[Japan] J-Power and Chugoku Electric Power Would Begin Examining the Potential for Carbon Recycling Technology through an Integrated Coal Gasification Fuel Cell Combined Cycle Demonstration Project

On June 5, 2019, J-Power[1], a Japanese power producer, and Chugoku Electric Power announced that they would begin examining the potential for carbon recycling technology through an Integrated Coal Gasification Fuel Cell Combined Cycle (IGFC) Demonstration Project conducted by Osaki CoolGen[2]. Osaki CoolGen was established by J-Power and Chugoku Electric Power, which aims to develop the next-generation clean coal technologies. It is also supported by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

Based on the Paris Agreement, the Japanese government has been seeking to advance carbon recycling technology that uses CO2 as a resource, as a part of CO2 Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) technology. Osaki CoolGen’s IGFC Demonstration Project, as part of Japan’s efforts to contribute to CO2 emission reduction, plans to carry out a test of CO2 capture technology from this coming December to FY 2020. Based on the results, J-Power and Chugoku Electric Power will consider demonstrating the carbon recycling technology that can be deployed for a wide variety of purposes by using CO2 captured from coal-fired power plants. The project will also research how to liquefy and transport the collected CO2 to targeted facilities as well as how to utilize it in various applications, including the acceleration of biofuel production from microalgae, production of concrete materials containing CO2, etc.[3]

[1] http://www.jpower.co.jp/english/company_info/operations_in_japan/

[2] https://www.osaki-coolgen.jp/

[3] https://b2b-ch.infomart.co.jp/news/detail.page?IMNEWS1=1490873

[Japan] Shikoku Electric Power and Shikoku Research Institute Launch Demonstration Project to Verify the Feasibility of Remote Control of Solar Power Systems Supplying Electric Water Heaters

Shikoku Electric Power and its subsidiary, Shikoku Research Institute[1], announced on May 22, 2019, that they will launch a demonstration project to examine the feasibility of remotely controlling solar power systems for supplying electricity to electric water heaters and EcoCute heat pump systems that are installed in its residential customers’ houses. EcoCute is an energy efficient electric heat pump system that generates hot water by recovering heat energy from air.

By forecasting the expected level of solar power generation for the next day, the project will shift some normal usage of customer electric water heaters from nighttime hours to daytime to use excess solar electricity produced during daytime. This shift is enabled by demand response technology developed by Shikoku Research Institute, and would lead to optimization of solar power generation operations as well as stabilization of power supply and demand. The project will collaborate with 40 customer households in Takamatsu City and the Chusan/Seisan area in Kagawa Prefecture. Data collection, analysis, and evaluation will be carried out over approximately one year beginning fall 2019. Data will be collected remotely about 60 times throughout this period, without any inconvenience for customers.

The project aims to verify the feasibility of the remote-control technology for solar power, as part of Shikoku Electric Power and Shikoku Research Institute’s efforts for improving effective energy utilization[2]

[1] http://www.ssken.co.jp/

[2] https://www.yonden.co.jp/press/2019/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2019/05/21/pr005.pdf

https://www.yonden.co.jp/press/2019/1190011_2420.html

[Japan] Marubeni and LO3 Energy Launched a Blockchain Pilot Project in Japan

Marubeni Corporation and LO3 Energy, a New York-based blockchain technology vendor, announced on February 20, 2019, that they have launched a blockchain pilot project in Japan. The project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the technology when applied to the power sector, as well as better improving Marubeni’s understanding of how to provide its customers with additional offerings using the blockchain technology. LO3 Energy, founded in 2012 in New York, has had extensive experience in developing blockchain-based peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading platforms in the United States, Europe, and Australia. Marubeni is Japan’s fifth largest trading company, with a strong electrical and industrial plant business. The global rapid transition of the power sector towards decarbonization, decentralization, and digitalization is expected to accelerate P2P energy trading among DERs (Distributed Energy Resources), which are owned and operated by end-users. Marubeni has decided to partner with LO3 Energy in order to be at the forefront of the market change.

In the project, LO3 Energy will use blockchain to create a virtual electric marketplace, helping Marubeni to promote P2P energy trading among its self-owned power generators and its customers/end-users. It will test the virtual energy transaction network through LO3 Energy’s platform, by installing blockchain-enabled meters at energy sources and customers’/end-users’ sites and facilities.

[Japan] Toyota Tsusho and Chubu Electric Power Launch Vehicles-to-Grid Demonstration Tests in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture

Chubu Electric Power and Toyota Tsusho jointly announced on November 7, 2018 that they will launch Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) demonstration tests in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, from November 14 to 16 and December 12 to 14, respectively. The tests will validate the effectiveness of value-added services such as battery charging and discharging, examine how the V2G system will balance the supply and demand of electricity, and study the impacts of V2G on power grids.

Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy have been increasingly deployed worldwide, but challenges remain in managing the fluctuation of renewable energy output and surplus power generation. In order to utilize the excess energy, Toyota and the U.S.-based Nuvve Corporation have collaborated to design the V2G system. The design aims to control the power supply and demand, storing surplus power in Electric Vehicles (EVs)/Plug-in-Hybrids (PHVs) and later discharging it back to the power grid. Chubu Electric Power and Toyota plan to submit a report with the project’s results to a Japanese regulator, the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, by February 2019.

[Japan] Kansai Electric Power Started a R&D Project on a System that Determines the Price of Surplus Electricity and Allows Direct Electricity Transactions, Using Blockchain Technologies

On October 15, 2018, Kansai Electric Power announced a joint research and demonstration project with the University of Tokyo, Nihon Unisys, and Mitsubishi UFJ Bank to develop a new system for surplus electricity trading that will be able to determine the price of surplus electricity generated by photovoltaic power. The system allows “prosumers”[1] and consumers to trade surplus electricity directly without the involvement of utility companies, using blockchain technologies.

With the widespread implementation of renewable energy, the current power supply system has been shifting from conventional large-scale generation assets to self-sustained distributed generation assets. In the future, it is possible that consumers and power producers will be able to trade electricity directly through a platform. The joint research project was developed based on the expectation that blockchain technologies will be adopted in direct electricity transactions in the future.

The system will be installed at the Kansai Electric Power’s Tatsumi Research Center for demonstration purposes. The surplus electricity generated at the prosumers’ households will be traded with consumers based on the electricity price, which was calculated based on two parties’ desired prices using various methods. The electricity is then traded using blockchain technologies and distributed to consumers. In this project, Nihon Unisys will develop the system, Kansai Electric Power will test the system, and the University of Tokyo will evaluate the research. Mitsubishi UFJ Bank will give advice on applying blockchain technologies to transactions.[2]

[1] “Prosumers” is the term that combines the term electricity producers and consumers, and it refers to consumers who consumes the electricity generated by himself/herself and sells surpluses power to others.

[Japan] Chubu Electric Power’s “KatEne” Started a New Service for Customers with Smart Meters to Calculate the Electricity Usage of Individual Household Appliances

On September 2, 2018, Chubu Electric Power’s online service “KatEne” started a new function that calculates and visualizes the electricity usage of each household appliance in a home. Customers can check the electricity usage share of home appliances like air conditioners and electric water heaters without needing to install any additional measuring instruments.

The service is offered for free to customers who installed smart meters in their house. This service collects information such as electricity usage data obtained from smart meters, the current installation situation of household appliances, the outdoor temperature, and the local sunrise and sunset times. Using its own in-house methodologies, Chubu calculates the electricity usage rate of each household appliance and the approximate electricity charge, enabling customers to understand their energy consumption and energy savings.

The “KatEne” service, launched in 2015, is a household customer online service aiming at promoting energy consumption through visible energy-saving information. By the end of March 2019, Chubu also plans to implement add-on functions for customers that have installed solar panels, which will calculate those customers’ precise energy consumption and billing information, and will reflect the energy generation amount from their installed solar systems.

[USA] “Secretary Perry Announces Up to $78 Million for Bioenergy Research Funding Opportunities”

[DOE, 3 May 2018]

Secretary Rick Perry has announced $78 million in funding to encourage initial R&D in bioenergy. Rick Perry commented that, ““Through the funding opportunities announced today, U.S. bioenergy resources, including algae, energy crops, and various waste streams, will be more efficiently and effectively converted into affordable biofuels, biopower, and bioproducts.” The Funding Opportunity Announcements include projects based on thermochemical processing, conversion of CO2 into fuel, algae productivity, renewable jet fuel and diesel fuel.

[USA] “Smart Neighborhood™ by Alabama Power Nearing Completion in Suburban Birmingham”

[Southern Company, 30 April 2018]

Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, has nearly finalized their newest project, Smart Neighborhood at Reynolds Landing- located in Hoover, Alabama- which will introduce “for the first time in the Southeast high-performance homes, energy efficient systems and appliances, connected devices and a microgrid on a community-wide scale.” More specifically, the project will be composed of solar panels, battery storage, and for backup power: a natural gas generating unit. Though all of the 62 homes in the neighborhood have already been sold, only half are currently being occupied. Alabama Power will also allow their Smart Neighborhood to act as a resource for other homebuilders as well as trade and industry groups for two years (as part of the research and data collection of the project). John Hudson, senior VP of Marketing Business Development for Alabama Power, said of the project, ““With Alabama Power’s Smart Neighborhood, the future of residential energy has arrived. Smart Neighborhood brings together technologies and data in new ways that help families take control of their energy use and live better today.”

[USA] “Department of Energy Partners with NASA to Call for Transformative Energy Ideas”

[Department of Energy, 29 March 2018]

DOE’s ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy) team have announced that they, along with NASA, will launch an iTech challenge. This challenge would feature the country’s top entrepreneurs’ and researchers’ “transformative energy concepts.” This challenge seeks innovative technologies that would “improve energy generation, storage and distribution to the benefit of both space exploration and life on Earth.” Some of the technology groups that will be showcased in this competition include [regenerative] fuel cells, solar power systems, smart grids, wireless distribution systems, small fission power systems, etc. The challenge will continue until April 29, 2018 and the top 10 finalists will present their findings to experts in the field as well as potential investors.