JP7579151B2 - Power System - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to power systems.

In recent years, there have been many instances of power outage damage caused by natural disasters, and it is expected that damage from natural disasters will continue to increase in the future due to the effects of global warming, so measures are required. As part of this disaster prevention measure, there is a demand for housing equipment that allows people to continue living at home in the event of a power outage.

Therefore, a system has been proposed that allows for efficient use of electricity even during a power outage (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This system is applied to buildings such as homes that can use off-grid electricity from generators, storage batteries, etc., and detects the normal power state in advance, and provides information such as how to efficiently use off-grid electricity even during a power outage based on the normal power state of the building.

JP 2020-96435 A

In homes and other places, it is common for the power conditions, such as power usage, to differ between a power outage and normal times when there is no power outage. Therefore, it is essential to understand the actual power conditions during a power outage.

However, in the past, power status was determined based on normal power information and the amount of power consumed and remaining battery charge during a power outage, which was not sufficient for understanding the actual power status during a power outage.

Therefore, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a power system that can accurately grasp the actual power state during a power outage.

The power system of the present disclosure includes a power outage detection unit that detects a power outage state of a grid power network connected to a building; a power information input unit that inputs power information related to the power of off-grid power equipment including a power generation device and a power load installed in the building at the time of a power outage of the building in which a power outage has been detected by the power outage detection unit; and a power state determination unit that determines a power outage power state, which is the power state of the building at the time of a power outage, based on power information related to the amount of power generated, the remaining battery charge, the amount of charging power, the amount of discharging power, and the amount of power consumption of the building at the time of the power outage, and further includes an advice generation unit that generates advice on the use of power at the time of a power outage based on a result of the determination of the power outage power state and transmits the generated advice to a display device that can be confirmed by an administrator of the building, wherein a solar power generation device is provided as the power generation device, and the advice generation unit generates advice on daytime power consumption based on the remaining battery charge included in the power outage power state and the amount of power consumption by the power load at the time power generation by the solar power generation device ends .

In the power system disclosed herein, power information about a building during a power outage is input to determine the power status during the power outage. In particular, because the power information includes the amount of power generated by the power generation device, the amount of power generated and its self-consumption can also be determined, making it possible to accurately grasp the actual power status during a power outage.
The system further includes an advice generating unit that generates advice regarding power usage during a power outage based on the result of the power outage power status determination and transmits the generated advice to a display device that can be confirmed by a building manager. In this way, the advice generating unit generates advice based on an accurate understanding of the actual power status during a power outage, and therefore can generate more effective advice than advice generated based on power information during normal times.
A solar power generation device is provided as the power generation device, and the advice generating unit generates advice regarding daytime power consumption based on the remaining battery charge included in the power state during a power outage and the amount of power consumed by the power load when power generation by the solar power generation device ends. This makes it possible to generate advice regarding daytime power consumption that accurately reflects the amount of power generated by the solar power generation device.

1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a power system according to a first embodiment; 1 is a block diagram showing a main part of a power system according to a first embodiment. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing power equipment of a house that is a control target of a power system according to a first embodiment; 2 is a block diagram showing a flow of off-grid power in a house that is a control target of the power system in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of area information used in the power system of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of equipment information, which is information about power-related equipment installed in each home used in the power system of embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a power outage area in the power system of the first embodiment. 4 is a time chart showing an example of changes in the remaining battery charge, the amount of charged power, the amount of discharged power, and the amount of power consumed in a home during a power outage. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of a power state determination process and an advice generation process during a daytime power outage in the power system of the first embodiment. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of an advice process for nighttime power usage in the power system of the first embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a power system according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment 1)
The configuration of the power system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. FIG.

The power system of the first embodiment controls the power equipment in each of the houses H1, H2, H3, ..., HX shown in Figure 1, and is characterized in particular by control during a power outage. In the following description, when a specific one of the houses H1, ..., HX is not being referred to, it will simply be referred to as house H.

This power system includes a server SE. This server SE is capable of transmitting and receiving various information via a communication network NW to and from a controller CL of a home energy management system called a HEMS (home energy management system) installed in each home H as a control target.

The server SE further includes an information providing device 40 as shown in FIG. 2. This information providing device 40 is capable of transmitting and receiving information via the communication network NW to one or more information terminal devices 20 (see FIG. 3) that are preset for each house H. Here, each information terminal device 20 is capable of receiving information from the information providing device 40 via the communication network NW in the event of a power outage at the house H, and is, for example, a terminal device with a built-in battery such as a smartphone or mobile phone.

Here, the power equipment of the house H will be described with reference to FIG.
The house H is connected to a power grid E, such as a power plant of an electric power company or a cogeneration facility installed in each region. Each house H is provided with a group of loads 30 that can use system power supplied from the power grid E via a distribution board, an outlet, etc. Furthermore, the house H is provided with off-grid power equipment 10 that supplies off-grid power, which is power different from the system power supplied from the power grid E, to the group of loads 30.

The load group 30 is made up of multiple power loads that consume power to operate. These power loads include a hot water supply system 31 and an air conditioner 32, as well as lighting equipment (not shown) and home appliances such as a refrigerator and a television (not shown).

In the first embodiment, the hot water supply device 31 is configured to use heat pump technology that uses carbon dioxide or fluorocarbon as a refrigerant to heat water with the heat of air and store the hot water in a hot water storage tank. In addition, the hot water supply device 31 is normally controlled by the controller CL to boil water using nighttime grid power (nighttime power) or off-grid power. It is also possible to use a hot water supply device other than the above-mentioned heat pump type as the hot water supply device 31.

The air conditioner 32 is an air conditioner capable of performing so-called air conditioning, such as cooling, heating, blowing air, dehumidifying, and ventilating the underfloor space and above-floor space of the house H. The air conditioner 32 is controlled by a controller CL so that the room temperature becomes the set room temperature. Note that the air conditioner 32 may have other configurations as long as it uses grid power or off-grid power to perform air conditioning inside the house H, and is not limited to the configuration of embodiment 1.

Inside the house H, a display device 35 is provided that has a touch panel function for performing control setting operations on the controller CL, and the display is controlled by the controller CL.

Next, the off-grid power facility 10 will be described. In the present embodiment 1, the off-grid power facility 10 includes a power generation system 15, a power storage system 16, and a charge/discharge system 17. Note that it is sufficient for the off-grid power facility 10 to include at least one of the systems 15, 16, and 17.

The power generation system 15 is a system that generates power using natural energy, and in this embodiment 1, is equipped with a solar power generation device PV that receives sunlight and generates power. Note that the power generation system 15 can use other devices such as wind power generation devices and hydroelectric power generation devices in addition to the solar power generation device PV, as long as they generate power using natural energy.

The electricity generated by the power generation system 15 can be supplied to the load group 30 and the storage batteries 18, including the fixed storage battery 18a of the storage system 16 and the mobile storage battery 18b of the charging/discharging system 17, via the power conditioner PC (see Figures 1 and 4), and can also be sold to the power grid E via a distribution board DB (see Figure 1) or the like.

The power storage system 16 controls the charging and discharging of the fixed storage battery 18a. That is, the power storage system 16 charges the fixed storage battery 18a with system power supplied from the power grid E and off-grid power supplied from the power generation system 15, and supplies the power charged in the fixed storage battery 18a to the load group 30, etc., via a distribution board, an outlet, etc.

The charging/discharging system 17 controls the charging and discharging of the mobile storage battery 18b mounted on an electric vehicle EV (see FIG. 1) as an example of a mobile body. That is, the charging/discharging system 17 charges the mobile storage battery 18b with grid power and off-grid power, and supplies the power charged in the mobile storage battery 18b to the load group 30 and the like via a distribution board, an outlet, and the like. Note that the power charged in the mobile storage battery 18b becomes off-grid power, which is separate from the grid power, for the load group 30. The charging/discharging system 17 may also have a power generation system (e.g., a power generation engine, etc.) separate from the power generation system 15. Furthermore, the charging/discharging system 17 and the power storage system 16 can also exchange power with each other.

In addition to the load group 30 described above, off-grid power can also be supplied to a selected outlet 33 and an emergency outlet 34, which will be described later. The selected outlet 33 can supply both grid power and off-grid power during normal times when power is supplied from the grid power network E, while it can supply off-grid power during a power outage when there is no power supply from the grid power network E. In addition, one or more selected outlets 33 are provided in each residence H. On the other hand, the emergency outlet 34 can supply off-grid power only during a power outage.

Next, the information providing device 40 shown in FIG. 2 will be described.
During a power outage, the information providing device 40 collects information on the actual power usage of each residence H and determines the power state during the power outage. Furthermore, the information providing device 40 generates optimal advice regarding the power usage of each residence H during a power outage based on the determination result of the power state during the power outage, and performs processing to transmit the generated advice to the information terminal 20 and the controller CL via the communication network NW.

First, the configuration of the information providing device 40 will be described.
The information providing device 40 includes a control unit 41, a storage unit 42, an input unit 43, and an advice transmitting unit 49. The control unit 41 also includes a power outage detection unit 44, an area identification unit 45, a building extraction unit 46, a weather information acquisition unit 47, and an advice generating unit 48.

The control unit 41 controls the overall operation of the information providing device 40, and controls the operation according to a program stored in the memory unit 42 or the built-in internal memory 41a.

The memory unit 42 stores various information (data) for generating equipment use advice Iu for each house H, and enables the storage and reading of each piece of information under the control of the control unit 41. The memory unit 42 stores, as pieces of information, area information Ia (see FIG. 5) indicating the area in which the house H is installed and equipment information Ib (see FIG. 6) which is information relating to the power-related equipment installed in each house H, in relation to each piece of information associated with each house H.

The input unit 43 inputs various information related to the electricity of the home H from the controller CL of the home energy management system (HEMS) of each home H via the communication network NW. Furthermore, the input unit 43 inputs information related to the electricity supply from the power company via the communication network NW, and inputs information related to the weather and weather forecasts in various locations from weather information companies, etc.

The power outage detection unit 44 detects the occurrence of a power outage based on information on the power outage area from the power company. The area identification unit 45 identifies area A where a power outage has occurred based on the information on the power outage area. Note that information on the power outage area can also be obtained from an information service company other than the power company. Alternatively, advance advice can be provided using information from a power outage forecast service.

Figure 7 shows an example of information about power outage areas, indicating that three of the eight areas A (hereafter referred to as areas A1 to A8), areas A1 to A3, are experiencing a power outage. The area identification unit 45 identifies areas A1 to A3 as areas A experiencing a power outage. Note that each area A is the same as the area used when reporting a power outage as determined by the power company. In this way, the power outage detection unit 44 and the area identification unit 45 detect areas A experiencing a power outage.

The building extraction unit 46 extracts all homes H included in the power-failed area A identified by the area identification unit 45 from among the homes H to be controlled, based on the area information Ia shown in FIG. 5. The area information Ia is stored in the memory unit 42 as a home code Cr indicating each home H, divided by area A. The home code Cr is assigned by the contractor when a contract is concluded for the introduction of the off-grid power equipment 10. In the example shown in FIG. 7, where areas A1 to A3 are experiencing a power outage, the building extraction unit 46 extracts homes H with home codes Cr from "0000" to "2999" shown in FIG. 5.

The building extraction unit 46 may have other configurations as long as it detects houses H that are experiencing a power outage, and is not limited to the configuration of embodiment 1. For example, the building extraction unit 46 may detect whether a house H is experiencing a power outage or not, based on information about power obtained from each house H via the communication network NW.

The weather information acquisition unit 47 acquires current weather information and future weather forecast information for each area A via the communication network NW. Note that the weather information and weather forecast information includes not only weather such as sunny, cloudy, rainy, and snowy, but also temperature and humidity.

The advice generating unit 48 determines the power state during a power outage, which is the power state during a power outage, based on information about various types of power of the off-grid power equipment 10 sent from the house H in a power outage state, and generates equipment use advice Iu for each house H according to the determination result. The equipment use advice Iu generated for each house H is then output from the advice transmitting unit 49 to the information terminal device 20 and the controller CL via the communication network NW. Since the house H is equipped with off-grid power equipment 10, information about power can be input from the controller CL even during a power outage. However, if a communication failure occurs in the communication network NW due to a power outage or the like, or if the server SE is down due to a power outage, the above-mentioned equipment use advice Iu cannot be sent.

Here, we briefly explain how the advice generation unit 48 determines the power state during a power outage and generates advice.

The advice generating unit 48 determines the power state during a power outage based on the remaining battery charge ER, the amount of charged energy EC, the amount of discharged energy ED, the amount of power consumed within the home EPC, and the amount of power generated EG.

Figure 8 shows an example of the changes in the remaining battery charge ER, the amount of charged energy EC, the amount of discharged energy ED, the amount of power consumed within the home EPC, and the amount of power generated EG during a power outage. Note that Figure 8 shows an example of a power outage that occurred from 13:00 on 9/4 to 14:00 on 9/6. The enlarged image also shows the changes in each amount from 6:00 on 9/5 to 6:00 on 9/6.

The amount of power generation EG shown in FIG. 4 is calculated by subtracting the amount of discharged power ED from the sum of the amount of power consumed in the home EPC and the amount of charged power EC. The amount of power generation EG may be detected directly using a power sensor. The remaining battery capacity ER may be the remaining capacity of both the fixed battery 18a and the mobile battery 18b, but in this embodiment 1, the remaining capacity of the fixed battery 18a will be used as the standard for a typical house H.

When the remaining battery capacity ER, charging energy EC, discharging energy ED, household power consumption EPC, and power generation EG change as shown in FIG. 8, the advice generating unit 48 determines that power self-sufficiency has been achieved since the remaining battery capacity ER is positive at 6:00 on 9/6. The advice generating unit 48 also generates advice based on the remaining battery capacity ER and household power consumption EPC at this time. For example, if the remaining battery capacity ER is large, advice is generated to the effect that there is a surplus of usable power, and if the remaining battery capacity ER is small or negative, advice is generated to refrain from using power at night.

The processing executed by the information providing device 40 is described below. The processing executed by the information providing device 40 includes a process of collecting information on the actual power usage during a power outage, a process of determining the power state during a power outage based on the collected information (power outage power state determination process), and a process of generating advice based on the result of this determination (advice generation process).

First, the information collection process will be described.
When the power outage detection unit 44 detects a power outage, the information providing device 40 extracts a house H included in the power outage area, and acquires, via the communication network NW, the remaining battery capacity ER, the charged power amount EC, the discharged power amount ED, the in-house power consumption amount EPC, and the power generation amount EG from the controller CL of the HEMS of the extracted house H. Note that even during a power outage, the controller CL can use off-grid power to execute control required during a power outage, such as the transmission of the above-mentioned power information.

The advice generating unit 48 then performs power status determination processing and advice generation processing during a daytime power outage, and power status determination processing and advice generation processing during a nighttime power outage, based on the power information acquired during the power outage.

First, the power status determination process during a daytime power outage and the advice generation process will be described based on the flowchart in Figure 9. Note that this power status determination process during a daytime power outage and the advice generation process are executed when power generation by the photovoltaic power generation device PV ends.

In step S101, it is determined whether or not power generation by the photovoltaic power generation device PV has ended. If power generation has not ended, step S101 is repeated, and if power generation has ended, the process proceeds to step S102. In step S102, the remaining battery capacity ER and the amount of power consumed in the home during the daytime EPC are calculated, and then the process proceeds to the next step S103. At this time, the average amount of power consumed in the home EPC per unit time is also calculated.

In step S103, it is determined whether the daytime battery remaining capacity ER has reached 100%. If it has reached 100%, the process proceeds to step S104. If it has not reached 100%, the process proceeds to step S107.

In step S104, which is reached if the remaining battery charge during the day has reached 100%, a determination is made as to whether there is a margin for the daytime home power consumption EPC during the power outage, that is, whether there is a margin for the power generation amount EG relative to the current home power consumption EPC, as a power outage power status determination process. In this embodiment 1, this determination is made based on whether the home power consumption EPC is less than a preset power consumption determination threshold EPClim. If the home power consumption EPC is equal to or less than the power consumption determination threshold EPClim, it is determined that there is sufficient margin for power consumption, and the process proceeds to step S105. If the home power consumption is greater than the power consumption determination threshold EPClim, it is determined that there is a margin for power consumption, but not sufficient, and the process proceeds to step S106.

In step S105, which is reached when the home power consumption EPC is equal to or less than the power consumption judgment threshold EPClim, advice is generated to inform the user that there is a sufficient margin for power consumption compared to the current situation when the photovoltaic power generation device PV is generating power during the daytime. Specifically, the advice generated is messages such as "Average power consumption was XX W," and "During photovoltaic power generation, more electricity can be used. There is a margin of XX W."

On the other hand, in step S106, which is reached when the home power consumption EPC is greater than the power consumption judgment threshold EPClim, a message is generated to convey that there is room to spare. Specifically, advice messages such as "Average power usage was XX W," and "There is a room to spare of XX W, but if it exceeds XX W, there is a risk that the remaining battery charge ER will be insufficient" are generated.

If the remaining battery charge does not reach 100% in step S103, the process proceeds to step S107, where it is determined that the weather was bad and sufficient power generation EG was not obtained. Then, a message is generated as advice indicating that the power generation EG is insufficient due to the bad weather, indicating the remaining battery charge ER, and encouraging the user to limit power consumption at night.

Next, the advice process for determining advice on nighttime power usage will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 10. Note that this advice process is executed when the photovoltaic power generation device PV starts generating electricity.

Therefore, in the first step S201, it is determined whether or not the photovoltaic power generation device PV has started generating electricity. If it has started generating electricity, the process proceeds to step S202. If it has not started generating electricity, step S201 is repeated.

In step S202, the remaining battery capacity ER and the home power consumption EPC during the night (the period from the end of power generation to the start of power generation by the photovoltaic power generation device PV) are calculated, and then the process proceeds to the next step S203. At the same time, the average consumption per unit time of the home power consumption EPC is calculated.

In step S203, it is determined whether the remaining battery capacity ER at the start of power generation by the photovoltaic power generation device PV is 0%, i.e., whether the remaining battery capacity ER reached 0% during the night. If it is 0%, the process proceeds to step S204, and if it is greater than 0%, the process proceeds to step S205.

In step S204, which is performed when the battery remaining capacity ER reaches 0%, the controller 100 calculates the limit home power consumption LEPC to maintain the battery remaining capacity ER until the morning when the photovoltaic power generation device PV starts generating power, based on the time when the battery remaining capacity ER became 0% and the home power consumption EPC up to that time. Then, advice is generated to refrain from the home power consumption EPC during the night. An example of a specific advice is as follows. "The battery remaining capacity ER has become zero because the power consumption during the night was high at an average of XX W. By limiting the average power consumption to △△ W (home power consumption limit LEPC), it is possible to use power continuously until the morning. In addition, it is recommended to use power while referring to the estimated time when power can be used." The estimated time is the time when power can be used, which is calculated at any time by the controller CL based on the battery remaining capacity ER and the home power consumption EPC, and is the predicted time when the battery remaining capacity ER will be 0%, and is displayed at any time on the display device 35. In other words, the estimated time is the time when the remaining battery capacity ER will be 0% if consumed according to the household power consumption EPC per hour at that time.

In step S205, which is reached if the remaining battery capacity ER at the start of power generation by the photovoltaic power generation device PV (nighttime) is greater than 0%, it is determined whether the remaining battery capacity ER in the morning (immediately before the start of power generation by the photovoltaic power generation device PV) is equal to or greater than a preset remaining battery capacity threshold ERlim. If the remaining battery capacity ER is equal to or greater than the remaining battery capacity threshold ERlim, the process proceeds to step S206.

In step S206, advice is generated to the effect that more power can be used at night than the current amount of power usage. Specifically, the advice generated is the message "There is a margin of □ kWh. You can use more electricity at night."

In step S205, if the remaining battery charge ER in the morning is less than the preset remaining battery charge threshold ERlim, the process proceeds to step S207. In step S207, advice is generated to the effect that the amount of power used during the night is being covered by the amount of power generated EG by the photovoltaic power generation device PV, and that if power usage increases any further, there is a risk that the remaining battery charge ER will be depleted during the night.

The advice transmission unit 49 transmits the advice determined by the advice generation unit 48 to the HEMS controller CL and the information terminal device 20 via the communication network NW.

Here, the advice information based on the determination result at the end of power generation by the photovoltaic power generation device PV described in FIG. 9 is transmitted after power generation has ended during a time period when the residents of the house H can use the information as a reference for power usage the next day (for example, between sunset and 20:00).

On the other hand, advice information based on the judgment result at the start of power generation of the photovoltaic power generation device PV described in FIG. 10 is transmitted after the start of power generation during a time period when the residents of the house H can use the information as a reference for their power usage during the night of that day (for example, between sunrise and 18:00).

When the controller CL receives advice information, it displays it on the display device 35, and at that time, a sound or other notification is given to notify the user that advice has been received and displayed. The information terminal 20 also receives message information by email, short message, pop-up communication, or the like, and the resident can open a specified window to check it.

If no information is sent from the controller CL during a power outage, the information providing device 40 receives the various pieces of information from the controller CL during the power outage after power is restored, determines the power state during the power outage, generates advice, and sends the advice as a reference for the next power outage. This advice is determined by the same process as the flowcharts shown in Figures 9 and 10.

(Effects of the First Embodiment)
The effects of the power system of the first embodiment are listed below.
(1) The power system of the first embodiment includes a power failure detection unit 44, an input unit 43 as a power information input unit, and an advice generation unit 48 as a power state determination unit. The power failure detection unit 44 detects a power failure state of the power grid E connected to a house H as a building. The input unit 43 inputs power information regarding the power of the off-grid power equipment 10 including the photovoltaic power generation device PV and the storage battery 18 at the time of the power failure and the power load installed in the house H of the house H in which a power failure has been detected by the power failure detection unit 44. The advice generation unit 48 determines the power state at the time of the power failure based on information regarding the power generation amount EG at the time of the power failure, the remaining battery capacity ER of the storage battery 18, the charging power amount EC, the discharging power amount ED, and the in-house power consumption amount EPC.

Therefore, the power system of embodiment 1 makes it possible to grasp the actual power state of the house H during a power outage with high accuracy. In other words, by making a judgment based on the power generation amount EG during a power outage, it is possible to grasp the amount of power used in the house H directly from the photovoltaic power generation device PV, which makes it possible to grasp the power state during a power outage more accurately. Also, in this embodiment, the power generation amount EG is calculated from the remaining battery capacity ER, the charging power amount EC, the discharging power amount ED, and the home power consumption amount EPC, so there is no need to install a sensor to detect the power generation amount EG, and it is possible to reduce costs on the house H side.

(2) In the power system of embodiment 1, the advice generation unit 48 generates advice regarding power usage during a power outage based on the results of the power status determination during the power outage, and transmits the generated advice to the information terminal device 20 and the display device 35, which serve as display devices that can be viewed by the resident who is the manager of the house H.

Therefore, as described above in (1), the advice generation unit 48 generates advice based on an accurate understanding of the actual power state during a power outage, and is therefore able to generate more effective advice than advice generated based on power information during normal times.

(3) In the power system of embodiment 1, the advice generation unit 48 generates advice regarding daytime power consumption based on the remaining battery charge ER included in the power state during a power outage and the in-house power consumption EPC by the load group 30 when power generation by the photovoltaic power generation device PV ends.

Therefore, advice regarding daytime power consumption can be generated that accurately reflects the power generation amount EG of the photovoltaic power generation device PV.

(4) In the power system of embodiment 1, the advice generation unit 48 generates advice regarding nighttime power usage based on the remaining battery charge ER included in the power state during a power outage and the in-house power consumption EPC by the load group 30 when the photovoltaic power generation device PV starts generating power.

Therefore, it is possible to generate accurate advice when the electricity generated by the photovoltaic power generation device PV cannot be used.

Other Embodiments
Next, other embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. In the description of the other embodiments, the same reference numerals as in the other embodiments will be used to designate configurations common to the other embodiments, and descriptions thereof will be omitted. Only differences from the other embodiments will be described.

(Embodiment 2)
In the second embodiment, the advice generation in steps S105 to S107 includes a determination based on the weather of the day and the past, and a weather forecast for the next day.

In other words, the amount of power generation for the next day can be predicted based on the weather forecast for the next day and the relationship between past weather and power generation. Therefore, based on the amount of power consumption during a power outage and the estimated power generation predicted for the next day, it is possible to predict whether there will be a surplus or shortage in power consumption.

Therefore, if it is determined that there is room for power consumption, a message can be generated that takes into account the estimated amount of power generation for the next day, such as, "Power generation will increase from around XX o'clock, so you can use it without worrying about charging."

On the other hand, if the predicted power generation amount is insufficient, a message such as, "Power generation will decrease from around ○ o'clock, so please reduce your electricity usage and charge before the evening" can be generated.

(Effects of the Second Embodiment)
(2-1) In the power system of embodiment 2, the advice generation unit 48 further reads weather information regarding the weather and a weather forecast, estimates the amount of power generation of the photovoltaic power generation unit PV for the next day based on the weather information, and generates advice regarding daytime power usage based on the estimated amount of power generation.

Therefore, it is possible to generate more accurate advice compared to a system that does not estimate the amount of power generated by the photovoltaic power generation system PV for the next day.

The embodiment of the power system of the present disclosure has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are included in the present invention.

For example, in the embodiment, an example was shown in which the information providing device was provided in a server, but it may be provided in the controller of the HEMS shown in the embodiment, and each home (building) may independently determine the power state during a power outage and perform advice processing. Also, in the embodiment, a home is shown as the building, but the building is not limited to a home as long as it has off-grid power equipment, and the invention may be applied to other buildings such as public buildings and buildings.

In the embodiment, the advice generating unit generates advice based on the result of the determination of the power state during a power outage by the control unit as the power state determination unit, but this is not limited to the above. For example, power consumption may be controlled based on the result of the determination of the power state during a power outage. In particular, when the power state during a power outage is determined by a controller of a home energy management system such as a HEMS, power consumption may be controlled based on the result of this determination. As such control, for example, when power consumption is too high compared to the amount of power generated, or when this is predicted based on a weather forecast, the set temperature and air volume may be automatically changed to reduce the power consumption of the air conditioner, the illuminance of the lighting may be reduced, or the amount and temperature of hot water in the hot water heater may be limited.

In addition, in the embodiment, an electric vehicle battery is shown as an example of a mobile storage battery, but it may also be, for example, a plug-in hybrid car, an electric motorcycle, an electric bicycle including an electrically assisted bicycle, an electric wheelchair, agricultural machinery, industrial equipment, etc.

10: off-grid power equipment 18: storage battery 18a: fixed storage battery 18b: mobile storage battery 20: information terminal (display device)
30 Load group (power load)
35 Display device (display equipment)
43 Input unit (power information input unit)
44 Power outage detection unit 48 Advice generation unit (power status determination unit)
E System power grid EC Charging power amount ED Discharging power amount EG Power generation amount EPC House power consumption amount ER Remaining battery amount H House (building)
NW Communication network PV Photovoltaic power generation equipment (power generation equipment)
SE Server (Power System)

Claims (3)

A power outage detection unit that detects a power outage state of a power grid connected to a building;
A power information input unit that inputs power information regarding the power of off-grid power equipment including a power generation device and a storage battery at the time of the power outage and the power of a power load installed in the building in which a power outage has been detected by the power outage detection unit;
a power state determination unit that determines a power state during a power outage, which is a power state of the building during a power outage, based on power information related to an amount of power generated during a power outage of the building, a remaining amount of a storage battery, an amount of charged power, an amount of discharged power, and an amount of power consumed;
Equipped with
An advice generating unit that generates advice regarding power usage during a power outage based on the result of the power outage power state determination and transmits the generated advice to a display device that can be confirmed by a manager of the building,
A solar power generation device is provided as the power generation device,
The power system wherein the advice generating unit generates advice regarding daytime power consumption based on the remaining battery charge included in the power state during a power outage and the amount of power consumed by the power load when power generation by the solar power generation device ends . 2. The power system of claim 1 ,
A solar power generation device is provided as the power generation device,
The power system wherein the advice generation unit generates advice regarding nighttime power usage based on the remaining battery charge included in the power state during a power outage and the amount of power consumed by the power load at the time when the solar power generation device starts generating power. In the power system according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The advice generation unit further reads weather information related to the weather and a weather forecast, estimates the amount of power generated by the solar power generation device for the next day based on the weather information, and generates advice regarding daytime power usage based on the estimated amount of power generated.