Japanese electrical manufacturer Mitsubishi Electric has received an order from the Chiyoda Corporation to provide its BLEnDer RE energy management system to monitor and control a 240 megawatt/720 megawatt-hour lithium-ion battery system at Kita-Toyotomi Substation in Teshio, Hokkaido.
Upper Hokaido, with favourable winds and abundant open land, is well suited to wind turbines, but there are fears that the associated fluctuations in power output will increasingly disrupt the balance of electrical demand and supply.
Energy storage systems such as the one to be installed at Kita-Toyotomi substation will work to stabilise the balance and enable further groups of large-scale wind turbines to be connected to the grid in northern Hokkaido.
The Kita-Toyotomi Substation is owned by North Hokkaido Wind Energy Transmission; Chiyoda is to execute the design, engineering, and construction of the grid reinforcement pilot project for wind turbines.
Mitsubishi’s BLEnDer RE energy-management system will work to balance electrical demand and supply by storing power surpluses from renewable energy, whilst complying with Hokkaido’s strict grid codes for connecting private-generation systems (both wind and solar photovoltaic) to grids in order to sell power to utilities.
This project marks a reunion for Chiyoda and Mitsubishi, as the Yokohama-based energy company was founded as part of Mitsubishi Oil in 1948, before separating and going public in 1957. A majority of Chiyoda’s business takes place outside of Japan.
The ESS at Kita-Toyotomi substation is expected to commence operation by March 2023.
