Electricity Grid Infrastructure

After experiencing the Great East Japan Earthquake and nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in March 2011, Japan has been challenged to drastically change its energy policy toward more renewable energy sources (RES) and less dependence on nuclear energy. Substantial RES are promoted by feed-in tariffs for a low-carbon society. A smart grid aims at comprehensive optimization of power grids and consumers, with respect to power supply reliability, quality, CO₂ emission reduction, and cost. Active participation of distributed energy resources such as controllable loads and battery storage is expected to reduce costs of large penetration of energy generated from RES. Electricity reforms should fully utilize advanced technologies regarding not only conventional power plants and network technologies but also distributed energy resources and smarter energy management systems in the future grid.