Tesla previously released a new virtual battery power plant (VPP) using the Powerwalls home battery kit, which has now been installed on an island in Miyakojima, Japan. the VPP consists of distributed energy storage systems, such as Tesla Powerwalls, used in concert to provide grid service and avoid the use of polluting and expensive peak power plants.
After setting up 1 in California earlier this year, it had very good results in an emergency event this month. Now the company is trying to deploy a virtual power plant in Texas, and of course, it has one in Australia that has been operating for years and is still expanding. But now we’ve learned that Tesla has also quietly built a new virtual power plant in Japan, which it has now decided to unveil.
Tesla announced that it began installing Powerwalls in partnership with local power companies in 2021, and as part of the VPP it now has more than 300 Powerwalls on the island (translated from Japanese):.
"The Virtual Power Plant (VPP) project (hereinafter referred to as the Project) using Tesla's home battery Powerwall on Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture begins in 2021, with over 300 units already installed on the island. This is the first commercial use of Powerwall in a VPP project in Japan, and it will be the largest commercial VPP using home batteries in Japan."
Tesla explained that the VPP is helping the island make better use of its renewable energy, but it is also proving greater grid resilience, especially in the event of a natural disaster.
"Thus, for example, in the case of tight power supply and demand in Miyakojima, the electricity generated by PV power is stored in the Powerwall before the tight period and discharged from the Powerwall to the home during the tight period. Not only does this benefit the households where it is installed, but it also helps stabilize the power supply to Miyakojima's power grid and stabilize the island's electricity supply. In addition, in the event of power outages due to typhoons and other reasons, power will be supplied from the Powerwall to the installed house, thus allowing for the prevention of power outages in the house."
