ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION AMOUNT ESTIMATION DEVICE, ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION AMOUNT ESTIMATION SYSTEM, ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION AMOUNT ESTIMATION METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20110137591A1
• Filed: 11/23/2010
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: ISHIBASHI, Yoshihito
• Granted Patent: US 9,218,577 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/60
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2203/20 Simulating, e g planning, reliability check, modelling or computer assisted design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/24 of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/004 Generation forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future energy generation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

There is provided an electric power generation amount estimation device, including a solar power generation device identification portion that identifies a solar power generation device that generates electric power by receiving irradiation of sunlight, a sunlight amount calculation portion that estimates and calculates an amount of sunlight, and an electric power generation amount calculation portion that calculates an amount of electric power to be generated by the solar power generation device, based on information about the solar power generation device identified by the solar power generation device identification portion and about the amount of sunlight calculated by the sunlight amount calculation portion.

Claims

1. An electric power generation amount estimation device, comprising:

a solar power generation device identification portion that identifies a solar power generation device that generates electric power by receiving irradiation of sunlight;

a sunlight amount calculation portion that estimates and calculates an amount of sunlight; and

an electric power generation amount calculation portion that calculates an amount of electric power to be generated by the solar power generation device, based on information about the solar power generation device identified by the solar power generation device identification portion and about the amount of sunlight calculated by the sunlight amount calculation portion.

2. The electric power generation amount estimation device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a three-dimensional map information storage portion that stores information relating to installation conditions of the solar power generation device,

wherein the solar power generation device identification portion identifies the installation conditions of the solar power generation device based on the information stored in the three-dimensional map information storage portion, and the sunlight amount calculation portion calculates the amount of sunlight based on the installation conditions of the solar power generation device identified by the solar power generation device identification portion.

3. The electric power generation amount estimation device according to claim 1,

wherein the electric power generation amount calculation portion calculates the amount of electric power to be generated by the solar power generation device, taking into consideration an orbit of the sun on an estimation target date.

4. The electric power generation amount estimation device according to claim 2,

wherein the electric power generation amount calculation portion calculates the amount of electric power to be generated by the solar power generation device, taking into consideration a condition of blocking sunlight to the solar power generation device, the blocking condition being derived from the orbit of the sun on the estimation target date and from the information stored in the three-dimensional map information storage portion, and changing due to the orbit of the sun.

5. The electric power generation amount estimation device according to claim 1,

wherein the sunlight amount calculation portion estimates and calculates the amount of sunlight based on information of a weather forecast.

6. The electric power generation amount estimation device according to claim 5,

wherein when the sunlight amount calculation portion acquires a most recent weather forecast, the sunlight amount calculation portion re-calculates the amount of sunlight based on the acquired weather forecast, and the electric power generation amount calculation portion re-calculates, based on the re-calculated amount of sunlight, the amount of electric power to be generated.

7. The electric power generation amount estimation device according to claim 1,

wherein the electric power generation amount calculation portion calculates the amount of electric power to be generated, by performing multiplication using a power generation efficiency of the solar power generation device that is a calculation target of the amount of electric power to be generated.

8. The electric power generation amount estimation device according to claim 1,

wherein the electric power generation amount calculation portion calculates a total amount of electric power to be generated by solar power generation devices included in a predetermined area.

9. An electric power generation amount estimation system, comprising:

a sunlight amount estimation device that estimates an amount of sunlight; and

an electric power generation amount calculation device that calculates an amount of electric power to be generated by a solar power generation device that generates electric power by receiving irradiation of sunlight,

wherein the sunlight amount estimation device includes

a sunlight amount calculation portion that estimates the amount of sunlight based on a command from the electric power generation amount calculation device, and transmits information about the estimated amount of sunlight to the electric power generation amount calculation device, and

wherein the electric power generation amount calculation device includes

a solar power generation device identification portion that identifies the solar power generation device,

a sunlight amount estimation notification portion that notifies the sunlight amount estimation device of a command to estimate the amount of sunlight, and

an electric power generation amount calculation portion that calculates the amount of electric power to be generated by the solar power generation device, based on information about the solar power generation device identified by the solar power generation device identification portion and about the amount of sunlight calculated by the sunlight amount calculation portion.

10. An electric power generation amount estimation method, comprising the steps of:

identifying a solar power generation device that generates electric power by receiving irradiation of sunlight;

estimating and calculating an amount of sunlight; and

calculating an amount of electric power to be generated by the solar power generation device, based on information about the solar power generation device identified in the solar power generation device identifying step and about the amount of sunlight calculated in the sunlight amount calculating step.

11. A computer program comprising instructions that command a computer to perform the steps of:

identifying a solar power generation device that generates electric power by receiving irradiation of sunlight;

estimating and calculating an amount of sunlight; and

calculating an amount of electric power to be generated by the solar power generation device, based on information about the solar power generation device identified in the solar power generation device identifying step and about the amount of sunlight calculated in the sunlight amount calculating step.