The solution
What We Did
At the forefront of decarbonisation and digitalisation in Japan
Smart Star is an advanced 9.8kWh energy storage system that ITOCHU offers alongside solar PV. As well as maximising use of self-generated solar energy and thus savings on energy bills, it also provides a whole-home backup service. For Japanese customers who are used to power cuts due to various natural disasters like typhoons and earthquakes, this is a particularly attractive proposition.
By leveraging Moixa’s GridShare software, ITOCHU has been able to deploy a fleet of more than 28,000 Smart Star ESS over the past two years. Our platform is managing thousands of devices, providing bespoke control for each household, and scaling at thousands of new devices per month using an automated onboarding process. With the government actively promoting decarbonisation and digitalisation of its economy, Japan is on the verge of a greentech transformation. With a 280MWh residential ESS portfolio on the GridShare platform, Moixa and ITOCHU are at the heart of this.
Moixa are excited to continue our partnership with ITOCHU as we lead from the front on decarbonising the Japanese economy and saving customers money.
Benefits
Project Highlights
- Optimising devices and planning for back-up power
- Providing localised customer apps
- Additional savings of 14% with GridShare AI
- Fleet tools for customer and device management
- Map view for assessment of flexibility resources
Optimising and providing end-user apps
The GridShare platform has been integrated with the Smart Star ESS to enable device-level optimisation across the entire fleet. As well as this, we localised our Moixa App and Dashboard for use by Japanese customers.
Using machine learning techniques, GridShare is able to generate optimal control plans for each device based on household generation and consumption patterns. This means that each customer’s specific needs are taken into account and they can obtain the best value possible from their battery. This optimisation is critical for customers whose Feed-in-Tariffs have ended, as they are able to store and use free solar power rather than exporting it to the grid for very little compensation.
Our analysis shows that the addition of GridShare’s AI optimisation saves the average ITOCHU customer an additional 14% on top of what they would have saved from having a battery without smart control.
Another key element of the value of an ESS in Japan is protection against grid outages, and to enable this, GridShare also actively monitors weather alert systems. When a severe weather alert is received for a particular region, devices in that area are automatically charged to and held at 100% in anticipation of any potential outage. We have seen this adding real value to customers in Japan, as detailed in this blog.
Providing fleet management tools
As well as AI optimisation and end-user apps, Moixa has provided ITOCHU with fleet management tools that have been critical to their significant device rollout. We have integrated their customer on-boarding process to the GridShare platform, as well as providing detailed tooling for management of customers and their devices.
Our GridShare Partner platform gives ITOCHU visibility of the savings we are generating for their customers, maps for assessing their flexibility resource in a given area, and understanding live power flows and energy analytics over time. Through our optimisation, we significantly reduce the amount of power imported from the grid during the evening peak by households in the ITOCHU fleet. As renewable electricity grows in Japan, this peak demand reduction not only saves customers money; it enables the country as a whole to decarbonise more quickly and cheaply.
About ITOCHU
ITOCHU is a leading Japanese general trading company engaged in import/export, textiles, machinery, metals, minerals, energy, chemicals, food, general products, realty, ICT, and finance. ITOCHU was founded in 1858, has approximately 120 bases in 63 countries, and had revenues of $100.919B as of March 31, 2021.
ITOCHU has also invested in a number of internationally recognised brands, including Hunting World, LeSportsac and Mila Schon, and trademark rights for Converse in Japan. It invested in Paul Smith Group Holdings Limited, in 2006 based on a longtime license relationship, and invested in Kwik-Fit, the UK automotive specialist in 2011.
Moixa has pioneered battery management, and we are proud to be investing and working together to target the rapidly growing energy storage market in Japan. Moixa’s GridShare will help our customers get more value for their home batteries and will offer solutions to help our partners manage Japan’s low-carbon transition.’ – Koji Hasegawa, General Manager, Industrial Chemicals, ITOCHU
