Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. (Osaka, Japan) has completed and commissioned a combined concentrating photovoltaic (CPV) and energy storage system at its Yokohama Works in Yokohama, Japan.

The system features the world's largest redox flow battery with a capacity of 1 MW x 5 hours, 100 kW of CPV, and an energy management system (EMS). Sumitomo expects to commission another 100 kW of CPV by the end of the fiscal year, to bring the system to 200 kW.

Nissin Electric Company Ltd. (Kyoto, Japan), Sumitomo Densetsu Company Ltd. (Osaka, Japan) and Meidensha Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) all cooperated on the development of the system, which is connected to an external commercial power network, and can store electricity provided by power companies during the night.

Levels of generation, consumption monitored and balanced

The EMS monitors the level of electricity generated by the CPV system, as well as battery storage and power consumption, storing the measurement data in a central server. The system balances fluctuations in solar power generation by charging and discharging the battery, thereby reducing dependence upon other power sources.

The company states that the system also levels power consumption with a maximum demand control of 1 MW, controlling the electricity discharged from the battery according to electric loads.

Program to be expanded

Sumitomo further plans to cooperate with Meidensha Corporation to test a system which will combine existing gas engine power generators with the redox flow battery and CPV system to form a complete energy management system for its Yokohama Works.

This system will be the first project in the Yokohama Smart City Project, led by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

2012-07-26 | Courtesy: Sumitomo | solarserver.com © Heindl Server GmbH

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