Search sponsor
Search sponsor
Kyocera and Nichicon have completed an agreement for Kyocera to begin domestic sales this summer of a new energy management system (EMS) which combines Kyocera's highly reliable solar power generating systems with Nichicon's long-lasting, high-capacity lithium-ion battery storage units. Designed for the Japan market, the new system responds to the growing demand for residential energy storage equipment following the March 11 disasters. Kyocera will begin sales in Japan this summer.
Problem
Using and regulating a solar power generating system with battery storage requires a power inverter and sophisticated energy-management technology. The EMS developed by Kyocera is thus effective in optimizing residential energy use from those systems and utility power from the electricity grid.
Solution
The new EMS system offers various operating modes to meet the energy use patterns and needs of various customers — whether their peak energy consumption occurs in the daytime or at night and for families who want to prioritize reducing their energy bill or those who place a premium on guaranteed electricity supply. The system automatically switches to independent operation in the event of a natural disaster or electricity black-out. In the event of a prolonged black-out, the battery can be charged directly by the solar modules during the day, allowing users to draw from the battery at night or during inclement weather.
Applications
Residential energy storage.
Platform
The system uses a lithium-ion battery, which can last roughly five times one longer than conventional lead-acid batteries. The battery has a high capacity of 7.1kWh, weighs roughly 200kg and has a size of 120H x 90W x 35D (centimeters)*2.
Availability
Summer 2012 in Japan only.
Latest Comments
It would be much smarter to use the energy management system without the battery. You do this by having the energy management system control loads like A/C and water heaters that perform a storage function without the extra hardware costs of something like a battery. If you want to run your microwave you go ahead and do that but the EMS system sees the microwave load and throttles down the A/C temporarily such that you only consume energy coming from the PV system. Once the microwave or whatever gets turned off the A/C can throttle back up. A smart EMS system would attempt to schedule loads in such a way that there was always a throttling ability. You’d design the PV system in conjunction with your load profile to accomplish this.
PV/Inverter companies should not be thinking about batteries - they should be thinking about smart appliance standards.