may be performed, for example, by the arithmetic processing unit of the controller 22 reading out a control program from the storage unit of the controller 22. However, it is not essential that the following operations be performed by the controller 22. An operator may perform some of the operations. In the following example, a case where the operations are controlled by the controller 22 will be described.

[0144] Here, steps S1, S10A, S2, and S10B in Fig. 10 are similar to steps S1, S10A, S2, and S10B in Fig. 6, respectively, and therefore will not be described. Step S11 in Fig. 10 is similar to step S11 in Fig. 5, and therefore will not be described.

[0145] In step S12, a second environmental load caused by the second amount of power consumed in step S2 at the facility 10 is calculated. In other words, in the environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment, the second environmental load caused by the second amount of power consumed in the facility 10 out of the amount of power received from the grid power supply can be estimated by determining from which power menu the second amount of power was obtained, the "renewable energy power menu" or the "not renewable energy power menu." Details of the calculation method for the "second environmental load" will be described in the examples.

[0146] The environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment may be the same as any of the first to seventh embodiments except for the above-mentioned features.

[0147] Ninth Embodiment The environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment are the same as those of the eighth embodiment, except for the control content of the controller 22, which will be explained below.

[0148] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the environmental value management device (environmental value management method) of the ninth embodiment.

[0149] The following operations may be performed, for example, by the arithmetic processing unit of the controller 22 reading out a control program from the storage unit of the controller 22. However, it is not essential that the following operations be performed by the controller 22. An operator may perform some of the operations. In the following example, a case where the operations are controlled by the controller 22 will be described.

[0150] Here, steps S1, S11, S10A, S2, S12, and S10B in Fig. 11 are similar to steps S1, S11, S10A, S2, S12, and S10B in Fig. 10, respectively, and therefore will not be described. Step S10C in Fig. 11 is similar to step S10C in Fig. 7, and therefore will not be described.

[0151] In step S13, a third environmental load is calculated by adding together the first environmental load in step S11 and the second environmental load in step S12. Thus, by providing the environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment with a step of calculating the third environmental load, it is possible to accurately calculate the environmental load caused by the consumption in the facility 10 of both the amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device 31 and the amount of electricity received from the grid power supply. Details of the method for calculating the "third environmental load" will be described in the examples.

[0152] The environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment may be the same as any of the first to eighth embodiments except for the above-mentioned features.

[0153] Tenth Embodiment The environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment are the same as those of the sixth embodiment, except for the control details of the controller 22, which will be explained below.

[0154] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the environmental value management device (environmental value management method) of the tenth embodiment.

[0155] The following operations may be performed, for example, by the arithmetic processing unit of the controller 22 reading out a control program from the storage unit of the controller 22. However, it is not essential that the following operations be performed by the controller 22. An operator may perform some of the operations. In the following example, a case where the operations are controlled by the controller 22 will be described.

[0156] Here, steps S1, S11, S10A, S2, S12, and S10B in Fig. 12 are similar to steps S1, S11, S10A, S2, S12, and S10B in Fig. 10, respectively, and therefore will not be described. Step S20A in Fig. 12 is similar to step S20A in Fig. 8, and therefore will not be described.

[0157] After the operation of step S20A is performed, in step S21A, information indicating the first environmental load in step S10A and information indicating the second environmental load in step S10B are output from the environmental value management device 20 to the external device 40 via a communication network. Details of the "external device 40" are the same as those described above, so a description thereof will be omitted. The order of the operation of step S20A and the operation of step S21A is arbitrary. These operations may be performed in the reverse order, or simultaneously.

[0158] The effects of the environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment can be easily understood from the above, and therefore a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0159] The environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment may be the same as any of the first to ninth embodiments except for the above-mentioned features.

[0160] Eleventh Embodiment The environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment are the same as those of the seventh embodiment, except for the control content of the controller 22, which will be explained below.

[0161] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the environmental value management device (environmental value management method) of the eleventh embodiment.

[0162] The following operations may be performed, for example, by the arithmetic processing unit of the controller 22 reading out a control program from the storage unit of the controller 22. However, it is not essential that the following operations be performed by the controller 22. An operator may perform some of the operations. In the following example, a case where the operations are controlled by the controller 22 will be described.

[0163] Here, steps S1, S11, S10A, S2, S12, S10B, S13, and S10C in Fig. 13 are similar to steps S1, S11, S10A, S2, S12, S10B, S13, and S10C in Fig. 11, respectively, and therefore will not be described. Step S20B in Fig. 13 is similar to step S20B in Fig. 9, and therefore will not be described.

[0164] After the operation of step S20B is performed, in step S21B, information indicating a third environmental load, which is the sum of the first environmental load of step S10A and the second environmental load of step S10B, is output from the environmental value management device 20 to the external device 40 via the communication network. Details of the "external device 40" are the same as those described above, so a description thereof will be omitted. Note that the order of the operations of step S20B and step S21B is arbitrary. These operations may be performed in the reverse order, or simultaneously.

[0165] The effects of the environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment can be easily understood from the above, and therefore a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0166] The environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment may be the same as any of the first to tenth embodiments except for the above-mentioned features.

[0167] Twelfth Embodiment The environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment are the same as any of the sixth, seventh, tenth, and eleventh embodiments, except that information indicating the first amount of power and information indicating the second amount of power are also output to the external device 40.

[0168] That is, in any of the operations of step S20A in Fig. 8, step S20B in Fig. 9, step S21A in Fig. 12, and step S21B in Fig. 13, information indicating the first amount of power and information indicating the second amount of power are output from the environmental value management device 20 to the external device 40 via the communication network. Details of the "external device 40" are the same as those described above, and therefore will not be described here.

[0169] The information indicating the first amount of electricity and the information indicating the second amount of electricity can be used as information for reporting to relevant government agencies under the Global Warming Countermeasures Act and to relevant government agencies under the Renewable Energy Special Measures Act. The information can also be used as information for reporting under the RE100 Initiative. Furthermore, the information can also be used as information for reporting to the CDP questionnaire.

[0170] Therefore, the environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment output information indicating the first amount of power and information indicating the second amount of power to the external device 40, thereby making it possible to prepare various reports related to ESG in a timely manner compared to when such information is not output to the external device 40.

[0171] The environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment may be the same as any of the first to eleventh embodiments, except for the above-mentioned features.

[0172] Thirteenth Embodiment FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a distributed power supply system.

[0173] The distributed power system 30 includes a fuel cell device 31 including at least one fuel cell unit, and a solar power generation device 32 including at least one solar power generation unit. Here, the fuel cell device 31 is the same as in the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0174] The distributed power system 30 may be, for example, a system that supplies a large amount of power to a power grid. In this case, the solar power generation device 32 includes a group of solar power generation units each including a solar panel. The detailed configuration of such a distributed power system 30 will be described in the following examples.

[0175] The solar power generation device 32 is an electric power device that converts light energy from sunlight into electric power under the control of an appropriate control device. The electric power generated by the solar power generation device 32 may be supplied via a power grid to, for example, an electric load of the facility 10 that receives the electric power supply service generated by the solar power generation device 32. A well-known device can be used as the solar power generation device 32.

[0176] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the environmental value management device (environmental value management method) of the thirteenth embodiment.

[0177] The following operations may be performed, for example, by the arithmetic processing unit of the controller 22 reading out a control program from the storage unit of the controller 22. However, it is not essential that the following operations be performed by the controller 22. An operator may perform some of the operations. In the following example, a case where the operations are controlled by the controller 22 will be described.

[0178] Here, steps S1 and S2 in FIG. 15 are similar to steps S1 and S2 in FIG. 6, respectively, and therefore will not be described.

[0179] In step S101, an environmental value is calculated to offset at least a portion of the environmental load caused by the electricity consumption of facility 10, including a first environmental load caused by the first amount of electricity consumed in facility 10 in step S1 and a second environmental load caused by the second amount of electricity consumed in facility 10 in step S2.

[0180] Next, in step S3, the communicator 21 acquires the amount of power generated by the solar power generation device 32 via the communication network, and calculates a third amount of power consumed by the facility 10 from the amount of power generated by the solar power generation device 32. Details of the calculation method for the "third amount of power" will be described in the examples.

[0181] The solar power generation device 32 is a renewable energy power source that utilizes renewable energy and is a zero-emission power source. Therefore, the environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment include step S3 for calculating a third amount of power consumed by the facility 10 out of the amount of power generated by the solar power generation device 32, thereby making it possible to appropriately grasp the degree of contribution of the facility 10 to CO2 reduction.

[0182] The environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment may be the same as any of the first to twelfth embodiments except for the above-mentioned features.

[0183] Fourteenth Embodiment The environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment are the same as those of the thirteenth embodiment, except for the control content of the controller 22, which will be explained below.

[0184] FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the environmental value management device (environmental value management method) of the fourteenth embodiment.

[0185] The following operations may be performed, for example, by the arithmetic processing unit of the controller 22 reading out a control program from the storage unit of the controller 22. However, it is not essential that the following operations be performed by the controller 22. An operator may perform some of the operations. In the following example, a case where the operations are controlled by the controller 22 will be described.

[0186] Here, steps S1, S2, S101 and S3 in FIG. 16 are similar to steps S1, S2, S101 and S3 in FIG. 15, respectively, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0187] In step S301, information indicating the first amount of power in step S1 and information indicating the second amount of power in step S2 are output to the external device 40.

[0188] Next, in step S30, information indicating the third amount of power obtained in step S3 is output from the environmental value management device 20 to the external device 40 via the communication network. The order of the operations in step S301 and step S30 is arbitrary. These operations may be performed in the reverse order or simultaneously. The details of the "external device 40" in these operations are the same as those described above, and therefore will not be described here.

[0189] As described above, the third amount of power consumed by the facility 10 out of the amount of power generated by the solar power generation device 32 is data necessary for understanding the facility 10's contribution to CO2 reduction. Therefore, information indicating the third amount of power can be used as information for reporting to relevant government agencies under the Global Warming Countermeasures Act and to relevant government agencies under the Renewable Energy Special Measures Act. Furthermore, this information can be used as information for reporting based on the RE100 Initiative. Furthermore, this information can be used as information for reporting to the CDP questionnaire. Therefore, by outputting information indicating the third amount of power to the external device 40, the environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment can prepare various ESG-related reports in a more timely manner than when such information is not output to the external device 40.

[0190] The environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment may be the same as any of the first to thirteenth embodiments, except for the above-mentioned features.

[0191] Fifteenth Embodiment The environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment and any of the fourth to seventh embodiments, except that the environmental value includes a value indicating the degree of contribution to renewable energy use. In this case, the value indicating the degree of contribution to renewable energy use may include a renewable energy certificate. Furthermore, information indicating the renewable energy ratio of the overall system 100 and information indicating the renewable energy certificate may be output from the environmental value management device 20 to an external device 40 via a communication network. Details of the "external device 40" are the same as those described above, and therefore will not be described here. Specific examples of the renewable energy ratio and renewable energy certificate will be described in the examples.

[0192] As described above, the environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment can easily grasp the added value of the amount of electricity derived from renewable energy as a renewable energy certificate.

[0193] The environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment may be the same as any of the first to fourteenth embodiments, except for the above-mentioned features.

[0194] Sixteenth Embodiment The environmental value management method and environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment and any of the fourth to seventh embodiments, except that the environmental value includes a value indicating the degree of contribution to CO2 reduction. In this case, the value indicating the degree of contribution to CO2 reduction may include credits. Furthermore, information indicating the amount of CO2 emissions before and after carbon offsetting and information indicating the credits may be output from the environmental value management device 20 to an external device 40 via a communication network. Details of the "external device 40" are the same as those described above, and therefore will not be described here. Specific examples of these CO2 emissions and credits will be described in the examples.

[0195] As described above, the environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment can easily grasp the carbon credits for offsetting CO2 emissions.

[0196] The environmental value management method and the environmental value management device 20 of this embodiment may be the same as any of the first to fifteenth embodiments, except for the above-mentioned features.

[0197] (Example) [Device Configuration] Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the overall system. In Fig. 17, for convenience, solid lines and dashed lines respectively indicate paths through which power is transmitted and paths through which signals are transmitted.

[0198] As shown in Figure 17, the overall system 100 includes an environmental value management device 20, a fuel cell device 31, a solar power generation device 32, a power storage device 33, control devices 50A to 50C, power conditioners (PCS) 51A to 51C, power meters 52A to 52C, 53, and an external device 40.

[0199] Here, the environmental value management device 20 and the external device 40 are the same as those described above, and therefore detailed explanations thereof will be omitted.

[0200] As described above, the fuel cell device 31 is a device that generates electricity by utilizing hydrogen supplied from an appropriate hydrogen supply source under the control of the control device 50A.

[0201] 17 , the fuel cell device 31 includes a fuel cell unit group consisting of a plurality of fuel cell units. The fuel cell unit group is divided into a plurality of groups, and the fuel cell units in each group are connected to the power grid via a power conditioner (PCS) 51A and a power meter 52A. The power meter 52A measures the generated power FC supplied from the fuel cell device 31 to the power grid, and is connected to the environmental value management device 20 via a communications network. The number of fuel cell units in each group is set to an appropriate value depending on the design specifications of the distributed power system 30, etc.

[0202] Although not shown, each of these fuel cell units is composed of auxiliary equipment such as a fuel cell stack, pumps, and valves, as well as a control device that controls the operation of these devices. If a control device is not provided within the fuel cell unit, the operation of the above-mentioned devices may be directly controlled by the control device 50A.

[0203] As described above, the solar power generation device 32 is an electric power device that uses sunlight and converts light energy into electric power under the control of the control device 50B.

[0204] 17 , the photovoltaic power generation device 32 includes a photovoltaic power generation unit group consisting of a plurality of photovoltaic power generation units including a solar panel. The photovoltaic power generation unit group is divided into a plurality of groups, and the photovoltaic power generation units in each group are connected to the power grid via a power conditioner (PCS) 51B and a power meter 52B. The power meter 52B measures the generated power PV supplied from the photovoltaic power generation device 32 to the power grid, and is connected to the environmental value management device 20 via a communication network. The number of photovoltaic power generation units in each group is set to an appropriate value depending on the design specifications of the distributed power system 30, etc.

[0205] The power storage device 33 is a device that stores power generated by the fuel cell device 31 or power received from the power grid under the control of the control device 50C. The power stored in the power storage device 33 may be discharged to the power loads 11 of the facility 10 or the power grid under the control of the control device 50C. The power storage device 33 may be, for example, a secondary battery, but is not limited to this.

[0206] 17 , the power storage device 33 includes a storage battery unit group consisting of a plurality of storage battery units. The storage battery unit group is divided into a plurality of groups, and the plurality of storage battery units in each group are connected to the power grid via a power conditioner (PCS) 51C and a power meter 52C. The power meter 52C measures charging power Bc supplied from the power grid to the power storage device 33 and discharging power Bd discharged from the power storage device 33 to the power grid, and is connected to the environmental value management device 20 via a communication network. The number of storage battery units in each group is set to an appropriate value depending on the design specifications of the distributed power system 30, etc.

[0207] In addition, the fuel cell device 31, the solar power generation device 32 and the storage device 33 are each connected in parallel to each other by the power lines of the power system via power meters 52A to 52C, and these power meters 52A to 52C are also connected to the power load 11 of the facility 10 by the power lines of the power system.

[0208] Furthermore, the power load 11 and power meters 52A to 52C of the facility 10 are connected to a commercial power system (not shown) via a power meter 53. This power meter 53 measures the system power GR supplied from the power system to the facility 10 and the distributed power system 30, and the reverse flow power RF that flows back from the distributed power system 30 to the power system, and is connected to the environmental value management device 20 via a communication network.

[0209] However, the above configuration of the distributed power supply system 30 is merely an example and is not limited to this example. For example, the fuel cell unit group may be grouped by a single group of multiple fuel cell units, or by a single fuel cell unit in each group. The solar power generation unit group may be grouped by a single group of multiple solar power generation units, or by a single solar power generation unit in each group. The storage battery unit group may be grouped by a single group of multiple storage battery units, or by a single storage battery unit in each group.

[0210] The control devices 50A to 50C are provided corresponding to the fuel cell device 31, the solar power generation device 32, and the electricity storage device 33, respectively, and are connected to the environmental value management device 20 via a communication network.

[0211] For example, the control device 50A controls the output of each of these fuel cell units via the communication network to enable efficient operation of the fuel cell units (for example, optimizing their lifespans). Also, for example, the control device 50B may control a power conditioner (PCS) 51B via the communication network to adjust the output of the photovoltaic power generation device 32 or to disconnect or connect a desired number of photovoltaic power generation units to or from the power grid.

[0212] However, the above is merely an example and is not limiting. For example, the controller 22 (see FIG. 1) of the environmental value management device 20 may directly control the operation of the devices corresponding to the control devices 50A-50C, without going through the control devices 50A-50C. Furthermore, the environmental value management device 20 may be integrated with the control devices 50A-50C, in other words, equipped with the control functions of the control devices 50A-50C, and directly control the operation of the devices corresponding to the control devices 50A-50C.

[0213] The control devices 50A to 50C may be any device that has a control function and includes a processing unit (not shown), a storage unit that stores a control program, and a communication device. The processing unit reads and executes the control program stored in the storage unit, thereby performing predetermined control in the control devices 50A to 50C. An example of the processing unit is a microprocessor. An example of the storage unit is a memory.

[0214] [Deriving the power consumption L in the power load] In calculating the environmental value for offsetting the environmental load caused by the power consumption of the facility 10, when deriving the power consumption L in the power load 11 of the facility 10, it is necessary to take into account not only the direct power supplied to the power load 11 from the fuel cell device 31, the solar power generation device 32, and the power grid, but also the charging power Bc and discharging power Bd of the storage device 33, and the reverse flow power RF of the power grid.

[0215] An example of deriving the power consumption L of the power load 11 of the facility 10 will now be described.

[0216] The power consumption L of the power load 11 corresponds to the sum of the power consumption PV_L [kW] of the power load 11 derived from the solar power generation device, the power consumption FC_L [kW] of the power load 11 derived from the fuel cell device, and the power consumption GR_L [kW] derived from the system power supply.

[0217] <Method of Deriving Power Consumption PV_L [kW] of Power Load 11 Derived from Photovoltaic Power Generation Device> Power consumption PV_L [kW] of power load 11 derived from the photovoltaic power generation device is formulated by the following equation (1).

[0218] PV_L = "PV" + "Bd_PV" - "Bc_PV" - "RF_PV" (1) In formula (1), "PV" is the generated power measured by the power meter 52B. "Bd_PV" is the discharge power of the solar power generation device 32 out of the discharge power measured by the power meter 52C. "Bc_PV" is the charging power of the solar power generation device 32 out of the charging power measured by the power meter 52C. "RF_PV" is the reverse flow power of the solar power generation device 32 out of the reverse flow power measured by the power meter 53.

[0219] Here, the discharge power Bd_PV of the photovoltaic power generation device 32 out of the discharge power measured by the power meter 52C can be calculated by the following formula (2).

[0220] Bd_PV = Bd × (ΣBc_PV / ΣBc) (2) In formula (2), "Bd" is the discharge power measured by the wattmeter 52C. "ΣBc" is the total charge power of the power storage device 33 during the total operating time within a predetermined period. "ΣBc_PV" is the total charge power of the photovoltaic power generation device 32, out of the charge power during the total operating time of the power storage device 33 during the predetermined period. (ΣBc_PV / ΣBc) in formula (2) can be obtained from the historical data of the charge power Bc measured by the wattmeter 52C during the predetermined period. For example, in the distributed power system 30, when power generation by the fuel cell device 31 is stopped and there is a period during which the distributed power system 30 does not receive power from the grid power supply, the value obtained by integrating the charge power measured by the wattmeter 52C over that period is counted as "ΣBc_PV."

[0221] The "predetermined period" is an arbitrary period set by the manager of the facility 10 or the like. When information indicating that an environmental value for offsetting the environmental load due to the electricity consumption of the facility 10 has been acquired is utilized as information for making an annual report to the relevant government agency based on the Global Warming Countermeasures Act, for example, this arbitrary period may be, but is not limited to, one year, which corresponds to the annual report to the relevant government agency. For example, the arbitrary period may be the total period from the installation date of the power storage device 33 to the present.

[0222] The charging power Bc_PV of the solar power generation device 32 out of the charging power measured by the power meter 52C can be calculated by the following formula (3).

[0223] Bc_PV=Bc×(PV / (PV+FC+GR−RF)) (3) In equation (3), "Bc" is the charging power measured by the wattmeter 52C.

[0224] Furthermore, "PV / (PV+FC+GR-RF)" represents the ratio of the power generated by the solar power generation device 32 (PV) to the total power of the solar power generation device 32, the fuel cell device 31, and the system power source, and can be determined from the measurement data obtained by the power meters 52A-52C and 53.

[0225] Of the reverse flow power measured by the power meter 53, the reverse flow power RF_PV of the photovoltaic power generation device 32 can be calculated by the following equations (4) and (5).

[0226] RF_PV=RF×(PV / (PV+FC+Bd)+Bd_PV / (PV+FC+Bd)) (4) When formula (2) is substituted into formula (4), formula (5) is obtained.

[0227] RF_PV=RF×(PV / (PV+FC+Bd)+Bd×(ΣBc_PV / ΣBc) / (PV+FC+Bd)) (5) In equation (5), “RF” is the reverse flow power measured by the power meter 53 .

[0228] "PV / (PV+FC+Bd)" represents the ratio for calculating the amount of power that flows back directly from the solar power generation device 32 to the power grid, and can be determined from the measurement data obtained by the power meters 52A-52C.

[0229] "Bd x (ΣBc_PV / ΣBc) / (PV+FC+Bd)" represents the ratio for calculating the amount of power that indirectly flows back from the solar power generation device 32 to the power grid via charging and discharging of the storage device 33, and can be determined from the measurement data obtained by the power meters 52A-52C.

[0230] <Method of Deriving Power Consumption FC_L [kW] of Power Load 11 Derived from Fuel Cell Device> Power consumption FC_L [kW] of power load 11 derived from the fuel cell device is formulated by the following equation (6).

[0231] FC_L = "FC" + "Bd_FC" - "Bc_FC" - "RF_FC" (6) In equation (6), "FC" is the generated power measured by the wattmeter 52A. "Bd_FC" is the discharge power for the fuel cell device 31 out of the discharge power measured by the wattmeter 52C. "Bc_FC" is the charging power for the fuel cell device 31 out of the charging power measured by the wattmeter 52C. "RF_FC" is the reverse flow power for the fuel cell device 31 out of the reverse flow power measured by the wattmeter 53.

[0232] Here, the discharge power Bd_FC of the fuel cell device 31 out of the discharge power measured by the wattmeter 52C can be calculated by the following equation (7).

[0233] Bd_FC = Bd × (ΣBc_FC / ΣBc) (7) In equation (7), "Bd" is the discharge power measured by the wattmeter 52C. "ΣBc" is the total charge power of the power storage device 33 during the total operating time within a predetermined period. "ΣBc_FC" is the total charge power of the fuel cell device 31, out of the charge power of the power storage device 33 during the total operating time within a predetermined period. (ΣBc_FC / ΣBc) in equation (7) can be determined from the historical data of the charge power Bc measured by the wattmeter 52C during the predetermined period. For example, in the distributed power system 30, when the photovoltaic power generation device 32 is stopped from generating power and there is no power received from the grid power supply to the distributed power system 30, the value obtained by integrating the charge power measured by the wattmeter 52C over that period is counted as "ΣBc_FC." The "predetermined period" is the same as described above, and therefore will not be described here.

[0234] The charging power Bc_FC for the fuel cell device 31 out of the charging power measured by the wattmeter 52C can be calculated by the following formula (8).

[0235] Bc_FC=Bc×(FC / (PV+FC+GR−RF)) (8) In equation (8), "Bc" is the charging power measured by the wattmeter 52C.

[0236] Furthermore, "FC / (PV+FC+GR-RF)" represents the ratio of the power generated by the fuel cell device 31 (FC) to the total power of the solar power generation device 32, the fuel cell device 31, and the system power source, and can be determined from the measurement data obtained by the power meters 52A-52C and 53.

[0237] Of the reverse flow power measured by the power meter 53, the reverse flow power RF_FC for the fuel cell device 31 can be calculated by the following equations (9) and (10).

[0238] RF_FC=RF×(FC / (PV+FC+Bd)+Bd_FC / (PV+FC+Bd)) (9) Substituting equation (7) into equation (9), equation (10) is obtained.

[0239] RF_PV=RF×(FC / (PV+FC+Bd)+Bd×(ΣBc_FC / ΣBc) / (PV+FC+Bd)) (10) In equation (10), “RF” is the reverse flow power measured by the power meter 53 .

[0240] "FC / (PV+FC+Bd)" represents the ratio for calculating the amount of power that flows back directly from the fuel cell device 31 to the power grid, and can be determined from the measurement data obtained by the power meters 52A-52C.

[0241] "Bd x (ΣBc_FC / ΣBc) / (PV+FC+Bd)" represents the ratio for calculating the amount of power that indirectly flows back from the fuel cell device 31 to the power system via charging and discharging of the storage device 33, and can be determined from the measurement data obtained by the power meters 52A-52C.

[0242] <Method of Deriving Power Consumption GR_L [kW] Derived from Grid Power Supply> The power consumption GR_L [kW] of the power load 11 derived from the grid power supply is formulated by the following equation (11).

[0243] GR_L = "GR" + "Bd_GR" - "Bc_GR" - "RF_GR" (11) In equation (11), "GR" is the grid power measured by the power meter 53. "Bd_GR" is the discharge power of the grid power supply portion of the discharge power measured by the power meter 52C. "Bc_GR" is the charging power of the grid power supply portion of the charging power measured by the power meter 52C. "RF_GR" is the reverse flow power of the grid power supply portion of the reverse flow power measured by the power meter 53.

[0244] Here, the discharge power Bd_GR of the system power supply portion of the discharge power measured by the power meter 52C can be calculated by the following equation (12).

[0245] Bd_GR = Bd × (ΣBc_GR / ΣBc) (12) In equation (12), "Bd" is the discharge power measured by the wattmeter 52C. "ΣBc" is the total charge power of the power storage device 33 during the total operating time within a predetermined period. "ΣBc_GR" is the total charge power from the grid power source within the charge power of the power storage device 33 during the total operating time within a predetermined period. (ΣBc_GR / ΣBc) in equation (12) can be determined from the historical data for the charge power Bc measured by the wattmeter 52C during the predetermined period. For example, in the distributed power system 30, during a period when the fuel cell device 31 and the solar power generation device 32 are not generating power, the value obtained by integrating the charge power measured by the wattmeter 52C over that period is counted as "ΣBc_GR." Note that the "predetermined period" is the same as described above, and therefore will not be described here.

[0246] The charging power Bc_GR, which is the portion of the charging power measured by the power meter 52C that comes from the grid power supply, can be calculated by the following equation (13).

[0247] Bc_GR=Bc×(GR / (PV+FC+GR−RF)) (13) In equation (13), “Bc” is the charging power measured by the wattmeter 52C.

[0248] Furthermore, "GR / (PV+FC+GR-RF)" represents the ratio of the system power GR of the system power supply to the total power of the solar power generation device 32, the fuel cell device 31, and the system power supply, and can be determined from the measurement data obtained by the power meters 52A-52C and 53.

[0249] The reverse flow power RF_GR, which is the portion of the reverse flow power measured by the power meter 53 that comes from the grid power supply, can be calculated using the following equations (14) and (15).

[0250] RF_GR=RF×(Bd_GR / (PV+FC+Bd)) (14) When equation (12) is substituted into equation (14), equation (10) is obtained.

[0251] RF_GR=RF×(Bd×(ΣBc_GR / ΣBc) / (PV+FC+Bd)) (15) In equation (15), “RF” is the reverse flow power measured by the power meter 53 .

[0252] "Bd x (ΣBc_GR / ΣBc) / (PV+FC+Bd)" represents the ratio for calculating the reverse flow of power from the storage device 33 to the power grid via charging and discharging of the storage device 33, and can be determined from the measurement data obtained by the power meters 52A-52C, 53.

[0253] [Deriving Power Consumption X (kWh) in Power Load Derived from Photovoltaic Power Generation Apparatus] The power consumption X in the power load 11 derived from the photovoltaic power generation apparatus can be derived by the following formula (16).

[0254] X = "ΣPV" + "ΣBd_PV" - "ΣBc_PV" - "ΣRF_PV" (16) In equation (16), "ΣPV", "ΣBd_PV", "ΣBc_PV", and "ΣRF_PV" respectively refer to the amount of power obtained by integrating the "PV", "Bd_PV", "Bc_PV", and "RF_PV" obtained above over a predetermined period. Note that the "predetermined period" is the same as above, so explanation will be omitted. This power consumption amount X corresponds to an example of the "third amount of power" of the present disclosure.

[0255] [Deriving the Power Consumption Y (kWh) of the Power Load Derived from the Fuel Cell Device] The power consumption Y of the power load 11 derived from the fuel cell device can be derived by the following formula (17).

[0256] Y = "ΣFC" + "ΣBd_FC" - "ΣBc_FC" - "ΣRF_FC" (17) In equation (17), "ΣFC", "ΣBd_FC", "ΣBc_FC", and "ΣRF_FC" respectively refer to the amount of power obtained by integrating "FC", "Bd_FC", "Bc_FC", and "RF_FC" obtained above over a predetermined period. Note that the "predetermined period" is the same as above, so explanation will be omitted. This power consumption amount Y corresponds to an example of the "first amount of power" in the present disclosure.

[0257] [Deriving the Power Consumption Z (kWh) of the Power Load Derived from the Grid Power Supply] The power consumption Z of the power load 11 derived from the grid power supply can be derived by the following formula (18).

[0258] Z = "ΣGR" + "ΣBd_GR" - "ΣBc_GR" - "ΣRF_GR" (18) In equation (18), "ΣGR", "ΣBd_GR", "ΣBc_GR", and "ΣRF_GR" respectively refer to the amount of power obtained by integrating the "GR", "Bd_GR", "Bc_GR", and "RF_GR" obtained above over a predetermined period. Note that the "predetermined period" is the same as above, so explanation will be omitted. This power consumption amount Z corresponds to an example of the "second amount of power" in the present disclosure.

[0259] [Deriving Environmental Value for Offsetting Environmental Load Caused by Electricity Consumption of Facility] Table 1 shows an example of the environmental load caused by electricity consumption of the facility 10 and an environmental value for offsetting the environmental load.

[0260]

[0261] As shown in Table 1, the power consumption amount X is the amount of renewable energy power, and the resulting CO2 emissions are zero. Therefore, in this case, neither renewable energy certificates nor credits, which are environmental values ​​for offsetting the environmental load caused by the power consumption of the facility 10, are required.

[0262] In the fuel cell device 31, the type of power source handled by the fuel cell device 31 differs depending on the amount of power consumed Y obtained by utilizing each of "gray hydrogen," "blue hydrogen," and "green hydrogen."

[0263] When the amount of power consumption Y generated by the fuel cell device 31 is the amount of power obtained using "green hydrogen," the fuel cell device 31 is a renewable energy power source and a zero-emission power source. Therefore, as shown in Table 1, the amount of power consumption Y is the amount of renewable energy power, and the resulting CO2 emissions are zero. Therefore, in this case, neither a renewable energy certificate nor a credit, which is the first environmental value for offsetting the first environmental load caused by the power consumption of the facility 10, is required.

[0264] When the amount of power consumption Y generated by the fuel cell device 31 is the amount of power obtained using "blue hydrogen," the fuel cell device 31 is a non-renewable energy power source and a zero-emission power source. Therefore, as shown in Table 1, the amount of power consumption Y is a non-renewable energy power source, and the resulting CO2 emissions are zero. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to purchase renewable energy certificates (Y [kWh]), which are the first environmental value, from an external source to offset the first environmental load (Y [kWh]) caused by the power consumption of the facility 10. However, it is not necessary to purchase credits to reduce CO2 emissions.

[0265] When the power consumption Y generated by the fuel cell device 31 is the amount of power obtained using "gray hydrogen," the fuel cell device 31 is a non-renewable energy power source and a non-zero-emission power source. Therefore, as shown in Table 1, the power consumption Y is the amount of non-renewable energy power, and the resulting CO2 emissions are calculated by multiplying the power consumption Y by a predetermined first emission coefficient H (kg-CO2 / kWh). The "first emission coefficient H" is set to an appropriate value depending on the performance of the hydrogen generation device that generates hydrogen from fossil fuels. The "first emission coefficient H" can be, for example, approximately 0.8, but is not limited to this. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to purchase renewable energy certificates (Y [kWh]), which are a first environmental value, from an external source to offset the first environmental load (Y [kWh]) caused by the power consumption of the facility 10. In addition, it is necessary to purchase credits (Y×H [kg-CO2]) which are environmental value for offsetting the first environmental load (Y×H [kg-CO2]) due to the electricity consumption of the facility 10 from an external source.

[0266] In the system power supply, the power supply type of the system power supply is treated differently depending on whether the power consumption amount Z is obtained from the power menu, the "renewable energy power menu" or the "not renewable energy power menu."

[0267] When the amount of power consumption Z generated by the grid power supply is the amount of power obtained from the "renewable energy power menu," the grid power supply is both a renewable energy power supply and a zero-emission power supply. Therefore, as shown in Table 1, the amount of power consumption Z is the amount of renewable energy power, and the resulting CO2 emissions are zero. Therefore, in this case, neither a renewable energy certificate nor a credit, which is the second environmental value for offsetting the second environmental load caused by the power consumption of facility 10, is required.

[0268] When the amount of power consumption Z generated by the grid power supply is the amount of power obtained from the "Not Renewable Energy Power Menu," the grid power supply is a not-renewable energy power supply and a not-zero-emission power supply. Therefore, as shown in Table 1, the amount of power consumption Z is the amount of not-renewable energy power, and the resulting CO2 emissions are calculated by multiplying the amount of power consumption Z by a predetermined second emission coefficient G (kg-CO2 / kWh). The "second emission coefficient G" is set to an appropriate value depending on the performance of the power generation equipment that generates electricity using fossil fuels. The "second emission coefficient G" can be, for example, approximately 0.5, but is not limited to this. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to purchase a renewable energy certificate (Z [kWh]), which is a second environmental value, from an external source to offset the second environmental load (Z [kWh]) caused by the power consumption of the facility 10. In addition, it is necessary to purchase credits (Z×G [kg-CO2]) which are a second environmental value from outside to offset the second environmental load (Z×G [kg-CO2]) caused by the facility 10's electricity consumption.

[0269] As described above, as shown in Table 1, it is necessary to purchase from an external source renewable energy certificates (Y+Z [kWh]), which are the third environmental value, to offset the third environmental load (Y+Z [kWh]) due to the total electricity consumption of the facility 10. In addition, it is necessary to purchase from an external source credits (Y×H [kg-CO2] + Z×G [kg-CO2]), which are the third environmental value, to offset the third environmental load (Y×H [kg-CO2] + Z×G [kg-CO2]) due to the total electricity consumption of the facility 10.

[0270] The environmental load caused by the electricity consumption of the facility 10 and the environmental value for offsetting the environmental load described in Table 1 are merely examples and are not limited to this example. For example, the environmental load caused by the electricity consumption of the facility 10 may be entirely offset as shown in Table 1, or only a portion of the environmental load may be offset.

[0271] [Example of offsetting part of the environmental load caused by the facility's electricity consumption (partially using renewable energy)] Table 2 shows an example of offsetting part of the environmental load caused by the facility's electricity consumption (partially using renewable energy). Note that in this example, a case will be described in which the amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device 31 is the amount of electricity obtained by using "gray hydrogen" and the amount of electricity generated by the grid power supply is the amount of electricity obtained from the "Not renewable energy electricity menu," but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0272]

[0273] As shown in Table 2, the solar power generation device 32 is a renewable energy power source. Therefore, in this case, a renewable energy certificate, which is an environmental value for offsetting the environmental load caused by the power consumption of the facility 10, is not required, and the amount of renewable energy power generated within the distributed power system 30 is counted as "10,000 kWh."

[0274] Table 2 also shows a renewable energy certificate (5000 kWh) that is an environmental value for offsetting a portion (5000 kWh) of the environmental load (10000 kWh) caused by the amount of power consumption (10000 kWh) generated by the fuel cell device 31 being consumed in the facility 10. Therefore, in this case, the amount of renewable energy power procured from outside the distributed power system 30 is counted as "5000 kWh."

[0275] Furthermore, Table 2 shows that no renewable energy certificates, which are environmental value for offsetting the environmental load (10,000 kWh) caused by the amount of power consumed by the grid (10,000 kWh) at facility 10, were procured. Therefore, in this case, the amount of renewable energy power is counted as "0."

[0276] As a result, as shown in Table 2, the internal renewable energy rate, based on the amount of renewable energy power generated within the distributed power system 30, is approximately 33%. The external renewable energy rate, based on the amount of renewable energy power procured from sources outside the distributed power system 30, is approximately 17%. The total renewable energy rate, based on the sum of the amount of renewable energy power generated within the distributed power system 30 and the amount of renewable energy power procured from sources outside the distributed power system 30, is 50%. In other words, in this example, before the manager of facility 10 procured the renewable energy certificate, the renewable energy rate was approximately 33%, but after procuring the renewable energy certificate, the renewable energy rate was 50%.

[0277] The values ​​and power source types in Table 2 are merely examples and are not limited to these examples.

[0278] [Example of offsetting all of the environmental load caused by the facility's electricity consumption (all renewable energy)] Table 3 shows an example of offsetting all of the environmental load caused by the facility's electricity consumption (all renewable energy). Note that in this example, a case will be described in which the amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device 31 is the amount of electricity obtained using "gray hydrogen" and the amount of electricity generated by the grid power supply is the amount of electricity obtained from the "Not renewable energy electricity menu," but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0279]

[0280] As shown in Table 3, the solar power generation device 32 is a renewable energy power source. Therefore, in this case, a renewable energy certificate, which is an environmental value for offsetting the environmental load caused by the power consumption of the facility 10, is not required, and the amount of renewable energy power generated within the distributed power system 30 is counted as "10,000 kWh."

[0281] Table 3 also shows a renewable energy certificate (10,000 kWh) that is an environmental value for offsetting the entire environmental load (10,000 kWh) caused by the amount of power consumption (10,000 kWh) generated by the fuel cell device 31 being consumed in the facility 10. In this case, the amount of renewable energy power procured from outside the distributed power system 30 is counted as "10,000 kWh."

[0282] Furthermore, Table 3 shows a renewable energy certificate (10,000 kWh) that is an environmental value for offsetting the entire environmental load (10,000 kWh) caused by the amount of power consumption (10,000 kWh) generated by the grid power supply being consumed in the facility 10. In this case, the amount of renewable energy power procured from outside the distributed power system 30 is counted as "10,000 kWh."

[0283] From the above, as shown in Table 3, the internal renewable energy rate based on the amount of renewable energy power generated within the distributed power system 30 is approximately 33%. The external renewable energy rate based on the amount of renewable energy power procured from sources outside the distributed power system 30 is approximately 67%. The total renewable energy rate based on the sum of the amount of renewable energy power generated within the distributed power system 30 and the amount of renewable energy power procured from sources outside the distributed power system 30 is 100%. In other words, in this example, before the manager of facility 10 procured the renewable energy certificate, the renewable energy rate was approximately 33%, but after procuring the renewable energy certificate, the renewable energy rate was 100%.

[0284] The values ​​and power source types in Table 3 are merely examples and are not limited to these examples.

[0285] [Example of offsetting part of the environmental load caused by the facility's electricity consumption (partial zero emissions)] Table 4 shows an example of offsetting part of the environmental load caused by the facility's electricity consumption (partial zero emissions). Note that in this example, a case will be described in which the amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device 31 is the amount of electricity obtained by using "gray hydrogen" and the amount of electricity generated by the grid power supply is the amount of electricity obtained from the "Not Renewable Energy Electricity Menu," but the example is not limited to this.

[0286]

[0287] As shown in Table 4, the solar power generation device 32 is a zero-emission power source. Therefore, in this case, credits, which are environmental values ​​for offsetting the environmental load caused by the power consumption of the facility 10, are not required.

[0288] Table 4 also shows the environmental value credit (4000 kg-CO2) for offsetting a portion (4000 kg-CO2) of the environmental load (8000 kg-CO2) caused by the consumption of the power consumption (10000 kWh) generated by the fuel cell device 31 in the facility 10. In this case, the CO2 emissions before the carbon offset are counted as "8000 kg-CO2," and the CO2 emissions after the carbon offset are counted as "4000 kg-CO2."

[0289] Furthermore, Table 4 shows that no credits, which are environmental value for offsetting the environmental load (5000 kg-CO2) caused by the consumption of the power consumption (10000 kWh) generated by the grid power supply at facility 10, were procured. In this case, the CO2 emissions before the carbon offset are counted as "5000 kg-CO2," and the CO2 emissions after the carbon offset are counted as "5000 kg-CO2."

[0290] As a result, as shown in Table 4, in this example, the CO2 emissions before carbon offsetting (before credit procurement) by the manager of facility 10 are 13,000 kg-CO2, whereas after carbon offsetting (after credit procurement) the CO2 emissions are 9,000 kg-CO2.

[0291] The numerical values ​​and power supply types in Table 4 are merely examples and are not limited to these examples.

[0292] [Example of offsetting all environmental loads due to facility power consumption (total zero emissions)] Table 5 shows an example of offsetting all environmental loads due to facility power consumption (total zero emissions). Note that in this example, a case will be described in which the amount of power consumed by the fuel cell device 31 is the amount of power obtained by using "gray hydrogen" and the amount of power consumed by the grid power supply is the amount of power obtained from the "Not Renewable Energy Power Menu," but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0293]

[0294] As shown in Table 5, the solar power generation device 32 is a zero-emission power source. Therefore, in this case, credits, which are environmental values ​​for offsetting the environmental load caused by the power consumption of the facility 10, are not required.

[0295] Table 5 also shows the credits (8000 [kg-CO2]) that are environmental value for offsetting the entire environmental load (8000 [kg-CO2]) caused by the consumption of the power consumption (10000 kWh) generated by the fuel cell device 31 in the facility 10. In this case, the CO2 emissions before the carbon offset are counted as "8000 [kg-CO2]," and the CO2 emissions after the carbon offset are counted as "0 [kg-CO2]."

[0296] Furthermore, Table 5 shows the credit (5000 [kg-CO2]) which is the environmental value for offsetting the entire environmental load (5000 [kg-CO2]) caused by the consumption of the power consumption (10000 kWh) generated by the grid power supply at facility 10. In this case, the CO2 emissions before the carbon offset are counted as "5000 [kg-CO2]", and the CO2 emissions after the carbon offset are counted as "0 [kg-CO2]".

[0297] As a result, as shown in Table 5, in this example, before the carbon offsetting was performed by the manager of facility 10 (before credits were procured), the CO2 emissions were 13,000 kg-CO2, whereas after the carbon offsetting was performed (after credits were procured), the CO2 emissions were 0 kg-CO2.

[0298] The numerical values ​​and power source types in Table 5 are merely examples and are not limited to these examples.

[0299] The first to sixteenth embodiments and examples may be combined with one another as long as they do not exclude one another. From the above description, many improvements and other embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the above description should be construed as merely illustrative and is provided for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode for carrying out the present disclosure. Furthermore, the details of the structure and / or function thereof may be substantially changed without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0300] For example, in Tables 2 to 5 above, an example is described in which the environmental load caused by the electricity consumption of facility 10 is offset when the electricity generated by fuel cell device 31 is obtained using "grey hydrogen." However, the electricity generated by fuel cell device 31 may also be obtained using hydrogen that is a mixture of at least two hydrogen species, namely, "grey hydrogen," "blue hydrogen," and "green hydrogen."

[0301] As an example, when the fuel cell device 31 is a device that generates electricity using hydrogen supplied from an appropriate hydrogen tank, cases in which multiple hydrogen species are mixed include (A) a case in which multiple hydrogen species are mixed in a single hydrogen tank, and (B) a case in which at least two types of hydrogen tanks are used in combination from among a "hydrogen tank storing gray hydrogen," a "hydrogen tank storing blue hydrogen," and a "hydrogen tank storing green hydrogen" (used in combination for the same period or for different periods).

[0302] In the above (A), for example, a single hydrogen tank containing a mixture of "gray hydrogen" and "green hydrogen" may be used. In this case, the following method can be used to calculate the environmental value for offsetting the environmental load caused by the electricity consumption of the facility 10.

[0303] The first method is to treat the hydrogen in the hydrogen tank as "grey hydrogen" and calculate the environmental value for offsetting the environmental load caused by the electricity consumption of the facility 10. In this case, the renewable energy certificate is calculated as the amount of electricity consumed by the facility 10 out of the amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device 31. On the other hand, the credit is calculated by deriving an emission coefficient using the amount of CO2 emissions per unit amount of hydrogen set according to the ratio of hydrogen species in the hydrogen tank, and multiplying the amount of electricity consumed by the facility 10 by this emission coefficient. For example, if a single hydrogen tank contains a mixture of "green hydrogen," which has a hydrogen content of 1 Nm3 and zero CO2 emissions per unit of hydrogen (kg-CO2 / Nm3), and "grey hydrogen," which has a hydrogen content of 2 Nm3 and CO2 emissions per unit of hydrogen (kg-CO2 / Nm3), the hydrogen contained in the tank will be treated as "grey hydrogen," which has a hydrogen content of 3 Nm3 and CO2 emissions per unit of hydrogen (kg-CO2 / Nm3) of 0.667.

[0304] A second method is to separate the electricity consumption derived from "green hydrogen" from that derived from "grey hydrogen" and calculate the environmental value for offsetting the environmental load caused by the electricity consumption of facility 10. To explain this in more detail using the above example, since the ratio of "green hydrogen" to "grey hydrogen" is 1 / 3 and the ratio of "grey hydrogen" to "green hydrogen" is 2 / 3 in a single hydrogen tank, the renewable energy certificate is calculated as the amount of electricity generated by fuel cell device 31 that was consumed by facility 10 multiplied by 2 / 3. On the other hand, the credit is calculated by multiplying the amount of electricity consumed by 2 / 3 by the amount of electricity, and then multiplying that amount by the emission factor corresponding to gray hydrogen.

[0305] Regarding (B) above, assuming that information indicating that the environmental value for offsetting the environmental impact of the facility 10's electricity consumption is acquired is used, for example, for submitting annual reports to relevant government agencies, the environmental value for offsetting the environmental impact of the facility 10's electricity consumption is calculated by taking into account the ratio of electricity consumption attributable to the "hydrogen tank storing green hydrogen," the ratio of electricity consumption attributable to the "hydrogen tank storing blue hydrogen," and the ratio of electricity consumption attributable to the "hydrogen tank storing gray hydrogen" out of the total electricity consumption for the period (e.g., one year) to be included in the report. For example, if the ratio of electricity consumption attributable to the "hydrogen tank storing green hydrogen" and the ratio of electricity consumption attributable to the "hydrogen tank storing gray hydrogen" out of the total electricity consumption is one-third and two-thirds, respectively, the renewable energy certificate is calculated as the amount of electricity equivalent to the total electricity consumption multiplied by two-thirds. On the other hand, the credit is calculated by multiplying the amount of electricity equivalent to the total electricity consumption multiplied by two-thirds by the emission factor corresponding to gray hydrogen.

[0306] The environmental value management methods in the first to sixteenth embodiments, examples, and the above-mentioned modified examples may be executed by the manager of the facility 10 using the environmental value management device 20, or may be executed by a provider of services relating to the above-mentioned environmental value management methods using the environmental value management device 20.

[0307] One aspect of the present disclosure can be used in an environmental value management method and an environmental value management device that can more appropriately calculate environmental value for offsetting environmental loads caused by electricity consumption at facilities than before.

[0308] 10: Facility 11: Power load 20: Environmental value management device 21: Communication device 22: Controller 30: Distributed power supply system 31: Fuel cell device 32: Photovoltaic power generation device 33: Power storage device 40: External device 50A: Control device 50B: Control device 50C: Control device 52A: Power meter 52B: Power meter 52C: Power meter 53: Power meter 100: Overall system

Claims

1. A method for managing environmental values ​​in a facility equipped with a distributed power generation system equipped with a fuel cell device including at least one fuel cell unit, the method comprising a step of calculating an environmental value for offsetting at least a portion of the environmental load caused by the facility's electricity consumption, including a first environmental load caused by the facility consuming a first amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device.

2. The environmental value management method according to claim 1, wherein the environmental load caused by the facility's electricity consumption includes a second environmental load caused by the facility consuming a second amount of electricity out of the amount of electricity received from the grid power source.

3. An environmental value management method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a step of outputting information indicating that the environmental value has been acquired to an external device.

4. The environmental value management method according to claim 3, further comprising a step of outputting information indicating the environmental load to an external device.

5. An environmental value management method as described in claim 2, comprising: a step of calculating the first amount of electricity; and a step of calculating the second amount of electricity, wherein the step of calculating an environmental value comprises a step of calculating a first environmental value for offsetting at least a portion of the first environmental load; and a step of calculating a second environmental value for offsetting at least a portion of the second environmental load.

6. The environmental value management method according to claim 5, further comprising a step of calculating a third environmental value by adding the first environmental value and the second environmental value.

7. An environmental value management method according to claim 5, further comprising a step of outputting information indicating that the first environmental value and the second environmental value have been acquired to an external device.

8. The environmental value management method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of outputting information indicating that the third environmental value has been acquired to an external device.

9. An environmental value management method as described in claim 5, comprising the steps of: calculating the first environmental load based on the first amount of electricity; and calculating the second environmental load based on the second amount of electricity.

10. The environmental value management method according to claim 6, further comprising a step of calculating a third environmental load that is a sum of the first environmental load and the second environmental load.

11. The environmental value management method according to claim 7, further comprising a step of outputting the information indicating the first environmental load and the information indicating the second environmental load to an external device.

12. The environmental value management method according to claim 8, further comprising a step of outputting information indicating a third environmental load, which is the sum of the first environmental load and the second environmental load, to an external device.

13. An environmental value management method according to any one of claims 7, 8, 11 and 12, wherein information indicating the first amount of electricity and information indicating the second amount of electricity are also output to the external device.

14. An environmental value management method according to claim 2 or 13, wherein the distributed power generation system comprises a photovoltaic power generation device including at least one photovoltaic power generation unit, and further comprising a step of calculating a third amount of electricity consumed by the facility from the amount of electricity generated by the photovoltaic power generation device.

15. The environmental value management method according to claim 14, further comprising a step of outputting information indicating the third amount of power to an external device.

16. An environmental value management method according to any one of claims 1, 5-8, wherein the environmental value includes a value indicating the degree of contribution to the use of renewable energy.

17. The environmental value management method according to claim 16, wherein the value indicating the contribution to the use of renewable energy includes a renewable energy certificate.

18. An environmental value management method according to any one of claims 1, 5-8, wherein the environmental value includes a value indicating the degree of contribution to CO2 reduction.

19. The environmental value management method according to claim 18, wherein the value indicating the contribution to CO2 reduction includes carbon credits.

20. An environmental value management method according to any one of claims 1, 9-12, wherein the environmental load includes CO2 emissions.

21. An environmental value management device for a facility equipped with a distributed power generation system having a fuel cell device including at least one fuel cell unit, the environmental value management device comprising: a communication device that acquires the amount of electricity generated by the fuel cell device; and a controller that calculates an environmental value for offsetting at least a portion of the environmental load caused by electricity consumption at the facility, including a first environmental load caused by the consumption at the facility of a first amount of electricity among the amounts of electricity generated by the fuel cell device.

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