EnerDel just announced that it will be collaborating with ITOCHU Corporation on another smart grid battery storage project, this time for a major Tokyo apartment building. The system will link renewable, high speed charging outlets for electric cars with the power grid, and is the second such project the two companies have undertaken together.
The apartment building is new-residents are scheduled to start moving in in 2011. ITOCHU plans to build the grid storage systems, which use redeployed lithium batteries from electric cars, in 20% of its new buildings. Assuming the idea catches on, batteries used in electric cars could be resold for grid storage projects once they are no longer capable of powering a car. This should reduce the costs of electric car batteries for consumers.
In a press release, Naoki Ota, Chief Operating Officer for EnerDel, commented on the project:
“These are the first projects anywhere in the world to bring all the critical elements of a smart, sustainable network that connects renewable energy and transportation in the places where people live and work. It will also demonstrate that EnerDel’s lithium-ion battery systems are equally capable, whether it is in a car or a stationary grid application. Our longstanding partnership with ITOCHU has provided the means to set another exciting industry precedent.”