POWER CONTROLLER

• US 20130270911A1
• Filed: 12/28/2011
• Published: 10/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Baba, Akira, Takehara, Kiyotaka, Ogawa, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,343,926 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/65
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/24 of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/26 involving maximum power point tracking control for photovoltaic sources maximum power point systems in particular G05F1/67
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/34 Parallel operation in networks using both storage and other dc sources, e.g. providing buffering H02J7/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/062 for AC powered loads
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers

Abstract

Residential system includes photovoltaic power system including solar battery, and electrical storage device including battery. Electric load of residential system is selectively supplied with energy from power supply system, power generator and electrical storage device. Power generator allows energy to flow back to power supply system. Energy surplus judgment part calculates difference between generating energy of power generator and demand power for electric load (excess generating energy). Overall operation controller applies stored energy in electrical storage device to demand energy for electric load when excess generating energy is produced, and charges electrical storage device without applying generating energy of power generator to demand energy when excess generating energy is not produced.

Claims

1. A power controller, provided for a system comprising a power generator and an electrical storage device which are installed in a residential system, the power generator being configured to generate electricity from natural energy and the electrical storage device being configured to charge and discharge a battery, the system being configured to choose a power supply system, the power generator and the electrical storage device to supply energy to an electric load, and also to allow energy from the power generator to flow back to the power supply system,

wherein the power controller comprises:

a first energy acquisition part configured to acquire demand energy for the electric load in the residential system;

a second energy acquisition part configured to acquire generating power measured with respect to the power generator;

an energy surplus judgment part configured to perform a conditional judgment about excess generating energy at prescribed intervals, said excess generating energy being a difference between the demand energy acquired through the first energy acquisition part and the generating energy acquired through the second energy acquisition part; and

an overall operation controller configured to choose between charging and discharging of the electrical storage device in response to a result of the conditional judgment through the energy surplus judgment part,

said overall operation controller being configured;

without applying the generating energy of the power generator to the demand energy, to allow it to be stored in the electrical storage device when a first condition is established, said first condition corresponding to a case where the generating energy is equal to or less than the demand energy to which a predetermined judgment threshold is added; and

to apply the stored energy in the electrical storage device to the demand energy for the electric load when a second condition is established, said second condition corresponding to a case where the generating energy exceeds the demand energy to which the judgment threshold is added.

2. A power controller of claim 1, wherein the judgment threshold is zero.

3. A power controller of claim 1, wherein the overall operation controller is configured to apply the generating energy to the demand energy without charging even if the first condition is established in the energy surplus judgment part when a remaining capacity of the battery reaches a specified upper limit.

4. A power controller of claim 1, wherein the overall operation controller is configured to be forbidden to perform charging even if the energy surplus judgment part judges that the first condition is established, in a period of time in which a purchasing price of electricity from the power supply system is equal to or more than a prescribed value in case the number of charging and discharging of the electrical storage device exceeds a specified value in a prescribed period of time.

5. A power controller of claim 1, wherein the overall operation controller is configured to be forbidden to discharge the electrical storage device even if the energy surplus judgment part judges that the second condition is established, in a period of time in which a selling price of electricity flowing back to the power supply system is equal to or more than a prescribed value.

6. A power controller of claim 1, wherein the overall operation controller is configured to allow energy from the power supply system to be stored in the electrical storage device if the first condition is established, in time slots when a purchasing price of electricity from the power supply system is equal to or less than a specified value.

7. A power controller of claim 6, wherein the energy surplus judgment part is configured to set the judgment threshold to a varied threshold.

8. A power controller of claim 7, wherein the energy surplus judgment part is configured:

to set the judgment threshold to a relatively larger threshold in a period of time in which a remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or less than a specified lower limit; and

to set the judgment threshold to a relatively smaller threshold in a period of time in which the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or more than a specified upper limit.

9. A power controller of claim 7, wherein the energy surplus judgment part is configured:

to set the judgment threshold to a positive threshold in a period of time in which a remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or less than a specified lower limit and the generating energy is larger than the demand energy; and

to set the judgment threshold to zero if the remaining capacity of the battery exceeds the lower limit.

10. A power controller of claim 7, wherein the energy surplus judgment part is configured:

to set the judgment threshold to a negative threshold in a period of time in which a remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or more than a specified upper limit and the demand energy is larger than the generating energy; and

to set the judgment threshold to zero if the remaining capacity of the battery is less than the upper limit.

11. A power controller of claim 6, wherein the overall operation controller is configured to control so that a remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or less than the lower limit until a time slot, when a purchasing price of electricity from the power supply system is equal to or less than a specified value, starts.

12. A power controller of claim 1, further comprising a notification means that gives an advice on suppressing usage of the electric load in a period of time in which the second condition is established in the energy surplus judgment part.

13. A power controller of claim 1, wherein in case the electric load comprises a controller configured to receive a control signal to control electricity consumption thereof, the power controller is configured so that the overall operation controller supplies the control signal for suppressing electricity consumption to the controller of the electric load in a period of time in which the second condition is established in the surplus judgment part.