NGK Insulators and Ricoh will launch a hybrid battery storage system demonstration project at The Bank of Iwate-owned 650kW manorda Iwate SUNLOMO Kuji Natsui Solar Power Plant commissioned on July 24, 2025.
According to NGK’s statement from the same day, the system, consisting of a 200kW/1.2MWh NAS (sodium-sulfur) battery installed alongside 312kW/1.3MWh and 90kW/184kWh of lithium-ion storage, is expected to begin operation in August 2025. The system was installed under a batteries-as-a-service model and will be aggregated by NR-Power Lab, a 51:49 joint venture between NGK and Ricoh.
The JV, its parents, and Daiwa Energy & Infrastructure first announced their plans to develop a service that would allow companies to use batteries with zero upfront cost in June 2024. By utilizing a hybrid solution, the companies aim to combine the benefits of NAS, which is suitable for long-duration storage, and lithium-ion, which comes in a wider range of products and is more suitable for high output.
Under the partnership, NGK and Daiwa are considering establishing a separate joint venture that would own and manage a portfolio of hybrid storage systems deployed under the service.
In addition to leading the aggregation JV and planning to own assets jointly with Daiwa, NGK supplied the NAS battery for the demonstration and is expected to supply its systems for future projects. It was the first company to commercialize the technology and has so far delivered an 11.4MW/69.6MWh project for a Toho Gas grid-scale storage facility in Mie Prefecture, with another 69.6MWh for SALA Energy scheduled for delivery in 2026.
If scaled, the model could provide a one-stop solution for small- and medium-sized solar operators to benefit from battery storage without upfront investment or significant additional operational burden.
