POWER MANAGEMENT METHOD, POWER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, AND POWER SUPPLY APPARATUS

• US 20160134110A1
• Filed: 10/28/2015
• Published: 05/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: WAKI, YUKI, OHSHIMA, KAZUYA, NAKASONE, HARUKA, AOKI, HIDESHI
• Granted Patent: US 9,887,540 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/24 of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• 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 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/123 the energy generation units being or involving renewable energy sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A power management method receives, from a meter that measures the amount of surplus power, which is power supplied from a power generation apparatus to a power system, a surplus power value indicating the amount of surplus power, receives, from a first communication terminal used by a user corresponding to first user identification information, an inquiry about power supply in which the surplus power is used in a first time period that lasts a certain unit time, the inquiry being associated with the first user identification information, issues, in accordance with the inquiry, first power identification information for validating power supply performed by a power supply apparatus using the surplus power corresponding to the first time period for an accumulated value of the amount of surplus power corresponding to the first time period, transmits the first power identification information and the accumulated value of the amount of surplus power corresponding to the first time period to the first communication terminal, and causes the power supply apparatus that has received a first power supply request, which is associated with the first power identification information, indicating that power is to be supplied to the first load apparatus to supply an amount of first power equal to or smaller than the amount of surplus power to the first load apparatus as power that does not cause a charging process.

Claims

1. A power management method used in a power management system including a power generation apparatus corresponding to first user identification information, a first load apparatus used by a user corresponding to the first user identification information, and a power supply apparatus capable of supplying power to the first load apparatus and installed in a place different from a place where the power generation apparatus is installed, the method comprising:

receiving, from a meter that measures amount of surplus power, which is, in power generated by the power generation apparatus, power supplied from the power generation apparatus to a power system, a surplus power value indicating the amount of surplus power;

receiving, from a first communication terminal used by the user corresponding to the first user identification information, an inquiry about power supply in which the surplus power is used in a first time period that lasts a certain unit time, the inquiry being associated with the first user identification information;

issuing, in accordance with the inquiry, first power identification information for validating power supply performed by the power supply apparatus using the surplus power corresponding to the first time period for an accumulated value of the amount of surplus power corresponding to the first time period;

transmitting the first power identification information and the accumulated value of the amount of surplus power corresponding to the first time period to the first communication terminal; and

causing the power supply apparatus that has received a first power supply request, which is associated with the first power identification information, indicating that power is to be supplied to the first load apparatus to supply an amount of first power equal to or smaller than the amount of surplus power to the first load apparatus as power that does not cause a charging process.

2. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the first power supply request is input from the first communication terminal to the power supply apparatus.

3. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the surplus power value is periodically received from the meter, and

wherein, after the inquiry is received, surplus power values are accumulated from a start of the first time period including a reception time, which is a time at which the inquiry has been received, to the reception time to generate an accumulated value of the amount of surplus power corresponding to the first time period.

4. The method according to claim 1,

wherein, after the inquiry is received, the meter is requested to output surplus power values corresponding to the first time period including a reception time, which is a time at which the inquiry has been received, and

wherein, after the surplus power values corresponding to the first time period are received from the meter, the surplus power values corresponding to the first time period are accumulated to generate an accumulated value of the amount of surplus power corresponding to the first time period.

5. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the first power supply request includes a value indicating amount of power to be supplied to the first load apparatus.

6. The method according to claim 1,

wherein, if the accumulated value of the amount of surplus power corresponding to the first time period is equal to or smaller than a certain minimum value, control is performed such that the first power identification information is not issued or associated with the accumulated value of the amount of surplus power corresponding to the first time period.

7. The method according to claim 1,

wherein, if the accumulated value of the amount of surplus power corresponding to the first time period is equal to or smaller than a certain minimum value, control is performed such that the first power identification information and the accumulated value are not transmitted to the first communication terminal in accordance with the inquiry.

8. The method according to claim 1,

wherein, if the accumulated value of the amount of surplus power corresponding to the first time period is equal to or smaller than a certain minimum value, control is performed such that a notification indicating that the accumulated value of the amount of surplus power corresponding to the first time period is equal to or smaller than the certain minimum value is transmitted to the first communication terminal in accordance with the inquiry.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the power supply apparatus, an inquiry request including a value indicating amount of power to be supplied to the first load apparatus; and

outputting, if the value included in the inquiry request exceeds the accumulated value of the amount of surplus power corresponding to the first time period, an instruction to prohibit the power supply apparatus from supplying power to the first load apparatus.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the power supply apparatus, an inquiry request including a value indicating amount of power to be supplied to the first load apparatus; and

causing, if the value included in the inquiry request exceeds the accumulated value of the amount of surplus power corresponding to the first time period, the power generation apparatus to supply an amount of first power corresponding to the accumulated value of the amount of surplus power corresponding to the first time period to the first load apparatus as power that does not cause a charging process.

11. The method according to claim 1,

wherein, after the first time period ends, management is performed such that power supply performed by the power supply apparatus using the surplus power corresponding to the first time period on the basis of the first power identification information is invalidated.

12. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the power management system further includes a second load apparatus, which is different from the first load apparatus and installed in the same building as the power generation apparatus, and

wherein power obtained by subtracting power used by the second load apparatus from the power generated by the power generation apparatus is determined as the surplus power.

13. The method according to claim 1,

wherein, if the power generation apparatus has not obtained the first power identification information, the power supply apparatus supplies second power that causes a charging process to the first load apparatus.

14. The method according to claim 13,

wherein the power supply apparatus includes a receiver used for a process for paying money for supplied power,

the method further comprising:

performing control, if the second power has been supplied, such that the receiver accepts the process for paying money, and control, if the first power has been supplied, such that the receiver prohibits the process for paying money.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

performing a process for calculating a price corresponding to the amount of surplus power,

wherein, if the power supply apparatus has supplied the first power to the first load apparatus, a process for calculating a price corresponding to amount of power obtained by subtracting amount of first power supplied from the accumulated value of the amount of surplus power is performed in the calculation process.

16. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the first communication terminal transmits the first power identification information and the accumulated value of the amount of surplus power corresponding to the first time period to a second communication terminal used by a user corresponding to second user identification information different from the first user identification information, and

wherein, if the second communication terminal has transmitted, to the power supply apparatus, a second power supply request indicating that power is to be supplied to a third load apparatus, which is used by the user corresponding to the second user identification information and different from the first load apparatus, the power supply apparatus supplies an amount of first power equal to or smaller than the amount of surplus power to the third load apparatus as power that does not cause a charging process.

17. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the first power identification information and temporary second power identification information different from the first power identification information are associated with the accumulated value of the amount of surplus power corresponding to the first time period and issued in accordance with the inquiry,

wherein the first power identification information, the second power identification information, and the accumulated value of the amount of surplus power corresponding to the first time period are transmitted to the first communication terminal,

wherein the first communication terminal transmits the second power identification information and the accumulated value of the amount of surplus power to a second communication terminal used by a user corresponding to second user identification information different from the first user identification information,

wherein the second communication terminal transmits, to the power supply apparatus, a second power supply request indicating that power is to be supplied to a second load apparatus, which is used by the user corresponding to the second user identification information and different from the first load apparatus, and

wherein, if the power supply apparatus has supplied an amount of first power equal to or smaller than the amount of surplus power to the second load apparatus as power that does not cause a charging process, the first power is prohibited from being supplied to the first load apparatus.

18. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the accumulated value of the amount of surplus power corresponding to the first time period includes a value obtained by adding surplus power values corresponding to a period from a start of the first time period including a reception time, which is a time at which the inquiry has been received, to the reception time to an estimated accumulated value of the amount of surplus power from the reception time to an end of the first time period.

19. A power management system including a power generation apparatus corresponding to first user identification information, a first load apparatus used by a user corresponding to the first user identification information, and a power supply apparatus capable of supplying power to the first load apparatus and installed in a place different from the power generation apparatus, the power management system comprising:

one or more memories; and

circuitry operative to;

receive, from a meter that measures amount of surplus power, which is, in power generated by the power generation apparatus, power supplied from the power generation apparatus to a power system, a surplus power value indicating the amount of surplus power;

receive, from a first communication terminal used by the user corresponding to the first user identification information, an inquiry about power supply in which the surplus power is used in a first time period that lasts a certain unit time, the inquiry being associated with the first user identification information;

issue, in accordance with the inquiry, first power identification information for validating power supply performed by the power supply apparatus using the surplus power corresponding to the first time period for an accumulated value of the amount of surplus power corresponding to the first time period;

transmit the first power identification information and the accumulated value of the amount of surplus power corresponding to the first time period to the first communication terminal; and

cause the power supply apparatus that has received, from the first communication terminal, a first power supply request, which is associated with the first power identification information, indicating that power is to be supplied to the first load apparatus to supply an amount of first power equal to or smaller than the amount of surplus power to the first load apparatus as power that does not cause a charging process.

20. A power supply apparatus connected to the power management system according to claim 19.