Fuji Electric Review
Vol.69-No.3,2023
Carbon-Neutral Solutions and Technologies
Carbon-Neutral Solutions and Technologies
To achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, Fuji Electric is working on a wide range of products, solutions, and new technologies that contribute to decarbonization by utilizing its core technologies, including power semiconductors, power electronics, instrumentation, and control. Through our pursuit of innovation in electric and thermal energy technology, we will continue to develop products that maximize energy efficiency and lead to a responsible and sustainable society.
This issue introduces Fuji Electric’s efforts toward the achievement of carbon neutrality.
YASUDA, Keiichiro
Current Status and Future Outlook
ONO, Takeshi; TOYAMA, Kentaro
As part of efforts to achieve a decarbonized society, Fuji Electric provides products and solutions for both the supply and demand sides of energy systems, as well as the distribution systems that bridge them. For the supply side, we offer supply-demand management systems and grid planning support systems that facilitate the expanded adoption of renewable energy, as well as grid storage systems that contribute to the stable provision of electricity, and equipment design simulation for distributed power systems. For the demand side, we offer a digital-twin-model-based community energy management system, equipment for electric propulsion ships, onshore power supply system for ships, power semiconductors for electrified vehicles, and energy saving solutions for convenience stores. Fuji Electric is working on future developments in hydrogen fuel cell systems, DC/DC converters for the DC electricity distribution systems, technology for the recovery and use of waste heat that contributes to the electrification of thermal processes, and measurement instruments for hydrogen and ammonia.
TATTA, Naoto; IIZAKA, Tatsuya; MATSUMOTO, Koji
In recent years, reductions in CO2 emissions have been increasingly sought in society, necessitating increased efficiency in the use of energy. Fuji Electric participated in the New Sapporo Station District I Development Project and built a community energy management system (CEMS) based on digital-twin model using AI technology to solve the challenge of regionally consolidating the management of energy supply and demand. This system accurately predicts the energy demand of each facility in the district and automatically adjusts the supply and demand to use energy efficiently, significantly reducing CO2 emissions for the whole district.
OKABAYASHI, Hiroki; MIYOSHI, Ryunosuke; FUJIO, Takahiro
As one of the initiatives of the 6th Strategic Energy Plan, the Japanese government is promoting the introduction of renewable energy. Geared toward renewable energy power producers, Fuji Electric is developing a supply-demand management system that controls storage batteries to stabilize power generation output. We are also developing a grid storage battery operation system for operators that use grid storage batteries as a new supply demand adjustment capability, allowing them to bid on the reserve market using optimization technology. Our grid planning support system provides transmission system operators with a comprehensive view of entire transmission grids including large amounts of renewable energy sources, helping them to identify problems and evaluate countermeasures.
KANEMOTO, Mai; MONAI, Toshiharu; MIYAMURA, Naotaka
With the aim of transforming renewable energy into society’s primary source of power, grid storage systems are expected to serve as a balancing force between supply and demand in power grids. Fuji Electric has developed a new, large-capacity storage battery PCS capable of supporting 1,500V DC, enabling connections to battery packages of increasingly high voltages while greatly reducing their footprint. With its heavy salt damage-resistance, the PCS can be installed on idle land along the coast to use efficiently and stably. The control systems are compatible with the reserve market and the energy market.
ISHIGAMI, Yuta; SATO, Tomoki; HAYASHI, Naoki
Demand is increasing for new distributed power systems that can use increasing distributed energy resources and are adapted to the power exchange market, as well as stably supply power even in the event of a disaster. Fuji Electric has developed three equipment design simulators for separate applications to verify the design and operation of equipment used in these systems in advance. The first is a utility customer power generation equipment operation simulator that enables the verification of optimal storage batteries to make the maximum use of renewable energy sources. The second is a power exchange simulator that enables the verification of capacity and optimal operation of grid storage batteries to maximize revenue in multiple market transactions. Finally, the third is a distributed grid operation simulator that enables the verification of isolated operations.
ZODA, Daisuke; HAYASHI, Hiroaki; Donghui, Xiang
As a step toward decarbonization, the electrification of ships is expected to progress. Fuji Electric is developing products that can contribute to decarbonization in the ship and harbor sector. Ship electric propulsion systems that use a water jacket cooling system are smaller than that using a conventional airflow cooling system, reducing system footprint. Onshore power supply systems have improved the installation and shortened construction periods by packaging power supply equipment in a container. Our harbor EMS manages harbor energy, including hydrogen, ammonia and other alternative fuels, contributing to energy saving and decarbonization.
NAGAUNE, Fumio; IKEDA, Yoshinari; MATSUO, Sota
The electrification of automobiles is accelerating. Power semiconductors for power train system in electrified vehicles (xEVs) control electric power of the motor. Therefore, they are key components for determining driving performance and protecting people’s lives. Fuji Electric has mass-produced power semiconductor modules for power train system with high reliability and power density, as well as reduced module size and thickness. On the other hand, it is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the production of these products and their components. For that purpose, the purchases of renewable energy power, the installation of in-house solar power generation systems, and the renewal of energy-saving equipment are accelerated.
ISHIHARA, Yudai
Convenience store companies are accelerating efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Demand for energy saving at convenience stores has recently grown as a result of increases in costs for convenience store headquarters and affiliated stores because of the sharp rise in electricity prices. To address this issue, Fuji Electric has begun to make an effort not only to optimize individual pieces of equipment but also to reduce the power consumption of entire stores. The system predicts and determines the defrosting times of the showcases beforehand, as well as controls equipment in real time, so that the power consumption of the entire store does not exceed the maximum demand power, enabling power consumption leveling in stores.
TAKANO, Hiroshi
Japan formulated its Basic Hydrogen Strategy in 2017 and is working toward the creation of a hydrogen society. One of the keys to creating a hydrogen society is fuel cells, which can generate electricity from hydrogen. Since 1998, Fuji Electric has been offering phosphoric acid fuel cells with a track record of long-term operation. In addition to stationary power generation systems, we are currently developing and evaluating fuel cell systems that combine fuel cell control technology with reliable on-vehicle fuel cell modules for mobile power generation systems to be used in gantry cranes and ships. We will provide products that reduce life cycle costs to achieve a hydrogen society.
YODA, Kazuyuki; TAJUTA, Toshihisa; YAMADA, Ryuji
Fuji Electric has developed a 200-kW bi-directional isolated DC/DC converter. This converter charges and discharges storage batteries for electrical power leveling when DC power from renewable energy is distributed. Adopting a dual active bridge circuit system that can handle battery voltage fluctuations between 400 to 800V and using SiC-MOSFET modules to set the switching frequency to as high as 16kHz have reduced the volume of the isolation transformer to 11% and the mass to 7%. The conversion efficiency reaches 98%. Serial-parallel connection of the units can increase the capacity.
IWASAKI, Masamichi; SHIRAI, Hideto; AJIMA, Masaaki
To achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, thermal processes increasingly necessitate decarbonization and energy saving. By building on the proprietary vending machine heat pump technology that Fuji Electric has cultivated over many years, we are developing technologies to efficiently recover heat energy from unused waste heat and reuse it for various heating and cooling processes, mainly in the industrial sector. High-temperature steam-generating heat pumps for efficient heating and ejector cooling systems for efficient cooling are expected to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from thermal processes in the food and beverage, automobile, chemical, semiconductor, and data center industries.
KOIZUMI, Kazuhiro; YAMAUCHI, Hojun; TAKEDA, Naoki
Increasing use of hydrogen and ammonia to achieve carbon neutrality needs the measurement of gas concentrations and flow rate. Fuji Electric is thus developing measurement instruments for hydrogen and ammonia using its optical, ultrasonic, and small signal processing technologies. For gas analyzers, we have developed a highsensitivity technology to measure low concentrations with high accuracy, as well as a multi-component measurement technology to measure multiple gas concentrations simultaneously. For flowmeters, we have developed a multiphase flow measurement technology for liquid hydrogen to highly accurately measure gas-liquid multiphase states at extremely low temperatures. With these various measurement technologies, Fuji Electric will contribute to the increasing use of hydrogen and ammonia.
New Products
YABUSAKI, Jun; NAKAJIMA, Hiroyuki; YAGUCHI, Yukihiro
On the other hand, current LED lights are required to reduce the start-up time and standby power and have electric shock prevention functions. To meet these demands, Fuji Electric has developed the “FA1B10N” 4th-generation critical mode PFC control IC for power supplies used in LED lighting.
TAKANO, Yoshihiro
Since its initial release in 1978, Fuji Electric has manufactured more than 350 different models of φ16 series command switches without changing the appearance design, but after 44 years, users have begun to demand a renewed ones. Fuji Electric has recently launched newly designed products that are compatible with the next generation of machines and equipment.
ONO, Hiroshi; TOKUNAGA, Yoshihide
In recent years, the “Plastic Resource Circulation Act” and other laws have regulated the use of resin materials in a wide range of fields to reduce environmental burdens. This is also true of industrial facilities where insulating parts used in switches need to be replaced with materials that are easily disposable and recyclable.
Against this backdrop, Fuji Electric has developed an LBS with striker-tripped current limiting fuse that meets the above demands.
