JP7765736B2 - Power control system, power control method, and power control program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a power control system, a power control method, and a power control program.

Conventionally, systems have been developed to manage the supply and demand of electricity at electricity demand facilities, such as ordinary homes and offices, so that the supply and demand of electricity at such facilities can be adjusted when the supply and demand of electricity becomes tight.

For example, Patent Document 1 (JP 2012-205358 A) discloses the following technology: That is, a power management system includes a storage unit that stores a participant list for a community including multiple pre-registered participants; a determination unit that determines whether power reduction control needs to be implemented; a selection unit that, when the determination unit determines that power reduction control needs to be implemented, selects one or more target individuals for power reduction control from the multiple participants included in the participant list; a control unit that executes power reduction control for the target individuals selected by the selection unit; and an award unit that awards benefits based on reduced power to the target individuals for whom power reduction control has been implemented.

In addition, with the aim of saving electricity, energy management systems (EMS) are being introduced to power-consuming facilities such as homes and buildings.

An EMS is a system that monitors the amount of power consumed at an electricity demand facility and manages the operating status of the facility's equipment and facilities, thereby adjusting the supply and demand of electricity at the facility. For homes, the EMS is called a HEMS (Home Energy Management System), and for buildings, it is called a BEMS (Building Energy Management System).

EMS adjusts power supply and demand by working with businesses such as VPP (Virtual Power Plant) operators, also known as aggregators. Aggregators provide energy management support services to power-demanding facilities that have installed EMS.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-205358

When issuing control commands related to power to an EMS, for example, an operation plan for a power demand facility is created by solving a combinatorial optimization problem, and the control commands are then created in accordance with the created operation plan.

Solving combinatorial optimization problems requires a huge amount of calculation and computing resources, and solvers are sometimes used to improve efficiency. A wide variety of solver software exists, from OSS (Open Source Software) to software for business use, and calculation times can vary depending on the quality of the problem.

For example, in a supply and demand balancing market, control commands are required on a minute-by-minute basis, making the calculation time required to solve the optimization problem important. For example, when each consumer receives a demand response (DR) command from the power grid to adjust their power consumption and calculates the resource control command value for that DR command, if the solver takes a long time, such as several minutes, to calculate, the transmission of the control command to the resource for that DR command will be delayed, resulting in a failure of the DR control result.

This disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a power control system, power control method, and power control program that can achieve stable control using a solver in a system that controls the supply and demand of electricity under a power receiving point.

The power control system disclosed herein includes a planning unit that creates a planning problem under the control of a power receiving point, and a solver selection unit that selects the solver from among multiple solvers and assigns the planning problem created by the planning unit to the selected solver.

The power control method disclosed herein is a power control method for a power control system, and includes the steps of creating a planning problem for a power receiving point, selecting the solver from among multiple solvers, and providing the created planning problem to the selected solver.

The power control program disclosed herein is a power control program used in a power control system, and causes a computer to function as a planning unit that creates a planning problem under a power receiving point, and a solver selection unit that selects the solver from among multiple solvers and assigns the planning problem created by the planning unit to the selected solver.

One aspect of the present disclosure can be realized not only as a power control system equipped with such a distinctive processing unit, but also as a semiconductor integrated circuit that implements part or all of the power control system.

This disclosure makes it possible to achieve stable control using a solver in a system that controls the supply and demand of electricity under a power receiving point.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a power management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a power control device in a power management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation procedure of the power control device in the power management system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation procedure of the solver selection unit in the power management system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a sixth modification of the power management system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

First, we will list and explain the contents of the embodiments of this disclosure.

(1) A power control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a planning unit that creates a planning problem for a power receiving point, and a solver selection unit that selects the solver from among a plurality of solvers and assigns the planning problem created by the planning unit to the selected solver.

This configuration makes it possible to select a solver from multiple solvers and guarantee the maximum delay time required to solve a planning problem in time-critical control systems such as supply and demand balancing markets. Therefore, stable control using solvers can be achieved in systems that control the supply and demand of electricity under power receiving points.

(2) The power control system may further include a solver request unit that outputs a solver request including the planning problem created by the planning unit, and may include multiple sets of the solver request unit, the acquisition unit, the prediction unit, and the planning unit, and the solver selection unit may receive the solver requests from multiple solver request units, select a solver for each, and assign the planning problem indicated by the received solver request to the selected corresponding solver.

In this way, by accepting requests from multiple solver request units, the solver's computational resources can be shared among multiple request sources, improving solver utilization efficiency.

(3) The solver selection unit may hold the planning problem when the solver to which the planning problem is to be assigned is currently processing another solver request, and may assign the held planning problem to the solver when processing of the other solver request is completed.

This configuration can improve solver utilization efficiency compared to, for example, a configuration in which the solver request unit resends a solver request after a predetermined time has elapsed.

(4) The solver selection unit may select the solver from the plurality of solvers according to priority, and the priority of a high-performance solver that has higher performance than a normal solver may be lower than the priority of the normal solver.

With this configuration, for example, you can use the OSS solver as the main solver while using a more expensive business-use solver as a backup. This reduces costs by using the OSS solver, and you can build a system that can provide stable control by using the business-use solver to address time issues when using the OSS solver.

(5) The solver selection unit may instruct the solver to cancel processing of the planning problem if a solution is not output from the solver even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the planning problem was given to the solver.

This configuration prevents the solver's computational resources from being wasted when the solver cannot solve the optimization problem, or when a solution is obtained but too late.

(6) The solver selection unit may select multiple solvers and provide the same planning problem created by the planning unit to each of the selected solvers.

With this configuration, for example, if a solver is unable to obtain a solution within a specified time, it is possible to prevent long processing times due to the total time required for the timeout period, which includes the processing time of that solver, and the processing time of other solvers.

(7) A power control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a power control method in a power control system, and includes the steps of creating a planning problem under a power receiving point, selecting the solver from among a plurality of solvers, and providing the created planning problem to the selected solver.

This configuration makes it possible to select a solver from multiple solvers and guarantee the maximum delay time required to solve a planning problem in time-critical control systems such as supply and demand balancing markets. Therefore, stable control using solvers can be achieved in systems that control the supply and demand of electricity under power receiving points.

(8) A power control program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a power control program used in a power control system, and causes a computer to function as a planning unit that creates a planning problem under a power receiving point, and a solver selection unit that selects the solver from among multiple solvers and assigns the planning problem created by the planning unit to the selected solver.

This configuration makes it possible to select a solver from multiple solvers and guarantee the maximum delay time required to solve a planning problem in time-critical control systems such as supply and demand balancing markets. Therefore, stable control using solvers can be achieved in systems that control the supply and demand of electricity under power receiving points.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that identical or equivalent parts in the drawings will be designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will not be repeated. Furthermore, at least some of the embodiments described below may be combined in any manner.

[Configuration and Operation]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a power management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, the power management system 301 includes one or more power control devices 101, a solver selection unit 9, a solver group including multiple solvers that are processing programs that solve problems that optimize an objective function under constraints, and one or more facility-side devices 202. Note that while FIG. 1 shows multiple power control devices 101, only one power control device 101 may be provided. Also, while three devices 252 are representatively shown corresponding to the facility-side devices 202, a larger or smaller number of devices 252 may be provided corresponding to the facility-side devices 202.

The facility-side device 202 is, for example, an EMS (Energy Management System) and is used in power demand facilities such as buildings, factories, offices, and ordinary homes that receive power from a power company. One facility-side device 202 may be provided for each power demand facility, or multiple facility-side devices 202 may be provided for each power demand facility. The power company is, for example, a power generation company or an electricity retailer.

The power management system 301 adjusts power supply and demand at power-consuming facilities, including peak cutting and optimal control.

More specifically, the power control device 101 is operated, for example, by an aggregator, and adjusts the supply and demand of power at one or more power demand facilities by communicating with one or more facility-side devices 202. The power control device 101 is often installed, for example, in a location remote from the power demand facility where the facility-side devices 202 are installed.

The facility-side device 202 is capable of controlling one or more devices 252 at the power demanding facility. The devices 252 are generators such as solar power generation devices or wind power generation devices, storage batteries, or loads such as air conditioners. The power meter 251 measures the received power at the power receiving point RE1 of the power demanding facility, i.e., the power received from the grid.

The facility device 202 periodically acquires measurement results related to the supply and demand of electricity under the power receiving point RE1, such as the measurement results of the power meter 251, and transmits measurement information indicating the measurement results to the power control device 101.

The power control device 101 controls the supply and demand of power under the power receiving point RE1 of the power demanding facility. More specifically, the power control device 101 accumulates measurement information received from the facility-side device 202 and, based on the accumulated measurement results, calculates predicted values for the supply and demand of power under the power receiving point RE1, such as future received power at the power receiving point RE1 of the facility-side device 202. The power control device 101 then creates a planning problem under the power receiving point RE1 based on the calculated predicted values and outputs a solver request including the created planning problem to the solver selection unit 9. The planning problem is expressed, for example, by an objective function and a constraint equation.

The solver selection unit 9 receives a solver request, selects a solver from among multiple solvers in the solver group, and assigns the planning problem indicated by the solver request to the selected solver. More specifically, the solver selection unit 9 receives solver requests from multiple power control devices 101, selects a solver for each, and assigns the corresponding planning problem to the selected solver.

The solver solves the combinatorial optimization problem using the planning problem provided by the solver selection unit 9 as input for the optimization problem, and outputs the solution to the solver selection unit 9. The solver selection unit 9 outputs the solution received from the solver to the corresponding power control device 101.

More specifically, the solver group is composed of, for example, normal solvers with normal processing performance and high-performance solvers with processing performance higher than normal. The solver group includes one or more normal solvers and one or more high-performance solvers. From a cost perspective, it is preferable to have fewer high-performance solvers than normal solvers. Note that the solver group may include three or more types of solvers.

For example, a high-performance solver can process faster than a standard solver and has a shorter calculation time. Note that high-performance solvers and standard solvers may also be distinguished based on differences in performance indicators other than processing speed. Furthermore, the calculation time required by a solver varies depending on the content of the given optimization problem.

The solutions output by the solver are target control command values for the amount of power received, the amount of power generated, and the amount of charge and discharge for a fixed interval, such as 30 or 10 minutes. Note that the solution may be both the control command value for received power and the control command values for resources such as generators and storage batteries, or it may be either one of them.

The power control device 101 transmits a control command value based on the solution received from the solver selection unit 9 to the facility device 202. The power control device 101 creates planning problems and transmits control command values, for example, periodically. The control command value is expressed, for example, in units of power energy.

The facility-side device 202 adjusts the supply and demand of electricity at the electricity-consuming facility by controlling the resource equipment 252 in accordance with the control command value received from the power control device 101.

In addition, the power management system 301 may be configured such that, for example, when the supply and demand of power is tight or there is a risk of a tight supply, or when surplus power occurs or there is a risk of a power surplus, a demand response (DR) is issued to allow each consumer to adjust its power consumption, i.e., a DR to curb or promote power consumption at each consumer, and the DR is used as a trigger to calculate a control command value. In this case, the power control device 101 creates planning problems and transmits control command values at irregular intervals.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a power control device in a power management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2, the power control device 101 includes an acquisition unit 1, a prediction unit 2, a planning unit 3, a solver request unit 4, a transmission unit 5, and a storage unit 6. The acquisition unit 1, prediction unit 2, planning unit 3, solver request unit 4, and transmission unit 5 are realized by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The storage unit 6 is, for example, a non-volatile memory.

The acquisition unit 1 acquires measurement results related to the supply and demand of electricity under the power receiving point RE1. More specifically, the acquisition unit 1 acquires measurement results, for example, of the received power at the power receiving point RE1. The acquisition unit 1 receives measurement information transmitted periodically, such as at one-minute or 30-minute intervals, from the facility device 202 and stores it in the memory unit 6. Note that the measurement information may indicate other measurement results, such as the amount of power generated by the generator and the amount of charge and discharge of the storage battery, in addition to or instead of the received power.

The prediction unit 2 calculates a predicted value of the supply and demand of power under the control of the power receiving point RE1, for example, the received power at the power receiving point RE1, based on the measurement results acquired by the acquisition unit 1.

More specifically, the prediction unit 2 predicts future received power by performing a predetermined calculation on the received power values indicated by each piece of measurement information stored in the storage unit 6, and stores the predicted value in the storage unit 6. For example, the prediction unit 2 calculates the average received power value for the same time period for the past four days as a predetermined calculation. The future includes, for example, a period from one to two hours ahead to 40 hours ahead. The prediction granularity is, for example, in 30-minute or 10-minute increments. The prediction unit 2 calculates predicted values for 24 hours in a single process.

The power management system 301 calculates control command values by optimizing a predetermined objective function based on prediction results regarding the supply and demand of power under the control of the power receiving point RE1, such as predicted values of received power.

More specifically, the planning unit 3 creates a planning problem for the power receiving point RE1 based on the prediction results of the prediction unit 2. The planning unit 3 creates a planning problem for the power demand facility based on the predicted values calculated by the prediction unit 2, and outputs the problem to the solver request unit 4. Specifically, the planning unit 3 acquires future predicted values stored in the memory unit 6. The future refers to, for example, 24 hours or 40 hours ahead. The planning unit 3 creates a planning problem for each time period, for example, in 30-minute increments, based on the acquired predicted values.

The planning problem is, for example, a planning problem for resources, i.e., equipment 252, at an electricity demand facility in order to minimize electricity costs. Note that the planning problem may also be, for example, a planning problem for minimizing carbon dioxide emissions or a planning problem for minimizing peak power.

Electricity costs consist, for example, of peak power received, the amount of power purchased, and the cost of fuel for generators. The operational plan, which is the solution to the planning problem, is a control plan for each time period, such as 30 or 10 minutes, regarding generator start and stop control, battery charge and discharge control, and load suppression control. The planning problem is expressed as an objective function to be minimized or maximized, and a conditional expression that serves as a constraint on the objective function. The conditional expression is, for example, in the form of a linear expression.

For example, the solver request unit 4 outputs a solver request that further includes solver specification information indicating a solver to be assigned to the planning problem, and if a solution is not output from the solver within a predetermined time period after outputting the solver request indicating that solver, it outputs a solver request that includes the planning problem and solver specification information indicating another solver.

Furthermore, for example, the solver selection unit 9 selects a solver from among multiple solvers in the solver group according to priority. Among the multiple solvers, the priority of a high-performance solver that has higher performance than a normal solver is lower than the priority of the normal solver.

More specifically, the solver request unit 4 outputs a solver request including the planning problem received from the planning unit 3 and solver specification information to the solver selection unit 9. The solver specification information indicates, for example, whether a normal solver or a high-performance solver should be selected.

If a solution is not returned from the solver selection unit 9 within a predetermined time after outputting solver specification information indicating a normal solver to the solver selection unit 9, the solver request unit 4 performs timeout processing, outputting the same planning problem as the previous time and solver specification information indicating a high-performance solver to the solver selection unit 9.

The above-mentioned predetermined time is, for example, 10 minutes if the control command update frequency is every 30 minutes. This ensures that there is sufficient time to solve the optimization problem using another solver.

The solver selection unit 9 receives a solver request from the solver request unit 4, selects a solver of the type indicated by the solver request from among the solvers, and assigns the planning problem indicated by the solver request to the selected solver. For example, the solver selection unit 9 selects an available normal solver from among multiple normal solvers.

The solver calculates the solution, which is the value of each variable in the objective function that can optimize, i.e., minimize or maximize, the objective function under the constraints. In the case of an objective function for electricity costs, the constraints are, for example, constraints such as the upper limit on the output of generators at electricity demand facilities, or constraints such as the upper limit on the charging and discharging of storage batteries. The control command values are the target value for received power, the output value of the generator, and the charging and discharging value of storage batteries, etc.

The target value for received power may be expressed as a difference value from the reference value for received power. The reference value for received power is a value calculated from past actual values of received power according to a specified formula. The specified formula is, for example, a formula for calculating the average value for the same time period over the past four days.

The solver request unit 4 stores the solution received from the solver selection unit 9 as a control command value in the storage unit 6. Note that the solver request unit 4 may also be configured to perform predetermined calculations, such as correction and unit conversion, on the solution received from the solver selection unit 9 and store the result as a control command value in the storage unit 6.

The transmitter 5 transmits the control command value stored in the memory unit 6 by the solver request unit 4 to the corresponding facility device 202. The transmitter 5 may be configured to transmit the control command value to the facility device 202 as soon as it is stored in the memory unit 6, or may be configured to transmit the control command a predetermined time before the time when the control command should be executed, or may be configured to transmit the control command value in response to a request from the facility device 202.

The facility device 202 adjusts the supply and demand of electricity at the electricity demanding facility by controlling the equipment 252 in accordance with the control command value received from the transmitter 5. The control period is, for example, 10 seconds. This allows for fine-grained temporal control of the control command value, which is updated every 30 minutes, for example, to compensate for any deviations from the predictions made by the predictor 2, and controls values related to the supply and demand of electricity, such as received power at the receiving point RE1, to constant values in accordance with the control command value.

[Modification 1]
In addition to predicting the received power, the prediction unit 2 predicts future solar radiation based on, for example, solar radiation information at the location where the solar power generation device is installed, and predicts the amount of power generated by solar power generation. Note that the prediction unit 2 may be configured to obtain solar radiation information from a solar radiation meter at the power demand facility where the solar power generation device is installed. In this case, the prediction unit 2 predicts future solar radiation from past solar radiation data. Furthermore, the prediction unit 2 may be configured to use solar radiation prediction data provided by the Japan Meteorological Agency or other service providers.

The planning unit 3 creates a planning problem for the power receiving point RE1 based on the predicted value of received power and the amount of power generated by solar power generation calculated by the prediction unit 2.

[Modification 2]
The solver selection unit 9 holds the planning problem when the solver to which the planning problem is to be assigned is currently processing another solver request, and when the processing of the other solver request is completed, assigns the held planning problem to the solver .

More specifically, if all of the standard solvers or high-performance solvers specified by the solver request unit 4 are currently processing a calculation, the processing of the planning problem is put into a "waiting state." A planning problem in a "waiting state" is input to a specified solver by the solver request unit 4 and processed as soon as that solver becomes available.

[Modification 3]
If a solution is not output from a solver even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the planning problem was given to the solver, the solver selection unit 9 instructs the solver to cancel processing of the planning problem.

The solver selection unit 9 may also be configured to give the same planning problem to another solver after issuing a cancellation command.

The solver selection unit 9 may also be configured to instruct the solver currently processing a calculation to cancel it if the solver request unit 4 receives solver specification information that changes the solver type as a timeout process.

[Modification 4]
The solver selection unit 9 selects a plurality of solvers and provides the same planning problem created by the planning unit 3 to each of the selected solvers.

More specifically, the solver request unit 4 outputs multiple solver requests representing the same planning problem to the solver selection unit 9.

When a solver group includes multiple types of standard solvers, there are differences in performance and characteristics such as solution methods between each solver. If multiple solvers are used to solve the same planning problem, one solver may take a long time to solve, while another may be able to solve it quickly.

In this case, the solver selection unit 9 simultaneously assigns the planning problem to multiple types of solvers and causes them to process it in parallel. Note that the solver selection unit 9 may be configured to select all solvers in the group of solvers, or may be configured to select a subset of the solvers in the group of solvers.

For example, the solver request unit 4 outputs a solver request to the solver selection unit 9 that includes the same planning problem and solver specification information indicating a normal solver.

In this case, calculations are performed in parallel using multiple normal solvers for the same planning problem, and solutions are returned sequentially to the solver request unit 4 via the solver selection unit 9. The solver request unit 4, for example, adopts the solution returned earliest. Furthermore, if no solution is returned from any of the solvers within a predetermined time after multiple solver requests have been output to the solver selection unit 9, the solver request unit 4 performs timeout processing, outputting the same planning problem and solver specification information indicating a high-performance solver to the solver selection unit 9.

[Modification 5]
Although the solver request unit 4 is configured to first specify a normal solver and then specify a high-performance solver as a timeout process, this is not limitative. The solver request unit 4 may be configured to output solver specification information indicating a high-performance solver from the beginning to the solver selector 9, depending on the content of the planning problem, etc.

With this configuration, if a solution cannot be obtained within a specified time using the normal solver, it is possible to prevent the long processing times that would be incurred by the timeout period, which includes the processing time using the normal solver, and the processing time using the high-performance solver. It is also possible to prevent the normal solver's computational resources from being consumed even when a solution cannot be obtained.

[Operation flow]
Each device in the power management system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a computer, and a processing unit such as a CPU in the computer reads and executes a program including some or all of the steps in the following sequence diagram from a memory (not shown). The programs for each of these devices can be installed externally. The programs for each of these devices are distributed in a state where they are stored on a recording medium.

Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operating procedure of a power control device in a power management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to Figure 3, first, the power control device 101 acquires measurement results regarding the supply and demand of power under the control of the receiving point RE1 of the facility device 202 (step S1).

Next, the power control device 101 calculates a predicted value for the supply and demand of power under the control of the power receiving point RE1 based on the acquired measurement results (step S2).

Next, the power control device 101 creates a planning problem for the power receiving point RE1 based on the calculated predicted value (step S3).

Next, the power control device 101 outputs a solver request including the planning problem and solver specification information to the solver selection unit 9. Note that the power control device 101 may send multiple solver requests indicating the same planning problem, as described above (step S4).

Next, the power control device 101 measures the elapsed time from sending the solver request until it receives a solution from the solver selection unit 9 (NO in step S5 and NO in step S6), and if it receives a solution before the predetermined time has elapsed (YES in step S6), it stores the received solution or a value based on that solution in the memory unit 6 as a control command value. Note that if the power control device 101 sends multiple solver requests as described above, the power control device 101 stores the solution or a value based on that solution that is returned earliest from the solver selection unit 9 in the memory unit 6 (step S7).

Next, the power control device 101 transmits the stored control command value to the corresponding facility device 202 (step S8).

On the other hand, if a predetermined time has elapsed since the power control device 101 sent the solver request before receiving a solution from the solver selection unit 9 (YES in step S5), it performs a timeout process in which it outputs solver specification information indicating the same planning problem and a solver different from the previous one to the solver selection unit 9 (step S9).

The power control device 101 then stores the solution received from the solver selection unit 9 or a value based on that solution as a control command value in the storage unit 6 (step S10), and transmits the stored control command value to the corresponding facility device 202 (step S8).

Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operating procedure of a solver selection unit in a power management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4, first, when the solver selection unit 9 receives a solver request including a planning problem and solver specification information from the solver request unit 4 (YES in step S11), it selects one or more solvers in accordance with the solver specification information (step S12).

Next, if the selected solver is currently processing a calculation for another solver request (YES in step S13), the solver selection unit 9 places the processing of the planning problem in a "waiting state" and holds the planning problem (step S14).

If the selected solver is not currently processing a calculation for another solver request (NO in step S13), the solver selection unit 9 assigns the planning problem indicated by the received solver request to the selected solver (step S15).

Next, the solver selection unit 9 measures the elapsed time from inputting the planning problem to the solver until a solution is output from the solver (NO in step S16 and NO in step S18), and if a solution is output before the predetermined time has elapsed (YES in step S16), it outputs the output solution to the solver request unit 4 (step S17).

On the other hand, if a predetermined time has elapsed since the planning problem was input to the selected solver (YES in step S18), the solver selection unit 9 instructs the selected solver to cancel the calculation process (step S19).

[Modification 6]
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a sixth modification of the power management system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

In variant 6, the power receiving point that is the direct target of the control command value is a virtual power receiving point RE22 based on the physical power receiving point RE1 of each of the multiple power demand facilities.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 5, the power management system 302 further includes an intermediate device 212 compared to the power management system 301 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 shows in detail the configuration corresponding to one power control device 101.

In the power management system 302, the power control device 101 issues control commands to the facility-side device 202 via an intermediate device 212, which is a device separate from the device that directly controls resources at the power demand facility.

More specifically, the intermediate device 212 is provided corresponding to the power control device 101 and is provided between the power control device 101 and each facility-side device 202. The power receiving point RE22 of the intermediate device 212 is a virtual power receiving point that combines the physical power receiving points RE1 of each facility-side device 202 subordinate to the intermediate device 212.

Each facility device 202 periodically acquires measurement results related to the supply and demand of electricity under the power receiving point RE1, such as the measurement results of the power meter 251, and transmits measurement information indicating the measurement results to the intermediate device 212.

The intermediate device 212 transmits the measurement information received from each facility device 202 to the power control device 101.

The power control device 101 accumulates, for example, the total value of received power, etc., indicated by each piece of measurement information received from the intermediate device 212, as a measurement result related to the power supply and demand under the control of the power receiving point RE22, and calculates a predicted value related to the power supply and demand under the control of the power receiving point RE22 of the intermediate device 212 based on the accumulated measurement results.The power control device 101 then creates a planning problem under the control of the power receiving point RE22 based on the calculated predicted value, and outputs a solver request including the created planning problem to the solver selection unit 9.

The power control device 101 transmits a control command value based on the solution received from the solver selection unit 9 to the intermediate device 212.

Based on the control command value received from the power control device 101, the intermediate device 212 calculates a control command value for each facility device 202, for example by apportioning the control command value, and transmits the calculated control command value to each facility device 202.

Each facility-side device 202 adjusts the supply and demand of electricity at the corresponding electricity demand facility by controlling the equipment 252 according to the control command value received from the intermediate device 212.

That is, in the power control device 101, the acquisition unit 1 acquires measurement results at the power receiving point RE1 of each of multiple power demand facilities.

The prediction unit 2 calculates a predicted value for the supply and demand of power under the control of the virtual power receiving point RE22 based on the measurement results acquired by the acquisition unit 1. For example, the prediction unit 2 calculates a predicted value for the received power at the power receiving point RE22 based on the total value of the measurement results of the received power at each power receiving point RE1.

The planning unit 3 creates a planning problem for the power receiving point RE22 based on the prediction results of the prediction unit 2. The planning unit 3 creates a planning problem for the power demand facility based on the predicted values calculated by the prediction unit 2, and outputs the problem to the solver request unit 4.

The solver request unit 4 outputs the planning problem received from the planning unit 3 and a solver request including solver specification information to the solver selection unit 9.

The power management system 302 may be configured to include multiple intermediate devices 212 arranged in a single hierarchical layer relative to the power control device 101, or may be configured to include multiple intermediate devices 212 arranged in multiple hierarchical layers relative to the power control device 101.

Furthermore, in the power control device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the planner 3 is configured to create a planning problem for the power receiving point based on the predicted value calculated by the predictor 2, but this is not limited to this. The planner 3 may also be configured to create a planning problem based on some other condition, such as an external command value, rather than being limited to the predicted value of the received power at the power receiving point. In this case, the power control device 101 may be configured without the acquirer 1 and predictor 2.

Furthermore, in the power management systems 301 and 302, the power control device 101 may be configured to include a solver selector 9. In this case, the power control device 101 may not be configured to include a solver requester 4. In such a configuration, the solver selector 9 provides the planning problem output from the planning unit 3 to a selected solver, and stores the solution received from the solver or a value based on the solution in the memory unit 6 as a control command value.

The solver request unit 4 may also be configured not to transmit solver specification information. In this case, the solver selection unit 9 will select a normal solver first, for example, depending on the priority of the solver, and then select a high-performance solver if a timeout occurs.

Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the power control device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be provided by cloud computing. In other words, the power control device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be configured using multiple cloud servers, etc.

Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the solver selection unit according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be provided by cloud computing. In other words, the solver selection unit according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be configured by multiple cloud servers, etc.

The above-described embodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

The above description includes the following additional features.
[Appendix 1]
an acquisition unit that acquires measurement results regarding the supply and demand of power under the control of the power receiving point;
a prediction unit that predicts the supply and demand of power under the control of the power receiving point based on the measurement results acquired by the acquisition unit;
a planning unit that creates a planning problem under the control of the power receiving point based on the prediction result of the prediction unit;
a solver selection unit that selects the solver from among a plurality of solvers and assigns the planning problem created by the planning unit to the selected solver,
a transmitting unit that transmits the solution output from the solver or a value based on the solution as a control command value to a control device that controls a device under the power receiving point;
The solver request unit outputs the solver request further including solver designation information indicating the solver that should be assigned to the planning problem, and if a solution is not output from the solver even after a predetermined time or more has elapsed since outputting the solver request indicating the solver, outputs the solver request including the planning problem and solver designation information indicating another solver different from the solver.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Acquisition unit 2 Prediction unit 3 Planning unit 4 Solver request unit 5 Transmission unit 6 Storage unit 9 Solver selection unit 101 Power control device 202 Facility side device 212 Intermediate device 251 Power meter 252 Device 301, 302 Power management system RE1, RE22 Power receiving point

Claims (14)

a planning unit that creates a planning problem under the receiving point;
a solver selection unit that selects the solver from among a plurality of solvers and assigns the planning problem created by the planning unit to the selected solver,
the plurality of solvers include a normal solver that is the solver, and a high-performance solver that is the solver with higher performance than the normal solver;
The solver selection unit selects one of the normal solver and the high-performance solver, and assigns the planning problem to the selected solver . A power control system, comprising:
a planning unit that creates a planning problem under the receiving point;
a solver selection unit that selects the solver from among a plurality of solvers and assigns the planning problem created by the planning unit to the selected solver;
a solver request unit that outputs a solver request including the planning problem created by the planning unit, and includes a plurality of pairs of the solver request unit and the planning unit;
前記ソルバ選択部は、複数の前記ソルバ要求部から前記ソルバ要求を受けて、それぞれ、前記ソルバを選択し、受けた前記ソルバ要求の示す前記計画問題を、選択した対応の前記ソルバに与える、電力制御システム。 3. The power control system according to claim 2, wherein the solver selection unit holds the planning problem when the solver to which the planning problem is to be assigned is currently processing another solver request, and assigns the held planning problem to the solver when processing of the other solver request has finished. a planning unit that creates a planning problem under the receiving point;
a solver selection unit that selects the solver from among a plurality of solvers and assigns the planning problem created by the planning unit to the selected solver,
the solver selection unit selects the solver from the plurality of solvers according to a priority;
A power control system, wherein , among the plurality of solvers, the priority of a high-performance solver that has higher performance than a normal solver is lower than the priority of the normal solver. a planning unit that creates a planning problem under the power receiving point;
a solver selection unit that selects the solver from among a plurality of solvers and assigns the planning problem created by the planning unit to the selected solver,
The solver selection unit instructs the solver to cancel processing of the planning problem if a solution is not output from the solver even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the planning problem was given to the solver. The power control system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the solver selection unit selects multiple solvers and assigns the same planning problem created by the planning unit to each of the selected solvers. A power control method in a power control system, comprising:
A step of creating a planning problem under the power receiving point;
selecting the solver from among a plurality of solvers and providing the created planning problem to the selected solver ;
the plurality of solvers include a normal solver that is the solver, and a high-performance solver that is the solver with higher performance than the normal solver;
In the step of providing the planning problem to the solver, the power control method includes selecting one of the normal solver and the high-performance solver, and providing the planning problem to the selected solver . A power control method in a power control system, comprising:
A step of creating a planning problem under the power receiving point;
selecting the solver from among a plurality of solvers and providing the created planning problem to the selected solver;
and outputting a solver request including the created planning problem;
In the step of creating a planning problem, a plurality of planning problems are created,
In the step of outputting the solver request, a plurality of solver requests each including a plurality of the created planning problems are output, and
In the step of providing the planning problem to the solver, a plurality of solver requests are received, a solver is selected for each, and the planning problem indicated by the received solver request is provided to the corresponding selected solver . A power control method in a power control system, comprising:
A step of creating a planning problem under the power receiving point;
selecting the solver from among a plurality of solvers and providing the created planning problem to the selected solver;
In the step of providing the planning problem to the solver, the solver is selected from the plurality of solvers according to a priority;
A power control method, wherein, among the plurality of solvers, the priority of a high-performance solver that has higher performance than a normal solver is lower than the priority of the normal solver. A power control method in a power control system, comprising:
A step of creating a planning problem under the power receiving point;
selecting the solver from among a plurality of solvers and providing the created planning problem to the selected solver;
and if a solution is not output from the solver even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the planning problem was provided to the solver, instructing the solver to cancel processing of the planning problem. A power control program used in a power control system,
Computer,
a planning unit that creates a planning problem under the receiving point;
a solver selection unit that selects the solver from among a plurality of solvers and assigns the planning problem created by the planning unit to the selected solver;
It is a program to function as
the plurality of solvers include a normal solver that is the solver, and a high-performance solver that is the solver with higher performance than the normal solver;
The solver selection unit selects one of the normal solver and the high-performance solver, and assigns the planning problem to the selected solver . A power control program used in a power control system,
Computer,
a planning unit that creates a planning problem under the power receiving point;
a solver selection unit that selects the solver from among a plurality of solvers and assigns the planning problem created by the planning unit to the selected solver;
a solver request unit that outputs a solver request including the planning problem created by the planning unit;
It is a program to function as
The power control program
The computer
a plurality of sets of the solver request unit and the planner unit;
It is a program to function as
the solver selection unit receives the solver requests from a plurality of the solver request units, selects a solver for each, and assigns the planning problem indicated by the received solver requests to the corresponding selected solver. A power control program used in a power control system,
Computer,
a planning unit that creates a planning problem under the power receiving point;
a solver selection unit that selects the solver from among a plurality of solvers and assigns the planning problem created by the planning unit to the selected solver;
It is a program to function as
the solver selection unit selects the solver from among the plurality of solvers according to a priority;
A power control program, wherein the priority of a high-performance solver that has higher performance than a normal solver is lower than the priority of the normal solver among the plurality of solvers. A power control program used in a power control system,
Computer,
a planning unit that creates a planning problem under the power receiving point;
a solver selection unit that selects the solver from among a plurality of solvers and assigns the planning problem created by the planning unit to the selected solver;
It is a program to function as
the solver selection unit instructs the solver to cancel processing of the planning problem if a solution is not output from the solver even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the planning problem was given to the solver.