Press Release
Contest Seeks Best Models for Predicting Power Output of Solar Power Plants in Hokkaido, Japan—PV in HOKKAIDO—

Dec 20, 2018

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.

Hokkaido Electric Power Co., Inc.

 

Tokyo, Japan, December 20 , 2018 — Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO) and Hokkaido Electric Power Co., Inc. announced today their launch of the PV in HOKKAIDO contest to determine the best models for predicting power output of solar power plants in Hokkaido, Japan’s northern main island. Contestants are invited to visit the TEPCO CUUSOO open innovation website https://cuusoo.com/projects/50369 to propose new ideas and models for predicting power-output of solar power plants in Hokkaido. Participants who pass the first round will be asked to make a video presentation of their model to a judging panel. The winning entries will receive a cash prize of up to three million yen.

 

The models must predict total electricity power output by specified solar power plants connected to the power grid in Hokkaido. The winning entries will be determined based on a comprehensive evaluation of the model’s practicality and expandability as well as prediction accuracy.

 

The hosts plan to use the best model in actual operations to help expand the introduction of solar power generation and improve the stability of power supply.

 

Contestants first will be required to predict solar power output for successive 30-minute periods based on actual data complied by Hokkaido Electric Power Co., weather forecast data, etc. from 2016 and 2017. Contestants will then be required to use their models to predict power output at specified solar power plants over the 13-month period from January 1, 2018 to January 31, 2019.

 

TEPCO and Hokkaido Electric Power Co., are striving to expand their  use of renewable energy in combination with their existing infrastructure to provide electric power on a secure and increasingly low-CO2  basis. Solar power generation fluctuates depending on weather conditions, so precise prediction of power-generation output is critical for the effective use of solar power systems as a reliable source of energy.

 

TEPCO and Hokkaido Electric Power Co., have developed and are using models to predict power output of solar power plants based on weather data. Increased prediction accuracy is required, however, due to local weather conditions, including the impact of fresh snowfall and accumulated snow on solar panels, as well as global climatic changes.

 

For contest details, please visit https://cuusoo.com/projects/50369 (operated by external partner)

 

Application Guidelines

Period:

　December 20, 2018 to late June 2019 (entries accepted to February 8, 2019)

Theme:

　Predicting solar power-generation output

Applicant eligibility:

　Not specified

Test:

　Using actual solar power-generation data and/or weather forecast data, etc. compiled in the past, predict solar power output for successive 30-minute periods during specified term.

Items for submission:

• Prediction data for successive 30-minute periods from January 1, 2018 to January 31, 2019
• Report describing proposed model

Important dates:

• December 20, 2018 to February 8, 2019: Entry period
• February 12 to March 15, 2019: Submission of prediction results and summary report on model
• Late March to mid April, 2019(TBD): First assessment, Determination of finalists
• May 7 to May 25, 2019: Submission of detailed explanatory report and video presentation
• Early to late June (TBD): Final round (by presentation) and announcement of  winners

Chief Judge:

　Dr. Hiroyuki Kita (Division of Systems Science and Informatics, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Hokkaido University)

Entry page:

　 TEPCO CUUSOO open innovation website https://cuusoo.com/projects/50369 (operated by external partner)

Notes:

　Each contestant must become a TEPCO CUUSOO member and create an account 

About TEPCO

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO) is Japan's largest power company group, holding three independent business entities: TEPCO Fuel & Power, Inc., TEPCO Power Grid, Inc., and TEPCO Energy Partner, Inc.

As a group, it generates, distributes, and sells electricity and other types of energy principally to the Kanto metropolitan area, which includes Japan's two most populous cities, Tokyo and Yokohama.

The TEPCO Group’s 41,525  employees are committed to providing safe, reliable power as well as fulfilling its responsibilities to the communities of Fukushima.  (As of March 31, 2018)

• TEPCO Website: http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/index-e.html
• TEPCO Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTEPCOen
• TEPCO Twitter page: https://twitter.com/TEPCO_English

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