Fujitsu, AutoGrid to Boost Renewable Energy use in Japan With VPP Solution

Fujitsu will begin offering Autogrid Virtual Power Plant (VPP) solution in Japan under a new collaboration agreement.

Fujitsu Limited and AutoGrid Systems have announced that Fujitsu will begin offering Autogrid’s Virtual Power Plant (VPP) solution in the Japanese market. Fujitsu will leverage the solution to maximise the use of distributed energy resources in the domestic energy market and contribute to the expansion of renewable energy and the realisation of a decarbonised society. Based on the agreement, Fujitsu will begin selling the VPP solution ‘AutoGrid FlexTM’ in the Japanese market as an AutoGrid partner.

The AutoGrid FlexTM enables the optimisation of energy operations and the control and management of distributed energy resources. By providing this solution to energy providers and aggregators, Fujitsu aims to contribute to the realisation of next-generation energy platforms to maximise the use of renewable energy sources, such as solar power, and distributed energy resources, such as storage batteries. Going forward, it has plans to expand its capabilities in the area of energy data utilisation to achieve real-time, high-precision, optimised control of distributed energy resources, significantly enhancing the value of energy resources managed by energy providers and aggregators. 

“Distributed energy resources were introduced in Japan to promote grid resiliency but it often proves difficult to predict and adjust the amount of energy supplied. Energy providers, aggregators and grid operators have started building VPP systems to operate energy efficiently and to respond to the expanding energy trading market,” said Michiaki Morioka, Head of Utility Business Division, Fujitsu. “By utilising Fujitsu’s strong partnership with customers in the energy industry as well as AutoGrid’s experience of deploying VPP solutions globally, this partnership will contribute to the creation of an industry-wide next-generation energy platform.”

Virtual Power Plant

A virtual power plant (VPP) is a cloud-based distributed power plant that aggregates the capacities of heterogeneous distributed energy resources (DER) for the purposes of enhancing power generation, as well as trading or selling power on the electricity market.

It is a system that integrates several types of power sources to give a reliable overall power supply. The sources often form a cluster of different types of dispatchable and non-dispatchable, controllable or flexible load (CL or FL) distributed generation (DG) systems that are controlled by a central authority and can include microCHPs, natural gas-fired reciprocating engines, small-scale wind power plants (WPP)s, photovoltaics (PVs), run-of-river hydroelectricity plants, small hydro, biomass, backup generators, and energy storage systems (ESS).

Operated using IoT technology, a VPP has the ability to deliver peak load electricity or load-following power generation on short notice. Thus making a VPP, a good replacement for a conventional power plant while providing higher efficiency and more flexibility.

AutoGrid aims to expand its business in Japan with its VPP technologies, providing Fujitsu with VPP solutions that enable the utilisation of multi-functional, flexible, and distributed energy resources that are suitable for the Japanese market.

“AutoGrid aims to expand its VPP presence in Japan by providing Fujitsu with solutions that push the utilisation of flexible DERs to the next level,” said Amit Narayan, Founder & CEO, AutoGrid. “We already see a great openness to grid innovation in the Japanese market, and this partnership paves the way for more efficient, intelligent and clean energy systems to take hold.”

Going forward, the two companies will continue leveraging their respective strengths to promote the introduction of renewable energy and contribute to the realisation of a more sustainable society by delivering solutions that contribute to the stable and efficient use of distributed energy resources.