Electric power management system and electric power management method

• US 10,270,257 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2016
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kudo, Koji, Sakuma, Hisato, Yano, Hitoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kaplan, Hal
• Application Number:
  US15/216,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20160329717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 307 18, 307 24, 700295
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/466 Scheduling the operation of the generators, e.g. connecting or disconnecting generators to meet a given demand
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers

Abstract

The HEMS of each consumer transmits the amount of surplus electricity that is expected by to be generated by a PV system, and/or the amount of electric power that is needed by a controllable load, in a predetermined time slot on a predetermined date, to a server apparatus. The server apparatus, based on the notified amount of surplus electricity and the amount of electric power that is needed by the controllable load, combines a first consumer and a second consumer so that the amount of electric power needed by the controllable load will be equal to or greater than the amount of surplus electricity. Then, under the control the HEMS of the second consumer, the surplus electricity that is generated by the first consumer is consumed by each controllable load.

Claims

1. An electric power management system for managing an electric power system, the electric power management system comprising:

a plurality of first consumers each comprising a consumer energy management system for controlling an amount of electric power generated by a photovoltaic system, and a plurality of second consumers each comprising a consumer energy management system for controlling a controllable load,

wherein the controllable load is a device which can store energy,

wherein the electric power management system comprises a server apparatus that transmits data to the consumer energy management systems of the first consumers and the consumer energy management systems of the second consumers, and that receives data from the consumer energy management systems of the first consumers and the consumer energy management systems of the second consumers via a network, and

wherein the server apparatus combines two or more consumers from among the plurality of first consumers and the plurality of second consumers so that the amount of electric power needed by a second consumer will be equal to or greater than a surplus electricity generated in a first consumer in a predetermined time slot on a predetermined date on which the surplus electricity of the photovoltaic system is expected to be generated, and makes the controllable load consume the surplus electricity generated in the first consumer by controlling the consumer energy management system of the second consumer with respect to each combination of the first consumer and the second consumer, and makes the controllable load store the surplus electricity generated in the first consumer by controlling the consumer energy management system of the second consumer at different timing with respect to each combination of the first consumer and the second consumer.

2. The electric power management system according to claim 1, wherein the server apparatus sets up a pattern for electric power that is needed for making the controllable load consume electric power during a unit time in the predetermined time slot on the predetermined date, such that the pattern for electric power that is needed for making the controllable load consume the electric power is substantially similar to the pattern of electric power that is expected to be generated by the photovoltaic system in the predetermined time slot on the predetermined date.

3. The electric power management system according to claim 2, wherein the consumer energy management system of the first consumer transmits an actual measurement of the amount of electric power generated by the photovoltaic system, measured in the predetermined time slot on the predetermined date, and,

the server apparatus, based on the actual measurement of the amount of electric power that is generated, modifies the pattern of electric power that is needed for each unit time, which has been set for the controllable load.

4. The electric power management system according to claim 1, wherein the server apparatus selects the first consumer and the second consumer from among consumers that are connected to same pole transformer.

5. The electric power management system according to claim 1, wherein the server apparatus selects the first consumer and the second consumer from among consumers that are connected to same distribution feeder line.

6. The electric power management system according to claim 1, wherein the server apparatus selects the first consumer and the second consumer from among consumers that are connected to same distribution transformer substation.

7. An electric power management method for managing an electric power system, the method comprising:

controlling, with consumer energy management systems equipped for each of a plurality of first consumers, an amount of electric power that is generated by a photovoltaic system, and notifying a server apparatus of an amount of surplus electricity that is expected to be generated in a predetermined time slot on a predetermined date on which surplus electricity of the photovoltaic system is expected to be generated;

controlling a controllable load with consumer energy management systems equipped for each of a plurality of second consumers, and notifying the server apparatus of the amount of electric power that is expected to be needed by the second consumer in the predetermined time slot on the predetermined date; and

combining, by the server apparatus, two or more consumers from among said plurality of first consumers and said plurality of second consumers so that the amount of electric power needed by a second consumer will be equal to or greater than the amount of surplus electricity generated in a first consumer in the predetermined time slot on the predetermined date, and making the controllable load consume the surplus electricity generated in the first consumer by controlling the consumer energy management system of the second consumer with respect to each combination of the first consumer and the second consumer, and making the controllable load store the surplus electricity generated in the first consumer by controlling the consumer energy management system of the second consumer at different timing with respect to each combination of the first consumer and the second consumer.

8. The electric power management method according to claim 7, further comprising setting up a pattern for electric power that is needed for making the controllable load consume electric power during a unit time in the predetermined time slot on the predetermined date, such that the pattern for electric power that is needed for making the controllable load consume the electric power is substantially similar to the pattern of electric power that is expected to be generated by the photovoltaic system in the predetermined time slot on the predetermined date.

9. The electric power management method according to claim 8, further comprising transmitting an actual measurement of the amount of electric power generated by the photovoltaic system, measured in the predetermined time slot on the predetermined date, and

modifying, by the server apparatus, based on the actual measurement of the amount of electric power that is generated, the pattern of electric power that is needed for every said unit time, which has been set for the controllable load.

10. A server apparatus for managing an electric power system, the server apparatus comprising:

a communication control device that receives an amount of surplus electricity that is expected to be generated in a predetermined time slot on a predetermined date on which surplus electricity of a photovoltaic system is expected to be generated, from a plurality of first consumers, and that receives an amount of electric power, that is needed by a plurality of second consumers in the predetermined time slot on the predetermined date, from the second consumers; and

a processing unit that combines two or more consumers from among the plurality of first consumers and the plurality of second consumers so that the amount of electric power needed by a second consumer will be equal to or greater than an amount of surplus electricity that is generated in a first consumer in the predetermined time slot on the predetermined date, and that makes a controllable load consume the surplus electricity that is generated in the first consumer by controlling a consumer energy management system of the second consumer with respect to each combination of the first consumer and the second consumer, and that makes the controllable load store the surplus electricity that is generated in the first consumer by controlling a consumer energy management system of the second consumer at different timing with respect to each combination of the first consumer and the second consumer.

11. The server apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the processing unit sets up an electric power demand pattern for making the controllable load consume electric power during a unit time in the predetermined time slot on the predetermined date, such that the electric power demand pattern for making the controllable load consume the electric power is substantially similar to an expected pattern of electric power that will be generated by the photovoltaic system in the predetermined time slot on the predetermined date.

12. The server apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, when an actual measurement of the amount of electric power generated by the photovoltaic system, measured in the predetermined time slot on the predetermined date is transmitted from the consumer energy management system of the first consumer, the processing unit, based on the actual measurement of the amount of electric power that is generated, modifies an electric power consumption pattern for each unit time, which has been set for the controllable load.

13. An electric power management method for managing an electric power system, the method comprising:

receiving, by a server apparatus, an amount of surplus electricity that is expected to be generated in a predetermined time slot on a predetermined date on which surplus electricity of a photovoltaic system is expected to be generated, from a plurality of first consumers;

receiving an amount of electric power that is needed by a plurality of second consumers each comprising a consumer energy management system in the predetermined time slot on the predetermined date, from the second consumers;

combining, by the server apparatus, two or more consumers from among the plurality of first consumers and the plurality of second consumers so that the amount of electric power needed by a second consumer will be equal to or greater than an amount of surplus electricity that is generated at a first consumer in the predetermined time slot on the predetermined date;

making a controllable load consume the surplus electricity that is generated at the first consumer by controlling the consumer energy management system of the second consumer with respect to each combination of the first consumer and the second consumer;

making the controllable load store the surplus electricity that is generated at the first consumer by controlling the consumer energy management system of the second consumer at different timing with respect to each combination of the first consumer and the second consumer.

14. The electric power management method according to claim 13, further comprising setting up an electric power demand pattern for making the controllable load consume electric power during a unit time in the predetermined time slot on the predetermined date, such that the electric power demand pattern for making the controllable load consume electric power is substantially similar to an expected pattern of electric power that will be generated by the photovoltaic system in the predetermined time slot on the predetermined date.

15. The electric power management method according to claim 14, wherein, when an actual measurement of the amount of electric power generated by the photovoltaic system, measured in the predetermined time slot on the predetermined date is transmitted from the consumer energy management system of the first consumer, modifying, by the server apparatus, based on the actual measurement of the amount of electric power that is generated, an electric power consumption pattern for each unit time, which has been set for the controllable load.