As the global transition to a smart, low-carbon energy system accelerates, the need for innovative new technologies that can catalyse the adoption of renewables, balance the grid and keep energy affordable for all, is needed more than ever.
Experts have agreed for some time that battery energy storage holds the key to unlocking this sustainable future and Japan – the world’s fourth biggest solar market, with 11GW generated by home systems – has wasted no time adopting the technology. To date, more than 125,000 energy storage systems have been installed in homes across Japan – making it the world’s largest battery market. This is great for individuals who can store spare solar and use it when the sun doesn’t shine, but how can we harness the collective power of these batteries to support the gird at national scale?
Step forward Moixa, the UK’s leading smart battery company, which yesterday rolled out its GridShare artificial intelligence platform to 3,500 batteries in homes across Japan – the largest cluster of managed batteries anywhere in the world – delivering a combined capacity of more than 35MWh.
The announcement, revealed during an event at the British embassy in Tokyo, was made in partnership with ITOCHU Corporation, one of Japan’s largest trading houses, and TRENDE Inc., a new venture of TEPCO Ventures Inc., a subsidiary of the country’s biggest utility, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.
Greenhouse worked with Moixa to devise a media strategy and develop compelling messaging and media materials. We also secured briefings with correspondents at the FT, Telegraph and Clean Energy Pipeline, and piqued international media interest by inviting journalists from outlets including Bloomberg and Handlesblatt to the event in Tokyo.
During the event, Moixa also launched a new smart tariff enabled by GridShare, which will reward home battery owners with lower prices for using electricity outside peak times.
GridShare uses artificial intelligence (AI) to optimise battery performance and help households minimise energy bills. It can also help utilities deliver smart tariffs and aggregate spare battery capacity to deliver a range of services to the grid. It is now included as standard in ITOCHU’s Smart Star home energy storage systems.
Koji Hasegawa, General Manager of Industrial Chemicals Department of ITOCHU, said: “Moixa’s AI and optimisation technology helps our customers get extra value from their Smart Star batteries, in maximising solar resources or preparing for weather risk, or taking advantage of our new partner tariffs with TEPCO’s TRENDE.’”
But the benefits don’t stop there. As well as offering a wealth of benefits today, as the energy transition accelerates, ITOCHU and Moixa will be able to use GridShare to develop virtual power plant businesses, electric vehicle charging management and peer-to-peer energy transactions between individuals.
GridShare is currently delivering similar services across the UK for contracts supported by major utilities, network operators and public bodies such as the European Regional Development Fund, the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Innovate UK.
Simon Daniel, Founder and CEO of Moixa said: “Our partnerships with ITOCHU and TEPCO Group are a vote of confidence in British battery and software technology and are built on the experience we have gained in the UK. We are becoming a ‘Smart Energy Island’, using new flexibility and battery technologies to manage intermittent solar and wind power, support the growing demands of electric vehicle charging, and balance supply and demand on the grid.”
The announcement comes hot on the heels of Moixa’s new family-sized 4.8kWh smart battery which will help owners take advantage of the growing number of time-of-use tariffs, which reward customers for powering their home and charging their vehicle when electricity demand is low.
For more information on Moixa or to enquire about how a home battery could save you money on your bills, visit www.moixa.com.
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