Energy operation support device and energy operation support system

Abstract

An energy operation support device for supporting energy operation performed by a plurality of consumers, said device comprising: a congestion prediction unit for predicting a distribution state of power in a power network; and a plan creation unit for creating, on the basis of the prediction by the congestion prediction unit, an energy operation plan including transaction plans of storable energy among the plurality of consumers, said storable energy being generated by power usage.

Description

Energy operation support device and energy operation support system

[0001] The present invention relates to an energy operation support device and an energy operation support system.

[0002] As a technology related to hydrogen production using the power output from a renewable energy power generation device, there is the technology described in Patent Document 1 below. This Patent Document 1 describes, "an acquisition unit configured to acquire performance data regarding the performance of a plurality of hydrogen production devices and provisional operation plan data regarding a provisional operation plan temporarily created for the operation plan, and based on the performance data and the provisional operation plan data acquired by the acquisition unit, a prediction unit configured to obtain performance prediction data by predicting the performance of the plurality of hydrogen production devices during the planned period, and a plan unit configured to obtain the operation plan by correcting the provisional operation plan based on the performance prediction data obtained by the prediction of the prediction unit," and states that "the provisional operation plan data may be data regarding a provisional operation plan created to correspond to demand response (DR: customer response)."

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2024-43800

[0004] By the way, in hydrogen production using renewable energy, energy storage is made possible by converting surplus power among the power output from the renewable energy power generation device into hydrogen. However, the power output from the renewable energy power generation device is greatly affected by the weather and thus has a large fluctuation range, and there is also an upper limit to the storage amount and usage amount of the produced hydrogen. Therefore, not all of the surplus power generated by the renewable energy power generation device can be converted into hydrogen, and residual power may occur. In this case, the renewable energy power generation device needs to suppress the power generation amount, resulting in a loss of power generation opportunities.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an energy operation support device and an energy operation support system capable of suppressing the loss of power generation opportunities in a renewable energy power generation device.

[0006] To solve the above problems, for example, the configuration described in the claims is adopted. The present invention includes multiple means for solving the above problems, but to give one example, an energy operation support device for supporting the operation of energy by multiple consumers, comprising a congestion prediction unit for predicting the state of electricity flow in the power grid, and a planning unit that creates an energy operation plan including a trading plan for storable energy generated by electricity use among the multiple consumers based on the predictions made by the congestion prediction unit.

[0007] The present invention provides an energy operation support device and an energy operation support system that can reduce the loss of power generation opportunities in renewable energy power generation equipment.

[0008] This is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of an energy operation support system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a configuration diagram of an energy operation support device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a flowchart illustrating an energy operation support method using an energy operation support device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a process flow showing a series of processes for each part constituting the energy operation support system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for utilizing surplus power in the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a configuration diagram of an energy operation support device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This is a flowchart illustrating an energy operation support method using an energy operation support device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This is a process flow showing a series of processes for each part constituting the energy operation support system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following, the overall configuration of the energy operation support system will be described, followed by a detailed description of the energy operation support devices included in this energy operation support system. In each embodiment, the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted.

[0010] <<Energy Operation Support System>> Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the energy operation support system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The energy operation support system 1 shown in Figure 1 is a system for reducing the loss of power generation opportunities of the renewable energy power generation device RE1 by efficiently utilizing the surplus power (surplus electricity) from the electricity generated by the renewable energy power generation device RE1. The renewable energy power generation device RE1 is a power generation device that utilizes solar power, wind power, and other energy sources that can be used permanently.

[0011] This energy operation support system 1 includes one of the energy operation support devices 10, 10' of each embodiment described below, and further includes a consumer 20 that uses electricity, a carrier 30 that transports the storable energy generated by the consumer 20, and an external server 40. The storable energy is, for example, hydrogen, and storable energy will be described as hydrogen from now on. The components of the energy operation support system 1 will be described below.

[0012] <Energy Operation Support Devices 10, 10'> The energy operation support devices 10, 10' support the energy operation of multiple consumers 20. In particular, the energy operation support devices 10, 10' described in the following embodiments formulate an energy plan to minimize the loss of power generation opportunities for the renewable energy power generation device RE1 and support the operation of the electricity generated by the renewable energy power generation device RE1. Such energy operation support devices 10, 10' are composed of a computer. The computer includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory), and a network interface. The energy operation support devices 10, 10' formulate an energy plan by having the CPU read a predetermined program from the ROM, expand it into the RAM, and then having the CPU execute the expanded program. The detailed configuration of these energy operation support devices 10, 10' will be described in the following embodiments.

[0013] <Consumer 20> Consumer 20 refers to various facilities that utilize electricity. Here, at least one consumer 20 has a hydrogen production device 200. The hydrogen production device 200 primarily uses electricity generated by a renewable energy power generation device RE1 to produce hydrogen. The hydrogen produced by the hydrogen production device 200 may be either hydrogen gas or liquid hydrogen. Consumer 20 also has at least one of the following: a storage tank 201 for storing hydrogen, and a factory 202 for manufacturing or processing goods using hydrogen. Furthermore, consumer 20 may also have a renewable energy power generation device RE1.

[0014] Each consumer 20 obtains electricity generated by the renewable energy power generation device RE1 or other electricity via the power grid N1 which has a substation N1a. Alternatively, a consumer 20 that has a hydrogen production device 200 may distribute the hydrogen it produces by transporting it using pipelines N2 and a transportation network N3. The transportation network N3 includes roads, sea routes, air routes, and railway lines.

[0015] Furthermore, each customer 20 has communication equipment (not shown) for transmitting information with the energy operation support devices 10 and 10', and provides customer information to the energy operation support devices 10 and 10'. The customer information provided by customer 20 includes the customer's location information, information on the equipment owned by customer 20, contract information between customer 20 and its electricity and manufactured goods suppliers, and energy demand information (customer operation plan) at customer 20.

[0016] <Transportation Company 30> Transportation company 30 transports hydrogen produced by one customer 20 to another customer 20 using transportation means 30a. The transportation means 30a used by transportation company 30 include trucks using roads as the transportation network N3, ships using sea routes as the transportation network N3, ships and aircraft using air routes as the transportation network N3, and freight trains using rail lines as the transportation network N3. In Figure 1, only one transportation company 30 is shown, but there may be multiple transportation companies 30. In addition, each transportation company 30 has communication equipment (not shown) for transmitting information with energy operation support devices 10, 10'.

[0017] <External Server 40> The external server 40 supplies the energy operation support devices 10 and 10' with the information necessary to formulate an energy plan. One of these external servers 40 is a weather information server 40a that handles weather information, and is, for example, a computer owned by the Japan Meteorological Agency or other weather forecasting companies. Another (or several) of the external servers 40 is a distribution network information server 40b that handles distribution network information such as the power grid N1, pipelines N2, and transportation network N3, and is, for example, a computer owned by a power company and a computer owned by a traffic information center.

[0018] ≪Configuration of the Energy Operation Support Device 10 in the First Embodiment≫ Figure 2 is a configuration diagram of the energy operation support device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Next, the configuration of the energy operation support device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described based on Figure 2, with reference to Figure 1. The energy operation support device 10 shown in Figure 2 includes a congestion prediction unit 11, a plan creation unit 12, and a transportation arrangement unit 13. Each of these functional units is as follows.

[0019] <Congestion Prediction Unit 11> The congestion prediction unit 11 predicts the congestion status of each distribution network, such as the power grid N1, pipeline N2, and transportation network N3 shown in Figure 1, based on information from the external server 40 and information from the consumers 20. Such a congestion prediction unit 11 includes a power generation amount prediction unit 111, a distribution status calculation unit 112, and a grid capacity evaluation unit 113. These are as follows.

[0020] [Power Generation Forecasting Unit 111] The power generation forecasting unit 111 predicts the amount of power generated by the renewable energy power generation device RE1 (hereinafter referred to as renewable energy power generation) based on weather information obtained from the weather information server 40a. The renewable energy power generation predicted here is, for example, the amount of power generated for several days to several tens of days in advance. The weather information that the power generation forecasting unit 111 obtains from the weather information server 40a is, for example, information related to renewable energy power generation, such as the amount of solar radiation and wind speed for several days to several tens of days in advance.

[0021] [Distribution State Calculation Unit 112] The distribution state calculation unit 112 predicts the energy distribution state based on the renewable energy generation amount predicted by the power generation amount prediction unit 111, the distribution network information obtained from the distribution network information server 40b, and the consumer information obtained from each consumer 20. The energy distribution state predicted by the distribution state calculation unit 112 is the distribution state of electricity using the power grid N1 (see Figure 1), and the distribution state of hydrogen using the pipeline N2 and the transport network N3 (see Figure 1), and is the distribution amount for each area, extending from several days to several tens of days in advance. For the prediction of the distribution state, for example, a calculation method utilizing Newton's method is applied to the distribution state of electricity using the power grid N1 and the distribution state of hydrogen gas using the pipeline N2.

[0022] [Grid Capacity Evaluation Unit 113] The grid capacity evaluation unit 113 calculates the congestion areas of the distribution network and the amount of congestion in those areas based on the energy distribution status calculated by the distribution status calculation unit 112 and the distribution network information obtained from the distribution network information server 40b. Figure 1 shows the congestion area A1 of the power grid N1.

[0023] Furthermore, the grid capacity evaluation unit 113 extracts surrounding customers [i] in the congested area A1 of the power grid N1 from among the customers 20 based on customer information obtained from each customer 20, and evaluates the capacity of surrounding customers [i] to absorb congestion as grid capacity.

[0024] Here, surrounding consumers [i] of congested area A1 are consumers on the same system who receive electricity from the power grid N1 of congested area A1, and may be a group of consumers consisting of multiple consumers.

[0025] Furthermore, the congestion level of the power grid N1 is the amount of electrical energy when the voltage fluctuation range reaches its upper limit, or the amount of electrical energy that deviates from the upper limit of the power flowing through the power lines. The congestion level of the power grid N1 is determined by the amount of electrical energy flowing through the power lines, as well as the constraints set on the voltage at the receiving points and relay points between each consumer 20 and the power grid N1. This congestion level of the power grid N1 corresponds to the surplus power (surplus electricity) of the electricity generated by the renewable energy power generation device RE1.

[0026] Furthermore, the congestion level of pipeline N2 is determined by constraints set on the flow rate or gas pressure of the hydrogen gas flowing through pipeline N2. The congestion level of pipeline N2 is the amount of fluid that deviates from the upper limit of the flow rate or the upper limit of the pressure fluctuation.

[0027] The procedures for calculating the congestion area A1 and the amount of congestion in the power grid N1 in the grid capacity evaluation unit 113, and the procedures for evaluating the absorption capacity (grid capacity) of surrounding consumers [i] for the calculated congestion amount in the power grid N1 congestion area A1, will be explained in detail in the following section on energy operation support methods.

[0028] <Planning Unit 12> The planning unit 12 creates a plan to alleviate the congestion of each distribution network calculated by the grid capacity evaluation unit 113, and seeks agreement among the consumers 20 on the created plan. The plan created by this planning unit 12 is an energy operation plan that includes a hydrogen trading plan among the consumers 20, and is an energy plan to minimize the loss of power generation opportunities for the renewable energy power generation device RE1. Such a planning unit 12 includes a constraint setting unit 121, an operation plan creation unit 122, and an energy utilization evaluation unit 123. These are as follows.

[0029] [Constraint Setting Unit 121] The constraint setting unit 121 sets constraints for the operation plan creation unit 122, which will be described next, to create an energy operation plan including a hydrogen trading plan. Based on information on congestion status obtained from the grid capacity evaluation unit 113, distribution network information obtained from the distribution network information server 40b, and customer information obtained from each customer 20, the constraint setting unit 121 sets constraints related to the distribution network and constraints related to energy operation at the customer 20. Here, the constraints related to the distribution network are the constraints related to the power grid N1 (see Figure 1). The constraints related to energy operation are the constraints related to the use of electricity, hydrogen production, and storage. The setting of constraints in the constraint setting unit 121 will be explained in detail in the energy operation support method described below.

[0030] [Operational Plan Creation Unit 122] Based on the distribution network information obtained from the distribution network information server 40b and the customer information obtained from each customer 20, the operational plan creation unit 122 creates an energy operational plan, including a hydrogen trading plan among the customers 20, so as to satisfy the constraints set by the constraint setting unit 121. The energy operational plan created here is a surplus power utilization pattern for each customer 20 to utilize the remaining power that cannot be converted into hydrogen from the surplus power calculated by the grid capacity evaluation unit 113.

[0031] Such an energy operation plan (surplus power utilization pattern) consists of a consumer operation plan for hydrogen production using the remaining power of surrounding consumers [i] and a trading plan for the produced hydrogen. A specific example of a hydrogen trading plan is a hydrogen trading plan between surrounding consumer [i] in congested area A1 and another consumer [j], which consists of the amount of hydrogen traded and the trading time period. Here, the other consumer [j] is defined as a consumer supported by the same energy operation support device 10 as surrounding consumer [i]. Furthermore, it is preferable, but not limited to, that the other consumer [j] is a consumer 20 located close to surrounding consumer [i]. In addition, the other consumer [j] may be a consumer supported by another energy operation support device 10. In this case, it is assumed that information is shared via a network among multiple energy operation support devices 10.

[0032] The procedure for creating an energy operation plan in the operation plan creation unit 122 will be explained in detail in the following section on energy operation support methods.

[0033] [Energy Utilization Evaluation Unit 123] The Energy Utilization Evaluation Unit 123 transmits the energy operation plan, including the transaction plan generated by the Operation Plan Creation Unit 122, to the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j]. The Energy Utilization Evaluation Unit 123 also lists the energy operation plans agreed upon between the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j] from the transmitted energy operation plans in the surplus power utilization list and transmits the surplus power utilization list to the Transportation Arrangement Unit 13. The Energy Utilization Evaluation Unit 123 also transmits the transportation plan obtained from the transportation company 30 via the Transportation Arrangement Unit 13, which will be described next, to the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j].

[0034] <Transportation Arrangement Unit 13> Based on the energy operation plan of the surplus power utilization list obtained from the Energy Utilization Evaluation Unit 123, the Transportation Arrangement Unit 13 arranges for the transportation of hydrogen between the surrounding consumer [i] and other consumers [j] to the transportation company 30. It also transmits the transportation plan formulated by the transportation company 30 to the surrounding consumer [i] and other consumers [j] via the Energy Utilization Evaluation Unit 123.

[0035] ≪Energy Operation Support Method by Energy Operation Support Device 10 of the First Embodiment≫ Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the energy operation support method by the energy operation support device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a process flow showing a series of processes of each part constituting the energy operation support system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the energy operation support method by the energy operation support device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described in the order shown in the flowchart of Figure 3, with reference to Figure 4 and the aforementioned Figures 1 and 2. The energy operation support method described using these figures is executed by the CPU of the energy operation support device 10 according to the first embodiment reading a predetermined program from ROM and expanding it into RAM, and then the CPU executing the expanded program.

[0036] <Step S100> In step S100, the power generation prediction unit 111 predicts the amount of power generated by the renewable energy power generation equipment (renewable energy power generation). At this time, the power generation prediction unit 111 obtains weather information from an external weather information server 40a and predicts the amount of renewable energy power generation for several days to several tens of days in advance based on the obtained weather information.

[0037] <Step S101> In step S101, the distribution state calculation unit 112 calculates the energy distribution state. At this time, the distribution state calculation unit 112 predicts the energy distribution state based on the renewable energy generation amount predicted by the power generation amount prediction unit 111, the distribution network information obtained from the distribution network information server 40b, and the consumer information obtained from each consumer 20. The energy distribution state refers to the distribution state of electricity using the power grid N1 (see Figure 1), and the distribution state of hydrogen using pipelines N2 and the transport network N3 (see Figure 1), and is the distribution amount for each area, extending from a few days to several tens of days in advance.

[0038] <Step S102> In step S102, the grid capacity evaluation unit 113 calculates the congested area A1 of the power grid N1 and the amount of congestion in congested area A1. At this time, the grid capacity evaluation unit 113 calculates the congested area A1 of the power grid N1 and the amount of congestion in the distribution network based on the energy distribution state calculated by the distribution state calculation unit 112 in step S101 and the distribution network information obtained from the distribution network information server 40b.

[0039] The following equation (1) represents the amount of congestion in the power grid N1, i.e., the surplus power Psurplus. Based on the following equation (1), the grid capacity evaluation unit 113 predicts the amount of congestion in the power grid N1 (surplus power Psurplus) at time t for each area.

[0040]

[0041] <Step S103> In Step S103, the grid capacity evaluation unit 113 determines whether there is a prediction of surplus power generation. At this time, based on the result calculated in Step S102, when the congestion area A1 and the congestion amount are calculated, that is, when the surplus power Psurplus in the above formula (1) is greater than 0, it is determined that there is a prediction of surplus power generation (YES), and the process proceeds to Step S104. On the other hand, in other cases, it is determined that there is no prediction of surplus power generation (NO), and the process returns to Step S100 to repeat the subsequent processing.

[0042] The above Steps S100 to S103 are the surplus power generation confirmation process (see FIG. 4) by the energy operation support device 10.

[0043] <Step S104> In Step S104, the grid capacity evaluation unit 113 extracts the surrounding consumers [i] of the congestion area A1 where it is determined that surplus power Psurplus has occurred. At this time, based on the consumer information obtained from the consumers 20, the grid capacity evaluation unit 113 extracts the consumers of the same grid that receive power supply from the power grid N1 of the congestion area A1 as the surrounding consumers [i]. The surrounding consumers [i] extracted by the grid capacity evaluation unit 113 may be a group of consumers consisting of multiple consumers.

[0044] <Step S105> In Step S105, the grid capacity evaluation unit 113 calculates the margin of self - consumption of power. At this time, based on the consumer information of the surrounding consumers [i] extracted in Step S104, the grid capacity evaluation unit 113 calculates the margin of self - consumption of power by the surrounding consumers [i].

[0045] The left side of the following formula (2) is an expression representing the margin of self - consumption of power by the surrounding consumers [i], and the grid capacity evaluation unit 113 calculates the margin of self - consumption of power by the surrounding consumers [i] based on the left side of the following formula (2).

[0046]

[0047] <Step S106> In step S106, the grid capacity evaluation unit 113 determines whether the surplus power predicted in step S103 can be absorbed by self-consumption by the surrounding consumer [i] using only electricity. In this case, if equation (2) does not hold, the grid capacity evaluation unit 113 determines that it can be absorbed (YES) and terminates the process. Here, the case where equation (2) does not hold is when the amount of self-consumption capacity of electricity at the surrounding consumer [i], as shown on the left side of equation (2), is greater than the amount of congestion in the power grid N1 calculated in step S102 using equation (1) (surplus power Psurplus: shown on the right side of equation (2)). In this case, the surrounding consumer [i] can use the surplus power to produce hydrogen and then use or store the produced hydrogen.

[0048] On the other hand, the grid capacity evaluation unit 113 determines that if the above equation (2) is true, it means that there will be surplus power Psurplus that the surrounding consumers [i] cannot absorb through self-consumption (residual power). In this case, it is determined that absorption is impossible (NO), and the unit proceeds to step S107 to create an energy operation plan that includes means for utilizing the residual power, i.e., a hydrogen trading plan.

[0049] Steps S105 to S106 described above constitute the process by which the energy operation support device 10 shown in Figure 4 determines whether it can absorb surplus power.

[0050] <Step S107> In step S107, the constraint setting unit 121 sets constraints for the operation plan creation unit 122 to create an energy operation plan, based on the congestion information obtained from the grid capacity evaluation unit 113 and the customer information obtained from each customer 20. The constraints set here are shown as constraint equations (3) to (10) below.

[0051] Equations (3) and (4) below are constraints for a surrounding consumer [i] near a congested area when converting electricity to hydrogen. In this case, the surrounding consumer [i] in question is assumed to own a hydrogen production device 200 and a storage tank 201 for hydrogen storage. As shown in equation (3) below, the total amount of hydrogen that can be produced excluding the hydrogen that is planned to be produced by the surrounding consumer [i], i.e., the total amount of hydrogen that the surrounding consumer [i] can consume on its own (left side), shall not exceed the available capacity of the storage tank 201 excluding the amount of hydrogen that is planned to be produced (right side). Furthermore, as shown in equation (4) below, the total amount of hydrogen that the surrounding consumer [i] stores in the storage tank 201 and the hydrogen that is planned to be produced (right side), shall not exceed the capacity QH2limit of the storage tank 201 owned by the surrounding consumer [i] (left side).

[0052]

[0053]

[0054] Furthermore, equation (5) below is an equation that shows the remaining power Premain when the surrounding consumers [i] of congested area A1 cannot consume the surplus power Psurplus of congested area A1.

[0055]

[0056] The constraint setting unit 121 sets the following constraint equations (6) to (10) as constraint conditions based on the remaining power Premain shown in equation (5) above.

[0057]

[0058] In other words, as shown in equation (6) above, the total amount of electricity used by surrounding consumers [i] in the utilization of surplus power (right side) is less than or equal to the remaining power Premain (left side).

[0059] Furthermore, as shown in equation (7) above, the amount of electricity used by surrounding consumers [i] in the utilization of surplus electricity (left side) is less than or equal to the amount of electricity that surrounding consumers [i] have available for self-consumption (right side).

[0060] Furthermore, as shown in equation (8) above, the total amount of hydrogen generated by surrounding consumers [i] and sent to other consumers [j] (left side) is less than or equal to the total amount of hydrogen that can be stored in the storage tank 201 of other consumers [j] (right side).

[0061] Furthermore, as shown in equation (9) above, the total amount of hydrogen generated by surrounding consumer [i] and sent to other consumer [j] (left side) is equal to the total amount of hydrogen newly traded by other consumer [j] with surrounding consumer [i] (right side).

[0062] Furthermore, as shown in equation (10) above, the amount of hydrogen that other customer [j] newly trades with surrounding customer [i] (left side) is less than or equal to the amount of hydrogen that can be stored in the storage tank 201 of other customer [j] (right side).

[0063] <Step S108> In step S108, the operation plan creation unit 122 creates an energy operation plan that includes a hydrogen trading plan to utilize the surplus electricity predicted in step S103 that the surrounding consumers [i] cannot absorb through self-consumption (remaining electricity). Note that the energy operation plan creation unit 122 may create multiple energy operation plans.

[0064] In this process, the operation plan creation unit 122 calculates the amount of hydrogen QH2add that surrounding consumer [i] will newly trade with other consumer [j] for each trading time period, so as to satisfy the constraints set by the constraint setting unit 121, which are equations (3) to (10). Then, it generates a trading plan using the calculated trading amount QH2add and trading time periods. Note that this pattern can be derived randomly or based on rules, as long as it is based on the constraints of equations (3) to (10).

[0065] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for utilizing surplus electricity in the first embodiment of the present invention, and shows the amount of hydrogen handled by a surrounding consumer [i] and another consumer [j]. The amount of hydrogen handled by the surrounding consumer [i] and the other consumer [j] is the sum of the amount of hydrogen used for manufacturing and processing goods and the amount of hydrogen stored in storage tanks.

[0066] As shown in Figure 5, surrounding consumer [i] has an upper limit 501i for the amount of hydrogen it can handle. Therefore, if the amount of hydrogen handled by surrounding consumer [i] at the present time 502i is lower than the upper limit 501i, the difference will be the amount of hydrogen that surrounding consumer [i] can handle further, i.e., the surplus amount of hydrogen for self-consumption 503i.

[0067] Similarly, other major suppliers [j] also have an upper limit 501i for the amount of hydrogen they can handle. Therefore, if the amount of hydrogen handled by other customers [j] at present 502j is lower than the upper limit 501j, the difference will be the amount of hydrogen that other customers [j] can handle further, i.e., the surplus amount of hydrogen for self-consumption 503j.

[0068] Therefore, the operation plan creation unit 122 (see Figure 2) creates the following energy operation plan. Specifically, the operation plan creation unit 122 creates a customer operation plan in which the surrounding customer [i] produces an amount of hydrogen equal to the sum of the surrounding customer [i]'s own hydrogen self-consumption surplus 503i and the hydrogen self-consumption surplus 503j of other customers [j] through the operation of surplus electricity. Furthermore, it creates a trading plan in which the amount of hydrogen produced by the surrounding customer [i] that is equal to the hydrogen self-consumption surplus 503j of other customers [j] is traded as the trading quantity QH2add in the above formula (9).

[0069] Steps S107 to S108 described above constitute the operation plan creation process by the energy operation support device 10, as shown in Figure 4.

[0070] <Step S109> Returning to Figure 3, in step S109, the energy utilization evaluation unit 123 presents the energy operation plan for all energy used in step S108 to the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j].

[0071] As a result, as shown in Figure 4, the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j] who have received the energy operation plan consider the energy operation plan [step S201]. In step S201, the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j] negotiate an energy transaction based on the received energy operation plan. In this negotiation, the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j] may select one operation plan from among several energy operation plans as the agreed plan, or they may make changes to the agreed plan to the extent possible. Furthermore, this negotiation may be conducted through a direct transaction between the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j], through the energy operation support device 10, or through the market.

[0072] Subsequently, at least one of the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j] transmits the result of the negotiation for the energy transaction to the energy operation support device 10 [step S202]. The result of the agreement includes the result that the transaction was not concluded. Also, if the negotiation for the energy transaction was conducted via the energy operation support device 10 in step S201, this step S202 may be omitted.

[0073] <Step S110> Subsequently, in step S110 of Figure 3, the energy utilization evaluation unit 123 determines whether a transaction has been concluded based on the agreement results received from the surrounding consumer [i] and other consumers [j]. If it is determined that a transaction has been concluded (YES), the energy utilization plan agreed upon between the surrounding consumers [i] and the surrounding consumers [i] is recorded in the surplus power utilization list, and the surplus power utilization list is sent to the transportation arrangement unit 13 to proceed to step S111. On the other hand, if it is determined that a transaction has not been concluded (NO), the process is terminated.

[0074] <Step S111> In step S111, the transportation arrangement unit 13 sends a transportation request to the transportation company 30. At this time, the transportation arrangement unit 13 attaches the transaction plan from the energy operation plan of the surplus power utilization list sent from the energy utilization evaluation unit 123 to the transportation request and sends it to the transportation company 30. As a result, when the transportation company 30 receives the transportation plan it has prepared, it sends the transportation plan to the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j] via the energy utilization evaluation unit 123 and completes the process.

[0075] Steps S110 to S111 described above constitute the transportation arrangement processing by the energy operation support device 10 shown in Figure 4. As a result, as shown in Figure 4, the transportation company 30 that receives the transportation request creates a transportation plan based on the transaction plan of the received surplus power utilization list [step S301]. Next, the transportation company 30 transmits the created transportation plan to the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j]. Alternatively, the transportation company 30 may transmit the created transportation plan to the energy operation support device 10.

[0076] <<Effects of the First Embodiment>> According to the first embodiment described above, if it is predicted that surplus electricity generated from the renewable energy power generation device RE1 will be electricity that cannot be absorbed by surrounding consumers [i] through self-consumption (residual electricity), the hydrogen produced by surrounding consumers [i] using the residual electricity can be consumed through transactions with other consumers [j]. This makes it possible to reduce the loss of power generation opportunities at the renewable energy power generation device RE1.

[0077] ≪Configuration of the Energy Operation Support Device 10' in the Second Embodiment≫ Figure 6 is a configuration diagram of the energy operation support device 10' according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The only difference between the energy operation support device 10' shown in Figure 6 and the energy operation support device 10 of the first embodiment shown in Figure 2 is the function of the plan creation unit 12'; otherwise, they are the same. For this reason, in the following, redundant explanations of the parts common to the first embodiment will be omitted, and only the plan creation unit 12' of the energy operation support device 10' according to the second embodiment will be described.

[0078] <Planning Unit 12'> The Planning Unit 12' differs from that of the first embodiment in that it takes into account the market price of energy and creates a plan to alleviate the congestion of each distribution network calculated by the Grid Capacity Evaluation Unit 113. Such a Planning Unit 12' includes a Constraint Setting Unit 121', an Operation Plan Creation Unit 122', and an Energy Utilization Evaluation Unit 123'. These are as follows.

[0079] [Constraint Setting Unit 121'] The constraint setting unit 121' sets constraints for the operation plan creation unit 122', which will be described next, to create an energy operation plan including a hydrogen trading plan. This constraint setting unit 121' sets constraints related to the distribution network and constraints related to energy operation at the consumers 20 based on information on congestion status obtained from the grid capacity evaluation unit 113, distribution network information obtained from the distribution network information server 40b, and consumer information obtained from each consumer 20, as well as energy market price information from an external server 40c. Here, the constraints related to the distribution network are constraints related to the power grid N1 (see Figure 1), and the constraints related to energy operation are constraints related to the use of electricity, hydrogen production and storage, which are the same as in the first embodiment. The setting of constraints in the constraint setting unit 121' will be described in detail in the energy operation support method described below.

[0080] [Operation Plan Creation Unit 122'] The operation plan creation unit 122' creates an energy operation plan that includes a hydrogen trading plan among consumers 20. In this case, it differs from the first embodiment in that it also takes into account market price information for energy from the energy trading information server 40c when creating the energy operation plan. Furthermore, the energy operation plan (surplus power utilization pattern) created by the operation plan creation unit 122' differs from the first embodiment in that, in addition to the consumer operation plan for hydrogen production using the remaining power of surrounding consumers [i] and the trading plan for the produced hydrogen, it also includes a plan to revise the energy demand information (consumer operation plan) of surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j].

[0081] The procedure for creating an energy operation plan in the operation plan creation unit 122' will be explained in detail in the following section on energy operation support methods.

[0082] [Energy Utilization Evaluation Unit 123'] The Energy Utilization Evaluation Unit 123' transmits the energy operation plan created by the Operation Plan Creation Unit 122' to the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j]. The Energy Utilization Evaluation Unit 123' also lists the energy operation plans agreed upon by the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j] from the transmitted energy operation plans in the surplus power utilization list and transmits the surplus power utilization list to the Transportation Arrangement Unit 13. The Energy Utilization Evaluation Unit 123' also transmits the transportation plan obtained from the transportation company 30 via the Transportation Arrangement Unit 13 to the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j].

[0083] ≪Energy Operation Support Method by Energy Operation Support Device 10' of the Second Embodiment≫ Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the energy operation support method by the energy operation support device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is a process flow showing a series of processes for each part constituting the energy operation support system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The difference between the energy operation support method shown in Figures 7 and 8 and the energy support method of the first embodiment lies in the procedure from step S107' onwards. Since the procedure from steps S101 to S106 is the same, a description of it will be omitted.

[0084] <Step S107'> Step S107' is a step that proceeds after determining in step S106 that the surplus power predicted to be generated cannot be absorbed by self-consumption by surrounding consumers [i] alone (NO). In step S107', the constraint setting unit 121' sets, as constraint conditions, the constraint equations (3) to (10) described above in the first embodiment above, for example.

[0085] Furthermore, the constraint setting unit 121' may add the following equations (21) to (23) as constraints in order to facilitate energy trading between surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j] in the congested area A1 (see Figure 1). Equations (21) to (23) are constraints on the energy operation plan that is constrained by market price information for energy. These equations (21) to (23) are constraints set in the trading plan presented by the energy operation support device 10' to avoid deterioration of the energy operation costs of each consumer 20 and the renewable energy power generation device RE1, and to avoid an increase in the loss of power generation opportunities at the renewable energy power generation device RE1, with respect to the energy operation costs incurred in the energy and equipment operation plan created by each consumer in the initial stage.

[0086]

[0087] <Step S108'> In step S108', the operation plan creation unit 122' sets an objective function f shown in the following formula (24) as an indicator for creating an energy operation plan, based on the energy operation plan and energy market price information for each customer 20. This objective function f is set with the aim of minimizing the loss of power generation opportunities for the renewable energy power generation device RE1 and the energy operation costs of surrounding customers [i] and other customers [j]. It is assumed that renewable energy is traded between the operator of the renewable energy power generation device RE1 and the customers 20 on a bilateral basis.

[0088]

[0089] Of the above equation (24), the amount of electricity procured by surrounding consumers [i] P Ｅ And electricity P for hydrogen production, which surrounding consumers [i] trade with other consumers [j]. trans Here, this is the decision variable. Note that the amount of electricity procured by the surrounding consumer [i] is P. Ｅ This is the planned value P for power utilization in the first embodiment. Ｅ This is the sum of the amount of electricity Puse used by surrounding consumers [i] for their own electricity consumption or for the conversion of hydrogen they operate.

[0090] The first term on the right-hand side of equation (24) above corresponds to the loss of power generation opportunities when surplus power due to grid congestion is not utilized. The second term on the right-hand side is the energy operating cost for surrounding consumers [i] in the grid-congested area, which corresponds to the difference between the cost of electricity procurement, including surplus power, and the revenue from hydrogen trading with other consumers [j]. The third term on the right-hand side is the energy operating cost for other consumers [j], which corresponds to the cost of electricity procurement for other consumers [j] and the hydrogen purchase cost incurred in transactions with surrounding consumers [i].

[0091] <Step S109'> In step S109', the operation plan creation unit 122' creates an energy operation plan based on the objective function f of equation (24) set in step S108', so as to satisfy the constraint conditions shown by the constraint equations (3) to (10) set in step S107', and, if necessary, the constraint equations (21) to (23). The energy operation plan created here is a consumer operation plan for hydrogen production using the remaining power of the surrounding consumer [i], a trading plan for the produced hydrogen, and a revision plan for energy demand information (consumer operation plan) at the surrounding consumer [i] and other consumers [j]. As a method for creating the revision plan, optimization methods such as mixed integer programming and linear programming are candidates, but the constraint conditions may not be in linear form, so the method is not limited to these methods.

[0092] <Step S110'> In step S110', the energy utilization evaluation unit 123' presents the energy operation plan for all energy used in step S109' to the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j].

[0093] As a result, as shown in Figure 8, the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j] who have received the energy operation plan review the energy operation plan [step S201]. In step S201, the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j] negotiate an energy transaction based on the received energy operation plan. In this negotiation, the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j] may select one operation plan from among several operation plans as the agreed plan, or they may make changes to the agreed plan to the extent possible. Furthermore, this negotiation may be conducted through a direct transaction between the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j], through the energy operation support device 10, or through the market.

[0094] Subsequently, at least one of the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j] transmits the result of the negotiation of the operational plan to the energy operation support device 10 [step S202]. The result of the agreement includes the result that the transaction was not concluded. If negotiations for an energy transaction were conducted via the energy operation support device 10 in step S201, this step S202 may be omitted.

[0095] <Step S111'> In step S111', the energy utilization evaluation unit 123' determines whether a transaction has been concluded based on the agreement results received from the surrounding consumer [i] and other consumers [j]. If it determines that a transaction has been concluded (YES), it records the energy operation plan agreed upon between the surrounding consumers [i] and the surrounding consumers [i] in the surplus power utilization list, transmits the surplus power utilization list to the transportation arrangement unit 13, and proceeds to step S112'. On the other hand, if it determines that a transaction has not been concluded (NO), it terminates the process.

[0096] If it is determined in step S111' that the transaction was not completed (NO), the constraints may be modified by surrounding customers [i] or other customers [j], or by the operation plan creation unit 122', and then the process may be repeated from step S109' onwards to create the operation plan (step S109').

[0097] <Step S112'> In step S112', the transportation arrangement unit 13 sends a transportation request to the transportation company 30. At this time, the transportation arrangement unit 13 attaches the transaction plan from the energy operation plan of the surplus power utilization list sent from the energy utilization evaluation unit 123' to the transportation request and sends it to the transportation company 30. As a result, when the transportation company 30 receives the transportation plan it has prepared, it sends the transportation plan to the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j] via the energy utilization evaluation unit 123' and terminates the process.

[0098] Steps S111' to S112' described above constitute the transportation arrangement process by the energy operation support device 10' shown in Figure 8. As a result, as shown in Figure 8, the transportation company 30 that receives the transportation request creates a transportation plan based on the transaction plan of the received surplus power utilization list [step S301]. Next, the transportation company 30 transmits the created transportation plan to the surrounding consumers [i] and other consumers [j]. Alternatively, the transportation company 30 may also transmit the created transportation plan to the energy operation support device 10'.

[0099] ≪Effects of the Second Embodiment≫ According to the second embodiment described above, if it is predicted that surplus electricity generated from the renewable energy power generation device RE1 will be electricity that cannot be absorbed by the surrounding consumer [i] through self-consumption (residual electricity), the hydrogen produced using the residual electricity can be consumed through transactions with other consumers [j]. This makes it possible to suppress the loss of power generation opportunities in the renewable energy power generation device RE1, similar to the first embodiment. Furthermore, since the operation plan creation unit 122' creates an energy operation plan aimed at minimizing energy operation costs by taking into account the market price of energy, it is possible to propose cost-conscious transactions for energy transactions between the surrounding consumer [i] and other consumers [j]. Moreover, by adding the constraints of equations (21) to (23) above, it is possible to compare the costs of the operation plan created by the consumer itself with the costs of trading hydrogen between the surrounding consumer [i] and other consumers [j], and present the consumer with a revised operation plan that takes the consumer's economics into consideration.

[0100] In each of the embodiments described above, the surrounding customer [i] and the other customer [j] were assumed to be customers supported by the same energy operation support device 10, for example. However, the other customer [j] may be a customer supported by another energy operation support device 10. In this case, information can be shared via a network among multiple energy operation support devices 10.

[0101] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and variations described above, but includes a wide variety of further variations. For example, the embodiments described above are described in detail to make the present invention easier to understand, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Also, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. In addition, it is possible to add, delete, or replace parts of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

[0102] 1…Energy operation support system 10, 10'…Energy operation support device 11…Congestion prediction unit 12, 12'…Plan creation unit 13…Transportation arrangement unit 20…Consumer 30…Transportation company 30a…Transportation method 40…External server 40a…Weather information server 40b…Distribution network information server 40c…External server 111…Power generation amount prediction unit 112…Distribution status calculation unit 113…Grid capacity evaluation unit 121, 121'…Constraint condition setting unit 122, 122'…Operation plan creation unit 123, 123'…Energy utilization evaluation unit 200…Hydrogen production equipment 201…Storage tank 202…Factory 501i…Upper limit (nearby consumers) 501j…Upper limit (other consumers) 502i…Hydrogen handling amount (nearby consumers) 502j…Hydrogen handling amount (other consumers) 503i... Surplus capacity for self-consumption (nearby consumers) 503j... Surplus capacity for self-consumption (other consumers) A1... Congested area N1... Power grid N1a... Substations N2... Pipelines N3... Transportation network RE1... Renewable energy power generation equipment [i]... Nearby consumers [j]... Other consumers

Claims

1. An energy operation support device for supporting energy operations by multiple consumers, comprising: a congestion prediction unit for predicting the state of electricity flow in the power grid; and a planning unit that creates an energy operation plan, including a trading plan for storable energy generated by electricity use among the multiple consumers, based on the predictions made by the congestion prediction unit.

2. The energy operation support device according to claim 1, wherein the congestion prediction unit comprises: a power generation prediction unit that predicts the amount of power generated by a renewable energy power generation device based on weather information; a distribution state calculation unit that predicts the distribution state of the power based on the amount of power generated predicted by the power generation prediction unit, the power distribution information, and the energy demand information of the plurality of consumers; and a grid capacity evaluation unit that predicts congested areas in the power grid where surplus power will occur in addition to the predicted amount of power generated, and the amount of congestion in those congested areas, and determines whether or not it is possible for consumers surrounding the congested areas of the power grid among the plurality of consumers to absorb the surplus power based on the predicted congested areas and the amount of congestion in those congested areas.

3. The energy operation support device according to claim 2, wherein the planning unit comprises: an operation plan creation unit that creates a transaction plan for storable energy generated by the surrounding consumers through the operation of surplus electricity that cannot be absorbed by the surrounding consumers, based on the amount of surplus electricity generated, the state of electricity distribution, and the energy demand information of the multiple consumers; and an energy utilization evaluation unit that obtains agreement between the surrounding consumers and other consumers regarding the transaction plan created by the operation plan creation unit, and, if an agreement is reached, transmits a transportation plan for the storable energy from the surrounding consumers to the other consumers to the surrounding consumers and the other consumers.

4. The energy operation support device according to claim 3, wherein the transaction plan generated by the operation plan creation unit has information regarding the transaction volume of the storable energy, the surrounding consumers that generate the storable energy, the other consumers that receive the storable energy from the surrounding consumers, and the supply time of the storable energy.

5. The energy operation support device according to claim 3, further comprising a transportation arrangement unit that arranges for the transportation of the storable energy between the plurality of consumers to a transportation company based on the transaction plan created by the planning unit, wherein the energy utilization evaluation unit transmits the transportation plan obtained from the transportation company via the transportation arrangement unit to the surrounding consumers and the other consumers.

6. The energy operation support device according to claim 3, wherein the plan creation unit includes a constraint setting unit that sets constraints for the energy operation plan which is constrained by the amount of surplus power generated, the power distribution status, and the energy demand information of the plurality of consumers, and the operation plan creation unit creates the transaction plan which satisfies the constraints.

7. The energy operation support device according to claim 6, wherein the constraint setting unit sets constraints on the energy operation plan that are constrained by the amount of surplus power generated, the power distribution status, the energy demand information of the plurality of consumers, and further energy market price information, and the operation plan creation unit creates the transaction plan that satisfies the constraints.

8. The energy operation support device according to claim 6, wherein the operation plan creation unit creates an operation plan for electricity to the surrounding consumers and other consumers together with the transaction plan so as to satisfy the constraints.

9. The energy operation support device according to claim 8, wherein the operation plan creation unit creates energy operation plans for the surrounding customers and other customers in order to minimize the energy operation costs of each customer, based on the energy operation plans and energy market price information of each customer.

10. The energy operation support device according to claim 1, wherein the storable energy is hydrogen gas or liquid hydrogen.

11. An energy operation support system for supporting energy operations by multiple consumers, comprising: an energy operation support device comprising: a congestion prediction unit for predicting the state of electricity distribution; a planning unit for creating an energy operation plan, including a trading plan for storable energy generated by electricity use among the multiple consumers, based on the predictions made by the congestion prediction unit; an external server for supplying information for creating the energy operation plan to the energy operation support device; and a carrier for transporting the storable energy among the multiple consumers based on the energy operation plan.

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