Located on the remote Japanese island of Niijima in Tokyo prefecture, the demonstration project will feature diesel generators, solar panels and wind power installations working in various combinations in order to optimize the usage of renewable energy resources.
The Japanese government aims to generate electricity from renewable sources from the current 10% to 13.5% (approximately 141 billion kWh) in 2020 and 20% by 2030.
The demonstration project, over the experimental period of five years, intends to highlight the technical issues such as expected electric power quality and grid management when renewable energies are connected with electric power systems, the company claimed.
The ESS features one of Saft’s well Intensium Max 20 M Medium Power containerised Li-ion battery system, which is upgraded to offer a nominal storage capacity of 520kWh and 1MW peak power output.
The battery, in combination with Takaoka-Toko’s intelligent control systems, will allow integration of large amounts of renewable energy-based power into diesel powered grids while ensuring system stability and smooth control of the gensets.
The program will assess the energy storage use in operations such as ramp and frequency smoothing.
The Saft ESS is scheduled to be commissioned in early 2015.
Saft Hong Kong Sales Asia general manager and director Philippe Ulrich said: "We are delighted to be working with Takaoka Toko on this high-profile demonstration project that will provide our first reference for Saft’s ESS capabilities in Japan’s renewable energy sector that is currently enjoying exponential growth."
Image: The remote island microgrid project in Japan. Photo: courtesy of Saft 2015.
