SYSTEM, METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR ENERGY CONSUMPTION MANAGEMENT

• US 20130311236A1
• Filed: 03/07/2011
• Published: 11/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Takahashi, Hirotaka, Tomita, Yasushi, Kawamura, Hideyuki, Ogawa, Jumpei
• Granted Patent: US 10,049,373 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.31
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

Energy demand in an entire community including multiple demanders is properly predicted and energy consumption thereof is properly controlled. Every day, some demanders are selected from the community and a request to adjust energy consumption for the following day is sent to the selected demanders. To decide a content of the request, energy demand for the following day is predicted. In this case, demanders which did not receive a request on past days are specified, and demand in the community for the following day is predicted based on the actual energy consumption by those demanders on the past days.

Claims

1. A system for managing energy consumption in a community including multiple demanders, comprising

at least one computer having a storage device which stores a computer program and a microprocessor which executes the computer program,

wherein the computer program includes commands to carry out the following processing A), B), C) and D):

A) predicting energy demand in the community at a specific time in the future;

B) generating a consumption adjustment request for the specific time in the future, based on the prediction of energy demand at the specific time in the future;

C) selecting one or more demanders which are a part of the community, as a destination demander for the specific time in the future; and

D) sending the energy consumption adjustment request for the specific time in the future to the destination demander for the specific time in the future, and

the command to carry out the processing A) includes commands to carry out the following processing AA), AB) and AC);

AA) specifying one or more demanders which are a part of the community other than a destination demander for a specific time in the past selected in the processing C) in the past, as a non-destination demander for the specific time in the past;

AB) grasping actual energy consumption at the specific time in the past, by the non-destination demander for the specific time in the past; and

AC) predicting the energy demand in the community at the specific time in the future, based on the grasped actual energy consumption by the non-destination demander.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the command to carry out the processing C) includes commands to carry out the following processing CA) and CB):

CA) grasping a number of times or a frequency at which each demander in the community is selected as a destination demander in the past; and

CB) selecting a destination demander for the specific time in the future from within the community, based on the grasped number of times or frequency for the each demander.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the command to carry out the processing C) includes commands to carry out the following processing CC) and CD):

CC) grasping actual energy consumption in the past by each demander in the community; and

CD) selecting a destination demander for the specific time in the future from within the community, based on the grasped actual energy consumption in the past by the each demander.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the command to carry out the processing C) includes commands to carry out the following processing CE) and CF):

CE) grasping a past incentive value given to each demander in the community; and

CF) selecting a destination demander for the specific time in the future from within the community, based on the grasped past incentive value of the each demander.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the command to carry out the processing C) includes commands to carry out the following processing CG) and CH):

CG) grasping a layout of each demander in the community on an electricity distribution network; and

CI) selecting a destination demander for the specific time in the future from within the community in such a way that an electric power supply voltage of the community is made uniform to a prescribed voltage, based on the grasped layout of the each demander on the electricity distribution network.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the command to carry out the processing AC) includes commands to carry out the following processing ACA), ACB) and ACC):

ACA) grasping a ratio of the number of demanders in the community to the number of the non-destination demanders;

ACB) expanding the actual energy consumption at the specific time in the past by the non-destination demanders, using the ratio; and

ACC) predicting the energy demand in the community at the specific time in the future, based on the expanded value of the actual energy consumption at the specific time in the past by the non-destination demanders.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the command to carry out the processing B) includes commands to carry out the following processing BA), BB), BC) and BE):

BA) deciding an adjustment value of energy consumption at the specific time in the future in the community, based on the prediction of energy demand in the community at the specific time in the future;

BB) grasping actual energy consumption by a destination demander for a predetermined time in the past selected in the processing C) in the past, at the predetermined time in the past;

BC) grasping a request value of a consumption adjustment request for the predetermined time in the past generated in the processing B) in the past;

BD) grasping a relation between the actual energy consumption and the request value, based on the actual energy consumption grasped in the processing BB) and the request value grasped in the processing BC); and

BE) applying the request value decided in the processing BA) to the relation grasped in the processing BD) and thus deciding the request value of the consumption adjustment request for the specific time in the future.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the computer program further includes commands to carry out the following processing E), F) and G):

E) grasping actual energy consumption in the community at a predetermined time in the past;

F) changing a consumption adjustment request for the predetermined time in the past that is sent in the past, based on the actual energy consumption in the community at the predetermined time in the past grasped in the processing F), and thus generating a consumption adjustment request for the specific time in the future; and

G) selecting one of a set of the processing A) and B) and a set of the processing E) and F).

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the command to carry out the processing G) includes commands to carry out the following processing GA) and GB):

GA) selecting the set of the processing E) and F) during a predetermined initial period after the system starts operating; and

GB) selecting the set of the processing A) and B) after the initial period.

10. A system for managing energy consumption in a community including multiple demanders, comprising

at least one computer having a storage device which stores a computer program and a microprocessor which executes the computer program,

wherein the computer program includes commands to carry out the following processing A), B), C) and D):

A) deciding a first time when adjustment of energy consumption should be executed and a second time when adjustment of energy consumption should be stopped;

B) predicting energy demand in the community at the first time in the future;

C) generating a consumption adjustment request for the first time in the future, based on the prediction of energy demand at the first time in the future; and

D) sending the energy consumption adjustment request for the first time in the future to one or more demanders in the community, and

the command to carry out the processing B) includes commands to carry out the following processing BA), BB) and BC);

BA) grasping actual energy consumption in the community at the second time in the past; and

BB) predicting the energy demand in the community at the first time in the future, based on the actual energy consumption at the second time in the past grasped in the processing BA).

11. A method carried out by at least one computer for managing energy consumption in a community including multiple demanders, the method comprising

the following steps A), B), C) and D) carried out by the computer:

A) predicting energy demand in the community at a specific time in the future;

B) generating a consumption adjustment request for the specific time in the future, based on the prediction of energy demand at the specific time in the future;

C) selecting one or more demanders which are a part of the community, as a destination demander for the specific time in the future; and

D) sending the energy consumption adjustment request for the specific time in the future to the destination demander for the specific time in the future,

wherein the step A) includes the following steps AA), AB) and AC);

AA) specifying one or more demanders which are a part of the community other than a destination demander for a specific time in the past selected in the processing C) in the past, as a non-destination demander for the specific time in the past;

AB) grasping actual energy consumption at the specific time in the past, by the non-destination demander for the specific time in the past; and

AC) predicting the energy demand in the community at the specific time in the future, based on the grasped actual energy consumption by the non-destination demander.

12. A method carried out by at least one computer for managing energy consumption in a community including multiple demanders, the method comprising

the following steps A), B), C) and D) carried out by the computer:

A) deciding a first time when adjustment of energy consumption should be executed and a second time when adjustment of energy consumption should be stopped;

B) predicting energy demand in the community at the first time in the future;

C) generating a consumption adjustment request for the first time in the future, based on the prediction of energy demand at the first time in the future; and

D) sending the energy consumption adjustment request for the first time in the future to one or more demanders in the community,

wherein the step B) includes the following steps BA), BB) and BC);

BA) grasping actual energy consumption in the community at the second time in the past; and

BB) predicting the energy demand in the community at the first time in the future, based on the actual energy consumption at the second time in the past grasped in the processing BA).

13. A computer program for causing a computer to carry out a method for managing energy consumption in a community including multiple demanders, the computer program comprising

commands to carry out the following steps A), B), C) and D):

A) predicting energy demand in the community at a specific time in the future;

B) generating a consumption adjustment request for the specific time in the future, based on the prediction of energy demand at the specific time in the future;

C) selecting one or more demanders which are a part of the community, as a destination demander for the specific time in the future; and

D) sending the energy consumption adjustment request for the specific time in the future to the destination demander for the specific time in the future,

wherein the command to carry out the step A) includes commands to carry out the following steps AA), AB) and AC);

AA) specifying one or more demanders which are a part of the community other than a destination demander for a specific time in the past selected in the processing C) in the past, as a non-destination demander for the specific time in the past;

AB) grasping actual energy consumption at the specific time in the past, by the non-destination demander for the specific time in the past; and

AC) predicting the energy demand in the community at the specific time in the future, based on the grasped actual energy consumption by the non-destination demander.

14. A computer program causing a computer to carry out a method for managing energy consumption in a community including multiple demanders, the computer program comprising

commands to carry out the following steps A), B), C) and D):

A) deciding a first time when adjustment of energy consumption should be executed and a second time when adjustment of energy consumption should be stopped;

B) predicting energy demand in the community at the first time in the future;

C) generating a consumption adjustment request for the first time in the future, based on the prediction of energy demand at the first time in the future; and

D) sending the energy consumption adjustment request for the first time in the future to one or more demanders in the community,

Wherein the command to carry out the step B) includes commands to carry out the following steps BA), BB) and BC);

BA) grasping actual energy consumption in the community at the second time in the past; and

BB) predicting the energy demand in the community at the first time in the future, based on the actual energy consumption at the second time in the past grasped in the processing BA).