Apparatus for selecting specifications of power storage system and method for selecting specifications of power storage system

• US 8,829,720 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2009
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Shinji, Ishii, Daisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ BORROTO, ALFONSO
• Application Number:
  US13/497,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20120181870A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,800 Days
• Field of Search: 307/19, 307/72, 307/80, 307/126, 700/286, 705/26
• US Class Current: 307/80
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/003 Load forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future load demand
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/32 using batteries with converting means
• 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

Abstract

A power storage system includes a power control unit including an inverter, and a battery for storing electrical energy supplied with commercial AC power by way of the inverter to supply the electrical energy to an electrical load. An apparatus for selecting specifications of a power storage system includes a data input interface unit for input of data obtained by measuring power usage during prescribed hours at a location of power consumption where the power storage system is to be installed, and an operation processing unit for finding annual average power usage during prescribed hours based on the measured data, and determining an output of the inverter based on the average power usage.

Claims

1. An apparatus for selecting specifications of a power storage system,

the power storage system including

an inverter configured to receive commercial AC power and convert the AC power to DC power, and

a power storage device for storing electrical energy supplied with the commercial AC power by way of the inverter to supply the electrical energy to an electrical load, the apparatus comprising:

an interface for input of data obtained by measuring power usage during prescribed hours at a location of power consumption where the power storage system is to be installed; and

an operation processing unit for finding annual average power usage during the prescribed hours based on data that is obtained by compensating the measured data with a variation factor, the variation factor is for compensating for an influence depending on a month in which the measured data are acquired, the variation factor is found by monitoring power usage during the prescribed hours at the location of power consumption for at least one year, and determining an output of the inverter based on the average power usage, wherein

the operation processing unit presents the average power usage as the output of the inverter.

2. The apparatus for selecting specifications of a power storage system according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit for holding predetermined compensation factors, the predetermined compensation factors being values of a normalized amount of the power storage device power usage based on an average amount of power for the location of power consumption, corresponding to a plurality of inverter outputs, respectively, wherein

the operation processing unit acquires from the storage unit a predetermined compensation factor corresponding to a selected output of the inverter, and calculates an actual amount of use out of the power usage available from the power storage device by multiplying, by the acquired predetermined compensation factor, an amount of power used in one day during the prescribed hours obtained based on a result of measuring the power usage, and determines a capacity of the power storage device based on the actual amount of use.

3. The apparatus for selecting specifications of a power storage system according to claim 2, further comprising a display unit for displaying the determined output of the inverter and the determined capacity of the power storage device.

4. A method for selecting specifications of a power storage system,

the power storage system including

an inverter configured to receive commercial AC power and convert the AC power to DC power, and

a power storage device for storing electrical energy supplied with the commercial AC power by way of the inverter to supply the electrical energy to an electrical load, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring power usage during prescribed hours at a location of power consumption where the power storage system is to be installed;

finding annual average power usage during the prescribed hours based on a result of measurement that is obtained by compensating the measured data with a variation factor, the variation factor is for compensating for an influence depending on a month in which the measured data are acquired, the variation factor is found by monitoring power usage during the prescribed hours at the location of power consumption for at least one year; and

determining an output of the inverter based on the average power usage, wherein

in the step of determining an output of the inverter, the average power usage is presented as the output of the inverter.

5. The method for selecting specifications of a power storage system according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

acquiring a predetermined compensation factor, the predetermined compensation factor being a value of a normalized amount of the power storage device power usage based on an average amount of power for the location of power consumption, corresponding to a selected output of the inverter from a predetermined map; and

calculating an actual amount of use out of the power usage available from the power storage device by multiplying, by the acquired predetermined compensation factor, an amount of power used in one day during the prescribed hours obtained based on a result of measuring the power usage, and determining a capacity of the power storage device based on the actual amount of use.