On July 17, 2019, TEPCO Power Grid announced a partnership with NExT-e Solutions, a Japanese energy battery management system company,[1] to study battery storage lifecycle management. Battery storage, such as the lithium-ion batteries used in vehicles, can be re-used to adjust the electricity supply and demand, and to balance frequency fluctuations. Currently, it is difficult to evaluate the battery storage’s performance after the first use, and there are not yet any methods to better maximize the use of battery storage.

In this study, TEPCO Power Grid aims to build a battery storage lifecycle management platform to maximize the value of used battery storage and promote the re-use of battery storage. TEPCO Power Grid will leverage its knowledge of electricity supply and demand and the operation of battery storage as a part of the study. NExT-e Solutions will be responsible for the developing battery storage control technology and managing the Internet of Things (IoT) technology to collect, manage, and analyze the battery storage data.[2]

[1] https://www.nextes.jp/service/?id=naiyo

[2] http://www.tepco.co.jp/pg/company/press-information/press/2019/1515883_8614.html