Electric power control apparatus and grid connection system having same

• US 9,153,963 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2011
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2010
• 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: Baba, Akira, Takehara, Kiyotaka, Takamiya, Akiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Fantu, Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US13/695,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20130049695A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,609 Days
• Field of Search: 320/128
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/24 of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/12 for adjusting voltage in ac networks by changing a characteristic of the network load
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/32 using batteries with converting means
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 70/30 Systems combining energy storage with energy generation of non-fossil origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/20 using renewable energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

An electric power control apparatus enables a surplus electric power from a distributed power source to be stored in a storage battery in a consumer unit provided with a distributed power source and a storage battery. The electric power control apparatus is characterized in being provided with a compensation calculating unit which calculates the compensation of electric power by using a unit price of electricity for sale when charging the storage battery and a unit price of electricity for purchase when discharging from the storage battery.

Claims

1. An electric power control apparatus for use in a consumer dwelling provided with a distributed power source and a battery, the apparatus configured to enable a surplus power generated by the distributed power source to be charged in the battery, the apparatus comprising:

a compensation calculating unit configured to calculate compensation by using a power sale price available when an electric power is charged in the battery and a power purchase price available when the electric power is discharged from the battery,

wherein the power sale price is a price of an electric power reversely fed to an electrical grid of a commercial power source from the distributed power source.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a voltage detecting unit configured to monitor a voltage of the electrical grid of the commercial power source;

a surplus power management unit configured to select a state in which surplus power is reversely fed to the electrical grid when the voltage of the electrical grid monitored by the voltage detecting unit is equal to or lower than a specified threshold value and to select a state in which the surplus power is not reversely fed to the electrical grid but is charged in the battery when the voltage of the electrical grid monitored by the voltage detecting unit is higher than the specified threshold value, in a case where the surplus power is generated in the distributed power source;

a first power acquiring unit configured to acquire an electric power amount generated from the distributed power source and charged in the battery;

a second power acquiring unit configured to acquire an electric power amount discharged from the battery;

a power sale price acquiring unit configured to acquire a power sale price available when electric power is fed to the electrical grid; and

a power purchase price acquiring unit configured to acquire a power purchase price available when an electric power is received from the electrical grid, wherein

the compensation calculating unit is configured to calculate a loss amount incurred by not reversely feeding the surplus power while the surplus power management unit selects the state in which the surplus power is charged in the battery, as a money amount equivalent to compensation for reverse power feeding, by using the electric power amount acquired by the first power acquiring unit during a period in which the voltage of the electrical grid monitored by the voltage detecting unit is higher than the specified threshold value, the power sale price acquired by the power sale price acquiring unit when the electric power is charged in the battery, the electric power amount acquired by the second power acquiring unit and the power purchase price acquired by the power purchase price acquiring unit when the electric power is discharged from the battery.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the compensation calculating unit is configured to calculate the compensation by using a difference between the power sale price available when electric power is charged in the battery and the power purchase price available when electric power is discharged from the battery, as a unit price of the electric power discharged from the battery.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the compensation calculating unit is configured to calculate compensation for an electric power amount discharged from the battery, when the power sale price available when electric power is charged in the battery is higher than the power purchase price available when electric power is discharged from the battery.

5. A grid connection system, comprising:

the electric power control apparatus of claim 2 provided in each of a plurality of consumer dwellings; and

a management server configured to, when surplus powers are generated in two or more of the consumer dwellings, transmit a command for causing battery charging through a wide area network to a surplus power management unit of one of the two or more consumer dwellings which has the smallest residual power amount of a battery among the two or more consumer dwellings.

6. An electric power control method for use with one or more consumer dwellings each of which is provided with a distributed power source and a battery, the method enabling a surplus power generated by the distributed power source to be charged in the battery, the method comprising:

calculating compensation by using a power sale price available when an electric power is charged in the battery and a power purchase price available when the electric power is discharged from the battery,

wherein the power sale price is a price of an electric power reversely fed to an electrical grid of a commercial power source from the distributed power source.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, when surplus powers are generated in two or more of the consumer dwellings, transmitting a command for causing battery charging through a wide area network to one of the two or more consumer dwellings which has the smallest residual power amount of a battery among the two or more consumer dwellings.