Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Nobuyuki Orihashi

Shigeki Kinomura

Tamaki Ozawa

Chiaki Kanda

Kota Manabe

Shigetaka Hamada

Masahiro Shige

Takashi Yamamoto

Shinichi Yatsuzuka

Tomio Yamanaka

Masaaki Kondo

Hitoshi Hamada

Junji Nakanishi

Masahiro Takeshita

Masayuki Suzuki

Tsunemasa Nishida

Mikio Kizaki

Tsutomu Ochi

Hideshi Mizutani

Hiroyuki Yumiya

Atsushi Nakajima

Kei Nakamuta

Shinji Matsuo

Keisuke Kikuchi

Kenichi Tokuda

Takahiro Nitta

Hiroshi Toge

A retention amount management system includes a detector that detects an amount of retention and a server that adjusts an amount of production of hydrogen in a production facility such that the amount of retention of hydrogen retained in a retention facility for a predetermined period attains to a target amount of retention. The server sets the target amount of retention such that an amount of hydrogen α corresponding to an amount of surplus electric power during a preparation period during which electric power generated per prescribed period by using renewable energy is higher than a threshold value is larger than an amount of hydrogen β corresponding to the amount of surplus electric power during an ordinary period.

Retention amount management system and retention amount management method

A retention amount management system includes a detector that detects an amount of retention and a server that adjusts an amount of production of hydrogen in a production facility such that the amount of retention of hydrogen retained in the retention facility for a predetermined period attains to a target amount of retention. The server sets the target amount of retention such that a first amount of hydrogen α corresponding to an amount of surplus electric power during a stable period during which electric power generated per prescribed period by using renewable energy is higher than a threshold value is larger than a second amount of hydrogen β corresponding to the amount of surplus electric power during an ordinary period.

Hydrogen retention amount management system and hydrogen retention amount management method for managing hydrogen retention amount in retention facility

A CEMS server obtains meteorological information and hydrogen station information. The CEMS server predicts a power demand of a microgrid after a designated period. When the power demand of the microgrid after the designated period exceeds contract power and when an amount of electric power to be reduced exceeds a prescribed value, the CEMS server generates a hydrogen addition notification and transmits the generated hydrogen addition notification to an FCEV and/or a communication terminal. The amount of electric power to be reduced is a difference between the contract power and the power demand.

Electric power system

A controller of an EMS server determines whether it has received a supply and demand request from a power transmission and distribution utility server. When having received the supply and demand request, the controller determines whether the supply and demand request is for requesting an increase in power demand or for requesting an increase in power demand. The controller decomposes the supply and demand request into first to third requests. The controller creates a negawatt DR execution plan or a posiwatt DR execution plan based on a determination result of S. The controller allocates power adjustment resources to the first to third requests in consideration of responsiveness of each of the power adjustment resources. The controller transmits the first to third request signals to target power adjustment resources in accordance with the execution plan.

A server manages demand and supply of electric power between a power network and at least one vehicle which is electrically connected to the power network and available as a power adjustment resource of the power network. The at least one vehicle includes a FCEV. The server includes: an acquisition unit that obtains an operation plan of the FCEV and information on a remaining hydrogen level that is available for the FCEV; and a determination unit that determines whether the FCEV is available for a DR request, based on the operation plan and the remaining hydrogen level information.

Power management apparatus and power management method

A server that manages energy of a power grid by using a plurality of energy storage resources includes a loss obtaining unit and a selector. The loss obtaining unit obtains for each of the plurality of energy storage resources, energy loss including retention loss and input and output loss, the energy loss being caused in storing energy in each energy storage resource. When surplus electric power occurs in the power grid, the selector selects at least one energy storage resource for storing surplus electric power from among the plurality of energy storage resources based on the energy loss caused in storing surplus electric power.

Server and power management method

The present disclosure provides an energy management system capable of improving energy efficiency. The energy management system includes: a fuel cell configured to supply energy used in a facility; a first hydrogen supply unit configured to supply hydrogen to the fuel cell by causing a power generation apparatus that uses renewable energy to perform water electrolysis; a second hydrogen supply unit configured to supply hydrogen to the fuel cell by reforming natural gas supplied via a pipeline; and a control unit configured to determine a ratio between hydrogen supplied from the first hydrogen supply unit to the fuel cell and hydrogen supplied from the second hydrogen supply unit to the fuel cell. The control unit determines the ratio in accordance with a percentage of heat energy and energy other than the heat energy with respect to the energy used in the facility.

Energy management system

It is prevented that when a system is left unused, carried carbon ion a cathode-side catalyst to lower a power generation performance. The molar quantities of hydrogen and oxygen in a fuel gas supply/discharge system and an oxidizing gas supply/discharge system with respect to a fuel cell are calculated, and control is performed so that the molar ratio of hydrogen and oxygen which can chemically be reacted in a fuel gas and an oxidizing gas during the stop of the fuel cell is 2 or more. Hydrogen is preferably supplied in accordance with the magnitude of a cell voltage in the fuel cell so as to maintain the molar ratio. Moreover, a gas passage in the oxidizing gas supply/discharge system is preferably provided with an inlet valve and an outlet valve for sealing the oxidizing gas in the gas passage.

Fuel cell system and control method thereof

A fuel cell system according to the present invention is characterized by comprising a measurement unit which measures an impedance of a fuel cell in a predetermined frequency region, and a regulation unit which regulates an amount of a gas to be supplied to the fuel cell based on a measured value of the impedance in the predetermined frequency region. According to such a constitution, the impedance of the fuel cell in the predetermined frequency region (e.g., a low frequency region) is measured, and the amount of the gas (e.g., an amount of an oxidizing gas) to be supplied to the fuel cell is regulated based on this measured value of the impedance. Here, since the impedance of the fuel cell in the predetermined frequency region largely differs with a fuel supply state (see FIG.), the amount of the gas to be supplied to the fuel cell can be regulated based on the measured value of the impedance to realize a highly efficient and stable operation.

Fuel cell system which measures impedance

A fuel cell system capable of accurately and precisely determining the wet condition inside a fuel cell. The fuel cell system includes a solid polymer electrolyte type fuel cell having a stack structure. The fuel cell is connected to an air supply system, a hydrogen gas supply system, an output system, and a control unit. The control unit receives flow rates of air and hydrogen gas which flow into the fuel cell, their pressures when exhausted, and a generated current measurement signal. The control unit calculates the amounts of water exhausted from the fuel cell as a gas component and as a liquid component and determines the water balance in the fuel cell.

Fuel cell system and generation control device

A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, anode gas pressure adjusting means that adjusts the pressure of an anode gas supplied to the fuel cell, and cathode gas pressure adjusting means that adjusts the pressure of a cathode gas supplied to the fuel cell. The system further includes pressure control means that sets the pressure of the anode gas that is supplied when starting the fuel cell higher than the pressure of the anode gas that is supplied during power generation in the fuel cell, and controls the anode gas pressure adjusting means and the cathode gas pressure adjusting means so that a cathode gas pressure increase is started in accordance with the start of an anode gas pressure increase when the pressure of the anode gas is increased to the set pressure.

Fuel cell system

A fuel cell system according to the present invention is characterized by comprising a fuel cell, measurement means for measuring impedances of the fuel cell in two kinds or more of frequency regions, and first judgment means for judging two or more parameters concerned with an internal state of the fuel cell based on measurement results of the impedances in the respective frequency regions. According to such a constitution, the impedances in the two or more types of frequency regions (a high frequency region, a low frequency region and the like) are measured to judge two or more parameters such as a wet state of an electrolytic film of the fuel cell and a supply state of a fuel gas, which are concerned with the internal state of the fuel cell based on this measurement result. Since such judgment is performed, as compared with the conventional technology, the internal state of the fuel cell can accurately be grasped, and highly efficient and highly robust control of the fuel cell system can be performed.

An operation state determining apparatus for determining an operation state of a fuel cell battery formed by stacking a plurality of unit cells each having a construction in which a wet-state solid electrolyte membrane is sandwiched between an anode that is supplied with a fuel gas and a cathode that is supplied with an oxidizing gas is characterized by comprising: a voltage measuring portion that measures a voltage of at least one of the unit cells or a voltage of a unit cell stack formed by stacking a plurality of unit cells; and an operation state determining portion which determines that the operation state is a first operation state that is one of a low fuel gas state and a dried-up state if the voltage measured by the voltage measuring portion is within a predetermined inappropriate voltage range, and is below a predetermined voltage that is pre-set at a low value that is substantially impossible during a low oxidizing gas state and during a flooded state, and which determines that the operation state is a second operation state that is one of the low oxidizing gas state and the flooded state if the voltage measured by the voltage measuring portion is within the inappropriate voltage range, and is above the predetermined voltage.

Growing community of inventors

Toyota, Japan

Nobuyuki Orihashi