JP5300899B2 - Electric power utilization adjusting device, system and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power utilization adjustment device capable of adjusting power utilization while protecting privacy of a consumer, a system and a program. <P>SOLUTION: The power utilization adjustment device of an embodiment comprises: a first reception part; a group dividing part; a first transmission part; a second reception part; an adjustment part; and a second transmission part. The first reception part receives conversion information from a plurality of consumer devices. The group dividing part divides the plurality of consumer device into groups. The first transmission part transmits group information to an information processor. The second reception part receives total difference information from the information processor. The adjustment part generates total prediction information which is difference between total of conversion information for each group and the total difference information and adjusts such that all of a power utilization amount for one time zone is shifted to another time zone. The second transmission part transmits the adjusted information to a plurality of consumer devices belonging to the group for which the total prediction information is adjusted. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2013,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a power usage adjusting device, a system, and a program.

  The next-generation energy supply system, called smart grid, uses information network technology to control the balance between power supply and demand, realizing more stable supply of power while effectively using renewable energy. It is a mechanism to do. Power generation using renewable energy such as solar power generation and wind power generation has large output fluctuations due to weather conditions, etc., so that the output fluctuations can be absorbed by other controllable power sources, storage batteries, adjustment of power demand, etc. Supply and demand control is required. As an approach on the demand side of such supply and demand control, there is a technique called demand response.

  Demand response is based on demands from utility companies for the purpose of suppressing demand peaks when demand is tight, leveling load by shifting demand to light loads, and suppressing short-term fluctuations when large amounts of renewable energy are introduced. It restricts the use of electricity at the house side. Various methods are conceivable as a method for realizing the demand response. For example, a server provided in a utility company or the like collects information related to the power usage schedule from each consumer who has a power supply contract, and estimates the total amount of power consumption assumed in the future. An example is a method of making adjustments according to the purpose of the request and requesting some customers to change the power usage schedule.

  When demand response is realized by such a method, if information collected by the server is illegally stolen, a lifestyle pattern of a consumer can be inferred from this information, which leads to infringement of privacy.

Takashi Matsuyama, "What is Energy Information? Background, Purpose, Basic Idea, Realization Method", Journal "Information Processing", Information Processing Society of Japan, August 15, 2010, Vol.51 No.8, p. .926-933

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a power usage adjusting device, system, and program capable of adjusting power usage while protecting the privacy of consumers.

  The power usage adjustment apparatus of the embodiment includes a first reception unit, a group division unit, a first transmission unit, a second reception unit, an adjustment unit, and a second transmission unit. The 1st receiving part is provided for every consumer, and the conversion information which converted the schedule information from a plurality of consumer devices which memorized the schedule information showing the amount of electric power used for every time zone which the consumer is planning Receive. The group dividing unit groups the plurality of customer devices into a plurality of groups. The first transmission unit transmits group information representing a result of the grouping to an information processing device that receives difference information representing a difference between the conversion information and the schedule information from a plurality of customer devices. . A 2nd receiving part receives the integrated difference information which is the sum total of the several said difference information received from the said some consumer apparatus which belongs to each group for every said several group from the said information processing apparatus. The adjustment unit includes, for each of the plurality of groups, integration schedule information that is a difference between the total of the plurality of pieces of conversion information received from the plurality of consumer devices belonging to each group and the integrated difference information corresponding to the group. The adjustment is performed to shift all the power usage in one time zone of the generated integration schedule information to another time zone. A 2nd transmission part transmits the adjustment information showing the result of the said adjustment with respect to the said some consumer apparatus which belongs to the said group in which the said adjustment was performed with respect to the said integration plan information.

Explanatory drawing explaining an example of schedule information. The conceptual diagram which shows typically the electric utilization condition in each household. The block diagram which shows one structural example of an electric power utilization adjustment system. The functional block diagram which shows an example of the function structure implement | achieved in an electric power utilization adjustment server, a HEMS server, and an anonymization server. The image figure of the encryption information transmitted with respect to the electric power utilization adjustment server from the HEMS server (alpha). The image figure of the encryption information transmitted with respect to the electric power utilization adjustment server from the HEMS server (beta). The image figure showing the sum total of the encryption information transmitted from HEMS server (alpha) and (beta). The image figure of the integrated mask information which is the sum total of the mask information transmitted from HEMS server (alpha) and (beta). The image figure of the integrated electric power utilization schedule information used as the object of adjustment.

[Outline of power usage adjustment system]
First, the outline | summary of the electric power utilization adjustment system concerning this embodiment is demonstrated. In the power usage adjustment system according to the present embodiment, a utility company that develops a business related to the supply of power accepts a restriction on the use of power to a consumer who has a contract with the utility company. It is a system that realizes demand response by giving the customer an incentive to follow the request.

  In the present embodiment, a power usage adjustment server (power usage adjustment device) provided on the utility provider side and a HEMS (Home Energy Management System) server (customer device) provided in each consumer's home are: A system configuration in which communication is possible via a communication network is assumed. Each HEMS server stores schedule information representing the amount of power used for each time zone scheduled by each consumer, and this schedule information is the time scheduled by each customer for the power usage adjustment server. The schedule information indicating the power usage amount for each band is transmitted. The power usage adjustment server collects schedule information from each HEMS server, adjusts (arranges) at least some of the schedule information so as to reduce the burden on the facility that supplies power, and adjusts the schedule information that has been adjusted. The adjustment information representing the adjustment result is transmitted to the HEMS server that is the transmission source. The adjustment information transmitted from the power usage adjustment server to the HEMS server requests a change in the power usage time that shifts the power usage amount scheduled in a certain time zone to another time zone for power usage in the home. Information to be included.

  In this embodiment, the consumer is assumed to be a household unit. However, there are a consumer unit of a building such as an office building, a consumer unit of a factory, and a consumer unit of a region. Even if included, a similar power usage adjustment system can be constructed. In the case of a consumer in units of buildings such as office buildings, the HEMS server may be replaced with a BEMS (Building Energy Management System) server. In addition, in the case of a customer in units of factories, the HEMS server may be replaced with a FEMS (Factory Energy Management System) server. In addition, in the case of a customer in units of regions, the HEMS server may be replaced with a CEMS (Community Energy Management System) server.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of schedule information transmitted from the HEMS server to the power usage adjustment server in the power usage adjustment system according to the present embodiment. As an example, the schedule information is information in which a power usage amount per unit time is expressed in a graph format as shown in FIG. The horizontal axis in FIG. 1 represents the time divided by the time frame representing the time zone, and the vertical axis represents the power usage amount in each time frame. The schedule information illustrated in FIG. 1 indicates that the power corresponding to the number of rectangular blocks is to be used in each time frame. The starting point of the schedule information (starting point on the horizontal axis in FIG. 1), the size of the time frame, the number of time frames, the amount of power corresponding to one block, the timing for transmitting the schedule information, etc. It is only necessary to pre-determine the rules that are unified in. It is also possible to change the rules at any time for every predetermined period such as every month or every season. Each HEMS server transmits schedule information for a predetermined period at a predetermined timing according to the above rules.

  The power usage adjustment server integrates schedule information collected from a plurality of HEMS servers, and obtains the total power usage amount for each time frame. In addition, the power usage adjustment server acquires supply power information representing a distribution of the amount of power that can be supplied for each time zone, for example, from a grid monitoring control device that monitors and controls power supply facilities. The power usage adjustment server is, for example, a time frame in which the total amount of power usage exceeds the amount of power that can be supplied, or the total power usage amount deviates greatly from the target value set for each time frame. If there is a time frame, by adjusting at least a part of the schedule information, a part of the power usage in the time frame is shifted to another time frame, thereby reducing the burden on the power supply equipment. Then, the power usage adjustment server transmits adjustment information representing the adjustment result to the HEMS server that is the transmission source of the adjusted schedule information, and requests acceptance of the adjustment result.

  The power usage adjustment system according to the present embodiment has the following unprecedented features. That is, in the system that realizes the conventional demand response, the consumer side is only requested to restrict the power usage in a certain time zone, whereas in the power usage adjustment system according to the present embodiment, the consumer is requested. On the other hand, it is requested to adjust power usage in a complementary manner at a plurality of points in time. That is, the power usage adjustment system according to the present embodiment is a system that supplements the limited amount of power with power supply in another time zone when the power usage of the consumer is limited in a certain time zone. .

  Specifically, for example, when the power usage adjustment server adjusts the schedule information transmitted from a certain HEMS server so as to reduce the power usage amount in a certain time frame by 50 W, at the same time, another time The power usage amount in the frame is adjusted by 50W. That is, the power usage adjustment server performs an adjustment to shift the power usage amount of 50 W in a certain time frame to another time frame. And the adjustment information containing the acceptance request | requirement of adjustment which shifts the power usage amount of 50W in a certain time frame to another time frame with respect to the HEMS server which transmitted this schedule information is transmitted. Note that the supplementation of the power usage amount in another time frame does not necessarily need to be complete complementation, and a part of the power usage amount limited in a certain time frame may be supplemented in another time frame.

  A consumer who has signed a contract with a utility company is given an incentive by accepting the adjustment result from the power usage adjustment server, and in many cases, accepts the adjustment result. Here, various methods are conceivable as methods for giving incentives to consumers. In the present embodiment, incentives for reducing the electricity bill are assumed.

  FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing the state of electricity use in each home assumed in the present embodiment. Two types of electric power, ordinary electric power and special electric power, are supplied to households of customers who have contracts with utility companies. Ordinary power is power that is supplied when an electrical device is connected to an outlet without any special procedure. On the other hand, special power is power supplied by connecting an electrical device to the HEMS server and then connecting to an outlet, or power supplied by connecting the electrical device to an outlet connected to the HEMS server. .

  Special power is less expensive than ordinary power, but its use is restricted in accordance with a request from the power usage adjustment server. That is, the power that the HEMS server limits the supply according to the adjustment information transmitted from the power usage adjustment server is the special power. When this special power is used, convenience is reduced as compared with the case of using ordinary power. As a price for such a decrease in convenience, special power can be used at a low usage fee. In addition to reducing the usage fee of special power whose use is restricted as described above, for example, a method of reducing the purchase price of an electric device that uses special power is also conceivable.

  The power usage adjustment server can shift the power usage amount within the range of the extension magnification (contract magnification) determined by the contract for the schedule information transmitted from each HEMS server. Here, the extension magnification is an index representing the shift width of the power usage amount in the schedule information. For example, the extension magnification of 2 means that the electricity usage amount in a certain time frame T is shifted to the time frame 2T. The extension magnification of 4 means that the amount of electricity used in a certain time frame T is shifted to the time frame 4T. Generally, the above-mentioned special power usage fee is determined according to the contract magnification. The larger the contract magnification, the lower the special power usage fee.

[Necessity of privacy protection]
As described above, in the power usage adjustment system according to the present embodiment, the power usage adjustment server collects schedule information representing the power usage for each time zone scheduled by each customer from a plurality of HEMS servers. To make adjustments. Here, the schedule information collected by the power usage adjustment server is information that can be used to infer the lifestyle patterns of each consumer. Therefore, if there is a possibility that the schedule information itself may be leaked due to an attack on the power usage adjustment server, etc. It leads to infringement of home privacy. In response to such a problem, in the power usage adjustment system according to the present embodiment, even if the power usage adjustment server is attacked, the schedule information itself does not flow out of the power usage adjustment server. Incorporates a mechanism to protect the privacy of the house.

  To briefly explain this mechanism, first, each HEMS server transmits the conversion information obtained by converting the schedule information to the power usage adjustment server, and the difference between the conversion information transmitted to the power usage adjustment server and the original schedule information. Certain difference information is transmitted to each HEMS server and the power usage adjustment server via the communication network so as to be communicably connected. Here, each HEMS server converts the schedule information by encryption using a mask, for example. Hereinafter, conversion information obtained by converting schedule information by encryption using a mask is referred to as encryption information, and difference information that is a difference between the encrypted information and the original schedule information is referred to as mask information. An information processing apparatus that receives mask information from each HEMS server is called a mask server.

  The power usage adjustment server groups the plurality of HEMS servers that have transmitted the encryption information into a plurality of groups, and transmits group information that represents the result of the grouping to the mask server. Based on the mask information received from each HEMS server and the group information received from the power usage adjustment server, the mask server includes, for each group, a plurality of mask information corresponding to the plurality of HEMS servers belonging to each group. Integrated mask information that is the sum is generated and transmitted to the power usage adjustment server. The power usage adjustment server generates, for each of a plurality of groups, integration schedule information that is a difference between a total of a plurality of pieces of encrypted information transmitted from a plurality of HEMS servers belonging to each group and integration mask information corresponding to the group. Then, adjustment is made to shift all of the power usage amount scheduled in one time zone of the generated integrated schedule information to another time zone. Then, the power usage adjustment server transmits the adjustment information indicating the adjustment result to each HEMS server belonging to the group in which the integration schedule information has been adjusted. Each HEMS server that has received the adjustment information executes special power supply control according to the received adjustment information. Hereinafter, a specific example of the power usage adjustment system according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail with a focus on such a mechanism for protecting privacy.

[Configuration of power usage adjustment system]
FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration example of the power usage adjustment system according to the present embodiment. In the power usage adjustment system according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the power usage adjustment server 10, the plurality of HEMS servers 20, and the mask server 30 are communicably connected via a communication network 40. It is a configuration. The communication network 40 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network), an intranet, Ethernet (registered trademark), or the Internet.

  The power usage adjustment server 10 and the mask server 30 include a control unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes control of the entire apparatus and basic operations, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (RAM) that store various data and various programs. Random Access Memory (Random Access Memory) and other main storage units, HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and CD (Compact Disc) drive units that store various data and programs, and a bus connecting them The hardware configuration uses a normal computer. The power usage adjustment server 10 and the mask server 30 further include a communication I / F (Interface) that performs communication via the communication network 40.

  The HEMS server 20 includes a control unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that controls the entire apparatus, a main storage unit such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that stores various data and various programs, Auxiliary storage unit such as a non-volatile memory for storing various data and various programs, a communication I / F (Interface) for communicating with an external device, and a bus for connecting them, and dedicated hardware or built-in It has the same configuration as the equipment. The HEMS server 20 further includes a communication I / F (Interface) that performs communication via the communication network 40. The HEMS server 20 is connected to a display device for displaying various information and an input device such as an operation button or a keyboard for receiving an operation input by a consumer.

  FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration realized in the power usage adjustment server 10, the HEMS server 20, and the mask server 30 configuring the power usage adjustment system according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 4, only one HEMS server 20 is shown for the sake of simplicity, but each of the plurality of HEMS servers 20 has the functional configuration shown in FIG. 4 in common.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the HEMS server 20 includes a schedule information generation unit 21, an encryption unit 22, an encryption information transmission unit 23, a mask information transmission unit 24, an adjustment information reception unit 25, and a power supply control unit 26. Yes. The functions of the schedule information generation unit 21, the encryption unit 22, and the power supply control unit 26 are realized by the CPU executing various programs stored in the main storage unit and the auxiliary storage unit. The functions of the encrypted information transmission unit 23, the mask information transmission unit 24, and the adjustment information reception unit 25 are such that the CPU executes various programs stored in the main storage unit and the auxiliary storage unit to perform the operation of the communication I / F. It is realized by controlling.

  The schedule information generation part 21 responds to the operation input by the consumer using the input device 27, and schedule information (Each time frame illustrated in FIG. 1 for each time frame illustrated in FIG. Information in which the power usage is expressed in a graph format). In this example, it is assumed that the customer directly inputs the power usage schedule using the input device 27. However, the history of power usage for each time zone used in the past is saved as history data. Alternatively, schedule information may be generated by predicting future power usage based on the history data.

  The encryption unit 22 encrypts the schedule information generated by the schedule information generation unit 21 to generate encryption information, and stores the generated encryption information. The encryption information generated by the encryption unit 22 is information obtained by converting the original schedule information with information (mask information) functioning as a mask. Here, the mask information represents the difference between the encrypted information and the original schedule information, and the original schedule information can be restored by taking the difference between the encrypted information and the mask information. An example of encryption by the encryption unit 22 is encryption using an additive homomorphic function described later. The schedule information before being encrypted by the encryption unit 22 may be stored.

  The encryption information transmission unit 23 transmits the encryption information generated by the encryption unit 22 to the power usage adjustment server 10 via the communication network 40. At this time, it is desirable that the encryption information transmission unit 23 adds the contract magnification information determined by the contract to the encryption information and transmits it to the power usage adjustment server 10.

  The mask information transmission unit 24 transmits mask information, which is a difference between the encrypted information generated by the encryption unit 22 and the original schedule information, to the mask server 30 via the communication network 40.

  The adjustment information receiving unit 25 receives the adjustment information transmitted from the power usage adjustment server 10 via the communication network 40. As described above, the adjustment information transmitted from the power usage adjustment server 10 includes information for requesting a change in the power usage time so as to shift the power usage amount scheduled in a certain time zone to another time zone. Contains.

  The power supply control unit 26 controls the supply of the special power described above according to the adjustment information received by the adjustment information receiving unit 25. At this time, it is desirable to display the adjusted schedule information on the display device 28 in a graph format so that the consumer can recognize how the original schedule information has been adjusted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the mask server 30 includes a mask information receiving unit 31, a group information receiving unit 32, an integrated mask information generating unit 33, and an integrated mask information transmitting unit 34. The function of the integrated mask information generation unit 33 is realized by the CPU executing various programs stored in the main storage unit and the auxiliary storage unit. The functions of the mask information receiving unit 31, the group information receiving unit 32, and the integrated mask information transmitting unit 34 are such that the CPU executes various programs stored in the main storage unit and the auxiliary storage unit to perform the operation of the communication I / F. It is realized by controlling.

  The mask information receiving unit 31 receives mask information transmitted from each HEMS server 20 via the communication network 40.

  The group information receiving unit 32 receives group information transmitted from the power usage adjustment server 10 via the communication network 40. Here, the group information is information representing a result of grouping for the plurality of HEMS servers 20 performed by the power usage adjustment server 10.

  Based on the mask information received by the mask information receiving unit 31 from each HEMS server 20 and the group information received by the group information receiving unit 32 from the power usage adjusting server 10, the integrated mask information generating unit 33 For each group grouped by 10, integrated mask information that is a sum of mask information transmitted from the HEMS server 20 belonging to the group is generated.

  The integrated mask information transmission unit 34 transmits the integrated mask information generated by the integrated mask information generation unit 33 to the power usage adjustment server 10 via the communication network 40.

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, the power usage adjustment server 10 includes an encryption information reception unit (first reception unit) 11, a group division unit 12, a group information transmission unit (first transmission unit) 13, and integrated mask information reception. Unit (second receiving unit) 14, adjusting unit 15, and adjustment information transmitting unit (second transmitting unit) 16. The functions of the group division unit 12 and the adjustment unit 15 are realized by the CPU executing various programs (power use adjustment programs) stored in the main storage unit and the auxiliary storage unit. The functions of the encrypted information receiving unit 11, the group information transmitting unit 13, the integrated mask information receiving unit 14 and the adjustment information transmitting unit 16 are various programs stored in the main storage unit and the auxiliary storage unit (power usage adjustment). The program is executed to control the operation of the communication I / F.

  The encrypted information receiving unit 11 receives the encrypted information transmitted from each HEMS server 20 via the communication network 40. This encrypted information is information obtained by changing the schedule information of a customer managed by each HEMS server 20 with mask information.

  The group dividing unit 12 groups a plurality of HEMS servers 20 that are transmission sources of the encrypted information received by the encrypted information receiving unit 11 into a plurality of groups. Here, various criteria for grouping by the group dividing unit 12 are conceivable, but as an example, grouping that groups the HEMS servers 20 of customers with close contract magnifications into the same group can be cited. When the encryption information is transmitted from each HEMS server 20 to the power usage adjustment server 10, if the contract magnification information is added to the encryption information and transmitted, each demand on the power usage adjustment server 10 side. It is possible to know the contract magnification of the house, and the group dividing unit 12 can perform grouping so that the HEMS servers 20 of the customers with the similar contract magnification are grouped together.

  The group information transmitting unit 13 transmits group information representing the result of grouping by the group dividing unit 12 to the mask server 30 via the communication network 40.

  The integrated mask information receiving unit 14 receives the integrated mask information transmitted from the mask server 30 via the communication network 40. Here, the integrated mask information is the total sum of the mask information for each group grouped by the group dividing unit 12.

  The adjustment unit 15 includes, for each group grouped by the group division unit 12, the sum of the encryption information received from the plurality of HEMS servers 20 belonging to each group and the integrated mask information for each group received from the mask server 30. Integrated schedule information that is the difference between the two is generated. The encrypted information received from each HEMS server 20 is information obtained by changing the schedule information with the mask information as described above. Here, if the difference between the sum of the encryption information for each group and the integrated mask information corresponding to the group is taken, the sum of the original schedule information can be obtained. Information representing the sum of the original schedule information for each group is the integrated schedule information.

  For the integration schedule information for each group generated as described above, the adjustment unit 15 converts all of the power usage amount scheduled in a certain time frame (one time zone divided by unit time) into another time frame (others). Adjustments are made so as to shift to the time zone. This is because the schedule information generated by the HEMS servers 20 belonging to the same group is subject to adjustment in the same time frame, and all of the power usage scheduled for that time frame is shifted to other time frames. It means to make adjustments. That is, the adjustment unit 15 performs adjustment in units of time frames for each group grouped by the group division unit 12, so that the burden on the power supply facility can be reduced in the entire system including a plurality of groups. Adjust the schedule information. The adjustment that can reduce the burden on the power supply facilities is, for example, a time frame in which the total amount of power usage exceeds the amount of power that can be supplied, or a target value that is set for each time frame. When there is a time frame greatly deviating from the above, the adjustment is such that a part of the power usage amount in that time frame is shifted to another time frame.

  Since the adjustment of the schedule information by the adjustment unit 15 is performed for each group as described above, the degree of freedom of adjustment increases as the number of groups increases. However, the fact that the number of groups is large means that the number of HEMS servers 20 belonging to each group is reduced, and the integrated schedule information of each group approaches the individual schedule information, so from the viewpoint of privacy protection. Not desirable.

  Therefore, when the group dividing unit 12 and the adjusting unit 15 cooperate with each other, the group dividing unit 12 first performs grouping with a small number of groups, and in the grouping, when the adjusting unit 15 cannot obtain a desired adjustment result, In accordance with a request from the adjustment unit 15, it is desirable that the group dividing unit 12 performs a new grouping by increasing the number of groups compared to the previous grouping. When the group division unit 12 performs a new grouping according to the request from the adjustment unit 15, the group information transmission unit 13 transmits group information representing the result of the new grouping to the mask server 30, and the integrated mask information The receiving unit 14 receives the integrated mask information for each group based on the new grouping from the mask server 30. And the adjustment part 15 produces | generates the integration plan information for every group by new grouping, and adjusts integration plan information.

  The adjustment information transmission unit 16 transmits the adjustment information indicating the result of the adjustment performed by the adjustment unit 15 to each HEMS server 20 belonging to the group in which the adjustment unit 15 has adjusted the integration schedule information. . Here, as described above, the adjustment information transmitted by the adjustment information transmission unit 16 is power that shifts the power usage amount scheduled in a certain time zone (time frame) to another time zone (time frame). Although the information for requesting the change of the usage time is included, the adjustment information having the same content is transmitted to the HEMS servers 20 belonging to the same group. Each HEMS server 20 that has received this adjustment information controls the supply of special power to the consumer according to the received adjustment information, as described above.

  In the power usage adjustment system according to the present embodiment, as described above, the group division unit 12 and the adjustment unit 15 of the power usage adjustment server 10 cooperate with each other until the adjustment unit 15 obtains a desired adjustment result. The integration schedule information for each group is adjusted while gradually increasing the number of groups. However, even when the group division unit 12 performs grouping that maximizes the number of groups, a case where the adjustment unit 15 cannot obtain a desired adjustment result is also assumed. In such a case, the supply is stopped or restricted with respect to the special power among the two types of power, that is, the normal power and the special power supplied from the utility company to each home. Since normal electric power is not stopped or restricted, each consumer may use normal electric power for applications that need to receive a stable electric power supply. Regarding such special power supply suspension and restrictions, it is stipulated as a special agreement that there is a possibility that special power supply suspension or restriction may occur in the contract between the utility company and each customer regardless of the contract ratio. Just keep it.

  The utility company manages and operates the power supply equipment so that a situation that does not satisfy the above-described control conditions does not occur as much as possible based on the contract magnification with each customer. Therefore, finally, the group division unit 12 performs grouping so that the HEMS servers 20 of customers having the same contract magnification are grouped, and the adjustment unit 15 performs the contract magnification for each integration schedule information. By performing the adjustment that shifts the use of electric power, it is possible to avoid as much as possible the situation that does not satisfy the above-described control conditions. The contract magnification of each customer may be transmitted from each HEMS server 20 to the power adjustment server 10 together with the encryption information as described above.

[Principle of privacy protection method]
Next, the principle of the privacy protection method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, in order to explain the principle of the privacy protection method according to the present embodiment in an easy-to-understand manner, the group A to which only two HEMS servers (hereinafter, one HEMS server is expressed as α and the other HEMS server is expressed as β) belongs. A case where adjustment is performed on the integrated schedule information will be described as an example.

  FIG. 5 is an image diagram showing the encryption information transmitted from the HEMS server α to the power usage adjustment server 10 in a graph format as shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 shows the power usage adjustment server 10 from the HEMS server β. It is the image figure which represented the encryption information transmitted with respect to FIG. 1 in the graph format. The hatched blocks in the figure represent the power usage for each time frame in the original schedule information, and the white blocks correspond to the mask information.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the schedule information of the HEMS server α indicates that there is a schedule of power use for one block in each of the time frames T1 and T2. Then, the schedule information is masked by the mask information, so that the original schedule information such that there are plans to use power for two blocks in the time frame T1, one block in the time frame T2, and one block in the time frame T3. It is encrypted in encrypted information with different contents. In this way, the schedule information of the HEMS server α is concealed by masking the schedule information of the HEMS server α by the mask information.

  The HEMS server α transmits the encrypted information in which the original schedule information is concealed by the mask information in this way to the power usage adjustment server 10. Further, the HEMS server α transmits to the mask server 30 mask information that is a difference between the encrypted information transmitted to the power usage adjustment server 10 and the original schedule information. As shown in FIG. 5, the mask information transmitted from the HEMS server α to the mask server 30 represents the power usage amount for one block in the time frame T1 and the power usage amount for one block in the time frame T3. .

  Further, the schedule information of the HEMS server β indicates that there is a schedule of power usage for one block in each of the time frames T1 and T3, as shown in FIG. Then, the schedule information is masked by the mask information, so that the original schedule information such that there are plans to use power for two blocks in the time frame T1, one block in the time frame T2, and one block in the time frame T3. It is encrypted in encrypted information with different contents. In this way, the schedule information of the HEMS server β is concealed by masking the schedule information of the HEMS server β by the mask information.

  The HEMS server β transmits the encrypted information in which the original schedule information is concealed by the mask information in this way to the power usage adjustment server 10. Further, the HEMS server β transmits mask information, which is a difference between the encrypted information transmitted to the power usage adjustment server 10 and the original schedule information, to the mask server 30. As shown in FIG. 6, the mask information transmitted from the HEMS server β to the mask server 30 represents the power usage amount for one block in the time frame T1 and the power usage amount for one block in the time frame T2. .

  FIG. 7 is an image diagram showing the sum of the encryption information transmitted from the HEMS servers α, β belonging to the group A in a graph format as shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the HEMS servers α, β belonging to the group A. FIG. 2 is an image diagram showing integrated mask information, which is a sum of mask information transmitted from, in a graph format as shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 9 is an image diagram showing the integration schedule information to be adjusted for group A in a graph format as shown in FIG.

  When adjusting the group A, the power usage adjustment server 10 firstly compares the encrypted information as shown in FIG. 5 received from the HEMS server α and the encrypted information as shown in FIG. 6 received from the HEMS server β. As shown in FIG. 7, the sum is calculated to obtain information that power is scheduled to be used for 4 blocks in the time frame T1, 2 blocks in the time frame T2, and 2 blocks in the time frame T3.

  Further, the mask server 30 recognizes that the HEMS servers α and β belong to the group A based on the group information received from the power usage adjustment server 10. Then, the mask server 30 calculates the sum of the mask information received from the HEMS server α and the mask information received from the HEMS server β, and, as shown in FIG. 8, 2 blocks in the time frame T1 and the time frame T2 The integrated mask information for group A is generated such that the power is scheduled to be used for one block at one time and one block at time frame T3. Then, the mask server 30 transmits this integrated mask information to the power usage adjustment server 10.

  When the power usage adjustment server 10 receives the integrated mask information for the group A from the mask server 30, the total of the encryption information of the HEMS servers α and β shown in FIG. 7 and the integration for the group A shown in FIG. 8. The difference with the mask information is calculated, and integrated schedule information as shown in FIG. 9 is generated. The integrated schedule information shown in FIG. 9 is information indicating that there is a plan to use power for two blocks in time frame T1, one block in time frame T2, and one block in time frame T3. This coincides with the sum of schedule information of the HEMS servers α and β to which it belongs.

  When adjusting the integration schedule information of group A, for example, the power usage adjustment server 10 shifts the power usage amount for two blocks in the time frame T1 to another time frame Tn (n is an arbitrary number other than 1). As described above, an adjustment is performed to shift all of the power usage amount scheduled in one time frame to another time frame. Then, the power usage adjustment server 10 transmits adjustment information representing the adjustment result as described above to the HEMS servers α and β belonging to the group A.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the power usage adjustment server 10 generates the integration schedule information by calculating the difference between the sum of the encryption information for each group and the integration mask information, and for the integration schedule information, Adjustments are made to shift all of the power usage scheduled in one time frame to another time frame. Therefore, the power usage adjustment server 10 can perform a desired adjustment that reduces the burden on the power supply facility without disclosing the schedule information of each customer to the power usage adjustment server 10. It is possible to adjust power usage while protecting privacy.

The reason why the privacy of each consumer can be protected by the privacy protection method according to the present embodiment can be summarized as follows. That is, for the schedule information generated by the j-th HEMS server 20 belonging to the group i, the power usage amount data in the time frame k is u _ijk . Here, under the condition that an adjustment is performed to shift all of the power usage amount scheduled in one time frame to the other time frame for the same group, for any i and k, u _{i1k, u i2k, ···, u} ilk is adjusted together. Therefore, u _ijk is always kept secret by Σju _ijk , and u _ijk itself is not revealed.

[Generalization by encryption using additive homomorphic functions]
The privacy protection method according to the present embodiment described above can be generalized as follows by using an additive homomorphic function for encryption of schedule information.

It is assumed that the function for encrypting the schedule information by the HEMS server 20 is ψ (), and ψ () is an additive homomorphic function. That is, assume that ψ (P ₁ ) + ψ (P ₂ ) = ψ (P ₁ + P ₂ ) holds.

Here, assuming that the schedule information generated by an arbitrary HEMS server j is P _j , the ciphertext obtained by encrypting the schedule information P _j with the additive homomorphic function ψ () is ψ (P _j ) Become. Here, information on the change due to encryption (that is, mask information) is ψ (P _j ) −P _j , which is ξ (P _j ). Then, ξ (P ₁ + P ₂ ) = ψ (P ₁ + P ₂ ) − (P ₁ + P ₂ ) = ψ (P ₁ ) + ψ (P ₂ ) −P ₁ −P ₂ = ξ (P ₁ ) + ξ (P ₂ ).

If the schedule information generated by the HEMS servers 20 belonging to the same group is P ₁ , P ₂ ,..., P ₁ , the encrypted schedule information (encrypted information) generated by the power usage adjustment server 10 The sum is ψ (P ₁ ) + ψ (P ₂ ) +... + Ψ (P _l ) = ψ (P ₁ + P ₂ +... + P _l ). On the other hand, the integrated mask information generated in the mask server 30 is ξ (P ₁ ) + ξ (P ₂ ) +... + Ξ (P _l ) = ξ (P ₁ + P ₂ +... + P _l ). Therefore, the integration schedule information that the power usage adjustment server 10 obtains from the difference between the sum of the encrypted information and the integration mask information is ψ (P ₁ + P ₂ +... + P _l ) −ξ (P ₁ + P ₂ + · .. + P ₁ ) = P ₁ + P ₂ +... + P ₁ , which matches the sum of the schedule information P ₁ , P ₂ ,..., P ₁ generated by each HEMS server 20 belonging to the group.

[Effect of the embodiment]
As described above in detail with specific examples, according to the power usage adjustment system according to the present embodiment, each HEMS server 20 converts the encrypted information obtained by encrypting the schedule information into the power usage adjustment server 10. And the mask information which is the difference between the encrypted information and the original power utilization schedule information is transmitted to the mask server 30. The power usage adjustment server 10 groups the HEMS servers 20 that have transmitted the encryption information into a plurality of groups, and transmits group information that represents the result of the grouping to the mask server 30. The mask server 30 generates integrated mask information for each group based on the mask information received from each HEMS server 20 and the group information received from the power usage adjustment server 10, and uses the generated integrated mask information for power usage. It transmits to the adjustment server 10. The power usage adjustment server 10 calculates, for each group, the difference between the sum of the encrypted information received from the HEMS server 20 and the integrated mask information received from the mask server 30, and generates integration schedule information for each group. Then, the power usage adjustment server 10 adjusts the generated integration schedule information so as to shift all of the power usage amount scheduled in a certain time frame to another time frame, and indicates the adjustment information indicating the result of the adjustment. Is transmitted to the HEMS server 20 belonging to the adjusted group. Therefore, for example, even if information leaks from the power usage adjustment server 10 due to, for example, an attack on the power usage adjustment server 10, the leaked information is encrypted information obtained by encrypting the schedule information, or schedule information is added in units of groups. Since this information is integrated schedule information, the schedule information of each individual customer does not leak out, so that the privacy of the customer can be protected. Thus, according to the power usage adjustment system according to the present embodiment, it is possible to appropriately adjust the power usage so as to reduce the burden on the power supply facility while protecting the privacy of the consumer.

  In addition, the technique described in the nonpatent literature 1 is known as a technique which controls electric power supply in consideration of the schedule of the electric power usage by a consumer. However, in the technique described in Non-Patent Document 1, the privacy protection of the consumer is not assumed, and a mechanism for protecting the privacy of the consumer is not examined. Moreover, the power supply control in the case of applying the technique described in Non-Patent Document 1 is a control that limits useless power supply in accordance with a schedule of power use by a consumer. On the other hand, in the power usage adjustment system according to the present embodiment, when the power usage of the consumer is limited in a certain time zone, the limited power amount is supplemented by the power supply in the other time zone. It is a system that requests customers to adjust power usage in a complementary manner at multiple points in time. As described above, since the system requests the restriction of the power use while guaranteeing the supply of the necessary amount of power to the consumer, a highly convenient demand response can be realized.

  In the power usage adjustment system according to the present embodiment, the power usage adjustment server 10 divides a plurality of HEMS servers 20 into a plurality of groups, adjusts the integration schedule information for each group, and achieves satisfactory adjustment. When the result cannot be obtained, the grouping is changed and the integration schedule information is adjusted for each new group, and what kind of adjustment is finally made depends on the intermediate result of the adjustment. Here, in order to protect the privacy of consumers, for example, when the power usage adjustment server 10 adopts a method of processing the encrypted information of the schedule information as it is, the intermediate result of the adjustment cannot be grasped, It becomes difficult to make appropriate adjustments. On the other hand, in the power usage adjustment system according to the present embodiment, the privacy protection of the consumer is made possible by concealing the individual schedule information by adjusting the integrated schedule information that is the sum of the schedule information for each group. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately adjust the integration schedule information while accurately grasping the intermediate result of the adjustment.

  Note that, as described above, the power usage adjustment server 10 that plays a central role in the power usage adjustment system according to the present embodiment employs a hardware configuration using a normal computer, and power executed by the computer. With the usage adjustment program, the above-described functional configurations can be realized.

  The power usage adjustment program executed by the power usage adjustment server 10 is a file in an installable format or an executable format, for example, a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or the like. And recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

  The power usage adjustment program executed by the power usage adjustment server 10 may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. The power usage adjustment program executed by the power usage adjustment server 10 may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. Furthermore, a power usage adjustment program executed by the power usage adjustment server 10 may be provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like.

  The power usage adjustment program executed by the power usage adjustment server 10 includes the encryption information receiving unit 11, the group dividing unit 12, the group information transmitting unit 13, the integrated mask information receiving unit 14, the adjusting unit 15, and the adjustment information transmitting unit described above. 16 is a module configuration, and as actual hardware, a CPU (processor) reads out and executes a power usage adjustment program from the storage medium, so that each unit is loaded onto the main storage unit, and the encryption information The receiving unit 11, the group dividing unit 12, the group information transmitting unit 13, the integrated mask information receiving unit 14, the adjusting unit 15, and the adjusting information transmitting unit 16 are generated on the main storage unit.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, said embodiment is shown as an example and is not intending limiting the range of invention. The above-described novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The above embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  For example, in the power usage adjustment system described as the above embodiment, the power usage adjustment server 10 includes the encryption information reception unit 11, the group division unit 12, the group information transmission unit 13, the integrated mask information reception unit 14, and the adjustment unit 15. The adjustment information transmitting unit 16 is provided as a functional configuration, but each of these functions may be realized by being divided into a plurality of devices (hardware).

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Power utilization adjustment server 11 Encryption information receiving part 12 Group division part 13 Group information transmission part 14 Integrated mask information receiving part 15 Adjustment part 16 Adjustment information transmission part 20 HEMS server 30 Mask server 40 Communication network

Claims (6)

1st reception which receives the conversion information which converted the said schedule information from the several consumer apparatus which was provided for every consumer and memorize | stored the schedule information showing the electric power usage for every time slot | zone which the consumer is planning. And
A group dividing unit for grouping a plurality of customer devices into a plurality of groups;
A first transmission unit that transmits group information representing a result of the grouping to an information processing device that receives difference information representing a difference between the conversion information and the schedule information from a plurality of customer devices;
A second receiving unit that receives integrated difference information that is a sum of a plurality of the difference information received from the plurality of consumer devices belonging to each group from the information processing device;
For each of the plurality of groups, generate integrated schedule information that is a difference between the total of the plurality of conversion information received from the plurality of customer devices belonging to each group and the integrated difference information corresponding to the group, and generate An adjustment unit that performs adjustment to shift all of the power usage amount in one time zone of the integrated schedule information to another time zone;
A second transmission unit that transmits adjustment information representing a result of the adjustment to the plurality of customer devices belonging to the group in which the adjustment has been performed on the integration schedule information. Power usage adjustment device. The conversion information is information obtained by converting the schedule information according to a predetermined conversion rule,
The conversion rule is a rule in which a sum total of a plurality of the conversion information obtained by converting each of the plurality of schedule information matches a conversion information obtained by converting a sum of the plurality of schedule information. Item 2. The power usage adjusting device according to Item 1.   The power conversion apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the conversion information is information obtained by encrypting the schedule information with an additive homomorphic function. The group division unit performs a new grouping for the plurality of customer devices when requested by the adjustment unit,
When the group dividing unit performs a new grouping, the first transmitting unit transmits the group information representing a new grouping result,
The second receiving unit receives the integrated difference information for each of the plurality of groups by the new grouping when the group dividing unit performs a new grouping,
When the group division unit performs a new grouping, the adjustment unit generates new integration schedule information for each of the plurality of groups based on a new grouping, and the generated integration schedule information It adjusts, The electric power utilization adjustment apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. Provided for each consumer, and connected to the plurality of consumer devices via a communication network and a plurality of consumer devices storing schedule information representing the amount of power used for each time zone scheduled by the consumer. An information processing device, and a power usage adjustment device connected to the information processing device and the plurality of customer devices via the communication network,
The plurality of customer devices transmit conversion information obtained by converting the schedule information to the power usage adjustment device, and represent a difference between the conversion information and the schedule information to the information processing device. It has a function to send difference information,
The information processing device receives the difference information from a plurality of consumer devices, and receives group information representing a result of grouping the plurality of consumer devices into a plurality of groups from the power usage adjustment device. For each of the plurality of groups, integrated difference information that is a sum of a plurality of the difference information received from the plurality of consumer devices belonging to each group is generated, and the generated integrated difference information is used as the power usage adjustment device. Has a function to send to
The power usage adjusting device is:
A first receiving unit that receives a plurality of pieces of conversion information from a plurality of consumer devices;
A group dividing unit for grouping a plurality of customer devices into a plurality of groups;
A first transmitter that transmits the group information to the information processing apparatus;
A second receiving unit that receives the integrated difference information from the information processing apparatus;
For each of the plurality of groups, generate integrated schedule information that is a difference between the total of the plurality of conversion information received from the plurality of customer devices belonging to each group and the integrated difference information corresponding to the group, and generate An adjustment unit that performs adjustment to shift all of the power usage amount in one time zone of the integrated schedule information to another time zone;
A second transmission unit configured to transmit adjustment information representing a result of the adjustment to the plurality of customer devices belonging to the group in which the adjustment has been performed on the integration schedule information. Power usage adjustment system. A function for receiving conversion information obtained by converting the schedule information from a plurality of customer devices that are provided for each consumer and that store schedule information that represents the amount of power used for each time zone scheduled by the consumer;
A function of grouping a plurality of the consumer devices into a plurality of groups;
A function of transmitting group information representing a result of the grouping to an information processing apparatus that receives difference information representing a difference between the conversion information and the schedule information from a plurality of consumer devices;
A function of receiving integrated difference information, which is a sum of a plurality of the difference information received from the plurality of consumer devices belonging to each group, for each of the plurality of groups from the information processing device;
For each of the plurality of groups, generate integrated schedule information that is a difference between the total of the plurality of conversion information received from the plurality of customer devices belonging to each group and the integrated difference information corresponding to the group, and generate A function of adjusting all of the power usage in one time zone of the integrated schedule information to another time zone;
Use of power for causing a computer to realize a function of transmitting adjustment information representing the result of the adjustment to the plurality of customer devices belonging to the group in which the adjustment has been performed on the integration schedule information Adjustment program.

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