News release overview
Hitachi Begins Operation of Verification Environment for Energy Management Systems Leveraging its De-carbonization Technologies in Kyōsō-no-Mori
Will boost environmental co-creation with customers and achievement of zero emissions
Verification environment for energy management systems using a DC distribution grid
Tokyo, October 8, 2021 --- Hitachi , Ltd. (TSE: 6501, "Hitachi") today announced that it has created and begun operation of a verification environment for energy management systems which brings together Hitachi's power generation, electricity storage, and equipment maintenance technologies in its research and development initiative, Kyōsō-no-Mori.(1) The verification environment combines energy management systems comprising a high-precision system for adjusting power demand and supply, technologies for power generation equipment to diagnose fault and to predict its lifetime, and an efficient, AI-based power trading system, with a DC distribution grid(2), to which are connected a photovoltaic power system, batteries, a gas co-generation system(3), and EV(4) fast chargers. It is now possible to provide customers who are seeking to achieve zero emissions and stable, efficient, and economic operation from renewable energy, with a place for experimentation and verification of flexible combinations of actual systems and equipment. FY2020 verification of the effect of the energy management system at the Kokubunji site of Hitachi R&D group confirmed that when compared against FY2018, energy costs can be reduced 30 percent while reducing CO2 emissions 20 percent.
Hitachi will use this environment to advance its own and customers' achievement of zero emissions while progressing environmental co-creation with customers to create new energy solutions. Hitachi will incorporate local hydrogen(5), bioenergy, 5G, and multi-location linkages leveraging energy consignment technologies(6), to further evolve the verification environment and contribute to achieving complete zero emissions and a sustainable society.
(1) Established on the Kokubunji site in Tokyo. News release, April 11, 2019: "A New Research Initiative to Accelerate Innovation through Open Collaborative Creation with Partners"
(2) A small-scale energy network that does not rely on power supplied by large-scale power stations, but aims at local production and consumption from community-held energy supply sources and consumption facilities. The output from direct current energy supply sources such as solar power and batteries is not converted to alternating current, but is transmitted as is as direct current.
(3) A system fueled by gas in which electricity is generated at the site where it is needed and simultaneously generated heat is able to be used for heating, cooling, hot water, and steam.
(4) EV: Electric vehicle
(5)The "local hydrogen" concept involves manufacturing hydrogen from renewable energy within a domestic, small-scale power network and using it in the form of fuel cells or similar, which contrasts with "global hydrogen," which is cheap power generated from large volumes of manufactured and imported hydrogen.
(6) Technology to transmit electricity generated at a remotely located power station.
