Categories: Smart Energy

Sumitomo Electric to Supply Energy Storage System for Hokkaido

Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd., a Japanese maker of electric wire, cables and electric monitoring systems, will supply a large-size storage battery system to stabilize the flow of wind and solar power on the northern island of Hokkaido.

The battery system will be set up at Hokkaido Electric Power Co.’s Minami Hayakita substation in the town of Abira and will have 60-megawatt hours of storage capacity, Sumitomo and the utility said in a statement today.

Japan introduced an incentive program for clean energy a year ago to diversify its energy mix. The newly added renewable capacity has been mostly solar.

The battery system is among the three plans the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced in April because the island has been flooded with applications for large-size solar projects as developers sought inexpensive and flat land.

The system, using vanadium redox flow battery technology, will be installed by March 2015 for the three-year pilot project, according to the statement.

By the end of March, solar applications for grid connections on Japan’s northernmost island totaled 1,568 megawatts for plants of 2 megawatts or larger, according to an April 17 statement from Hokkaido Electric, which said it has capacity for only 400 megawatts for solar.

The battery system will increase the utility’s capacity for wind and solar by about 40 megawatts, according to the ministry.

Pimagazine Asia Admin

Recent Posts

Insuring Wind Turbines, What is the Risk?

Gallagher Re has shed light on the significant challenges insurers face when providing coverage for…

8 months ago

ARENA Start Feasibility Study in Western Australia

The Australian government will disburse AUD 1.7 million (USD 1.1m/EUR 1m) in grant funding to…

8 months ago

Asia moving away from Solar?

GlobalData’s latest report, ‘Asia Pacific Renewable Energy Policy Handbook 2024’ is among the latest region-specific…

8 months ago

Asia’s Energy Challenge 2024

The electrical generation market is facing a number of challenges, including the need to increase…

8 months ago

Powering Progress: Nuclear Energy’s Role in Asia’s Energy Landscape

Nuclear energy has emerged as a prominent player in Asia's energy landscape, offering a reliable…

1 year ago

Charting a Cleaner Path: Carbon Capture and Storage in Asia

The pursuit of a low-carbon future has gained significant momentum globally, and Asia stands tall…

1 year ago