In Japan, which can be called a "disaster-prone country," securing a power supply in case
of emergencies is a fundamental BCP measure. The term "electric power resilience" is used
to describe the ability to recover from disasters, but many companies are unsure of what
specific measures they should take.
This page introduces energy storage systems for
ESS (Energy Storage Systems) as an example of corporate power resilience measures.
The Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake occurred on September 6, 2018. The seismic intensity
of 7 was recorded in Atsuma Town, and the seismic intensity of 6+ was recorded in Abira
Town, and Mukawa Town, Hokkaido. 17 minutes after the earthquake, the entire Hokkaido
region was blacked out due to the collapse of the entire power transmission and
distribution system.
Immediately after the earthquake, the power supply frequency
temporarily dropped to 46.13 Hz due to the shutdown of turbines at the Tomatoh Atsuma
Thermal Power Station (Units 2 and 4). With the emergency operation of the Hokkaido-Honshu
HVDC Link started, the recovery trend turned toward 50Hz, but after that, the eastern
Hokkaido area became an isolated system, and the hydroelectric power plant stopped due to
the increase in frequency, and the Hokkaido-Honshu HVDC Link was in full operation. As a
result, I could not afford it. Subsequently, the Tomatoh Atsuma Thermal Power Station
(Unit 1) was shut down due to a damaged boiler tube. The supply-demand balance for the
entire Hokkaido region began to collapse, causing power resilience to deteriorate,
resulting in the blackout.
Thus, the unprecedented all-province blackout was caused
by a combination of multiple factors, including the shutdown of wind and hydroelectric
power plants due to a drop in frequency and rapid recovery, and a broken boiler tube at
the Tomatoh Atsuma Thermal Power Station (Unit 1).
It took 45 hours from the blackout to the restoration of power supply in
Hokkaido.
In the event of a power outage in a small area in general, the power is
restored in a stable manner by receiving a temporary supply of power from an external
grid. However, in order to restore power after a total system blackout of the dispatch
power system, it is necessary to start supplying power from a power plant equipped with a
black start function (a facility that generates power to resolve the blackout without
receiving power from an external power source).
At pumped storage power plants, water for power generation is pumped upstream and stored in upstream reservoirs (dams) during the nighttime when there is a relatively large surplus of electricity demand. Pumped-storage hydroelectric power generation uses the energy generated when water stored upstream is released downstream to generate electricity. The mechanism is similar to that of hydropower generation, but unlike hydropower generation, which is one-way (water simply flows from upstream to downstream), pumped-storage hydroelectric power generation is bidirectional (water is stored upstream and then repeatedly discharged downstream).
Pumped storage power generation can be utilized as a power source for black start.
However, the number of pumped storage power plants is too small to ensure stable power
supply for the entire region due to the need for vast land, equipment, cost, and
time.
The solution is the ESS (Energy Storage System) , which combines storage
batteries and grid-connected inverters. ESSs are compact, quick, and inexpensive to
install compared to pumped storage systems, because they have the same functions as pumped
storage systems.In other words, the ESS provided by ENAX is a system that can realize
"power resilience measures" with a black start function.
The energy storage system
for ESS, which is connected to the power supply infrastructure grid, is capable of
instantaneous charge/discharge response to charge/discharge commands from the upper side.
For example, when performing power peak shaving to control contracted electricity rates,
if the amount of electricity used is about to exceed a set value, the system instantly
discharges the excess electricity. In the event of a power outage, the storage battery
system for ESS will discharge electricity to important loads from the moment it detects a
power outage, and supply electricity from the storage batteries at the same time as the
power outage occurs, preventing electricity interruptions and enabling power resilience
measures even during disasters.
In June 2020, the Energy Supply Resilience Act was enacted to ensure the resilience of
electric power infrastructure. ENAX's energy storage system for ESS is the perfect
solution to secure power for BCP in the event of power outages due to natural disasters
such as earthquakes, typhoons, heavy rain, heavy snow, and lightning
strikes.
Today, the unstable global situation is causing electricity bills to
skyrocket, but the use of energy storage systems for ESS can help factories and business
establishments reduce their electricity consumption by cutting power peaks. When people
hear the phrase "power resilience measures," they may ask, "Isn't it necessary to install
large-scale power generation equipment?" "Isn't it difficult without cooperation with
power companies, power plants, etc.? However, there are a variety of measures that can be
implemented at individual offices and factories. If you have any questions about power
resilience, please feel free to contact us at ENAX.
For more information, please
see "Research and Development".
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