Toshiba Receives Supply Order for Large-Scale Battery Energy Storage System

Toshiba Corporation has received an order to supply a large scale battery energy storage system (BESS) for Tohoku Electric Power Company's "Minami-Soma Substation Project to Verify the Improvement of Supply-demand Balance With Large-capacity Power Storage Systems" ^[1] . Toshiba will supply a 40MW-40MWh lithium-ion BESS, Japan's largest^[2], integrating an array of SCiB^TM lithium-ion batteries. Construction of the system began today and the start of operation is scheduled for the end of February 2016.

Toshiba's SCiB^TM is a highly innovative lithium-ion secondary battery, distinguished by its long-life and excellent performance, including efficient charging and discharging at low temperature. It has a long lifetime, and operates with a high level of reliability and safety, including high resistance to external shock.

In the Minami-Soma Project, the BESS improves the balance of renewable energy supply and demand. The system stores surplus electricity when supply of renewable energy, whose output fluctuates with weather conditions, exceeds demands, and releases the stored electricity at times of high demand.

Toshiba supplied 40MW-class BESS to Tohoku Electric Power Company for Nishi-Sendai Project in 2014 to regulate frequency changes caused by power output fluctuations. A high evaluation on technical performances of SCiB^TM, including safety and charge-discharge efficiency, resulted in the order for Minami-Soma Project.

Overseas, Toshiba has supplied BESS to several projects: to subsidiary of Terna S.p.A., an Italian transmission company; for a collaboration with Spain's Gas Natural Fenosa in an on-site verification testing program for a transportable lithium-ion BESS; and for a large-scale commercial BESS for frequency regulation project in the USA, scheduled to start operation in December this year. Toshiba has also supplied SCiB^TM for a 2MW energy storage system project led by the University of Sheffield in the UK.

Toshiba will continue to expand its BESS business in the global market and promote the growth of large-scale BESS, including the BESS for ancillary services^[3] .

Note:
^[1] The project is supported by New Energy Promotion Council (NEPC), under its program for "FY2014 project to verify the improvement of supply-demand balance with large-capacity power storage systems."
^[2] As of May 29, 2015, Toshiba survey.
^[3] Ancillary service is a power grid operation service that includes regulating frequency to ensure stable frequency and voltage.