NGK Receives Order for NAS Batteries Intended for Energy Storage Facility of SALA ENERGY

NGK INSULATORS, LTD. (hereinafter, “NGK”) has received an order for NAS^® batteries for electrical power storage intended as those for an energy storage facility from SALA ENERGY CO., LTD. (hereinafter, “SALA ENERGY”), which is a subsidiary of SALA Corporation engaged in the energy business.

The NAS batteries have a capacity of 69,600 kWh (69.6 MWh) and can store electrical power equivalent to one day’s worth of electric power consumption by approximately 6,000 average households. The batteries will be directly connected to the electrical power grid at the SALA Hamamatsu Storage Station, which is located in Hamamatsu City. They are intended to stabilize the supply and demand of electrical power by storing electrical power when there is an excess supply and discharging it during shortages. As NAS batteries are featured with the large capacity and capable of continuous discharge for the long period, they can be used for multiple applications. SALA ENERGY plans to use energy stored in the batteries for trading in various electricity markets such as the supply and demand adjustment markets and capacity markets, as well as reducing the cost of procuring electrical power through arbitrage (*1) via the wholesale electrical power market. The NAS batteries are being introduced following SALA ENERGY’s selection as a business operator in the “Project to Support the Introduction of Storage Battery Systems and Water Electrolysis Equipment for Power Grids (Revised Budget FY2022)” (*2) led by the Sustainable open Innovation Initiative, which has been entrusted by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy to implement the support business. It is expected that the NAS batteries will help to stabilize the supply and demand of electrical power, along with contributing to the expanded use of renewable energy, which can fluctuate significantly.

Although further introduction of renewable power generation, including solar and wind power, is anticipated as part of efforts to achieve carbon neutrality, the fact that the amount of power generated is affected by seasons and weather presents a challenge for renewable energy. Furthermore, managing the tightening supply and demand of electrical power due to factors such as climate change has become a social issue. Charging and discharging batteries for grid storage in line with supply and demand for electrical power can help to solve these issues.

NAS batteries are used in various applications including stabilization of renewable energy, electric power demand and supply balancing, and emergency power sources. They have so far been installed in over 250 locations worldwide and have a stable operational track record of more than 20 years. NGK will continue to meet the demand for large capacity storage batteries, such as those for grid storage, strive to promote the spread of renewable energy and stabilize the supply and demand for electrical power, while helping to realize a carbon-neutral society.

Overview of the Ordered NAS Battery

image of NAS batteries to be installed at energy storage station

About NAS batteries

NAS batteries are a megawatt class large-capacity storage battery, implemented practically for the first time in the world by NGK. The batteries feature large capacity, high energy density (compact), and long life, and can provide a stable supply of electric power with a high output over long periods of time. They have been installed at over 250 locations worldwide, with a total output of over 720,000 kW (720 MW) and total capacity of approx. 5.0 million kWh (5,000 MWh) installed. They are used for various applications, including peak cutting through load balancing and emergency power supply, as well as stabilization of renewable energy and construction of smart grids, thereby contributing to reduced environmental load and realization of carbon neutrality. NAS batteries have obtained the certification based on stationary storage battery safety standard UL 1973 (cell and module level) and a test report based on UL 9540A standard (*3), which is to verify batteries and storage battery systems fire risk, for confirming compliance with its evaluation criteria (cell, module and installation level) through the evaluation program of UL Solutions, a global independent safety science company. https://www.ngk-insulators.com/en/product/nas-about.html

(*1) Arbitrage:
Trading activity in which electricity is stored in the batteries when wholesale electrical power market prices are low and discharged when prices are high. This trading activity seeks to reduce the cost of procuring electrical power.

(*2) Project to Support the Introduction of Storage Battery Systems and Water Electrolysis Equipment for Power Grids (Revised Budget FY2022):
A project that subsidizes a portion of the costs for business operators who introduce storage batteries or water electrolysis equipment resources for power grids that enable the absorption of excess renewable energy and provision of alignment capabilities through such means as trading in various electrical power markets, with the goal of increasing the use of and expanding the introduction of renewable energy in order to achieve the energy mix of 2030 and carbon neutrality in 2050.

(*3) NAS batteries container type (including the single batteries and modules on mounted) are covered.

NAS and the NAS logo are trademarks of NGK INSULATORS, LTD., registered in the U.S. and other countries.