[Japan] NEDO Initiated a Database System Project to Improve the Operation of Wind Power Generation Facilities

The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) announced on August 23, 2018, that it has initiated a project to develop a database system to improve the operation of wind power generation facilities and reduce their operations and maintenance (O&M) costs.

Wind power generation’s installation and O&M costs in Japan are higher than in other countries. Furthermore, wind turbines in Japan are required to operate under severe weather conditions like typhoons and lightning strikes. In order to increase the installation of wind generation units and enhance their long-term operational stability in harsh environments, it is imperative to increase the reliability of wind turbines as well as reduce additional O&M costs, such as through technological developments to advance generation efficiency and optimize maintenance. The project aims to realize a wind turbine operation rate of 97% or more, and also seeks to reduce the downtime of the wind turbines and their O&M costs.

In this project, NEDO will develop a database system that collects and stores windmill operation data, including operational failure and accident information. The system will also provide failure prediction by utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), analysis of past cases and information on early recovery from malfunctions and accidents.

[Japan] Kansai Electric Power Reported Current Status of Power Outages due to Damages from Typhoon Jebi and Quick Restoration Measures

Kansai Electric Power announced the current status of widespread power outages due to damage from the powerful Typhoon Jebi, which hit western Japan. As of September 6, 2018, nearly 2,184,000 customers had experienced power failures in the Kansai region of Japan, and 311,000 homes still remained without power. The most devastating blackout area was Osaka Prefecture, with a total of 1.026 million households affected, followed by Hyogo (App. 418,000) and Wakayama (App. 327,000)[1] prefectures.

As a result of the significant damage that the typhoon inflicted on Kansai Electric Power’s transmission and distribution infrastructure, the company will face a prolonged restoration effort. In order to support the efforts to restore power, the company announced on September 5, 2018, that it had requested 40 high-voltage generator cars and approximately 240 utility workers from neighboring power electric companies such as Chugoku Electric Power, Shikoku Electric Power, and Kyushu Electric Power, based on their cooperative assistance agreements regarding emergency disasters. High-voltage generator cars will be connected to distribution equipment to temporarily transmit electricity. However, the installation locations have not yet been determined.[2]

[1] http://www.kepco.co.jp/souhaiden/pr/2018/pdf/0904_32j_00.pdf

[2] http://www.kepco.co.jp/souhaiden/pr/2018/0905_1j.html

[USA] “EEI Launches Industry-Wide Environmental, Social, Governance, and Sustainability Reporting Template”

(EEI, 27 August 2018)

The Edison Electric Institute will launch an “environmental, social, governance, and sustainability-related (ESG/sustainability) reporting template;” this report is the first and only one of its kind.  It is based on voluntary reporting of both quantitative (i.e. governance methods and strategies) and qualitative data (i.e. portfolio, emissions, capital expenditures, and resources). Through this report, electricity customers can be better informed on their utility’s status in these areas. EEI’s member electric companies will also benefit as each company’s financial sector will be provided with more standardized and consistent ESG/sustainability information. Tom Kuhn, EEI’s President” said that the pilot form of this report (released in December 2017) was “well-received by investors, key stakeholders, and customers.” JPMorgan Chase’s Deputy Global Head of Sustainable Finance also applauded EEI’s efforts and stated that “as ESG goes mainstream, the disclosure template will help lenders, investors, and EEI member companies engage on the most important ESG and sustainability matters for the electric power industry.”

[USA] “National Solar Leaders Endorse Nevada’s Renewable Energy Ballot Measure: Question 6”

(SEIA, 30 August 2018)

This coming November, Nevada’s ballot will feature Question 6 – a ballot measure that would raise the state’s renewable targets to 50% by 2030. Question 6 is expected to create more jobs, grow the economy, and bolster public health. The measure has earned the support of “two leading solar organizations:” the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and the Vote Solar Action Fund. Abigail Ross Hopper, President and CEO of SEIA, commended the measure stating, “No state has seen the profound effect that strong policy can have on jobs and economic activity than Nevada. A strong RPS in Nevada is not only imminently achievable, but also will create massive jobs, stimulate economic activity and support air quality.” Jessica Scott of the Vote Solar Action Fund noted the support renewable energy has from all sides of the political spectrum: “Overwhelming majorities of Republican, Democratic and Independent Nevadans all want more healthy, job-creating clean energy powering their communities, and it’s exciting that they'll now have the opportunity to vote for that brighter future for their families and future generations at the ballot this fall.”

[USA] “Department of Energy Announces Technology Commercialization Fund Projects”

[DOE, 22 August 2018]

The Department of Energy has announced $20 million of funding for 64 projects; this funding will be overseen by the Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF). As these 64 projects may also receive matching funding from the private sector, the DOE hopes the projects will aid in developing the relationship between the DOE’s national labs and private businesses. U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry stated of the project, “By connecting innovators at our national labs with entrepreneurs in the private sector, DOE is breaking down barriers and finding the nexus between ingenuity and opportunity.” Projects selected for funding have a variety of focuses, including electric vehicle charging, advanced nuclear reactor development, lithium-sulfur rechargeable batteries, and carbon capture.

[USA] “DOE 2017 Wind Market Reports Indicate Strong Wind Power Installation Trends and Falling Prices”

[DOE, 23 August 2018]

The Department of Energy has released three wind energy market reports – the 2017 Distributed Wind Market Report, the 2017 Offshore Wind Technologies Market Update, and the 2017 Wind Technologies Market Report- all note that US wind installations are growing and will continue to grow as offshore wind projects are actualized and as technology costs and wind prices decrease. These three reports cover each of the three market sectors inherently tied to the wind industry: “land-based utility scale, distributed, and offshore wind.” Some of the highlights from the reports are included below:

·         In 2017, the US wind industry saw 7,017 MW of capacity installed

·         41 states have utility-scale wind projects

·         The expansion of the wind industry has led to the creation of 105,000 jobs and $11 billion in investments for new wind plants

·         35% of distributed wind projects in 2017 were installed in homes and 25% were installed at agricultural sites

·         “New offshore wind turbines are being developed with 10–12 megawatts of capacity (compared to an average capacity of 2.3 MW for land-based turbines and 5.3 MW for offshore wind turbines installed in 2017).”

[Japan] Osaka Gas and Growing Energy Labs Agreed to Conduct a Joint VPP and Storage Batteries Demonstration Project

On August 7, 2018, Osaka Gas entered into an agreement with a San Francisco-based software start-up company, Growing Energy Labs (Geli), to launch a joint demonstration project to optimize the operation of storage batteries using a virtual power plant (VPP) software platform. The project will be implemented at “NEXT21”, an Osaka Gas experimental housing unit, and at Imazu Ground, another testing site, addressing the needs of residential customers and commercial users respectively. In order to evaluate new Internet of Energy* services using accumulator batteries, the project will adopt Geli’s VPP software platform and energy storage control technology, which is already in use in the U.S. and Australia.

Given the extensive deployment of renewable energy resources in Japan, particularly solar power, it is expected that the need for VPP platforms will increase in the future to address grid instability. In order to acquire key knowledge about VPP and storage battery control technologies, Osaka Gas invested in Geli in March this year, and has been preparing for this demonstration project. As part of the project, the co-optimization between PV self-consumption and the frequency response control will be tested at the NEXT21 site. The Imazu Ground site will be used to evaluate the co-optimization between the demand charge management and the frequency response control, based on the expected customer needs for commercial and industrial use.

* “Internet of Energy” refers to the implementation of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies into distributed energy systems to optimize the efficiency of energy infrastructure and demand-side management.

[Japan] Osaka Gas Offered a New Electricity Rate Menu “Style Plan” to Meet Customer’s Lifestyle and Individual Needs

Osaka Gas announced on August 1, 2018, that it has started offering a new electricity rate menu “style plan” that corresponds to its customers’ lifestyle and individual needs. As its first step, Osaka Gas began its “Style Plan P” service for Amazon Prime members. Osaka Gas plans to continue to diversify its rate plans by providing different types of electricity rate menus in addition to its existing base rate plan.

Osaka Gas customers that subscribe to the "Style Plan P" service can save money regardless of their electricity usage compared with the total cost of paying for both Amazon Prime’s annual fee and Kansai Electric Power Company's metered electricity “Plan A.” Based on Osaka Gas’s model, the average residential customer will save about 5,400 yen per year.

Furthermore, in April 2018 Osaka Gas began to offer some additional features to its customers in collaboration with Amazon Alexa. Customers can use Alexa’s voice services to check their gas and electricity usage amounts and fees, and can control their gas equipment through the Amazon Echo smart speaker.

[Japan] NEDO Completed Japan’s First Barge-Type Floating Offshore Wind Power Generation System

On August 10, 2018, the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), along with other industrial partners, completed the development of a demonstration system for a next-generation floating offshore wind power generation system. The system is equipped with Japan’s first barge-type floating body and is paired with a compact 2-blade upwind-type wind turbine, which can be placed in shallow water areas up to a depth of approximately 50m. To ensure its safety even in severe weather and oceanic conditions, the system is equipped with 9 mooring systems, consisting of a combination of stud-less chains and high holding power anchors.

The NEDO-led consortium consists of Marubeni Corporation, Hitachi Zosen, Glocal, EcoPower, University of Tokyo, and Kyuden Mirai Energy. During the development process, Marubeni was responsible for cost analysis and coordinating with related organizations. Hitachi Zosen was engaged in designing the floating bodies, manufacturing, and installation work. Glocal played a central role in turbine selection and mooring systems development, while EcoPower was responsible for the environmental impact assessment. The University of Tokyo oversaw the performance evaluation of the system as well as outreach activities, and Kyuden Mirai Energy was in charge of grid interconnection and power quality evaluation.

NEDO will test the system in the sea area off the coast of Kitakyushu city by connecting electric power cables. After the test, the system will start its demonstration period from this fall to the end of FY2021. The electricity generated by the system will be transmitted to Kyushu Electric Power’s grid system.

[USA] “SEIA Supports Legislation to Increase Government Use of Renewable Energy”

(SEIA, 25 July 2018)

Representative Peter Welch (Democrat-Vermont) and Representative Ralph Norman (Republican – South Carolina) have introduced legislation, H.R. 6538, that will allow the General Services Administration (GSA) – an independent federal agency which oversees the “basic functioning” of the federal government such as procurement- to enter into 30 year renewable energy power purchase agreements (PPAs). Currently, only the U.S. military may enter into PPAs that last longer than 10 years. SEIA, the Solar Energy Industries Association, has expressed support for such a legislative measure and its President and CEO, Abigail Ross Hopper, stated that “this bill will help save taxpayer dollars by allowing all federal agencies to take advantage of the significant cost savings currently enjoyed by the U.S. military through the use of long-term PPAs.”

Further information on this bill can be found here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/6538

[USA] “EEI Statement on Energy Grid Security”

(EEI, 24 July 2018)

EEI Vice President of Security and Preparedness, Scott Aaronson, issued a statement acknowledging the importance of cybersecurity in the face of repeated threats to US critical infrastructure. He noted that though there was a campaign to target US critical electric infrastructure in July 2017, the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC) was able to quickly update its response to the threat and compiled an update “with potential indicators of compromise and other technical data.” With this update, North American electric power companies would be able to better “protect and defend” their systems. E-ISAC efforts also indicate the strong relationship between industry and the government – a relationship that is vital to maintaining a strong grid. Aaronson concluded his statement by stating that “there have been no operational impacts to the energy grid from these threats.”

[Japan] TEPCO and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Jointly Launched a Remote Monitoring Service to Improve the Operational Efficiency of Thermal Power Plants

On July 13, 2018, Tokyo Electric Power Company’s (TEPCO) subsidiary, Tokyo Fuel & Power and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) jointly announced that they had begun to offer a remote monitoring service to improve the operational efficiency of thermal power plants. The service includes the early detection of abnormal conditions, remote monitoring, cause analysis, and countermeasures, by using an IoT platform integrated with data. Their initial customer for the service is the Pagbilao Power Plant in the Philippines, a coal-fired power plant operated by TeaM Energy Corporation. The service will enable the Pagbilao power station to improve its operational efficiency and reduce its future operation and maintenance (O&M) costs. The remote monitoring service is one of the O&M solutions and services that both companies would like to pursue in the region.

TEPCO and the MHPS are aiming to establish a joint business that will aggressively provide O&M solutions and services for coal-fired power plants in the Southeast Asia region, where each firm can utilize its own operational infrastructure and existing resources. In September 2016, both companies signed a business alliance agreement to improve the operational efficiency of domestic and overseas thermal power plants. Since then, they have been working together to jointly develop O&M solutions and services for thermal power generation. In April 2017, the two companies began to demonstrate a service for thermal power plants that applied a jointly developed abnormality prediction model. The model integrates TEPCO’s knowledge of O&M solutions with MHPS’ capabilities in design, construction and after-sales services.

[Japan] Tohoku Electric Power Launched Customer-Assisted Smarter Project for Monitoring Newly Developed Services

Tohoku Electric Power announced on July 11, 2018 that it has launched a Customer-Assisted Smarter Project, which aims to monitor and verify the effectiveness of new services to ensure comfortable and convenient lifestyles for customers. By using information technologies such as IoT, AI, and communication robots, the project will verify the feasibility and user-friendliness of two newly-developed services: the lifestyle assistance communication robot BOCCO, and a service for providing advice on how to save energy when using home appliances. The project is scheduled to be carried out from July 11, 2018, to the end of August 2019 and the utility is looking for 170 participants to be monitored as part of the project.

The BOCCO robot will demonstrate its multiple remote-control functions, such as helping family members to monitor the current conditions in a house and notify them via smartphones, turning the air conditioner on/off from outside through the devices, and automatically controlling the air conditioning system in a house by predicting the optimal air conditioning operating time, based on weather information and the current temperature and humidity in the room. Separately, the project will also monitor the effectiveness of a service providing consumers with emails or SNS messages with energy-saving advice for home appliances. The service advises customers on how to use home appliances to save energy and reduce costs, based on an electricity usage prediction system that has been jointly developed by Tohoku Electric Power and Mitsubishi Electric, using data collected from smart meters.

[Japan] Japan Atomic Energy Commission Published the White Paper on Nuclear Energy 2017

On July 5, 2018, the Japan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) under the Cabinet Office, government of Japan, published the White Paper on Nuclear Energy 2017. The paper summarizes the current state of the Japanese nuclear energy industry’s development and its nuclear safety activities, and recent changes in attitudes surrounding nuclear energy. It also highlights the importance of stakeholders’ participation in activities, based on lessons learned from the Fukushima accident. The white paper stresses the need to strengthen interactive dialogues between government officials/industry members and the public, encourage public engagement and provide the public with accurate information and objective facts, to reduce public distrust and anxiety about nuclear energy, which remains after 7 years since the accident. The paper also underlines the importance of maintaining the long-term stable use of nuclear power, as it is necessary for greenhouse gas reduction.

The White Paper on Nuclear Energy has been released annually since 1956 through 2010, the year before the Fukushima accident. The subsequent issues after the 2009 edition were suspended, as the Japanese government was responding to the Fukushima accident and was considering the reform of the JAEC at the time. The White Paper was resumed for the first time last year. 

[USA] “Dominion Energy/SCANA Merger Receives FERC Approval”

(Dominion, 13 July 2018)

FERC has approved the proposed merger between Dominion Energy and SCANA Corporation and declared that the merger “is consistent with the public interest.” Though FERC’s approval is a big step in this merger process, Dominion and SCANA still have to receive the consent of SCANA’s shareholders, the South Carolina and North Carolina public service commissions, and an authorization from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. However, should the merger go through, the new company (Dominion/SCANA) would deliver their energy services to around 6.5 million regulated customer accounts and would “have an electric generating portfolio of about 31,400 megawatts and 93,600 miles of electric transmission and distribution lines.” The new company would also have an expanded natural gas pipeline network – amounting to 106,400 miles- and would oversee one of the country’s largest natural gas storage systems at 1 trillion cubic feet of capacity.

[USA] “Interior Announces Region-Wide Oil and Gas Lease Sale for Gulf of Mexico”

(Department of the Interior, 12 July 2018)

Deputy Secretary of the Interior (DOI), David Bernhardt, recently announced that the Department of the Interior (DOI)’s will open up 78 million offshore acres spanning Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida –titled Lease Sale 251- for the exploration and development of oil and gas resources. This regional-lease will include “all available unleased areas in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico.” This strategy is in line with Trump’s “America-First Offshore Energy Strategy.” It is speculated that the Gulf of Mexico holds around 48 billion barrels of “undiscovered technically recoverable oil and 141 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered technically recoverable gas.” Vincent DeVito, Counselor to the Secretary for Energy Policy, stated that US energy production can be both competitive and environmentally safe – and this lease will allow the US to have a secure energy future.

[USA] “Department of Energy Announces $95 Million in Small Business Research and Development Grants”

(Department of Energy, 16 July 2018)

The Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that it will provide 95 grants amounting to $95 million to 80 small businesses spanning 26 states; each award averages about $1,000,000. These grants are given for research and development efforts and are part of Phase II in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR). As mentioned by the DOE, “The SBIR and STTR programs were created by Congress to leverage small businesses to advance innovation at federal agencies.” The funders (within the DOE offices) of these awards are the Offices of: Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Fossil Energy, Fusion Energy Sciences, High Energy Physics, and Nuclear Energy. These awarding offices within the DOE hint at the priorities of the DOE and their industry preferences.

[USA] “Duke Energy Carolinas Customers Lead South Carolina in Private Solar Adoption”

(Duke Energy, 12 July 2018)

Over 5,000 of Duke Energy’s customers in South Carolina have installed rooftop solar on their residential homes and businesses. Duke Energy also provides over $50 million in rebates as an “extra incentive” to encourage customers to adopt solar. Duke Energy Carolinas (a subsidiary of Duke Energy that operates in North and South Carolina) has pledged to purchase all the surplus solar produced by a rooftop solar system- similar to how utilities purchase renewable energy from large scale projects. With so many rooftop solar installations in the company’s territory, Duke Energy is ahead of schedule in its legislative (i.e. policy) goal of 40 MW of private rooftop solar by 2020 as mandated by “Act 236.” This piece of legislation – which was designed to grow the residential solar industry at a time when solar costs were higher- better enables customers to install rooftop solar by providing net metering incentives and rebates. As a side note, “the net metering incentive was a component of a larger 2014 settlement agreement with the solar industry, environmental groups and South Carolina’s utilities. 

[Japan] NEDO Published its Annual Report on Wind Power Generation Facilities and Installed Capacity in Japan for FY 2017

On June 28, 2018, New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) announced the publication of its annual report on wind power generation facilities and installed capacity in Japan for FY 2017, as of the end of March 2018. The cumulative installed wind power capacity increased by 4.3% from the previous year to about 3.5 million kW, and the installed facilities increased by 2.5% to 2,253 units. In FY 2017, 54 wind power generation facilities with approximately 150,000 kW of capacity were installed.

NEDO publishes an updated report every fiscal year which highlights the current results of Japan’s wind power generation facilities and their installed capacity, based on interview surveys with Japanese power producers. The survey targets all grid-connected wind power energy producers with single-unit output of over 10 kW and total output of 20 kW or more. The survey’s questions include the wind power facility’s operating date, the name of the installer and manufacturer, the location (prefecture and municipality), total output, rated output, and the number of installed wind power facilities, etc.

[Japan] Hitachi Zosen Developed the Largest Megawatt-Class Solid Polymer-Type Hydrogen Generator

Hitachi Zosen announced that it has developed the largest solid polymer-type hydrogen generator in Japan. The generator uses water electrolysis to produce 200 Nm3/h of hydrogen, and can store surplus electricity at a megawatt-class power generation facility. Hitachi Zosen will launch its demonstration experiments later this year and aims to start sales in FY2019. Hitachi Zosen has been engaged in the development of hydrogen generators since 1974, when it joined the Sunshine Project funded by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI, now METI, the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry).

Hydrogen generators electrolyze water to produce high purity hydrogen that can be stored by using the excessive power generated by renewable energies such as wind and solar. To enlarge its electrolytic cell, which is the heart of the generator, Hitachi Zosen successfully combined electrolytic technology with filter press technology. In addition, the generator is cheap to install, since it is a portable-type generator that can be stored in a 40-ft container.