Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
Daiwa House Industry Co. intends to expand its business related to grid-connected battery storage stations in Japan, as the adoption of renewable energy sources such as solar power continues to grow, said a company executive during an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun.
Grid-connected battery storage stations store surplus electricity and supply it to the grid as needed. "We will expand this business on a nationwide scale," said Katsuhiro Koyama, an executive officer.
The following is excerpted from the interview.
The Yomiuri Shimbun: What was the purpose of the business alliance formed with Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. in June?
Katsuhiro Koyama: Renewable energy is subject to fluctuations, such as being dependent on weather conditions, and electricity generated during the day could be wasted or the power grid could become unstable. Grid-connected battery storage stations are essential for ensuring the stability of the power grid and the efficient use of electricity. In this sense, our objectives aligned with those of TEPCO. We intend to expand this business steadily on a nationwide scale.
Yomiuri: Companies are entering the battery storage facility development market one after another. What are Daiwa House Industry's strengths in this area?
Koyama: Our ability to develop sites on a nationwide scale is a major strength, and we believe our clients have a certain level of trust in the quality of our construction. Furthermore, we are engaged in urban development. In the future, there is potential for our efforts to expand into initiatives that integrate renewable energy, battery storage systems and buildings -- such as installing battery storage equipment inside buildings -- to enhance the resilience of communities.
Yomiuri: What are the challenges in developing grid-connected battery storage facilities?
Koyama: To carry out this business, we must obtain permission from the grid operators concerned to connect our battery storage stations. However, the competition for this procedure is somewhat overheated, and it can take several years to actually secure connections. We plan to develop this business by pursuing small-scale projects in parallel with the large-scale project we're advancing with TEPCO.
There is also the issue of noise generated when storage facilities are in operation. In addition to selecting sites located at a certain distance from residential areas and facilities where people are present at night, we are also considering measures such as erecting sound barriers.
Yomiuri: What are your plans for the future?
Koyama: First, we want to steadily advance the joint development partnership we've formed this time and a demonstration project at our Kyushu Plant, and we aim to grow the battery storage station business into our next core business pillar. We will approach this from a long-term perspective.
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This article is from The Yomiuri Shimbun. Neither Dow Jones Newswires, MarketWatch, Barron's nor The Wall Street Journal were involved in the creation of this content.
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July 08, 2026 23:31 ET (03:31 GMT)
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