A Tokyo university is developing an energy management system that could help homes and buildings conserve power to avoid the risk of blackouts.
The Waseda University in Tokyo, along with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), is test-running the Shinjuku Demonstration Centre to handle demand response signals over the internet.
Online servers are linked to the Japanese standard automated demand response (ADR) systems set up by METI that is based on the US OpenADR model.
As part of the testing programme, electric utility companies and aggregators are working with the regions of Yokohama City, Toyota City, Keihanna and Kitakyushu City to prove the ADR standard system works.
Waseda University and METI have established the Energy Management System Shinjuku Demonstration Centre within Waseda University to link low-voltage equipment with telecom devices to provide energy management and control. This can be coordinated with smart meters and demand response systems as well as a range of household equipment such as solar panels, home storage systems and EV charging points.
Since the Great East Japan Earthquake power outages have been a major concern in Japan so there is a great interest in demand response technology. Many homes are equipped with smart meters and energy saving devices to help avoid scheduled blackouts.
