Tesla assemble new virtual power plant in Japan

Tesla has unveiled a new virtual power plant that uses home battery Powerwall’s, and this time, it's located on an island, Miyako-jima, in Japan.

Lately the automotive industry has been doing a lot with virtual power plants. These consist of distributed energy storage systems, such as Tesla Powerwall’s, used to provide grid services but also avoid the use of polluting and expensive power plants.

Tesla introduced one in California earlier this year, is trying to develop one in Texas, and of course has had one up and running for years in Australia, which is still expanding.

Now, the project in Japan is called “Miyakojima VPP” because it is located on Miyako-jima Island, the most populous island of Okinawa Prefecture.

Tesla announced that it began installing Powerwall’s in partnership with the local power company in 2021 and now has over 300 on the island as part of the VPP.

Local homeowners receive incentives from the local utility, Miyakojima Mirai Energy Co., to install the Powerwall and solar power on their homes, which the utility can use as part of the Tesla VPP.

Tesla explains that the VPP helps the island take better advantage of renewable energy sources, but also brings greater grid resilience, especially in the event of a natural disaster.

The Miyakojima VPP is still being developed, and Tesla expects it to include 400 Powerwall’s by the end of this year and 600 by the end of 2023.

In 2024, Tesla expects to begin installing Powerwall’s for similar projects throughout Okinawa Prefecture.