On September 20, 2019, Kyushu Electric Power (Kyuden, headquartered in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture ) announced that it had signed a Business Partnership Agreement with NExT-e Solutions (NExT-eS), a Tokyo-based start-up company that specializes in advanced storage battery control technology , in order to advance storage battery reuse technologies.
The partnership is part of the KYUDEN i-PROJECT, which aims to promote innovation to provide new value to customers. NExT-eS is currently conducting a demonstration project to test large-scale stationary lithium-ion batteries’ storage systems in cooperation with NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization). The lithium-ion batteries are currently being used for solar power plants. Based on the results of the demonstration project, Kyuden and NExT-eS aim to commercialize 20MWW/20MWh stationary energy storage units by 2023.