Its approach controls renwable energy centrally within power grids to avoid blackouts due to weather-dependent input
The Japanese telecom giant, NTT Group, plans to enter the electricity transmission and delivery market using a system that centrally controls renewable energy within power grids. NTT Anode Energy developed the grid-control system with communications technology.
It analyses the power output from renewable sources and stores electricity in batteries when necessary. The amount of electricity generated by solar and other renewable sources varies widely depending on weather conditions. An imbalance between supply and demand could lead to massive blackout
The NTT subsidiary teamed up with other companies, including NEC and Mitsubishi Electric. A test is set to begin this month in Gifu Prefecture, in central Japan. NTT says it aims to provide the system to major power companies and hopes to enter the transmission and delivery business in its own right as early as next year.
If NTT wins government approval, it will become the first new entrant in Japan’s power delivery business since it was opened up two years ago.
There has been much talk for a long time of the importance and opportunities around closer collaboration between the power and telecoms industries, such as outlined here by pwc. Other examples of collaboration betweent the two industries are SIRO in Ireland and OpEn Fiber in Italy.
SIRO is a joint venture between the power company ESB and Vodafone. ESB is majority-owned by the Irish government and issued tenders in 2012 for a partner to deploy FTTB infrastructure leveraging its network infrastructure. Vodafone’s was successful and SIRO was formed in 2014 to build and manage an FTTB network.
Enel, a leading power company in Italy, set up Enel Open Fiber (EOF) in December 2015 to deploy FTTH. At the end of 2016, Metroweb was incorporated into the renamed OpEn Fiber (OF), which now uses Enel’s power infrastructure to provide FTTH.
This step by NTT is potentially the most radical integration of the two industries so far, and if successful could be deployed elsewhere.