Hitachi Energy – Hitachi Energy acquires remaining stake of eks Energy, reinforcing leadership in power conversion systems for energy storage

EMR Analysis

More information on Hitachi Energy by Hitachi Ltd.: See the full profile on EMR Executive Services

More information on Andreas Schierenbeck (Senior Vice President and Executive Officer, Head of Energy Business, Hitachi, Ltd. + Chief Executive Officer, Hitachi Energy Ltd.): See the full profile on EMR Executive Services

More information on Ismo Haka (Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, Hitachi Energy, Hitachi Energy Ltd.): See the full profile on EMR Executive Services

 

More information Grid Automation Business Unit by Hitachi Energy: See the full profile on EMR Executive Services

More information on Massimo Danieli (Executive Vice President and Managing Director Grid Automation Business Unit, Hitachi Energy): See the full profile on EMR Executive Services

 

More information on eks Energy by Hitachi Energy: https://eksenergy.com/en/en-2/ + https://www.hitachienergy.com/products-and-solutions/power-conversion + We design, build and commission own HW and SW solutions for the integration of renewable power plant and ESS, ensuring the success and profitability of our clients’ projects.

After 20 years of operation under the GPTech brand,  eks Energy aims to play a key role, at a global level, in the energy transformation necessary to create a future that is respectful of the environment and fair in the distribution of energy resources.

eks Energy stands out for its strong commitment to the transformative capacity of talented people with a determined will to work towards meeting these objectives.

eks Energy joined the POWIN group in July of 2022. Hitachi Energy acquired a majority stake in eks Energy in 2023.

 

 

 

More information on IEA (International Energy Agency): https://www.iea.org + The IEA is at the heart of global dialogue on energy, providing authoritative analysis, data, policy recommendations, and real-world solutions to help countries provide secure and sustainable energy for all.

The IEA was created in 1974 to help co-ordinate a collective response to major disruptions in the supply of oil. While oil security this remains a key aspect of our work, the IEA has evolved and expanded significantly since its foundation.

Taking an all-fuels, all-technology approach, the IEA recommends policies that enhance the reliability, affordability and sustainability of energy. It examines the full spectrum issues including renewables, oil, gas and coal supply and demand, energy efficiency, clean energy technologies, electricity systems and markets, access to energy, demand-side management, and much more.

Since 2015, the IEA has opened its doors to major emerging countries to expand its global impact, and deepen cooperation in energy security, data and statistics, energy policy analysis, energy efficiency, and the growing use of clean energy technologies. 

More information on Dr. Fatih Birol (Executive Director, International Energy Agency): https://www.iea.org/contributors/dr-fatih-birol + https://www.linkedin.com/in/fatih-birol/ 

 

 

More information on COP29 – Climate Change Conference (11 November to 22 December 2024, Baku, Azerbaijan): https://cop29.az/en/home + The Conference of the Parties (COP), is held annually, with the Presidency rotating between the five recognised UN regions.

Azerbaijan has been selected as the Presidency of the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29), hosted in Baku in November2024. Azerbaijan has a strong track record of hosting international events and has chosen Baku Stadium as the venue for COP29.

More information on H.E. Mukhtar Babayev (President-Designated, COP29 Azerbaijan): https://cop29.az/en/presidency/cop29-presidency-team 

More information on COP29 Global Pledge: https://cop29.az/en/pages/cop29-global-energy-storage-and-grids-pledge + Over 65 nations and 100 organisations commit to deploy 1,500 GW of energy storage, double global grid investments, and develop 25 million kilometres of grid infrastructure by 2030.

 

 

 

More information on the Waratah Super Battery by Akaysha Energy: https://akayshaenergy.com/projects/waratah-super-battery + The Waratah Super Battery, at 850MW and 1680 MWh, is currently the world’s most powerful battery.

Located about 100km north of Sydney and approximately 25km south of the retiring Eraring coal-fired power station, the Waratah Super Battery resides in a 138,000 square metre site (over 8 Australian Football fields).

The Waratah Super Battery is capable of providing a guaranteed continuous active power capacity of at least 700 MWs and a guaranteed useable energy storage capacity of at least 1400 MWh.

By operating as part of a System Integrity Protection Scheme (SIPS) to increase the transmission capacity of the existing network, the BESS will allow more power to flow from existing generators to meet the needs of the families and businesses of NSW.

The size of the Waratah Super Battery also allows Akaysha to trade the additional capacity in the electricity market placing further downward pressure on the cost to electricity users in NSW.

Akaysha Energy was appointed by Energy Corporation of NSW to develop the battery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EMR Additional Notes: 

• Power Electronics:
  • Power electronics is a branch of electrical engineering that deals with the efficient conversion, control, and conditioning of electric power. It uses static devices, primarily semiconductor switches, to convert electric power from its available input form (e.g., AC or DC) into a desired electrical output form. This field is essential for processing high voltages and currents to deliver power for a wide variety of applications.
• Power Conversion:
  • In electrical engineering, power conversion is the process of converting electric energy from one form to another. A power converter is an electrical device for converting electrical energy between alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC). It can also change the voltage or frequency of the current.

 

 

• AC (Alternating Current) & DC (Direct Current) & UC (Universal Current):
  • Direct current (DC): Electric current that is uni-directional, so the flow of charge is always in the same direction. As opposed to alternating current, the direction of direct currents does not change. It is used in many household electronics and in all devices that use batteries.
    • Direct current has many uses, from the charging of batteries to large power supplies for electronic systems, motors, and more. Very large quantities of electrical energy provided via direct-current are used in the smelting of aluminum and other electrochemical processes.
    • In contrast to AC power, DC power is more efficient for long-distance transmission, especially at high voltages, because it avoids the reactive power losses and skin effect associated with AC. This makes it more suitable for long-distance power grids.
  • Alternating Current (AC): Used in homes because it can be easily stepped up or stepped down with the help of transformers, whereas direct current cannot. This ability to easily convert voltage allows for efficient transmission of electricity over long distances at high voltage before it is stepped down to a low, safe voltage for home use.
  • Universal Current (UC): Means it can accept either DC or AC. So a 24 V UC input can accept either 24 V AC or 24 V DC.

 

 

• Energy Storage System (ESS):
  • An Energy Storage System (ESS), often abbreviated as ESS, is a device or group of devices assembled together, capable of storing energy in order to supply electrical energy at a later time. An energy storage system consists of three main components:
    • A Power Conversion System (PCS), which transforms electrical energy into another form of energy (for storage) and vice versa (for use).
    • A storage unit, which stores the converted energy.
    • A control system, which manages the energy flow between the converter and the storage unit
• Battery Energy Storage System (BESS):
  • A BESS is an energy storage system (ESS) that captures energy from different sources, accumulates this energy, and stores it in rechargeable batteries for later use.

 

• Hybridized Energy Storage System (HESS):
  • Combines two or more energy storage technologies in a single system to leverage their complementary strengths, improving overall performance, efficiency, and lifespan compared to using a single storage technology. An energy storage system must be reactive and flexible depending on demand which can vary considerably. As a result, within a fit for purpose HESS system there are storage components dedicated to “high power” demand such as supercapacitors and others dedicated to “high energy” demand such as batteries.

 

 

• Grid, Microgrids, DERs and DERM’s:
  • Grid / Power Grid:
    • The power grid is a network for delivering electricity to consumers. The power grid includes generator stations, transmission lines and towers, and individual consumer distribution lines.
      • The grid constantly balances the supply and demand for the energy that powers everything from industry to household appliances.
      • Electric grids perform three major functions: power generation, transmission, and distribution.
  • Microgrid:
    • Small-scale power grid that can operate independently or collaboratively with other small power grids. The practice of using microgrids is known as distributed, dispersed, decentralized, district or embedded energy production.
  • Smart Grid:
    • Any electrical grid + IT at all levels.
  • Micro Grid:
    • Group of interconnected loads and DERs (Distributed Energy Resources) within a clearly defined electrical and geographical boundaries witch acts as a single controllable entity with respect to the main grid.
  • Distributed Energy Resources (DERs): 
    • Small-scale electricity supply (typically in the range of 3 kW to 50 MW) or demand resources that are interconnected to the electric grid. They are power generation resources and are usually located close to load centers, and can be used individually or in aggregate to provide value to the grid.
      • Common examples of DERs include rooftop solar PV units, natural gas turbines, microturbines, wind turbines, biomass generators, fuel cells, tri-generation units, battery storage, electric vehicles (EV) and EV chargers, and demand response applications.
  • Distributed Energy Resources Management Systems (DERMS):
    • Platforms which helps mostly distribution system operators (DSO) manage their grids that are mainly based on distributed energy resources (DER).
      • DERMS are used by utilities and other energy companies to aggregate a large energy load for participation in the demand response market. DERMS can be defined in many ways, depending on the use case and underlying energy asset.

 

 

• Kilowatt (KW):
  • A kilowatt is simply a measure of how much power an electric appliance consumes—it’s 1,000 watts to be exact. You can quickly convert watts (W) to kilowatts (kW) by dividing your wattage by 1,000: 1,000W 1,000 = 1 kW.
• Megawatt (MW):
  • One megawatt equals one million watts or 1,000 kilowatts, roughly enough electricity for the instantaneous demand of 750 homes at once.
• Gigawatt (GW):
  • A gigawatt (GW) is a unit of power, and it is equal to one billion watts.
  • According to the Department of Energy, generating one GW of power takes over three million solar panels or 310 utility-scale wind turbines
• Terawatt (TW):
  • One terawatt is equal to one trillion watts (1,000,000,000,000 watts). The main use of terawatts is found in the electric power industry, particularly for measuring very large-scale power generation or consumption.
  • According to the United States Energy Information Administration, America is one of the largest electricity consumers in the world, using about 4,146.2 terawatt-hours (TWh) of energy per year.
• Power vs. Energy:
  • Power (measured in kW, MW, GW, TW): Rate at which energy is used or generated at a given moment.
  • Energy (measured in kWh, MWh, GWh, TWh): Total amount of power consumed or generated over a period of time (i.e., Power x Time).

 

 

• Carbon Dioxide (CO2):
  • Primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities. Carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere through burning fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil), solid waste, trees and other biological materials, and also as a result of certain chemical reactions (e.g., manufacture of cement). Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere (or “sequestered”) when it is absorbed by plants as part of the biological carbon cycle.
• Biogenic Carbon Dioxide (CO2):
  • Biogenic Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) are the same molecule. Scientists differentiate between biogenic carbon (that which is absorbed, stored and emitted by organic matter like soil, trees, plants and grasses) and non-biogenic carbon (that found in all other sources, most notably in fossil fuels like oil, coal and gas).
• Decarbonization:
  • Reduction of carbon dioxide emissions through the use of low carbon power sources, and achieving a lower output of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
• Carbon Footprint:
  • There is no universally agreed definition of what a carbon footprint is.
  • A carbon footprint is generally understood to be the total amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that are directly or indirectly caused by an individual, organization, product, or service. These emissions are typically measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).
  • In 2009, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) published a standard for calculating and reporting corporate carbon footprints. This standard is widely accepted by businesses and other organizations around the world. The GHG Protocol defines a carbon footprint as “the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, directly and indirectly, through its own operations and the value chain.”
• CO2e (Carbon Dioxide Equivalent):
  • CO2e means “carbon dioxide equivalent”. In layman’s terms, CO2e is a measurement of the total greenhouse gases emitted, expressed in terms of the equivalent measurement of carbon dioxide. On the other hand, CO2 only measures carbon emissions and does not account for any other greenhouse gases.
  • A carbon dioxide equivalent or CO2 equivalent, abbreviated as CO2-eq is a metric measure used to compare the emissions from various greenhouse gases on the basis of their global-warming potential (GWP), by converting amounts of other gases to the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide with the same global warming potential.
    • Carbon dioxide equivalents are commonly expressed as million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents, abbreviated as MMTCDE.
    • The carbon dioxide equivalent for a gas is derived by multiplying the tonnes of the gas by the associated GWP: MMTCDE = (million metric tonnes of a gas) * (GWP of the gas).
    • For example, the GWP for methane is 25 and for nitrous oxide 298. This means that emissions of 1 million metric tonnes of methane and nitrous oxide respectively is equivalent to emissions of 25 and 298 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide.
• Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) – Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS):
  • CCS involves the capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industrial processes. This carbon is then transported from where it was produced, via ship or in a pipeline, and stored deep underground in geological formations.
  • CCS projects typically target 90 percent efficiency, meaning that 90 percent of the carbon dioxide from the power plant will be captured and stored.
  • CCUS adds the utilization aspect, where the captured CO2 is used as a new product or raw material.
• Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR): 
  • Carbon Dioxide Removal encompasses approaches and methods for removing CO2 from the atmosphere and then storing it permanently in underground geological formations, in biomass, oceanic reservoirs or long-lived products in order to achieve negative emissions.
• Direct Air Capture (DAC): 
  • Technologies that extract CO2 directly from the atmosphere at any location, unlike carbon capture which is generally carried out at the point of emissions, such as a steel plant.
  • Constraints like costs and energy requirements as well as the potential for pollution make DAC a less desirable option for CO2 reduction. Its larger land footprint when compared to other mitigation strategies like carbon capture and storage systems (CCS) also put it at a disadvantage.
• Carbon Credits or Carbon Offsets:
  • Permits that allow the owner to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases. One credit permits the emission of one ton of carbon dioxide or the equivalent in other greenhouse gases.
  • The carbon credit is half of a so-called cap-and-trade program. Companies that pollute are awarded credits that allow them to continue to pollute up to a certain limit, which is reduced periodically. Meanwhile, the company may sell any unneeded credits to another company that needs them. Private companies are thus doubly incentivized to reduce greenhouse emissions. First, they must spend money on extra credits if their emissions exceed the cap. Second, they can make money by reducing their emissions and selling their excess allowances.

 

• Global Warming: 
  • Global warming is the long-term heating of Earth’s climate system observed since the pre-industrial period (between 1850 and 1900) due to human activities, primarily fossil fuel burning, which increases heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in Earth’s atmosphere.
• Global Warming Potential (GWP): 
  • The heat absorbed by any greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, as a multiple of the heat that would be absorbed by the same mass of carbon dioxide (CO2). GWP is 1 for CO2. For other gases it depends on the gas and the time frame.
  • Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e or CO2eq or CO2-e) is calculated from GWP. For any gas, it is the mass of CO2 which would warm the earth as much as the mass of that gas. Thus it provides a common scale for measuring the climate effects of different gases. It is calculated as GWP times mass of the other gas. For example, if a gas has GWP of 100, two tonnes of the gas have CO2e of 200 tonnes.
  • GWP was developed to allow comparisons of the global warming impacts of different gases.
• Greenhouse Gas (GHG):
  • A greenhouse gas is any gaseous compound in the atmosphere that is capable of absorbing infrared radiation, thereby trapping and holding heat in the atmosphere. By increasing the heat in the atmosphere, greenhouse gases are responsible for the greenhouse effect, which ultimately leads to global warming.
  • The main gases responsible for the greenhouse effect include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor (which all occur naturally), and fluorinated gases (which are synthetic).

• GHG Protocol Corporate Standard Scope 1, 2 and 3: https://ghgprotocol.org/ + The GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard provides requirements and guidance for companies and other organizations preparing a corporate-level GHG emissions inventory. Scope 1 and 2 are typically mandatory for companies that are required to report their emissions by national or regional regulations. The GHG Protocol itself is a voluntary standard.
  • Scope 1: Direct emissions:
    • Direct emissions from company-owned and controlled resources. In other words, emissions are released into the atmosphere as a direct result of a set of activities, at a firm level. It is divided into four categories:
      • Stationary combustion (e.g from fuels, heating sources). All fuels that produce GHG emissions must be included in scope 1.
      • Mobile combustion is all vehicles owned or controlled by a firm, burning fuel (e.g. cars, vans, trucks). The increasing use of “electric” vehicles (EVs), means that some of the organisation’s fleets could fall into Scope 2 emissions.
      • Fugitive emissions are leaks from greenhouse gases (e.g. refrigeration, air conditioning units). It is important to note that refrigerant gases are a thousand times more dangerous than CO2 emissions. Companies are encouraged to report these emissions.
      • Process emissions are released during industrial processes, and on-site manufacturing (e.g. production of CO2 during cement manufacturing, factory fumes, chemicals).
  • Scope 2: Indirect emissions – owned:
    • Indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy, from a utility provider. In other words, all GHG emissions released in the atmosphere, from the consumption of purchased electricity, steam, heat and cooling. For most organisations, electricity will be the unique source of scope 2 emissions. Simply stated, the energy consumed falls into two scopes: Scope 2 covers the electricity consumed by the end-user. Scope 3 covers the energy used by the utilities during transmission and distribution (T&D losses).
  • Scope 3: Indirect emissions – not owned:
    • Indirect emissions – not included in scope 2 – that occur in the value chain of the reporting company, including both upstream and downstream emissions. In other words, emissions are linked to the company’s operations. According to the GHG protocol, scope 3 emissions are separated into 15 categories.

 

 

• System Integrity Protection Scheme (SIPS): 
  • Automatic system that monitors a power transmission network in real-time and takes corrective actions during severe emergencies to prevent cascading failures, power blackouts, and system instability. SIPS typically uses Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) to collect data, identify potential overloads or other stressful conditions, and then implement pre-planned remedial actions like bus-splitting or load adjustments to mitigate the problem and protect the overall power system.
  • Purposes of SIPS: Prevent blackouts, enhance security, alleviate overloads and maintain system integrity.

 

 

• IoT (Internet of Things): 
  • The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a system of interrelated, internet-connected objects that are able to collect and transfer data over a wireless network without human intervention.
  • Describes the network of physical objects—“things”—that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the internet.
  • The Most Popular IoT Devices are:
    • Smart watches.
    • Smart thermostats.
    • Voice-activated smart speakers and assistants.
    • Smart locks and security systems.
    • Fitness trackers and connected health monitors.
    • Smart lighting appliances.

• IIoT (Industrial IoT):
  • Industrial IoT (IIoT) involves collecting and analyzing sensor-generated data to support equipment monitoring and maintenance, production process analytics and control, and more. It applies IoT technologies specifically to industrial and manufacturing environments to improve efficiency, productivity, and safety.

• AIoT (Artificial Intelligence of Things):
  • Relatively new term and has recently become a hot topic which combines two of the hottest acronyms, AI (Artificial Intelligence) and IoT (Internet of Things).
  • AIoT is transformational and reciprocally beneficial for both types of technology, as AI adds value to IoT through machine learning capabilities and improved decision-making processes, while IoT adds value to AI through connectivity, signalling, and data exchange.
  • Aim: achieve more efficient IoT operations, improve human-machine interactions and enhance data management and analytics.
• xIoT (xTended Internet of Things):
  • xIoT refers to the “eXtended” Internet of Things. This category encompasses a broad range of connected devices, including:
    • Enterprise IoT devices (cameras, printers, and door controllers).
    • Operational Technology (OT) devices (like PLCs, HMIs, and robotics).
    • Network devices (like switches, Wi-Fi routers, and network-attached storage).