Energy resource management system, energy resource management method, and program

Abstract

This energy resource management system controls a demand-side energy resource (62) that is possessed by a consumer, in association with the provision of a power service to a power supplier or the consumer. The energy resource management system comprises a control function placement information acquisition unit (13) that acquires control function placement information pertaining to the placement of a control function which is used for controlling the demand-side energy resource (62), a provided service information acquisition unit (14) that acquires information about a provided service pertaining to a power service, a device information acquisition unit (11) that acquires device information pertaining to the demand-side energy resource (62), and a control unit (17) that generates a control command for controlling the demand-side energy resource (62).

Description

Energy resource management system, energy resource management method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to an energy resource management system, an energy resource management method, and a program.

[0002] In recent years, various efforts have been made to utilize renewable energy. Patent Document 1 discloses a solar power generation system that includes a storage battery system that can reduce the storage battery capacity and extend the life of the storage battery while maintaining the ability to suppress fluctuations in solar power generation power.

[0003] JP 2016-140182 A

[0004] The present invention provides an energy resource management system that can more easily control distributed energy resources, such as consumer-side energy resources, in a mechanism for integrated management and control of distributed energy resources such as renewable energy (energy resources installed at consumer sites or directly connected to a grid).

[0005] An energy resource management system according to one embodiment of the present invention is an energy resource management system that controls consumer-side energy resources held by a consumer in connection with the provision of electricity services to an electric utility or a consumer, and includes a control function layout information acquisition unit that acquires control function layout information regarding the layout of control functions used to control the consumer-side energy resources, a provided service information acquisition unit that acquires provided service information regarding the electricity service, an equipment information acquisition unit that acquires equipment information regarding the consumer-side energy resources, and a control unit that generates control commands for controlling the consumer-side energy resources from at least the control function layout information, the provided service information, and the equipment information.

[0006] An energy resource management method according to one aspect of the present invention is an energy resource management method executed by a computer for controlling consumer-side energy resources held by a consumer in connection with the provision of electricity services to an electric utility or a consumer, and includes the steps of acquiring control function arrangement information regarding the arrangement of control functions used to control the consumer-side energy resources, acquiring service provision information regarding the electricity service, acquiring equipment information regarding the consumer-side energy resources, and generating a control command for controlling the consumer-side energy resources from at least the control function arrangement information, the service provision information, and the equipment information.

[0007] An energy resource management method according to one aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the above-described energy resource management method.

[0008] The energy resource management system and the like of the present invention enable easier control of distributed energy resources, for example, consumer-side energy resources.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram listing power services provided to electric utilities or consumers. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating connection modes between components surrounding an energy resource management system according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating specific examples of a first management server and a second management server according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating variations in control functions in each connection mode. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a second management server according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a management controller according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration of connection mode information according to an embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration of connection mode information according to an embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration of control function placement information according to an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration of provided service information according to an embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration of participation information according to an embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a data configuration of unit price information according to an embodiment. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation of an energy resource management system according to an embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation of first control according to an embodiment. FIG. 15 is a communication sequence diagram illustrating information transmitted and received in operation of an energy resource management system according to an embodiment. FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation of second control according to an embodiment. Fig. 17 is a communication sequence diagram showing information transmitted and received during operation of the energy resource management system according to the embodiment. Fig. 18 is a diagram for explaining the connection mode between the components surrounding the energy resource management system according to the modified example of the embodiment.

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement and connection forms, steps, and step order shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components not recited in independent claims will be described as optional components.

[0011] It should be noted that the drawings are schematic diagrams and are not necessarily strict illustrations. In addition, in the drawings, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions may be omitted or simplified.

[0012] (Embodiment) [Overview] FIG. 1 is a diagram listing power services provided to electric utilities or consumers in the integrated management and control of distributed energy resources. One specific example of the integrated management and control of distributed energy resources is the concept of a virtual power plant (VPP). A VPP is a concept that virtually aggregates small-scale power generation facilities, energy storage facilities, and demand facilities (i.e., consumer-side energy resources) owned by businesses (i.e., consumers), such as general households and non-electric utilities, and treats them as a single large power plant to adjust the balance of power supply and demand in the market. To achieve this goal, various power services are operated within a VPP, such as reducing power consumption by demand facilities and discharging or generating power from energy storage facilities or power generation facilities. Naturally, each power service controls different consumer-side energy resources. Note that FIG. 1 also lists power services that may be launched in the future. In the following, the embodiments will be described with reference to consumer-side energy resources, but the energy resources are not limited to consumer-side energy resources.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the connection mode between the components surrounding the energy resource management system according to the embodiment.

[0014] FIG. 2 shows variations in connection topology of a general consumer-side energy resource. As shown in the figure, the consumer-side energy resource 62 has variations in connection topology, such as connection topology A, connection topology B, and connection topology C. Specifically, in connection topology A, a management controller 61 in a consumer 60a receives a control command (or a command value indicating a specific control amount, etc.) from an electric utility 91 or an electric power-related market 92, and controls the consumer-side energy resource 62. In connection topology B, a control command from the electric utility 91 or the electric power-related market 92 is received by an energy management server 70 (a processing server for an energy management system) outside the consumer 60b, and then received by the management controller 61 in the consumer 60b, and controls the consumer-side energy resource 62. In connection topology C, a control command from the electric utility 91 or the electric power-related market 92 is received by an energy management server 70 outside the consumer 60c, and controls the consumer-side energy resource 62 in the consumer 60c. As described above, the consumer-side energy resource 62 has various connection forms, and it is necessary to convert the received command into an appropriate control command depending on the connection form and deliver it to the consumer-side energy resource 62. Note that the connection form may be a connection form other than the above-described connection forms A, B, and C.

[0015] However, in the current situation where each consumer receives various power services and connects various devices as consumer-side energy resources 62 in different connection configurations, assembling such appropriate control commands is cumbersome. Therefore, in the present invention, at least one of the first management server 80 and the second management server 10, which exchange information between the electric utility 91 or the power-related market 92 and the consumers 60a to 60c (or the energy management server 70), is equipped with a function for autonomously assembling control commands. This makes it possible to autonomously generate control commands and control the consumer-side energy resources 62 depending on the connection configuration in which the consumer-side energy resources 62 are connected and the type of power service being used, which is closer to the consumers 60a to 60c than the first management server 80 and the second management server 10. In other words, the consumer-side energy resources 62 can be controlled more easily.

[0016] In the following embodiment, an example will be described in which the above functions are installed in the second management server 10. The first management server 80 has the function of relaying control commands received from an electric utility 91 or an electricity-related market 92 and outputting them to the second management server 10, and outputting service provision information related to the electricity services to be provided to the second management server 10. Such functional division is suitable, for example, when the first management server 80 and the second management server 10 are servers with roles as shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating specific examples of the first management server and the second management server according to the embodiment. As shown in Case A as an example in FIG. 3, the first management server 80 is realized as an operator server of an AC (Aggregation Coordinator). In that case, the second management server 10 is realized as an operator server of an RA (Resource Aggregator) and a control PFer (Platformer). As another example, as shown in Case B, the first management server 80 is realized as a provider server of the AC and the RA. That is, in this case, the AC and the RA may be the same provider. In this case, the second management server 10 is realized as a provider server of the control PFer.

[0017] The presence or absence of control functions for control in response to commands in each of the connection topologies described using FIG. 2 can be further subdivided as shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining variations in control functions in each connection topology. In FIG. 4, consumer A corresponds to consumer 60a in connection topology A, consumer B corresponds to consumer 60b in connection topology B, and consumer C corresponds to consumer 60c in connection topology C. Also, in FIG. 4, circles indicate the presence of control functions. For example, case 1 indicates that the management server (second management server 10 in this embodiment) has the control function. While it is not generally assumed that the management server does not have the control function, if each consumer has the control function, it is also possible to configure the management server not to have the control function (not shown). As shown in the figure, for the three connection topologies described above, the control functions can be allocated to each section in 14 different cases.

[0018] [Configuration] Next, the configuration of the energy resource management system according to the embodiment and the data configuration of data transmitted and received in each configuration will be described with reference to Figures 5 to 12. The energy resource management system is realized by a combination of the first management server 80 and the second management server 10, or by the second management server 10 alone.

[0019] 5 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a second management server according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a management controller according to an embodiment.

[0020] The second management server 10 includes a device information acquisition unit 11, a connection topology information acquisition unit 12, a control function layout information acquisition unit 13, a provided service information acquisition unit 14, a command value acquisition unit 15, a unit price information acquisition unit 16, a control unit 17, and an output unit 18. The second management server 10 can perform each of the above functions by executing a predetermined program using a processor and memory. The control unit 17 generates a control command from the information acquired by the device information acquisition unit 11, the connection topology information acquisition unit 12, the control function layout information acquisition unit 13, the provided service information acquisition unit 14, the command value acquisition unit 15, and the unit price information acquisition unit 16, and outputs the generated control command via the output unit 18.

[0021] The device information acquisition unit 11 is a functional unit that acquires device information related to the consumer-side energy resource 62. The device information is dynamic information for identifying the current operating status of each device of the consumer-side energy resource 62, and is, for example, information indicating the operating mode, such as the cooling mode or heating mode, and the set temperature of an air conditioner, the amount of power generated by a power generation facility, and the discharged power and remaining capacity of a storage battery. The device information also includes measurement data from power measuring instruments such as a power meter and a distribution board. The device information serves as a judgment index for determining whether to supply generated power to the market based on the current operating status of the device, and whether the set temperature can be changed to reduce power demand, and thus whether there is room for controlling the device.

[0022] The connection topology information acquisition unit 12 is a functional unit that acquires connection topology information related to the connection topology of the consumer-side energy resource 62. FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrams illustrating data configurations of the connection topology information according to an embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 7 , the connection topology information associates a consumer ID for identifying a consumer from other consumers with information about the connection topology for identifying the connection topology of each consumer. Although shown as blank in FIG. 7 , the connection information is information necessary for connecting to the management controller 61 or the energy management server 70. As illustrated in FIG. 8 , the connection topology information associates a consumer ID, an appliance ID for identifying an individual appliance of the consumer-side energy resource 62 from other appliances, an appliance type for identifying the appliance type, and information about the fixed performance of the appliance (e.g., rated information). That is, the appliance information acquisition unit 11 acquires dynamic information about the consumer-side energy resource 62, and the connection topology information acquisition unit 12 acquires static information about the consumer-side energy resource 62.

[0023] The control function location information acquisition unit 13 is a functional unit that acquires control function location information regarding the location of control functions used to control the consumer-side energy resources 62. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the data configuration of control function location information according to an embodiment. As shown in the figure, the control function location information associates a consumer ID with an electricity service type ID for distinguishing the type of electricity service from other electricity service types. The control function location information can be said to be information for identifying where each consumer has a management function when using each electricity service. Note that in the example shown in the figure, for simplicity, it is assumed that control functions are not located in multiple locations for the same consumer for the same service, but control functions may be located in multiple locations.

[0024] The provided service information acquisition unit 14 is a functional unit that acquires provided service information related to the electricity service. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the data structure of the provided service information according to an embodiment. As illustrated in the figure, the provided service information associates an electricity service ID for distinguishing the electricity service from other electricity services, an electricity service type ID, a start date and time, an end date and time of the electricity service, and information about incentives for using the electricity service. Some electricity services start and end within a specific period, while others are provided constantly (effectively without a start date and an end date). Here, as examples of electricity services, a demand response with an electricity service ID of “DR0000001,” i.e., an electricity service in which incentives are provided according to the amount of electricity reduced (or increased) over a certain period, and a peak cut with an electricity service ID of “PC0000001,” i.e., an electricity service in which control is exercised to reduce electricity during peak hours every day, are illustrated. The electricity services are not limited to these two examples; any other electricity services are contemplated, and are included in the provided service information with their respective assigned electricity service IDs.

[0025] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the data structure of participation information according to an embodiment. Each consumer may manage the electricity service they use in the form of participation information. The participation information is acquired by a participation information acquisition unit (not shown) and is used when generating a control command in the control unit 17. As shown in the figure, the participation information links the electricity service ID and the use of the electricity service for each consumer to an Opt-in consumer indicated by the consumer ID, and the non-use of the electricity service for each consumer to an Opt-out consumer indicated by the consumer ID. While FIG. 11 manages both Opt-in consumers and Opt-out consumers, it is also possible to manage only one of them. Furthermore, consumers who do not receive the corresponding electricity service may be permanently managed as Opt-out consumers.

[0026] The command value acquisition unit 15 is a functional unit that acquires control commands received from the electric utility 91 or the electricity-related market 92 via the first management server 80. That is, the command value acquisition unit 15 acquires control commands linked to services included in the provided service information.

[0027] The unit price information acquisition unit 16 is a functional unit that acquires unit price information indicating the purchase price of received power from the grid power source and the sale price of discharged power to the grid power source, as indicated in the details of the contract between each consumer and the electric power company. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the data structure of the unit price information according to the embodiment. As shown in the figure, the unit price information links the consumer ID, the basic fee in the contract, the purchase price in the contract, and the sale price in the contract. By using the unit price information, it is possible to generate a control command taking into account the purchase price and sale price of each consumer as necessary.

[0028] The control unit 17 uses the acquired device information, connection configuration information, control function layout information, provided service information, participation availability information, and unit price information to perform calculations necessary to realize the acquired command values, and generates control commands for the consumer-side energy resources 62 of each consumer. Any existing calculation method, such as mathematical programming, can be applied as a method for generating control commands from command values. The control unit 17 then outputs the generated control commands to the output unit 18. Note that the control unit 17 can generate control commands if it has at least control function layout information, provided service information, and device information. Therefore, components other than the device information acquisition unit 11, control function layout information acquisition unit 13, provided service information acquisition unit 14, and control unit 17 are not essential for the second management server 10.

[0029] The output unit 18 outputs the generated control command to a necessary component so that the customer-side energy resource 62 is controlled in accordance with the command.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 6, the management controller 61 is one of the multiple management controllers 61 shown in Fig. 2. Note that in connection configuration C shown in Fig. 6, there is no management controller 61, but the energy management server 70 has the functions of the management controller 61. The management controller 61 includes a device information acquisition unit 611, a control command value acquisition unit 612, a weather information acquisition unit 613, a unit price information acquisition unit 614, a control unit 615, and an output unit 616. The management controller 61 can fulfill each of the above functions by executing a predetermined program using a processor and memory.

[0031] The device information acquisition unit 611 is a functional unit that acquires device information.

[0032] The control command value acquisition unit 612 is a functional unit that acquires a control command (or a control command value indicating a specific control amount, etc.).

[0033] The weather information acquisition unit 613 is a functional unit that acquires weather information (weather forecasts, etc.) related to the weather at the location of the facility where the consumer-side energy resource 62 is installed. The weather information affects, for example, the power generation efficiency of the power generation equipment and the operating efficiency of the demand equipment such as an air conditioner, and is therefore used to update the control amount indicated in the control command value.

[0034] The unit price information acquisition unit 614 is a functional unit that acquires unit price information.

[0035] The control unit 615 determines whether or not the control command value needs to be updated, and if updating is not necessary, outputs the control command value to the output unit 616 so that it is output to the consumer-side energy resource 62 .

[0036] The output unit 616 outputs the control command value to a necessary component so that the consumer-side energy resource 62 is controlled accordingly. The output unit 616 also outputs the acquired device information to the second management server 10 via the energy management server 70 or directly.

[0037] [Operation Example] The energy resource management system configured as described above operates as follows. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the energy resource management system according to the embodiment. As shown in Fig. 13, when the operation of the energy resource management system is started, the connection mode information acquisition unit 12 acquires connection mode information (S11). The acquired connection mode information is stored in a storage unit (not shown) or the like and used continuously, but, for example, the connection mode information acquisition unit 12 may acquire new connection mode information each time the command value acquisition unit 15 acquires a command, and the newly acquired connection mode information may be used each time.

[0038] Next, the control function layout information acquisition unit 13 acquires the control function layout information (S12). The acquired control function layout information is stored in a storage unit (not shown) or the like and used continuously, but for example, the control function layout information acquisition unit 13 may acquire new control function layout information each time the command value acquisition unit 15 acquires a command, and use the newly acquired control function layout information each time.

[0039] Next, the provided service information acquisition unit 14 acquires the provided service information (S13). The acquired provided service information is stored in a storage unit (not shown) or the like and is continuously used, but for example, the provided service information acquisition unit 14 may acquire new provided service information each time the command value acquisition unit 15 acquires a command, and use the newly acquired provided service information each time.

[0040] Then, using this acquired information, the control unit 17 generates a control command.

[0041] Specifically, the control unit 17 determines whether the control function arrangement is an arrangement in which a control command should be issued under the first control (S14), and if it is determined that the arrangement is an arrangement in which a control command should be issued under the first control (Yes in S14), the control unit 17 generates a control command under the first control (S20).

[0042] If it is determined that the arrangement is not one in which a control command should be issued under the first control (No in S14), the control unit 17 determines whether the control function arrangement is one in which a control command should be issued under the second control (S15), and if it is determined that the arrangement is one in which a control command should be issued under the second control (Yes in S15), the control unit 17 generates a control command under the second control (S30).

[0043] If it is determined that the arrangement is not one in which a control command should be issued under the second control (No in S15), the control unit 17 determines whether the control function arrangement is one in which a control command should be issued under the third control (S16), and if it is determined that the arrangement is one in which a control command should be issued under the third control (Yes in S16), the control unit 17 generates a control command under the third control (S40).

[0044] When it is determined that the arrangement does not require a control command in the third control (No in S16), the control unit 17 ends the process without generating a control command.

[0045] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the first control according to the embodiment. That is, FIG. 14 is a subflow of step S20 shown in FIG. 13. Here, generation of a control command for case 1 shown in FIG. 4 will be described as the first control. As shown in FIG. 14, first, in the second management server 10, the unit price information acquisition unit 16 acquires unit price information (S21). The acquired unit price information is stored in a storage unit (not shown) or the like and used continuously. However, for example, each time the command value acquisition unit 15 acquires a command, the unit price information acquisition unit 16 may acquire new unit price information and use the newly acquired unit price information each time.

[0046] Next, the command value acquisition unit 15 acquires the command value (S22), and the device information acquisition unit 11 acquires the device information (S23).

[0047] The control unit 17 generates a control command (S24) and outputs it to the output unit 18. In case 1 shown in FIG. 4 , the second management server 10 generates control commands for all power services. Therefore, regardless of the connection topology shown in FIG. 2 , the control unit 17 calculates control commands for one or more consumer-side energy resources 62 shown in FIG. 2 . When the service provided in the current slot that includes the current time (for example, when the current time is 12:00, the slot from 12:00 to 12:30) is peak shaving, the control unit 17 collects information on the received power and devices of the consumer providing the service, i.e., the Opt-in consumer, and generates a control command for the consumer-side energy resource 62 so that the received power does not exceed an upper limit. Furthermore, when the service provided in the current slot is a demand response (DR) and peak shaving for reducing procurement costs, the control unit 17 collects information on the received power and devices of the Opt-in consumer, and generates a control command for the consumer-side energy resource 62 so that both the demand response (DR) and peak shaving are achieved. The control unit 17 may generate control commands for both services simultaneously, or may generate them one by one. The control command calculated by the control unit 17 may be a command for the current slot, a command for the next slot (for example, if the current time is 12:00, a slot from 12:30 to 13:00), or a command for the next 24-hour slot (00:00 to 24:00), and there is no limit to the time period or duration that the control command applies to. Furthermore, the length of one slot may be 30 minutes, 1 hour, etc. The output unit 18 outputs the generated control command (S25).

[0048] Fig. 15 is a communication sequence diagram showing information transmitted and received during operation of the energy resource management system according to the embodiment. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing the overall operation of the energy resource management system in the case of the first control, taking the above into consideration. In Fig. 15, the electric utility 91 and the electric power-related market 92 are collectively referred to as an electric utility / electric power-related market 99, and the energy management server 70 and the management controller 61 are collectively referred to as an energy management server / management controller 79.

[0049] 15 , the energy management server / management controller 79 transmits connection configuration information, control function layout information, and provided service information to the second management server 10. On the other hand, the first management server 80 transmits the provided service information to the second management server 10.

[0050] The energy management server / management controller 79 also transmits participation possibility information to the second management server 10. Based on the information transmitted and received up to this point, the second management server 10 can determine which of the first to third control modes according to the control function arrangement should be used to generate a control command.

[0051] Here, the electric utility / electricity-related market 99 transmits a command value to the first management server 80. The first management server 80 transmits the command value as is to the second management server 10 (Case B shown in FIG. 3). Note that, if there are multiple second management servers 10, the first management server 80 may distribute the command value from the electric utility / electricity-related market 99 to the second management servers 10 (Case A shown in FIG. 3).

[0052] On the other hand, the consumer-side energy resource 62 transmits the device information to the energy management server / management controller 79. The energy management server / management controller 79 transmits the device information to the second management server 10 as is.

[0053] Then, the second management server 10 transmits the control command value to the energy management server / management controller 79. The energy management server / management controller 79 transmits the control command value to the consumer-side energy resource 62 as is.

[0054] FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the second control according to the embodiment. That is, FIG. 16 is a subflow of step S30 shown in FIG. 13. Here, generation of a control command for case 6 shown in FIG. 4 will be described as the second control. As shown in FIG. 16, first, in the second management server 10, the unit price information acquisition unit 16 acquires unit price information (S31). The acquired unit price information is stored in a storage unit (not shown) or the like and used continuously. However, for example, the unit price information acquisition unit 16 may acquire new unit price information each time the command value acquisition unit 15 acquires a command, and the newly acquired unit price information may be used each time.

[0055] Next, the command value acquisition unit 15 acquires a command value (S32).

[0056] The control unit 17 generates a control command (S33) and outputs it to the output unit 18. For example, in case 6 shown in FIG. 4 , when the management controller 61 of connection type B generates a control command for a demand shift service based on the electricity rate unit price (e.g., TOU (Time Of Use)) and the second management server 10 generates a control command for a downward DR to reduce procurement costs, the control unit 17 first generates the control command for the downward DR to reduce procurement costs, and the output unit 18 outputs the generated control command (S34). That is, the output unit 18 sends the control command to the management controller 61 via the energy management server 70 (in case 6, the energy management server 70 does not have a control function, so the energy management server 70 sends the control command directly to the management controller 61).

[0057] The control command calculated by the control unit 17 or the management controller 61 may be a command for the current slot, a command for the next slot (for example, if the current time is 12:00, the slot from 12:30 to 13:00), or a command for the next 24-hour slot (00:00 to 24:00), and there is no limit to the time period or duration that the control command applies to. Also, the length of one slot may be 30 minutes, 1 hour, etc.

[0058] In addition, the management controller 61 may first generate a control command for a demand shift service based on the electricity rate unit price, and then the control unit 17 may generate a control command for a downward DR to reduce procurement costs, and there is no restriction on the order of calculation.

[0059] Meanwhile, the control unit 17 acquires an operation plan for the output control command (S35), and the device information acquisition unit 11 acquires device information (S36).

[0060] The control unit 17 updates and regenerates the control command (S37) and outputs it to the output unit 18. The output unit 18 outputs the generated control command (S38). Thereafter, the control unit 17 acquires an updated operation plan for the output updated control command (S39).

[0061] Fig. 17 is a communication sequence diagram showing information transmitted and received during the operation of the energy resource management system according to the embodiment. Fig. 17 is a diagram showing the overall operation of the energy resource management system in the case of the second control, taking the above into consideration. In Fig. 17, the electric utility 91 and the electric power-related market 92 are collectively referred to as an electric utility / electric power-related market 99, and the energy management server 70 and the management controller 61 are collectively referred to as an energy management server / management controller 79.

[0062] 17 , the energy management server / management controller 79 transmits connection configuration information, control function layout information, and provided service information to the second management server 10. On the other hand, the first management server 80 transmits the provided service information to the second management server 10.

[0063] The energy management server / management controller 79 also transmits participation possibility information to the second management server 10. Based on the information transmitted and received up to this point, the second management server 10 can determine which of the first to third control modes according to the control function arrangement should be used to generate a control command.

[0064] Here, the electric utility / electricity-related market 99 transmits the command value to the first management server 80. The first management server 80 transmits the command value to the second management server 10 as is.

[0065] The second management server 10 transmits a control command value to the energy management server / management controller 79. The energy management server / management controller 79 transmits an operation plan corresponding to the control command to the second management server 10. In addition, the energy management server / management controller 79 transmits the control command value as is to the consumer-side energy resource 62.

[0066] On the other hand, the consumer-side energy resource 62 transmits the device information to the energy management server / management controller 79. The energy management server / management controller 79 transmits the device information to the second management server 10 as is.

[0067] Then, the second management server 10 transmits the updated control command value to the energy management server / management controller 79. The energy management server / management controller 79 transmits an operation plan for the updated control command to the second management server 10. The energy management server / management controller 79 transmits the updated control command value as is to the consumer-side energy resource 62.

[0068] The operation of the third control is not usually performed, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0069] As described above in the embodiment, in the present invention, the second management server 10 generates control commands using control function layout information, provided service information, and device information, thereby determining the layout of the control functions and implementing appropriate control. In other words, the control commands can be generated autonomously to control the consumer-side energy resources 62. In this way, the present invention makes it possible to more easily control the consumer-side energy resources 62. Furthermore, since it does not involve complicated operations such as processing of command values ​​by the electric utility company 91, the electricity-related market 92, or the first management server 80, it has the advantage of being highly compatible with existing energy resource management systems and easy to introduce.

[0070] [Modification] A modification of the above-described embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 18 . In the modification described below, differences from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described, and descriptions of substantially similar aspects to the embodiment will be omitted. FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining the connection between the components surrounding the energy resource management system according to the modification of the embodiment. FIG. 18 differs from FIG. 2 in that a management server 10A is provided instead of the first management server 80 and the second management server 10. In other words, the management server 10A is a single server that integrates the functions of the first management server 80 and the second management server 10. As described above, the management server described in the embodiment as having a two-tier configuration is not limited to the number of tiers, and may be a single-tier configuration. Furthermore, as described in FIG. 2 , the management server is realized by combining servers of the AC, RA, and control PFer providers. Therefore, the management server may be realized in a three-tier or more tier configuration, divided into an AC provider server, an RA provider server, and a control PFer provider server.

[0071] [Effects, etc.] Hereinafter, examples of inventions obtained from the disclosure of this specification will be given, and effects, etc. obtained from the inventions will be described.

[0072] The energy resource management system of invention 1 is an energy resource management system that controls consumer-side energy resources 62 owned by consumers in connection with the provision of electricity services to electric power companies or consumers, and includes a control function layout information acquisition unit 13 that acquires control function layout information regarding the layout of control functions used to control the consumer-side energy resources 62, a provided service information acquisition unit 14 that acquires provided service information regarding the electricity service, an equipment information acquisition unit 11 that acquires equipment information regarding the consumer-side energy resources 62, and a control unit 17 that generates control commands for controlling the consumer-side energy resources 62 from at least the control function layout information, the provided service information, and the equipment information.

[0073] Such an energy resource management system can determine the placement of control functions and perform appropriate control by using control function placement information, provided service information, and device information when generating control commands. That is, it can autonomously generate control commands to control the consumer-side energy resources 62. That is, it can more easily control the consumer-side energy resources 62.

[0074] The energy resource management system of invention 2 is the energy resource management system described in invention 1, further comprising a connection topology information acquisition unit 12 that acquires connection topology information regarding the connection topology of the consumer-side energy resource 62, and the control unit 17 generates a control command for controlling the consumer-side energy resource 62 from at least the connection topology information, control function layout information, provided service information, and equipment information.

[0075] Such an energy resource management system can determine the placement of control functions and perform appropriate control by using connection topology information, control function placement information, provided service information, and device information when generating control commands. That is, the system can autonomously generate control commands to control the consumer-side energy resources 62. That is, the consumer-side energy resources 62 can be controlled more easily.

[0076] The energy resource management system of invention 3 is the energy resource management system described in invention 1 or invention 2, and further includes a command value acquisition unit 15 that acquires a command requesting control of the consumer-side energy resource 62, and the control unit 17 generates a control command for controlling the consumer-side energy resource 62 when the command value is acquired.

[0077] In such an energy resource management system, the control unit 17 can generate a control command when a command value is acquired.

[0078] The energy resource management system of invention 4 is the energy resource management system described in invention 3, in which the acquired control function layout information, provided service information, and equipment information are each stored, and the control unit 17 generates a control command for controlling the consumer-side energy resource 62 from the control function layout information, provided service information, and equipment information stored when the command value is acquired.

[0079] Such an energy resource management system stores the acquired control function layout information, provided service information, and equipment information, and when the control unit 17 generates a control command, it can generate the control command from the stored control function layout information, provided service information, and equipment information.

[0080] The energy resource management system of invention 5 is the energy resource management system described in invention 3, in which the acquired control function layout information, provided service information, and equipment information are not retained, and the control unit 17 generates a control command for controlling the consumer-side energy resource 62 from the newly acquired control function layout information, provided service information, and equipment information when a command value is acquired.

[0081] Such an energy resource management system does not retain the acquired control function layout information, provided service information, and equipment information, and when the control unit 17 generates a control command, it can generate the control command from the newly acquired control function layout information, provided service information, and equipment information when the command value is acquired.

[0082] The energy resource management method of invention 6 is an energy resource management method executed by a computer for controlling a consumer-side energy resource 62 owned by a consumer in connection with the provision of an electric power service to an electric utility or the consumer, and includes step S12 of acquiring control function arrangement information regarding the arrangement of control functions used to control the consumer-side energy resource 62, step S13 of acquiring service provision information regarding the electric power service, step S23 or step S36 of acquiring equipment information regarding the consumer-side energy resource 62, and step S24 or step S33 of generating a control command for controlling the consumer-side energy resource 62 from at least the control function arrangement information, the service provision information, and the equipment information.

[0083] Such an energy resource management method has the same effects as the above-described energy resource management system.

[0084] A seventh aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the energy resource management method according to the sixth aspect of the present invention.

[0085] When executed by a computer, such a program provides the same effects as the energy resource management system described above.

[0086] (Other Embodiments) Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0087] For example, in the above embodiment, the energy resource management system is realized by a plurality of devices. In this case, the processes executed by the devices or systems included in the energy resource management system may be distributed to other devices or systems. For example, some or all of the processes executed by the server system may be executed by a control device. Furthermore, the energy resource management system may be realized by a single device. The same applies to other systems.

[0088] In the above-described embodiment, the processing performed by a specific processing unit may be performed by another processing unit. The order of multiple processing operations may be changed, or multiple processing operations may be performed in parallel.

[0089] In the above-described embodiments, each component may be realized by executing a software program suitable for that component, or by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0090] Furthermore, each component may be realized by hardware. For example, each component may be a circuit (or integrated circuit). These circuits may form a single circuit as a whole, or each may be a separate circuit. Furthermore, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

[0091] Furthermore, the general or specific aspects of the present invention may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0092] For example, the present invention may be realized as an energy resource management system, a server system, or an information processing system according to the above-described embodiments. Furthermore, the present invention may be realized as a method executed by a computer system such as an energy resource management system, a server system, or an information processing system, or as a program for causing a computer system to execute such a method. The present invention may also be realized as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which such a program is recorded.

[0093] In addition, the present invention also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to each embodiment that a person skilled in the art would think of, or forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment within the scope of the present invention.

[0094] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Second management server 10A Management server 11, 611 Device information acquisition unit 12 Connection form information acquisition unit 13 Control function arrangement information acquisition unit 14 Provided service information acquisition unit 15 Command value acquisition unit 16, 614 Unit price information acquisition unit 17, 615 Control unit 18, 616 Output unit 60a, 60b, 60c Consumer 61 Management controller 62 Consumer side energy resource 70 Energy management server 79 Energy management server / management controller 80 First management server 91 Electric power supplier 92 Electricity-related market 99 Electric power supplier / electricity-related market 612 Control command value acquisition unit 613 Weather information acquisition unit

Claims

1. An energy resource management system that controls consumer-side energy resources owned by an electric utility or consumer in connection with the provision of electricity services to the consumer, comprising: a control function layout information acquisition unit that acquires control function layout information regarding the layout of control functions used to control the consumer-side energy resources; a provided service information acquisition unit that acquires provided service information regarding the electricity service; an equipment information acquisition unit that acquires equipment information regarding the consumer-side energy resources; and a control unit that generates control commands to control the consumer-side energy resources from at least the control function layout information, the provided service information, and the equipment information.

2. The energy resource management system of claim 1 further comprises a connection topology information acquisition unit that acquires connection topology information regarding the connection topology of the consumer-side energy resources, and the control unit generates control commands for controlling the consumer-side energy resources from at least the connection topology information, the control function layout information, the provided service information, and the equipment information.

3. An energy resource management system as described in claim 1, further comprising a command value acquisition unit that acquires a command requesting control of the consumer-side energy resource, wherein the control unit generates a control command for controlling the consumer-side energy resource when the command value is acquired.

4. The energy resource management system described in claim 3, wherein the acquired control function layout information, the provided service information, and the equipment information are each stored, and the control unit generates a control command for controlling the consumer-side energy resource from the control function layout information, the provided service information, and the equipment information stored when the command value was acquired.

5. An energy resource management system as described in claim 3, wherein the acquired control function layout information, the provided service information, and the equipment information are not retained, and the control unit generates a control command for controlling the consumer-side energy resource from the control function layout information, the provided service information, and the equipment information newly acquired when the command value is acquired.

6. An energy resource management method executed by a computer for controlling consumer-side energy resources owned by a consumer in connection with the provision of electricity services to an electric utility or consumer, the energy resource management method comprising the steps of: acquiring control function arrangement information relating to the arrangement of control functions used to control the consumer-side energy resources; acquiring service provision information relating to the electricity service; acquiring equipment information relating to the consumer-side energy resources; and generating a control command for controlling the consumer-side energy resources from at least the control function arrangement information, the service provision information, and the equipment information.

7. A program for causing a computer to execute the energy resource management method according to claim 6.

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