Controlling Household Power Consumption with HEMS to Meet the Targets of the Entire Community

Aimed at smart houses equipped with solar power electricity generators, electricity storage systems, the latest water heaters and other such equipment.

Release:2012/11/27Click here for news items >>

Smart houses equipped with solar power electricity generators, electricity storage systems, the latest water heaters and other such equipment were put on the market in the Doshisha Yamate area of Kyoto's Kyotanabe City in the northern part of the Keihanna Science City, and they are currently inhabited by residents. Fourteen of these houses are taking part in an on-going verification experiment to reduce CO2 emissions with HEMS (Home Energy Management Systems). A Demand Response (DR) project and a project to reduce power consumption during peak hours are also being implemented by linking the HEMS up to a CEMS (Community Energy Management System).

The team in charge of implementing the verification experiment for these fourteen houses is the HEMS Working Group, which is in charge of the residential side of the Keihanna Eco-City Next-Generation Energy and Social Systems Demonstration Project. The members of this group consist of OMRON Corporation, Sharp Corporation, Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc., Osaka Gas Co., Ltd., the City of Kyoto, and the Kansai Academic Research City Surveillance Conversazione.

All of the fourteen smart houses involved in the experiment have been fitted with solar power electricity generating systems (PV, with generating capacities of 3 to 4kW), and each house has additionally installed either a gas water heating system using solar heat, fuel cell batteries, a heat pump water heater, or a high-efficiency gas water heater. Electricity storage systems have been installed in ten of the fourteen houses. These consist of controllers and storage batteries installed either as single units or as separate units, depending on the installation environment (Photo #1). These combinations take the structure of each individual family into consideration, and all fourteen houses are equipped with different energy environments.

Photo #1. Storage battery systems installed into the smart houses taking part in the verification experiment.

Photo #1. Storage battery systems installed into the smart houses taking part in the verifi-
   cation experiment.
    Depending on the installation environment, these consist of controllers and storage batteries installed
    either as single units (left) or as separate units (right). (Photograph by OMRON).

HEMS controllers developed by OMRON have been installed in each house, and electricity consumption within the household is measured with sensors fitted onto the distribution boards (Photo #2). Electricity consumption measurement taps with built-in consumption sensors developed by Sharp have been installed into each room. These measure the amount of electricity used by each household when home appliances are plugged in.

Photo #2. Distribution boards and sensors installed into smart houses in the Doshisha Yamate area measure electricity supply and demand in great detail.

Photo #2. Distribution boards and sensors installed into smart houses in the Doshisha
   Yamate area measure electricity supply and demand in great detail.
    Distribution boards are provided with more junctions than usual, and sensors are fitted to each of these.
    (Photo of the Doshisha Yamate area by Shigeharu Yukitomo, the distribution board by OMRON).

The electricity consumed and generated by the gas water heating systems using solar heat, fuel cell batteries and heat pump water heaters are measured by the sensors on the distribution boards. This enables the electricity supply and demand status of the entire household to be analyzed, and the power control program enables the storage battery system developed by OMRON to be controlled.