Electrical charging/discharging control apparatus, electric-power management apparatus, electric-power management method and electric-power management system

1. An electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus of an electric-power accumulation facility that controls electric charging and discharging of an electric-power accumulation battery, said apparatus comprising:

a communication section configured to receive a command to carry out either electrical charging or discharging operations on said electric-power accumulation battery from an electric-power management apparatus for managing said electrical charging or discharging operations carried out on said electric-power accumulation battery;

a control section configured to control said electrical charging or discharging operations carried out on said electric-power accumulation battery on the basis of said command; and

a power conditioner for supplying electric power from an electric-power network to said electric-power accumulation battery when said electrical charging operations are carried out, and for transferring electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery to said electric-power network when said discharging operations are carried out, in accordance with control carried out by said control section.

2. The electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said communication section transmits electric-power accumulation information showing the amount of electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery to said electric-power management apparatus.

3. The electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said control section controls said electrical charging and discharging operations carried out on said electric-power accumulation battery by changing an operation of said power conditioner on the basis of said command.

4. An electric-power management apparatus comprising:

a communication section configured to receive electric-power accumulation information showing the amount of electric power accumulated in an electric-power accumulation battery from an electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus of an electric-power accumulation facility that controls electric charging and discharging of said electric-power accumulation battery; and

a point issuance section configured to issue transactionable points, which correspond to an amount shown by said electric-power accumulation information as said amount of electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery, to an owner of said electric-power accumulation facility,

wherein said communication section and said point issuance section are each implemented via at least one processor.

5. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 4 , said electric-power management apparatus further comprising:

an electric-power management section configured to issue a command to transfer electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery to an electric-power network and a command to supply electric power from said electric-power network to said electric-power accumulation battery,

wherein said communication section transmits said commands issued by said electric-power management section to said electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus, and

wherein said electric-power management section is implemented via at least one processor.

6. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said point issuance section neither increases nor decreases the number of said transactionable points already issued to the owner of said electric-power accumulation facility if said amount shown by said electric-power accumulation information as said amount of electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery decreases due to an electrical discharging command issued by said electric-power management section.

7. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said electric-power management section issues said command to transfer electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery to said electric-power network and said command to supply electric power from said electric-power network to said electric-power accumulation battery on the basis of the price of electric power in an electric-power transaction market.

8. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said electric-power management section issues said command to supply electric power from said electric-power network to said electric-power accumulation battery if said price of electric power in said electric-power transaction market is lower than a price determined in advance.

9. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said electric-power management section issues said command to transfer electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery to said electric-power network if said price of electric power in said electric-power transaction market is higher than a price determined in advance.

10. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said point issuance section increases the number of said transactionable points already issued to the owner of said electric-power accumulation facility if said amount shown by said electric-power accumulation information as said amount of electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery increases.

11. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said point issuance section decreases the number of said transactionable points already issued to the owner of said electric-power accumulation facility if said amount shown by said electric-power accumulation information as said amount of electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery decreases due to electric-power consumption desired by the owner of said electric-power accumulation facility.

12. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 4 , said electric-power management apparatus further comprising a point-rate determination section configured to determine a rate between said amount of electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery and said transactionable points, wherein said point-rate determination section is implemented via at least one processor.

13. The electric-power management apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said point-rate determination section determines said rate on the basis of an average value of said prices of electric power in said electric-power transaction market.

14. An electric-power management method comprising:

receiving electric-power accumulation information showing the amount of electric power accumulated in an electric-power accumulation battery from an electric-power accumulation facility that controls electric charging and discharging of said electric-power accumulation battery; and

issuing transactionable points, which correspond to an amount shown by said electric-power accumulation information as said amount of electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery, to an owner of said electric-power accumulation facility.

15. An electric-power management system comprising

an electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus and

an electric-power management apparatus,

said electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus being of an electric-power accumulation facility that controls electric charging and discharging of an electric-power accumulation battery, wherein said electric-charging/discharging control apparatus comprises:

a communication section configured to receive a command to carry out electrical charging or discharging operations on said electric-power accumulation battery from said electric-power management apparatus for managing said electrical charging or discharging operations carried out on said electric-power accumulation battery and transmit electric-power accumulation information showing the amount of electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery to said electric-power management apparatus,

a control section configured to control said electrical charging or discharging operations carried out on said electric-power accumulation battery on the basis of said command, and

a power conditioner for supplying electric power from an electric-power network to said electric-power accumulation battery when said electrical charging operations are carried out, and for transferring electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery to said electric-power network when said discharging operations are carried out, in accordance with control carried out by said control section;

said electric-power management apparatus comprising:

a communication section configured to receive said electric-power accumulation information showing said amount of electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery from said electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus,

a point issuance section configured to issue transactionable points, which correspond to an amount shown by said electric-power accumulation information as said amount of electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery, to an owner of said electric-power accumulation facility, and

an electric-power management section configured to provide said electrical-charging/discharging control apparatus with a command to transfer electric power accumulated in said electric-power accumulation battery to said electric-power network or a command to supply electric power from said electric-power network to said electric-power accumulation battery.