
Sumitomo Electric installed a 1MW/8MWh redox flow battery for Kashiwazaki IR Energy and secured an order for another one, the manufacturer announced earlier this month.
Kashiwazaki IR Energy, which is a local power retailer majority owned by Niigata Prefecture’s Kashiwazaki City and minority owned by eight energy-related and local businesses, will use the batteries to “contribute to local production and consumption of energy through efficient use of local renewable energy sources.”
“It is expected that the RF battery will be charged during times when there is an excess of power supply from solar power generation … and discharged when power demand is high, thereby maximizing the use of renewable energy in Kashiwazaki City and contributing to a stable supply of electricity in the region,” said Sumitomo Electric’s statement.
Installation of the first BESS, located at Kashiwazaki City Natural Environmental Purification Center, was completed on September 30, 2024, according to the statement. The second BESS, to be located at the former site of Hojo Minami Elementary School, is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2025.
To date, Sumitomo Electric installed 50MW/176MWh of redox flow batteries in Japan and overseas.