Sunverge Deploys Fleet of Energy Storage Systems in Japan

Sunverge systems will demonstrate use cases including demand charge reduction at an individual and aggregate level

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Sunverge Energy

Dec 11, 2017, 15:30 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunverge Energy has deployed dozens of energy storage units at geographically dispersed locations across the service territory of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) while managing them as a single virtual node on the grid. The net aggregated power flow at the virtual node level is controlled through coordinated operations at the individual unit level based on the predicted load, PV generation and available storage capacity.

This graph depicts an average daily home load. Without the demand charge algorithm (grey line) the home would draw in power from the grid in an erratic manner. As a result, the homeowner would experience a much higher bill under a demand charge tariff. With the demand charge management algorithm (green line), the home consumes more of its own solar PV and stored energy and relies less on the grid. As a result, the homeowner experiences a lower bill that avoids demand charge rates.

This project will demonstrate how centrally managed distributed resources on Japan's electric grid can help ensure greater reliability, an issue that has received widespread attention following the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011. Connecting multiple separate storage units into a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) managed by Sunverge's energy management platform provides the grid operator with a comprehensive energy control system – one that adjusts within 15 minutes (or less) of major changes in demand.

The Sunverge project, operated in cooperation with Mitsui & Co., Ltd., will demonstrate several important use cases related to this reliability goal, including:

  • Site Demand Target – Maintain a target wattage reading at the individual meter level, dispatching power if the net load is greater than the target (i.e. load minus PV generation) or importing power if the net load is below the target.
  • Demand Charge Reduction – The Sunverge Demand Charge Reduction algorithm [see details here] will set a Site Demand Target for the unit based on the forecasted load for the site, the forecasted PV for the site and the current battery stored energy. The resulting Site Demand Target value protects the unit from energy depletion due to dispatch and from reaching maximum stored energy capacity using power imported from the grid.
  • Virtual Power Plant (VPP) Demand Charge Reduction – Similar to the single unit Demand Charge Reduction use case, with the addition of certain operations performed in aggregate over multiple units rather than for an individual unit.

Sunverge's energy management platform provides the comprehensive energy control system required for the operation of the VPP. By using a highly accurate energy management system, the VPP will function as an adjustment and supply source of the energy, addressing the demand for increased grid reliability.

VPPs have the backing of the government, which wants renewables to account for at least 20 percent of Japan's power generation in 2030. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has so far designated a total of 7 billion yen ($59.4 million) in subsidies for VPP development in fiscal years 2016 to 2017. 

"The ability to aggregate and manage distributed energy resources as a fleet and combining and managing a logical subset and grouping as a virtual nanogrid is increasingly important in order to make the grid more stable, resilient and dynamic," said Sunverge CEO Martin Milani. "When aggregated, renewables can contribute a significant portion of a country's energy generation without significant investment."

About Sunverge Energy

San Francisco–based Sunverge Energy enables homeowners to efficiently manage their own renewable energy generation and helps utilities, retailers and solar power providers aggregate those renewable power sources into virtual power plants across neighborhoods, communities and entire service areas — reliably, effectively and intelligently. Founded in 2009, the company makes the Sunverge One, a fully integrated energy storage system, and the Sunverge Infinity, an energy management platform for third-party distributed energy resources. The Sunverge One and Sunverge Infinity increase energy reliability, strengthen the grid, and accelerate the adoption and integration of distributed renewable energy. Investors include AGL, the Southern Cross Renewable Energy Fund backed by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and SB China Venture Capital (SBCVC), MITSUI & Co., Siemens Venture Capital, Total Energy Ventures International and VisIR. For more information, please visit www.sunverge.com or follow @Sunverge on Twitter.

SOURCE Sunverge Energy

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