News

Waseda University represented by Professor Yasuhiro Hayashi ( Faculty of Science and Engineering), in partnership with TEPCO Power Grid Inc., has been selected by Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)’s CREST Strategic Basic Team Research Program to collaborate on experimental tests from April 2016 through March 2020.

In recent years, demands for society to develop renewable energy resource, become more energy efficient, and reduce CO2 gas emissions have intensified to alleviate environmental burden. As a result, close attention is being drawn to the technological development of building a smart grid, a highly efficient electrical grid, by using power consumption data from various locations and information communication technology.

Waseda University and TEPCO Power Grid will use actual distribution lines in some regions to conduct experimental tests and determine the most suitable operation management for minimizing transmission power loss in distribution networks.

In particular, Waseda University will estimate optimal electricity flow configuration of distribution networks by applying its methods for minimizing power loss on actual distribution lines with IT switchgears which equip internal sensor installed in power lines. TEPCO Power Grid will then use the data from the IT switchgears and verify reduced power loss in order to manage electrical grids for minimal power loss while taking service reliability into consideration.

This is the first experimental test of its kind in the country, and Waseda University, JST, and TEPCO Power Grid aim for creating a low-carbon society by implementing distribution networks to maximize power delivery.