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posted by cmn32480 on Saturday June 27 2015, @04:56AM   Printer-friendly
from the that's-a-lot-of-double-a's dept.

Japanese companies are building some of the world's biggest battery systems to address one of solar power's biggest problems–its volatility.

Handling the surges in power when the sun shines and storing that energy for use when it is cloudy or dark is a major headache for solar power producers and the utilities they supply.

Mitsubishi Electric Corp and NGK Insulators Ltd. are assembling a 50,000 kilowatt battery system for Kyushu Electric Power Co to study ways to better accommodate solar power.

A slightly smaller, 40,000 kilowatt battery system is under construction in Minami Soma, north of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, for Tohoku Electric Power Co. to conduct similar research.

The government is financing both projects at a total cost of ¥31.7 billion ($257 million), a government official said.


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 27 2015, @05:32AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 27 2015, @05:32AM (#201998)

    Yeah, UPS capacity is always indicated in volt-amps, which are literally the same units as watt-the-fucks.

  • (Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 27 2015, @08:24AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 27 2015, @08:24AM (#202019)

    That would be power, not capacity, and VA is not necessarily the same as W when talking about alternating current. W is the real or active power, VA is the apparent power. The ratio between the two is called power factor. A purely resistive load (an incandescent light bulb, for example) has a power factor of one. Most electronic loads (switching PSUs, for example) have a power factor other than one. The UPS, wires, switches and everything else in the circuit needs to be designed for the apparent power, not just the real power. That's why you'll find VA, not W, on type plates of electric devices.