Electric power distribution system

• US 8,862,281 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2010
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoneda, Satsuki, Mori, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): KASENGE, CHARLES R
• Application Number:
  US13/500,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20120271474A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,474 Days
• Field of Search: 700/22, 700/286, 700/295, 702/60, 702/61, 702/62, 705/412
• US Class Current: 700/295
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/32 using batteries with converting means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/14 Energy storage units
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/221 General power management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/242 Home appliances

Abstract

A power distribution system includes: a remote electricity monitoring device which is provided at each power supply destination, and remotely reads, via communication means, an consumed power amount and an surplus power amount stored in a power storage device at each supply destination; and a management server which manages the power supply of each supply destination while collecting, via the communication means, the consumed power information and the surplus power information, both of which are read by the remote electricity monitoring device. The management server distributes the power among the supply destinations in line with the relationship between the power amounts based on the consumed power information and surplus power information.

Claims

1. A power distribution system comprising:

a remote electricity monitoring device which is provided in each of supply destinations of a power for remotely measuring an amount of power consumption of each supply destination and an amount of a surplus power stored in a corresponding storage battery for storing surplus power at each supply destination via communication means; and

a management server for managing supply of the power to each supply destination while collecting power consumption amount information and surplus power amount information, which are information obtained by the remote electricity monitoring device, via the communication means,

wherein the management server distributes the power among the supply destinations in line with a relationship between power amounts based on the power consumption amount information and the surplus power amount information that have been collected

wherein the management server includes a plurality of servers implemented in a hierarchical structure in which functions are assigned to corresponding levels, the remote electricity monitoring device installed in each of the supply destinations is connected to a relevant server at a lowermost level among the hierarchical servers via the communication means, and the power consumption amount information and the surplus power amount information, which are information obtained by the remote electricity monitoring device, are collected in the server at the lowermost level, so that whenever a power distribution by a lower-level server is in a predetermined situation, targets for the power distribution are sequentially changed to supply destinations managed by the server at a higher level.

2. The power distribution system of claim 1, wherein the communication means employs power line communications using a power line as a medium.

3. The power distribution system of claim 1, wherein the communication means employs network communications using Internet as a medium.

4. The power distribution system of claim 1, wherein the management server performs power distribution among the supply destinations depending on a balance of power amounts based on the power consumption amount information and the surplus power amount information.

5. The power distribution system of claim 1, wherein the management server distributes the surplus power to a supply destination expected to experience power deficiency, based on changes in the power consumption amount information and the surplus power amount information.

6. The power distribution system of claim 1, wherein the management server primarily distributes the surplus power to a supply destination that is previously determined among the supply destinations.

7. The power distribution system of claim 6, wherein the supply destination that is previously determined is a supply destination having a fixed power consumption.

8. The power distribution system of claim 6, wherein the supply destination that is previously determined is a supply destination having a fixed power consumption and having a fixed period of time in power consumption.

9. The power distribution system of claim 7, wherein the supply destination is an electrically driving system of a public institution.

10. The power distribution system of claim 7, wherein the supply destination is an antitheft security system provided in a building.

11. The power distribution system of claim 1, wherein the management server further includes a function of calculating an optimal mixture form of various types of power generation in a power supply facility, based on the power consumption amount information and the surplus power amount information, and feeds back the calculated optimal mixture form of the various types of the power generation to the power supply facility.

12. The power distribution system of claim 11, wherein a reduction in discharge of carbon dioxide is taken into consideration in the calculation of the optimal mixture form of the various types of the power generation.

13. The power distribution system of claim 11, wherein a reduction in power generation cost is taken into consideration in the calculation of the optimal mixture form of the various types of the power generation.

14. The power distribution system of claim 1, wherein the management server further includes a function of obtaining information required to improve power utilization efficiency of each supply destination, based on the power consumption amount information and the surplus power amount information, and providing guidance of the obtained information via the communication means, and each supply destination further includes a reporting unit for reporting the guidance through the remote electricity monitoring device.

15. The power distribution system of claim 1, wherein the management server further includes a function of receiving environmental information including meteorological information via the communication means and correcting a distribution form of the power distribution based on the received environmental information.

16. The power distribution system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined situation includes a limitation caused in the power distribution by the lower-level server.

17. The power distribution system of claim 16, wherein the server at the lowermost level is a sub-management server and is installed at a pole transformer.

18. The power distribution system of claim 17, wherein a local server for managing supply of the power to an area to which the supply destinations are assigned is installed as a server at a level higher than that of the sub-management server installed at the pole transformer, and the power distribution among the supply destinations is performed in units of the area.

19. The power distribution system of claim 8, wherein the supply destination is an electrically driving system of a public institution.

20. The power distribution system of claim 8, wherein the supply destination is an antitheft security system provided in a building.