The present invention provides an information providing apparatus including a determining unit configured to determine an added value to be provided to a user of a portable electric power supply device including a storage battery that stores electric power to be supplied to electrical equipment detachably connected, wherein in a case where a kind of the electrical equipment is a specified kind of electrical equipment, the determining unit determines the added value to be provided to the user in such a manner that the added value to be provided to the user is higher than an added value in a case where the kind of the electrical equipment is not the specified kind of electrical equipment.

The present invention provides an information providing apparatus including a determining unit configured to determine an added value to be provided to a user of a portable electric power supply device including a storage battery that stores electric power to be supplied to electrical equipment detachably connected, wherein in a case where a kind of the electrical equipment is a specified kind of electrical equipment, the determining unit determines the added value to be provided to the user in such a manner that the added value to be provided to the user is higher than an added value in a case where the kind of the electrical equipment is not the specified kind of electrical equipment.

A voltage-to-current converter can be configured to generate a current based on an input voltage and for part of the time use the generated current as the output current of the voltage-to-current converter, and for part of the time use the generated current as a current source for the operation of the voltage-to-current converter. This arrangement can reduce the need for high performance current mirror circuits within the voltage-to-current converter, thereby reducing the cost and complexity of the voltage-to-current converter and improving precision and accuracy.

The present disclosure relates to the control of an operation of a monitor module of an electrical measurement system, where the monitor module has a plurality of operating states, including a) monitor at least a first measurement sensor of the utility meter to determine a first monitor result comprising an estimate of a transfer function of the first measurement sensor and a corresponding certainty value indicative of the accuracy of the estimate of the transfer function of the first measurement sensor, wherein the first measurement sensor is for measuring a first electrical property, and b) do not monitor any measurement sensor of the electrical measurement system.

The present disclosure relates to the control of an operation of a monitor module of an electrical measurement system, where the monitor module has a plurality of operating states, including a) monitor at least a first measurement sensor of the utility meter to determine a first monitor result comprising an estimate of a transfer function of the first measurement sensor and a corresponding certainty value indicative of the accuracy of the estimate of the transfer function of the first measurement sensor, wherein the first measurement sensor is for measuring a first electrical property, and b) do not monitor any measurement sensor of the electrical measurement system.

A vehicular charging control system using a solar panel includes: a first battery; a calculation unit that calculates a chargeable electric power amount (an amount of electric power with which the first battery can be charged until the SOC of the first battery reaches a predetermined value); a determination unit that determines whether regenerative electric power is being generated; and a control unit that controls charging of the first battery with electric power generated by the solar panel. The control unit allows the first battery to be charged with the electric power generated by the solar panel up to an upper limit set to the chargeable electric power amount when regenerative electric power is not being generated, and up to an upper limit set to an electric power amount obtained by subtracting the regenerative electric power amount from the chargeable electric power amount when regenerative electric power is being generated.

An electric power trade apparatus includes a memory and a processor. The processor is configured to perform determining whether it is possible to make a purchase concerning a purchase amount indicated in purchase requests received from respective purchasers of electric power having received a power-saving request, on the basis of the purchase amount and a sellable amount indicated in sale requests received from respective sellers of electric power, upon receiving the purchase requests, transmitting information for enabling any given one of the purchasers to make a reply to the power-saving request upon determining that purchase concerning a corresponding one of the purchase requests is possible, and allocating, to the sale requests, respective sale amounts a sum of which is equal to the purchase amount, on the basis of the purchase amount and the sellable amount after the information is transmitted.

Energy storage and distribution systems are provided that comprises an energy storage device (e.g., one or more batteries) that can be used in conjunction with one or more electrical power sourcese.g., solar, wind, electric grid, fuel cell, or diesel. A controller is provided that manages energy storage and power distribution to loads, the energy storage device, or both. Energy storage and distribution systems can be configured to meter DC energy such that DC power usage for each load can be acquired. In this way, operators such as mobile network operators (MNOs) can be charged according to their DC power usages. Energy storage and distribution systems can also be configured to enable prioritized load shedding of one or more loads.

Energy storage and distribution systems are provided that comprises an energy storage device (e.g., one or more batteries) that can be used in conjunction with one or more electrical power sourcese.g., solar, wind, electric grid, fuel cell, or diesel. A controller is provided that manages energy storage and power distribution to loads, the energy storage device, or both. Energy storage and distribution systems can be configured to meter DC energy such that DC power usage for each load can be acquired. In this way, operators such as mobile network operators (MNOs) can be charged according to their DC power usages. Energy storage and distribution systems can also be configured to enable prioritized load shedding of one or more loads.

A voltage-to-current converter can be configured to generate a current based on an input voltage and for part of the time use the generated current as the output current of the voltage-to-current converter, and for part of the time use the generated current as a current source for the operation of the voltage-to-current converter. This arrangement can reduce the need for high performance current mirror circuits within the voltage-to-current converter, thereby reducing the cost and complexity of the voltage-to-current converter and improving precision and accuracy.