Background
The need for distributed energy management with peak shift control and the adoption of renewable energies has increased worldwide from the perspective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions for the stable global supply of electricity, as measures for countering global warming. One method of peak shift control is to charge storage batteries at night when the demand for power is low and draw down the batteries during times of peak electricity demand. Making use of electricity during periods when it is inexpensive makes it possible to contribute to the leveling of power demand and to reduce energy costs. In addition, renewable energy has the advantage of a small environmental burden; however, because the amount of power generated dynamically fluctuates depending on the weather, storage batteries are necessary to compensate for the fluctuation in output.
Technology
The key to the adoption of renewable energy lies in handling the fluctuation in power generation, and storage system can help create a demand-and-supply balance. To that end, it is necessary to balance the quality of the energy storage system with the cost reduction of adopting them. Although lithium-ion batteries have a high-power efficiency, they are complex to control; nonetheless, measuring and controlling them in an operational state using electrochemical methods realizes the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of the storage system.
Adopting renewable energy means using clean energy. However, renewable energy has the disadvantage of an unstable supply, and it is very important to be able to handle this fluctuation in generated power. Yokogawa aims to achieve a demand-and-supply balance by introducing a storage battery system that can store the generated electricity.
To realize this, Yokogawa has developed a storage battery diagnostic technology that can accurately grasp the remaining capacity and maximum capacity of the storage battery, and a storage battery system operation technology that can efficiently and systematically operate each battery using the diagnostic technology.
Vision for the Future
The spread of new energies, such as wind and solar power, the expansion of distributed energy technology, and the evolution of IoT are driving a revolution in energy and energy trading. Lithium-ion batteries are devices expected to help realize such a revolution given that they are scalable and can be installed almost anywhere. Yokogawa seeks to realize the efficient operation of energy storage systems through technology based on diagnosing the condition of lithium-ion batteries. In addition, Yokogawa will contribute to improving the resilience of society by stabilizing the power generation of new energies, thereby realizing an efficient operation through demand-side management.
