JP7763148B2 - Power Management System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a power management system.

Patent Document 1 below discloses an invention related to a home energy management system. In this home energy management system, if there is surplus electricity generated by a solar power generation system, this electricity is stored in a storage battery connected to the building's distribution board or in a vehicle storage battery for an electric vehicle. The electricity stored in the storage battery or vehicle storage battery is then supplied to loads within the building, such as at night when the solar power generation system cannot generate electricity.

JP 2013-20488 A

However, when the solar power generation system is unable to generate power, it may be difficult to supply enough power to the loads within the building even if power from both the storage battery and the vehicle storage battery is used.

On the other hand, depending on the power consumption situation due to loads within the building, it is possible that some of the electricity stored in the storage batteries and vehicle batteries will become surplus electricity.

In this regard, from the perspective of efficient use of electricity, it is preferable to be able to supply electricity from one building with surplus electricity to another building that is short of electricity. It is also preferable that electricity be supplied from one building to another as quickly as possible.

The present invention takes the above into consideration and aims to provide a power management system that enables one building with surplus power to supply power to another building with a power shortage, while also shortening the time it takes for power to be supplied from one building to the other.

The power management system according to the first aspect includes solar power generation devices installed in a plurality of buildings and capable of generating electricity using sunlight; power storage devices installed in the plurality of buildings and capable of storing the electricity generated by the solar power generation devices; power storage units mounted on electric vehicles parked within the grounds of the plurality of buildings under normal conditions; charging/discharging devices installed in the plurality of buildings and located between the electric vehicles and the buildings and capable of supplying power from the buildings to the power storage units or from the power storage units to the buildings; charging devices installed in the plurality of buildings and capable of supplying power from one power storage unit to another power storage unit; and a data server capable of obtaining a driving route estimated to have the shortest driving time between the buildings and capable of transmitting driving route information including the driving route to the electric vehicles.

In the power management system according to the first aspect, solar power generation devices capable of generating electricity using sunlight are installed in multiple buildings. Therefore, in these buildings, during times when the solar power generation devices are capable of generating electricity, such as daytime hours, the electricity generated by the solar power generation devices can be supplied to loads within the buildings.

In addition, in this embodiment, a power storage device is installed in each building, and if there is surplus power generated by the solar power generation device during times when the solar power generation device is capable of generating power, i.e., if that power exceeds the power consumed by the load within the building, some of that power can be stored in the power storage device. Therefore, during times when the solar power generation device is unable to generate power, such as at night, the power stored in the power storage device can be supplied to the load within the building.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, electric vehicles are normally parked within the grounds of multiple buildings, and a charging/discharging device is interposed between the electric vehicles and the buildings. The charging/discharging device is capable of supplying power from the building to the power storage unit installed in the electric vehicles, or from the power storage unit to the building. Therefore, if there is surplus power generated by the solar power generation device during times when the solar power generation device is capable of generating power, some of that power can be stored in the power storage unit. Then, during times when the solar power generation device is unable to generate power, the power stored in the power storage unit can be supplied to loads within the building.

However, when the solar power generation system is unable to generate power, it may be difficult to supply enough power to the loads within the building even if the power from both the power storage device and the power storage unit is used.

On the other hand, depending on the power consumption situation due to loads within the building, it is possible that some of the power stored in the power storage device and power storage unit will become surplus power.

In this regard, from the perspective of efficient use of electricity, it is preferable to be able to supply electricity from one building with surplus electricity to another building that is short of electricity. It is also preferable that electricity be supplied from one building to another as quickly as possible.

In this embodiment, charging devices are installed in multiple buildings, and these charging devices can supply power from the power storage unit of one electric vehicle to the power storage unit of another electric vehicle.

In addition, this embodiment is equipped with a data server, which is capable of acquiring a driving route estimated to have the shortest driving time between buildings. Therefore, the data server can acquire a driving route estimated to have the shortest driving time between one building with surplus power and another building with a power shortage. Then, driving route information including this driving route is transmitted from the data server to an electric vehicle parked on the premises of one of the buildings.

As a result, in this embodiment, an electric vehicle on one building with surplus power can be driven via the above-mentioned driving route from that building to the other building with a power shortage. Then, power can be supplied from the power storage unit of the electric vehicle on one building via a charging device to the power storage unit of the electric vehicle on the other building, and from this power storage unit to the other building.

The power supply system of the second aspect is the power management system of the first aspect, wherein the data server is capable of acquiring the shortest route between the buildings as the driving route information.

In the power management system according to the second aspect, a data server obtains the shortest route between one building with surplus power and another building with a power shortage, and an electric vehicle transporting power from one building to the other can travel this shortest route.

The power management system of the third aspect is the power management system of the first aspect, wherein the data server is capable of acquiring congestion information for multiple routes between the buildings as the driving route information, and is also capable of acquiring the route with the lowest traffic density.

In the power management system according to the third aspect, the data server can acquire congestion information for multiple routes between one building with surplus power and another building with a power shortage. The data server can then acquire the route with the lowest traffic density from among these routes.

As a result, in this embodiment, electric vehicles transporting electricity from one building to another can be driven along routes with relatively low traffic density.

A fourth aspect of the power supply system is the power management system of any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the electric vehicle is equipped with an automatic driving control device, and the automatic driving control device is capable of acquiring the driving route information transmitted from the data server and setting a driving route for the electric vehicle.

In a fourth aspect of the power management system, electric vehicles parked within the grounds of multiple buildings under normal circumstances are each equipped with an automatic driving control device. This automatic driving control device can acquire driving route information from a data server and set the driving route for the electric vehicle. This allows power to be transported by the electric vehicle's automatic driving from one building with surplus power to another building with a power shortage.

As explained above, the power management system according to the first aspect has the excellent effect of enabling one building with surplus power to supply power to another building with a power shortage, while also shortening the time it takes for power to be supplied from one building to the other.

The power management system according to the second aspect has the excellent effect of shortening the travel distance of electric vehicles transporting power from one building with surplus power to another building with a power shortage.

The power management system according to the third aspect has the excellent effect of preventing electric vehicles transporting power from one building with surplus power to another building with a power shortage from getting caught in traffic congestion.

The power management system according to the fourth aspect has the excellent effect of being able to transport power from one building with surplus power to another building with a power shortage without the residents of the other building having to drive electric vehicles.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a power management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which power is supplied between electric vehicles in a power management system according to the present embodiment; 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a building control device and its relationship with peripheral devices in a power management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a vehicle control device and its relationship with peripheral devices in a power management system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a data server in the power management system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a power management system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

The power management system according to the present invention will be described below using Figures 1 to 6. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the "power management system 10" according to this embodiment is composed of various devices installed in multiple "buildings 12," various devices installed in "electric vehicles 14" parked on the grounds of the buildings 12, and a "data server 16."

Specifically, the equipment that constitutes part of the power management system 10 on the building 12 side includes a "photovoltaic power generation device 18" installed in the building 12, a power distribution device 20, a "power storage device 22," a "charger/discharger 24" located near the building 12, and a "charger 28" used to transfer power between "battery packs 26" that serve as power storage units mounted on electric vehicles 14.

The solar power generation device 18 is installed on the roof of the building 12 and is capable of generating electricity when exposed to sunlight. The electricity generated by the solar power generation device 18 is supplied via a power distribution device 20 to a power storage device 22, a battery pack 26, and multiple loads 30 within the building 12. Examples of the loads 30 include various household appliances.

The power distribution device 20 includes a control device 32, a measurement unit 34, a switching unit 36, a power conversion unit 38, and a distribution board 40.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 32 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 32A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 32B, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 32C, storage 32D, a communication I/F (Interface) 32E, and an input/output I/F 32F. The CPU 32A, ROM 32B, RAM 32C, storage 32D, communication I/F 32E, and input/output I/F 32F are interconnected via a bus 32G so as to be able to communicate with each other.

CPU 32A is a central processing unit that controls various devices by executing various programs and is capable of controlling the distribution of electricity generated by solar power generation device 18. Specifically, CPU 32A reads programs from ROM 32B and executes them using RAM 32C as a work area. By reading and executing the execution programs stored in ROM 32B by CPU 32A, control device 32 is able to perform various functions, as described below.

Storage 32D is configured to include a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid state drive (SSD) and stores various programs, including the operating system, and various data. Storage 32D also stores location information for building 12 and measurement results from measurement unit 34.

The communication I/F 32E is an interface used to connect the control device 32 to the network N, and is capable of communicating with the data server 16 and the like. This interface uses communication standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark), FDDI, and Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The communication I/F 32E may also be equipped with a wireless device.

The input/output I/F 32F serves as an interface for the control device 32 to communicate with the measurement unit 34, switching unit 36, and power conversion unit 38.

The measurement unit 34 measures the power generated by the solar power generation device 18, the power consumed by the multiple loads 30 via the distribution board 40, and the power stored in the power storage device 22, and is capable of transmitting these measurement results as measurement signals to the control device 32.

The switching unit 36 is configured to include multiple relays (not shown) and, based on control by the control device 32, is capable of switching the connection state between the solar power generation device 18 and the distribution board 40, the connection state between the solar power generation device 18 and the storage device 22, the connection state between the solar power generation device 18 and the charge/discharge device 24, the connection state between the storage device 22 and the distribution board 40, and the connection state between the charge/discharge device 24 and the distribution board 40.

The power conversion unit 38 includes a DC/DC converter (not shown) that can convert DC power supplied from the solar power generation device 18 into DC power that can be supplied to the power storage device 22, a DC/DC converter (not shown) that can convert DC power supplied from the solar power generation device 18 into DC power that can be supplied to the charge/discharge device 24, and an inverter (not shown) that can convert DC power supplied from the solar power generation device 18 or the power storage device 22 into AC power that can be supplied to the load 30.

The distribution board 40 is located between the multiple loads 30 and the power conversion unit 38, and the power supplied from the solar power generation device 18 is supplied to each load 30 via the distribution board 40.

The power storage device 22 is configured to include multiple battery modules (not shown) and is capable of storing power supplied from the solar power generation device 18 via the switching unit 36 and power conversion unit 38. Furthermore, when the solar power generation device 18 is unable to generate power, the power stored in the power storage device 22 is supplied to each load 30 via the power conversion unit 38 and distribution board 40.

The charging/discharging device 24 includes a control device 42 and a power conversion unit 44. When charging the battery pack 26 of the electric vehicle 14, the control device 42 controls a DC/DC converter (not shown) in the power conversion unit 44 to convert the DC power supplied from the power distribution device 20 into DC power that can be supplied to the battery pack 26.

In addition, when power is supplied from the battery pack 26 to the power distribution device 20, the control device 42 controls the DC/DC converter of the power conversion unit 44 to convert the DC power supplied from the battery pack 26 into DC power that can be supplied to the power distribution device 20.

Furthermore, the control device 42 is capable of communicating with the control device 32 of the power distribution device 20 and the "vehicle control device 52" of the electric vehicle 14 (described below), and is capable of obtaining remaining power information for the battery pack 26 from the vehicle control device 52 and transmitting a remaining power signal based on this remaining power information to the control device 32 at predetermined intervals.

The charging device 28 is portable by the user and can be electrically connected to two electric vehicles 14 via cable 28A. The charging device 28 also has a DC/DC converter (not shown) that can convert DC power supplied from the battery pack 26 of one electric vehicle 14 into DC power that can be supplied to the battery pack 26 of the other electric vehicle 14. By operating the charging device 28 while electrically connected to one electric vehicle 14 and the other electric vehicle 14, it is possible to supply power from one battery pack 26 to the other battery pack 26.

Next, the functional configuration of the control device 32 will be described using Figure 6. The control device 32 functions as a collection of a communication unit 46, a power status information generation unit 48, and a charge/discharge switching unit 50 by the CPU 32A reading and executing an execution program stored in the ROM 32B.

The communication unit 46 is capable of communicating with various devices via the network N, and as shown in FIG. 1, is capable of sending and receiving various information to and from the data server 16 and the vehicle control device 52 of the electric vehicle 14.

The power status information generation unit 48 is capable of obtaining information about the remaining power stored in the power storage device 22 based on the measurement signal transmitted from the measurement unit 34, and is also capable of obtaining information about the remaining power in the battery pack 26 and the average daily power consumption of the electric vehicle 14 from the vehicle control device 52, as described below.

The power status information generation unit 48 is also capable of calculating the average daily power usage of the building 12 based on the measurement results from the measurement unit 34. The power status information generation unit 48 is also capable of generating power status information that associates the location of the building 12, the remaining power in the power storage device 22, the remaining power in the battery pack 26, the average daily power usage of the electric vehicle 14, and the average daily power usage of the building 12. The power status information generation unit 48 is also configured to transmit this power status information to the data server 16 at predetermined time intervals.

The charge/discharge switching unit 50 is configured to compare the amount of power generated by the solar power generation device 18 with the amount of power consumed by the multiple loads 30 based on the measurement signal. If the charge/discharge switching unit 50 determines that the power generated by the solar power generation device 18 is greater than the power consumed by the multiple loads 30, the charge/discharge switching unit 50 controls the switching unit 36 to supply the surplus power to the power storage device 22 or the charge/discharge device 24.

In more detail, the charge/discharge switching unit 50 is capable of switching between a first connection state in which the solar power generation device 18 and the power storage device 22 are connected, and a second connection state in which the solar power generation device 18 and the charge/discharge device 24 are connected.

The charge/discharge switching unit 50 controls the switching unit 36 to switch to the first state when it determines that the power storage device 22 is not fully charged based on the measurement signal transmitted from the measurement unit 34.

Furthermore, when the charge/discharge switching unit 50 determines that the power storage device 22 is fully charged based on the measurement signal, the charge/discharge switching unit 50 controls the switching unit 36 to switch to the second state. In other words, in this embodiment, charging of the power storage device 22 is given priority over charging of the battery pack 26.

On the other hand, if the charge/discharge switching unit 50 determines, based on the measurement signal, that the power generated by the solar power generation device 18 is less than the power consumed by the multiple loads 30, the charge/discharge switching unit 50 controls the switching unit 36 to supply the power stored in the power storage device 22 or the power stored in the battery pack 26 to the load 30. Note that in this embodiment, the charge/discharge switching unit 50 prioritizes the supply of power from the battery pack 26 to the load 30 over the supply of power from the power storage device 22 to the load 30.

Returning to Figure 1, the electric vehicle 14 is equipped with a power unit (not shown) that includes a motor and other components, and this power unit is driven by power supplied from the battery pack 26. The electric vehicle 14 is also equipped with a vehicle control device 52.

The battery pack 26 is composed of multiple battery modules (not shown) and has a larger capacity than the storage battery device 22. The battery pack 26 is electrically connected to a connection provided on the electric vehicle 14 and to the charging/discharging device 24 via a cable 24A (see Figure 2) to this connection, enabling the transfer of power to and from the building 12.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle control device 52 is composed of a CPU 52A, ROM 52B, RAM 52C, storage 52D, communication I/F 52E, and input/output I/F 52F. The CPU 52A, ROM 52B, RAM 52C, storage 52D, communication I/F 52E, and input/output I/F 52F are communicatively connected to each other via bus 52G. The CPU 52A, ROM 52B, RAM 52C, storage 52D, communication I/F 52E, and input/output I/F 52F basically have the same functions as those constituting the control device 32 described above. The execution programs stored in ROM 52B are read and executed by the CPU 52A, enabling the vehicle control device 52 to perform various functions.

In more detail, the CPU 52A reads various programs related to the automatic operation of the electric vehicle 14 and the charging and discharging of the battery pack 26 from the ROM 52B, and is able to execute these programs using the RAM 52C as a working area.

The communication I/F 52E is an interface used to connect the vehicle control device 52 to the network N, and is capable of communicating with the data server 16, the control device 32, etc. The various information received by the communication I/F 52E is stored in the storage 52D.

The input/output I/F 54F serves as an interface for the vehicle control device 52 to communicate with each device installed in the electric vehicle 14. The vehicle control device 52 is also connected to each device described below via the input/output I/F 54F so that they can communicate with each other.

Devices connected to the vehicle control device 52 include a control device (not shown) for the battery pack 26 mentioned above, a GPS (Global Positioning System) device 54, an external sensor 56, an internal sensor 58, and an actuator 60.

The GPS device 54 is equipped with an antenna (not shown) that receives signals from GPS satellites (not shown), and is capable of measuring the current position of the electric vehicle 14. The position information of the electric vehicle 14 measured by the GPS device 54 is temporarily stored in storage 52D.

The external sensors 56 are a group of sensors used to detect the environment surrounding the electric vehicle 14. These external sensors 56 include, for example, a camera that captures an image of a predetermined range, a millimeter-wave radar that transmits search waves within a predetermined range, and a LIDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) that scans a predetermined range. Furthermore, data acquired by the external sensors 56 is temporarily stored in storage 52D.

The internal sensors 58 are a group of sensors used to detect the driving state of the electric vehicle 14, and include, for example, a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a yaw rate sensor. The data acquired by the internal sensors 58 is temporarily stored in the storage 52D.

The actuator 60 includes a throttle actuator, a brake actuator, and a steering actuator (not shown), and is capable of controlling drive devices (not shown), including an accelerator device, a brake device, and a steering device.

Next, the functional configuration of the vehicle control device 52 will be described using Figure 6. The vehicle control device 52 functions as a collection of a communication unit 62, an autonomous driving information acquisition unit 64, an autonomous driving control unit 66, and a power supply information control unit 68 by the CPU 52A reading and executing an execution program stored in the ROM 52B.

The communication unit 62 is capable of sending and receiving various signals to and from the data server 16 and the control device 32, and as described below, is capable of transmitting information regarding the transport of electricity between them.

The autonomous driving information acquisition unit 64 is capable of acquiring data necessary for the autonomous driving of the electric vehicle 14. The information acquired by this autonomous driving information acquisition unit 64 includes location information of the electric vehicle 14 measured by the GPS device 54, data related to the surrounding environment of the electric vehicle 14 acquired by the external sensor 56, data related to the driving status of the electric vehicle 14 acquired by the internal sensor 58, and driving route information of the electric vehicle 14 acquired from the data server 16. The above data acquired by the autonomous driving information acquisition unit 64 is then transmitted to the autonomous driving control unit 66.

The autonomous driving control unit 66 controls the actuator 60 based on the information acquired by the autonomous driving information acquisition unit 84 to drive the electric vehicle 14 from one building 12 with surplus power to another building 12 with a power shortage. In other words, the vehicle control device 52 also functions as an autonomous driving control device.

The power supply information control unit 68 is capable of controlling the control device of the battery pack 26 and is also capable of communicating with the control device 32 of the building 12 via the charge/discharge device 24. The power supply information control unit 68 is also capable of obtaining remaining power information for the battery pack 26 by receiving a remaining power signal transmitted from the battery pack 26 based on the remaining power stored in the battery pack 26.

The power supply information control unit 68 is also capable of calculating the average daily power usage of the electric vehicle 14 based on the driving data of the electric vehicle 14 acquired from the internal sensors 58, etc., and the remaining power information of the battery pack 26. The power supply information control unit 68 is also capable of transmitting data including the remaining power information of the battery pack 26 and the average daily power usage of the electric vehicle 14 to the control device 42 of the charging/discharging device 24.

Next, the configuration of the data server 16 will be described mainly using Figures 5 and 6. The data server 16 is composed of a CPU 16A, ROM 16B, RAM 16C, storage 16D, and communication I/F 16E. The CPU 16A, ROM 16B, RAM 16C, storage 16D, and communication I/F 16E are connected to each other via bus 16F so that they can communicate with each other. The CPU 16A, ROM 16B, RAM 16C, storage 16D, and communication I/F 16E basically have the same functions as those that make up the control device 32 described above. The execution programs stored in ROM 16B are read and executed by the CPU 16A, allowing the data server 16 to perform various functions.

Storage 16D is configured to store various information obtained from the control device 32 of building 12, etc. Storage 16D also stores map information, specifically road location information, road shape information (e.g., number of lanes, lane type, etc.), traffic light location information, and location information for utility poles located near roads. Note that location information here includes not only two-dimensional (planar) location information, but also three-dimensional (stereoscopic) location information. The map information is updated at predetermined intervals.

In more detail, the data server 16 functions as a collection of a communication unit 70, a distribution unit 72, a supply-side information acquisition unit 74, a supply-side information acquisition unit 76, a traffic route acquisition unit 78, a traffic information acquisition unit 80, and a selection unit 82 by the CPU 16A reading and executing an execution program stored in the ROM 16B.

The communication unit 70 is capable of communicating with various devices via the network N, and is capable of sending and receiving various information with the control device 32, vehicle control device 52, and the VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System) (registered trademark) center, etc.

The allocation unit 72 allocates multiple buildings 12 into supply-side buildings and supply-side buildings based on the power status information obtained from the power status information generation unit 48.

In detail, the allocation unit 72 compares the remaining available power, which is the sum of the remaining power in the power storage device 22 and the remaining power in the battery pack 26, with the estimated amount of power usage, which is the sum of the average daily power consumption of the electric vehicle 14 and the average daily power consumption of the building 12. Then, the allocation unit 72 transmits power status information of buildings 12 whose estimated amount of power usage is greater than the remaining available power to the supply-side information acquisition unit 74 as information on the supply-side building, and transmits power status information of buildings 12 whose estimated amount of power usage is less than the remaining available power to the supply-side information acquisition unit 76 as information on the supply-side building.

The supply-receiving-side information acquisition unit 74 stores the power status information of the supply-receiving building acquired from the allocation unit 72, and transmits this power status information as supply-receiving-side information to the traffic route acquisition unit 78, traffic information acquisition unit 80, and selection unit 82.

The supply-side information acquisition unit 76 stores the power status information of the supply-side building acquired from the allocation unit 72, and transmits this power status information as supply-side information to the traffic route acquisition unit 78, traffic information acquisition unit 80, and selection unit 82.

The traffic route acquisition unit 78 acquires routes between the supplied-side buildings and the supply-side buildings for all combinations of multiple supplied-side buildings and multiple supply-side buildings within a specified area based on the map information and the supply-side information and supply-side information acquired from the supply-side information acquisition unit 74, and acquires the route between the buildings 12 that results in the shortest route. The shortest route information between the buildings 12 acquired in this way is then transmitted to the selection unit 82 and the traffic information acquisition unit 80.

The traffic information acquisition unit 80 acquires the traffic density of each route between buildings 12 based on various traffic information, including congestion information, acquired from the VICS center and shortest route information acquired from the traffic route acquisition unit 78, and transmits the traffic density information to the selection unit 82.

The selection unit 82 selects a combination of a building 12 to which power is to be supplied and a building 12 that will supply power to this building 12 based on the supply-side information acquired from the supply-side information acquisition unit 74, the supply-side information acquired from the supply-side information acquisition unit 76, the shortest route information acquired from the traffic route acquisition unit 78, and the traffic density information acquired from the traffic information acquisition unit 80.

Specifically, the selection unit 82 inputs the difference between the remaining available power of the supply-receiving building and the expected amount of power to be used (power shortage), the difference between the remaining available power of the supply-side building and the expected amount of power to be used (power surplus), the length of the shortest route between the supply-receiving building and the supply-side building, and the traffic density of this shortest route into a predetermined evaluation function, to select the optimal combination of supply-receiving building and supply-side building that is estimated to provide a stable supply of power to the building 12 that is short of power and minimize the traveling time of the electric vehicle 14.

In this embodiment, as an example, the selection unit 82 selects a combination of buildings 12 for which the product of the length of the shortest route between the buildings 12 and the square of the traffic density of this shortest route is smallest, among combinations of buildings 12 for which the value obtained by dividing the amount of surplus energy by the amount of energy shortage in a specified area is between 0.8 and 1.2. Then, driving route information including the driving route between the buildings 12 in the combination of buildings 12 selected as described above is transmitted from the selection unit 82 to the vehicle control device 52 via the communication unit 70.

<Actions and Effects of This Embodiment>
Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, solar power generation devices 18 capable of generating electricity using sunlight are installed in multiple buildings 12. Therefore, in these buildings 12, during times when the solar power generation devices 18 are capable of generating electricity, such as daytime, the electricity generated by the solar power generation devices 18 can be supplied to loads 30 within the buildings 12.

In addition, in this embodiment, a power storage device 22 is installed in each of these buildings 12, and if there is surplus power generated by the solar power generation device 18 during a time period when the solar power generation device 18 is capable of generating power, i.e., if that power exceeds the power consumption of the load 30 within the building 12, some of that power can be stored in the power storage device 22. Therefore, during times when the solar power generation device 18 is unable to generate power, such as at night, the power stored in the power storage device 22 can be supplied to the load within the building 12.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, electric vehicles 14 are parked within the grounds of each of the multiple buildings 12 under normal circumstances, and a charging/discharging device 24 is interposed between the electric vehicles 14 and the buildings 12. The charging/discharging device 24 is capable of supplying power from the buildings 12 to the battery packs 26 mounted on the electric vehicles 14, or from the battery packs 26 to the buildings 12. Therefore, if there is surplus power generated by the solar power generation device 18 during a time period when the solar power generation device 18 is capable of generating power, some of that power can be stored in the battery pack 26. Then, during a time period when the solar power generation device 18 is unable to generate power, the power stored in the battery pack 26 can be supplied to a load 30 within the building 12.

However, when the solar power generation device 18 is unable to generate power, it may be difficult to supply enough power to the loads 30 within the building 12 even if the power from both the power storage device 22 and the battery pack 26 is used.

On the other hand, depending on the power consumption status of the loads 30 within the building 12, it is possible that some of the power stored in the power storage device 22 and battery pack 26 will become surplus power.

In this regard, from the perspective of efficient use of electricity, it is preferable that one building 12 with surplus electricity can supply electricity to another building 12 that is short of electricity. It is also preferable that electricity be supplied from one building 12 to the other building 12 as quickly as possible.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, charging devices 28 are installed in multiple buildings 12, and these charging devices 28 can supply power from the battery pack 26 of one electric vehicle 14 to the battery pack 26 of another electric vehicle 14.

In addition, this embodiment is equipped with a data server 16, which is capable of acquiring a driving route estimated to have the shortest driving time between buildings 12. Therefore, the data server 16 can acquire a driving route estimated to have the shortest driving time between one building 12 with surplus power and another building 12 with a power shortage. Then, driving route information including this driving route is transmitted from the data server 16 to an electric vehicle parked on the premises of one of the buildings 12.

As a result, in this embodiment, an electric vehicle 14 on one building 12 with surplus power can be driven via the above-mentioned driving route from that building 12 to the other building 12 with a power shortage. Power can then be supplied from the battery pack 26 of the electric vehicle 14 on one building 12 via the charging device 28 to the battery pack 26 of the electric vehicle 14 on the other building 12, and from this battery pack 26 to the other building 12.

Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to supply power from one building 12 that has surplus power to another building 12 that is short of power, and it is also possible to shorten the time it takes for power to be supplied from one building 12 to the other building 12.

In addition, in this embodiment, the data server 16 obtains the shortest route between one building 12 with surplus power and another building 12 with a power shortage, and an electric vehicle 14 transporting power from one building 12 to the other building 12 can travel this shortest route.

This reduces the travel distance of an electric vehicle 14 transporting electricity from one building 12 with surplus electricity to another building 12 with a power shortage.

In addition, in this embodiment, the data server 16 can obtain congestion information for multiple routes between one building 12 with surplus power and another building 12 with insufficient power. The data server 16 can then obtain the route with the lowest traffic density from among these routes.

For this reason, in this embodiment, an electric vehicle 14 transporting electricity from one building 12 to another building 12 can be made to travel along a route with a relatively low traffic density. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to prevent an electric vehicle 14 transporting electricity from one building 12 with surplus electricity to another building 12 with a power shortage from getting caught in traffic congestion.

In addition, in this embodiment, the electric vehicles 14 parked within the grounds of each of the multiple buildings 12 under normal circumstances are each equipped with a vehicle control device 52. The vehicle control device 52 can acquire driving route information from the data server 16 and set the driving route for the electric vehicles 14. This allows the electric vehicles 14 to automatically drive and transport electricity from one building 12 with surplus electricity to another building 12 with a power shortage. Therefore, in this embodiment, electricity can be transported from one building 12 with surplus electricity to another building 12 with a power shortage without the residents of the other building 12 having to drive the electric vehicles 14.

<Supplementary explanation of the above embodiment>
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the electric vehicle 14 travels by autonomous driving, but this is not limited to this. For example, the data server 16 may transmit route information to the car navigation system of the electric vehicle 14, and a resident of the building 12 with surplus power may drive the electric vehicle 14 based on the route displayed on the car navigation system. Furthermore, depending on the surrounding environment of the building 12, the route may be determined based on either the length of the route between the supply-side building and the supply-side building or the traffic density on this route.

(2) Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the supplying building was set based on the estimated amount of power usage and remaining available power of the building 12, but this is not limited to this. For example, the data server 16 may determine whether or not the occupants of the building 12 are absent based on data acquired by the measurement unit 34, and set the building 12 in which the occupants are absent as the supplying building.

10 Power management system 12 Building 14 Electric vehicle 16 Data server 18 Solar power generation device 22 Power storage device 24 Charging/discharging device 26 Battery pack (power storage unit)
28 Charging device 52 Vehicle control device (automatic driving control device)

Claims (4)

a solar power generation device that is installed in a plurality of buildings and is capable of generating electricity using sunlight;
a power storage device that is installed in the plurality of buildings and that is capable of storing the power generated by the solar power generation device;
a power storage unit mounted on an electric vehicle that is normally parked within the grounds of each of the plurality of buildings;
a charging/discharging device that is installed in each of the buildings and is interposed between the electric vehicle and the building, and that is capable of supplying power from the building to the power storage unit or supplying power from the power storage unit to the building;
a charging device installed in each of the buildings and capable of supplying power from one of the power storage units to another of the power storage units;
a data server that is capable of acquiring a travel route that is estimated to have the shortest travel time between the buildings and transmitting travel route information including the acquired travel route to the electric vehicle;
A power management system having: The data server is capable of acquiring the shortest route between the buildings as the travel route information.
The power management system of claim 1 . the data server is capable of acquiring, as the driving route information, congestion information on a plurality of routes between the buildings and acquiring the route with the lowest traffic density;
The power management system of claim 1 . The electric vehicle is equipped with an automatic driving control device, and the automatic driving control device is capable of acquiring the driving route information transmitted from the data server and setting a driving route along which the electric vehicle will travel.
The power management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.