The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) launched the “Future-generation power network Stabilization Technology development for utilization of Renewable Energy As the Major power source (STREAM Project)” and started two new R&D themes. The project aims to improve the resilience of power infrastructure and create energy resource aggregation businesses, as well as to contribute to the realization of the renewable energy ratio of 36 to 38% in Japan by 2030.

In the project, technology development will be conducted to address inertia and the new issue of short-circuit capacity reduction, verifying the effects using small-scale power grids. In the “Practical application development of pseudo inertial PCS (power conditioning system or an inverter),” a proposal by 11 parties, including TEPCO Holdings, TEPCO Power Grid, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), and Mitsubishi Electric, was selected for the project. In the “Practical application development of M-G set*,” a proposal by CRIEPI and Tokyo Institute of Technology was selected.

The project period is from FY 2022 to FY 2026, with a project budget of 1.54 billion Yen ($ 11.3 million) for FY 2022.

*The M-G set is a device that combines an electric motor and a generator which enables the characteristics of synchronous generators to be used for grid stabilization as well as the utilization of renewable energy.