Press Release
Commencement of Open Platform Aggregation Business Experiment ~Grant Received to Cover Costs of Virtual Power Plant Construction Demonstration Project that Utilizes Demand-Side Energy Resources (VPP Aggregator Project)~
Jun 4, 2019
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.
NEC Corporation
Goal connect CO.,Ltd.
SEKISUI CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
TEPCO Power Grid, Inc.
TEPCO Energy Partner, Inc.
TAKAOKA TOKO CO., LTD.
Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation
Japan Weather Association
Thirty companies including Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc., NEC Corporation, Goal connect CO.,Ltd., SEKISUI CHEMICAL CO., LTD., TEPCO Power Grid, Inc., TEPCO Energy Partner, Inc., TAKAOKA TOKO CO., LTD., Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation, Japan Weather Association*1 have applied as a consortium for a grant to cover the costs of its “FY2019 Virtual Power Plant Construction Demonstration Project That Utilizes Demand-side Energy Resources (VPP Aggregator Project),” for which a public offering was made by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry through its Sustainable open Innovation Initiative(SII), and the application was approved on May 30. This experiment, which aims to construct a virtual power plant (VPP) through which resource aggregation can be commercialized, was commenced today.
In recent years, it is becoming difficult to maintain stable energy supply because of output fluctuations and surplus power generated by renewable energy sources (RESs) , such as solar power. In order to maintain power grid stability, it is required to make flexible adjustments by power plants, however, it is expensive to maintain power plants just for the adjustments. This is why the construction of VPP, which are new mechanisms for balancing the continual introduction of RESs with power grid stability at low cost, is gaining momentum.
Through this project the thirty companies aim to balance the continual expansion and introduction of renewable energies into the future with the stabilization of electric power grids, and construct a VPP that connects energy resources dispersed throughout society (storage batteries, electric vehicles, water heaters, solar power generation) and can be used to adjust power supply on a megawatt scale.
In FY2016 we developed an Aggregation Coordinator (AC) system and secured resources. In FY2017 we improved and tested this AC system to fit the needs of power distribution and transmission companies, and created a business model for the commercialization of resource aggregation. Then in FY2018 we again improved and tested the AC system in anticipation of the future supply and demand adjustment market, and deliberated how to stabilize distribution networks.
In FY2019 we shall increase the number of joint venture companies by 10 and secure/develop resources needed for the early commercialization of our aggregation business. At the same time, we shall further improve and test the AC system to fit the needs of the supply/demand adjustment market, and examine regulatory issues and business models.
Through the construction of a VPP this consortium of thirty companies aims to establish an innovative energy management system and commercialize resource aggregation in order to solve global energy/environmental issues.
*1: Consortium members (thirty companies)
Coordinator (three companies)
-Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Tomoaki Kobayakawa)
-NEC Corporation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Takashi Niino)
-Goal connect CO.,Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President : Akira Oshita)
Joint demonstration project (six companies)
-SEKISUI CHEMICAL CO., LTD. (Headquarters: Osaka City, Osaka; President: Teiji Koge)
-TEPCO Power Grid, Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Yoshinori Kaneko)
-TEPCO Energy Partner, Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Nobuhide Akimoto)
-TAKAOKA TOKO CO., LTD. (Headquarters: Koto-ku, Tokyo; President: Toshiro Takebe)
-Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation (Headquarters: Kawasaki City, Kanagawa; President & CEO: Mamoru Hatazawa)
-Japan Weather Association (Headquarters: Toshima-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Hiroki Ishikawa)
Resource aggregator (twenty one companies)
-GLOBAL ENGINEERING Co., Ltd.
-ONE Energy Corporation
-NTT FACILITIES, Inc.
-OSAKI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
-FAMILYNET JAPAN Corporation
-Next Energy & Resources Co., Ltd.
-KYOCERA Corporation
-EFFICIENT Inc.
-MUL Utility Innovation Co., Ltd.
-Shizuoka Gas Co., Ltd.
-ELIIY Power Co., Ltd.
-Energy Optimizer Inc.
-KANDENKO CO., LTD.
-Nippon Koei Co., Ltd.
-SANIX Inc.
-Toyo Engineering Corporation
-Shizen Energy Inc.
-Yachiyo Engineering Co., Ltd.
-Takenaka Corporation
-Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.
-ENE -VISION Co., Ltd.
