Mitsubishi Electric's New Energy-management Technology Uses Electric Vehicles as Storage Batteries

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO:6503) has announced that it has developed a technology for efficiently managing photovoltaic (PV) and other power-generation systems and also the charging/discharging of electric vehicles (EVs) parked on company campuses. By optimizing the schedules for not only charging EVs but also discharging their power back into the company, as well as optimizing the operation of PV and other power-generation systems according to the fluctuating unit price of electricity sold on the grid, Mitsubishi Electric’s new system enables companies to reduce their electric-power costs. This November, Mitsubishi Electric and its affiliate Mitsubishi Electric (China) Co., Ltd. will conduct a joint-demonstration test of the new technology at the factory of Mitsubishi Electric Automotive (China) Co., Ltd. in Changshu in China, where the use of EVs is expected to advance rapidly. Going forward, Mitsubishi Electric will continue research and development of its new energy-management technology aiming for even higher efficiency and performance. Further, by combining the technology with the company’s energy management systems it expects to continuously expand its energy related business. Features 1)   Reduces users’ electric power costs by 5% by optimizing EV charging/discharging schedules     Mitsubishi Electric’s new solution uses a multi-directional power conditioning system (PCS) to reduce or shift the use of grid power during peak hours by calculating minimized power costs, coordinating the charging/discharging of EVs parked at the user’s company with the use of PV and other power-generation systems, and forecasting power demand and PV power generation.   2)   Uses multi-step control to minimize electric power cost increases in case of unexpected EV usage     The EV operation plan and charge/discharge schedule are regularly optimized through the use of a “one-day plan” that is calculated several times each day to establish the charge/discharge schedule for the next 24 hours, a “correction plan” calculated every several minutes to refine plans for the next several hours, and a “control command” calculated every several seconds.