Why are Japanese companies investing in battery energy storage systems?

Sign up here. That is creating surging interest in battery energy storage systems (BESS) to smooth mismatches in supply and demand. Since December 2023, companies have announced investments of at least $2.6 billion in Japanese battery storage projects, according to calculations by Reuters.

Why are battery storage systems being installed in Japan?

Several megawatt-hours of residential battery storage systems, typically paired with solar PV, are being installed in Japan on a monthly basis. This is largely due to concerns about losing power at home, given the seismic activity the country is frequently subject to, as well as extreme weather events like typhoons.

What types of batteries are used in Japan's energy storage landscape?

Various battery technology types are represented in Japan’s energy storage landscape. These range in diversity, from large-scale NaS sites with output capacity of up to 50 mW, to wind-farm-based VRFB facilities, to a 600 kW facility built of aggregated Li-ion electric vehicle batteries.

Which companies aggregate home battery aggregation projects in Japan?

Home battery aggregation projects from Tokyo Electric Power Co, and Tokyo Gas, two major utility companies in the Japanese capital.

Which companies are launching a battery balancing programme in Tokyo?

Another Tokyo-headquartered utility, Tokyo Gas, also began a similar programme with residential batteries. The company markets and installs battery storage systems to households, and also has a new solutions service, branded Igniture, which controls the charging and discharging to participate in power supply-demand balancing.

Which batteries are most commonly deployed in Japan?

According to Eurobat, nickel-based batteries are the second most commonly-deployed battery after lead-based batteries. Although deployment on the Japanese market is focused on the vehicular market, it ranges in scale from utility and industrial scale to home-appliance scale.