Marubeni Corporation (hereinafter, “Marubeni”) has launched a demonstration project (hereinafter, “the demonstration”) of a long-term power sales service of rooftop solar PV systems with battery energy systems on Amami Oshima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture.

Remote islands, which are not connected to the mainland's power grid, rely on thermal power generation for most of their electricity generation due to its ease of adjusting their power supplies and cost advantages, which results in a large amount of CO2 emissions. In addition, compared to the mainland, remote islands have smaller power grids, and renewable energy sources, which vary in power generation depending on weather conditions, can easily destabilize the supply-demand balance in the island grids.

Therefore, Marubeni is conducting the demonstration with the aim of making renewable energy the main power source on remote islands. In the demonstration, solar PV systems will be installed on the roofs or parking lots of several facilities on Amami Oshima Island with no initial cost for the facility owners, and the electricity generated will be sold to the respective facilities based on a long-term power purchase agreement. In addition, Marubeni will verify and evaluate the feasibility of providing a supply-demand adjustment function by remotely controlling the storage batteries that are installed alongside the solar PV system by, for example, discharging the charged power in the battery from the solar PV system when the power system does not have enough power.

Marubeni has established cooperative relationships with Nextems Corporation, which is engaged in similar power sales projects on remote islands in Okinawa Prefecture, and Takeyama Sangyo Corporation, which is developing renewable energy on Amami Oshima Island, and will continue discussions toward the commercialization of this project.

Marubeni has positioned the strengthening and expansion of green business as a basic policy in its mid-term management strategy announced in February 2022. As part of this strategy, Marubeni will promote distributed power generation, storage batteries, and supply-demand adjustment projects on remote islands. Marubeni is also aiming to expand this business not only to remote islands in Japan, but also to remote areas such as mountainous regions and islands overseas.

Overview of Nextems Corporation
Head office	:	Urasoe, Okinawa
Representative	:	Naoto Higa
Establishment	:	April 24, 2018
Business description	:	Remote monitoring and control of distributed power generation and controllable consumer energy facilities, sales of solar PV systems, battery energy systems and heat pump water heaters, etc.
Overview of Takeyama Sangyo Corporation
Head office	:	Amami, Kagoshima
Representative	:	Shinnnosuke Takeyama
Establishment	:	July 27, 1988
Business description	:	Energy business, hotel business, real estate business, etc.