Products and Services Associated with Power Supply

Toshiba Corporation Corporate Research & Development Center
Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation

By developing a new film forming method for a film-based perovskite solar cell that uses a material in the crystal structure called perovskite, Toshiba Corporation Corporate Research & Development Center and Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation have achieved the world’s highest^*1 power conversion efficiency of 16.6%.

Because this solar cell has the characteristics of lightweight, thin, bendable fragile, and break-proof, which are not found in conventional solar cells, it can be installed on roofs with a low load resistance (of a factory, gymnasium, vinyl house, etc.), on which conventional solar cells are difficult to install, as well as on building exterior walls, windows, and so on.

If this solar cell with power conversion efficiency of 16.6% is installed on even some of the building rooftops and walls in Tokyo’s 23 wards, power generation equivalent to two nuclear power plant units (equivalent to two-thirds of the annual household power consumption in Tokyo’s 23 wards) can be expected^*2. Part of this achievement was obtained from the results of a project commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

Toshiba Corporation Corporate Research & Development Center
Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation

A transparent PV cell using cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) is tandem with silicon (Si) solar cell, which are currently widely used, that achieves the world's top level of power generation efficiency, so the solar cell is expected to be mounted on electric mobility including electric vehicles and to be applied to independent power systems and distributed power supplies.
With this transparent Cu₂O solar cell alone, the power generation efficiency was improved by 1.1 points from 8.4% announced last year^*1, achieving the world's highest^*2 power generation efficiency of 9.5%^*3. In addition, the power generation efficiency of the entire Cu₂O solar cell layered on a high efficiency Si solar cell with a power generation efficiency of 25% can be estimated to reach 28.5%, confirming that it has the potential to exceed the efficiency of the world's current most efficient Si solar cell at 26.7%^*4.
Toshiba Corporation Corporate Research & Development Center and Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation estimated that if this Cu₂O/Si tandem solar cell was mounted on an electric vehicle (EV), its cruising range would be approximately 37 km per day without charging^*5. Going forward, the two companies will aim to achieve an EV that can be driven for long hours without charging and contribute to the electrification of transportation (or achievement of a carbon neutral society) by mounting the cell onto trains or other mobility.
Part of this achievement was obtained from the results of a project commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

• A transparent Cu₂O solar cell achieving the highest efficiency in the world at 8.4% for low-cost high-efficiency tandem solar cells was developed.
• Survey by Toshiba Corporation, as of September 2022. 
• A new record was set for the highest power generation efficiency in the world for a transparent Cu₂O solar cell for the achievement of a high-efficiency, low-cost, high reliability tandem solar cell.
• The highest efficiency in the world for Si solar cells as of September 2022. Nature Energy 2, 17032 (2017)
• An estimation with reference to “PV-Powered Vehicle Strategy Committee Interim Report” of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) (https://www.nedo.go.jp/news/press/AA5_101114.html). (Japanese only)

Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation

Thermal power generation produces a large amount of CO₂. However, it is possible to reduce CO₂ emissions by introducing Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) facilities that make it possible to separate, capture, and store CO₂ from exhaust gas.
Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation has started the demonstrated operation of a facility that separates and captures CO₂ at the Mikawa Power Plant (Omuta, Fukuoka) of Sigma Power Ariake Corporation in October 2020.

The Mikawa Power Plant generates biomass power that uses coconut shells as its main source of fuel and is a facility supporting the world's first large scale Bio-Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS, biomass power generation with CCS), which separates and captures CO₂ emitted from the biomass power plant. Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation has been conducting demonstrative operation of the plant to go beyond carbon neutral into the realm of carbon negative.

• Initiatives for CO₂ Emissions Reduction
• Toshiba Starts Operation of Large-Scale Carbon Capture Facility (Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation)

Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation

Generally, a gas insulated switchgear (GIS) installed in power plants and substations uses SF₆ gas, which has high insulation performance as the insulation medium. However, this gas has 25,200 times higher global warming potential (GWP)^*1 than CO₂ gas and so environmental regulations for SF₆ gas used for power generation are taking shape mainly in Europe and North America.

In April 2022, the draft revisions of the EU’s fluorine gas regulations^*2 were released, in which it was proposed that when GIS using a natural origin gas is put into practical use, sales of new products that use high GWP gases including SF₆ gas should be prohibited. It has been proposed that regulations should gradually be imposed according to the rated voltage after 2028, and so it is expected that more demand for GIS using a natural origin gas will increase going forward.

In anticipation of these circumstances, for over 15 years Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation has been conducting research and development of a switchgear using a natural origin gas that is very safe and does not impact global warming when leaked. The Company delivered Japan’s first^*3 GIS^*4 for power companies using a natural origin gas. Going forward, Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation will continue to actively engage in the development of a higher voltage, higher capacity GIS using an environmentally sound natural origin gas.

Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation

Wind and solar power generation require technologies for stable power supply because both powers fluctuate greatly depending on the weather or time of day.

Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation has developed a technology that enables wind and solar power generation to be treated as a single virtual power plant (VPP) by controlling them along with rechargeable batteries and balancing power demand and supply. This technology will promote the installation of wind and solar power generation.

Renewable energy has increased in Japan under the feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme. However, in anticipation of renewable energy becoming the main power, it has shifted to feed-in premium (FIP, a scheme in which a certain premium is paid to power generation operators when they sell power at the market price). Under the FIP, it is imposed for renewable energy operators to match the power supply with the demand based on precise power generation forecast. Therefore, operators need to improve the prediction accuracy of power generation by their own power generation equipment.

Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation has launched a renewable energy aggregation service as a support service for renewable energy power generation operators jointly with Next Kraftwerke Toshiba Corporation (TNK). Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation and TNK are operating to match the power supply with the demand as well as to trading power.

Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation

Renewable energy power generation, such as solar and wind power generation is difficult to control since the power generation fluctuates significantly depending on the weather conditions. The power to gas (P2G) solution allows such renewable energy to be used for multiple purposes by adjusting the balance between supply and demand according to the fluctuating power generation and converting the power into hydrogen so that power energy can be used when needed, where needed, and for the purpose needed without wasting it. Energy-originated hydrogen converted by P2G is used in many fields including fuel for FCV and industrial processes, contributing to reducing CO₂ emissions.

The Company produces hydrogen using a world-leading water electrolysis unit at the Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field (FH2R) in Namie-machi, Fukushima, as a project commissioned by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)^*. Hydrogen produced here was also used during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In addition, with the power to chemicals (P2C) solution that uses CO₂ by electrolyzing CO₂ obtained with the carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, etc. and synthesizing it with hydrogen by a chemical method to effectively use CO₂ for new applications including fuel for aircraft and chemical products, Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation achieves CO₂ recycling and thereby contributes to achieving a carbon neutral society.

• This project is conducted as part of the “Development of Technologies for Realizing a Hydrogen Society/Technology Development for Systems Using Renewable Energy-derived Hydrogen” of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

• One of the world's largest hydrogen production facilities, Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field (FH2R), has been completed at Namie town in Fukushima. (Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation)
• Creating Hydrogen
• Cyclically Using Carbon Dioxide