Kawasaki signs MOU on consortium toward expanding the introduction of renewable energy in the Republic of the Philippines.

Tokyo, February 10, 2023-Kawasaki heavy industries, Amber kinetics, IKS, and Aboitiz power announced they have signed a memorandum of understanding to build a cooperative partnership which will aim to evaluate and advance the development of FESS(flywheel energy storage system) with VSG(Virtual synchronous generator) solutions for transition to more renewable energy in the Philippines.

The MOU was signed at a LOI signing/exchange ceremony, taking the opportunity of the official visit to Japan by H.E. Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., President of the Republic of the Philippines. Under the MOU, Kawasaki and the partners will jointly work on a research and development (R&D) for new technology, which integrates inverters installed a Virtual Synchronous Generator (VSG) and Flywheel Energy Storage System (FESS). Furthermore, the consortium will also aims to structure new projects in the Philippines by utilizing the results obtained from the R&D. These initiatives will contribute to build the sustainable energy systems that realize expanding the introduction of renewable energies as well as stabilizing a power system in the Philippines. In addition, Kawasaki and the partners will roll these initiatives out to other ASEAN countries and Australia.

“With this consortium, the Philippines and Japan can make a significant impact on our transition towards a more sustainable future. Our partnerships represent a powerful alliance that will drive technological innovation and harness the power of renewable energy to create a brighter future for generations to come,” said Mr. Aboitiz.

The consortium also expressed optimism in exploring opportunities and making a positive impact on the local and regional energy landscape.

“Ten years ago, Kawasaki started up the iVSG project in expectation of the recent energy trend. Now, we must be faced with a large amount of renewable energy penetration to a power system and a sharp increase in fossil fuel prices,” Watanabe narrated.

“I trust Virtual Synchronous Method will be a breakthrough solution to the problem. We are excited to work with Amber Kinetics, IKS and Aboitiz Group, and look forward to working together to deliver advanced technologies that would help the Philippines transition to more renewable energy,” Watanabe added.

Meanwhile, Imai said, “We are pleased with our contribution to stabilize the energy supply in the Philippines with IKS’s technology joining this partnership.”

The Philippines is comprised of many islands, and microgrids are scattered in across the country. As the renewable energies are becoming main power sources, maintaining the frequency of the power system as well as stabilizing power supply are becoming more difficult. For a solution to this underlying problem, Kawasaki has developed a software applicable to inverters “iVSG™” ,which makes it possible for the inverter type power sources to possess inertia by simulating a characteristic of the synchronous generator. In addition, Kawasaki has also started to offer license of “iVSG™” to inverter manufacturers.

Kawasaki group will contribute to the energy transition in the Republic of the Philippines by solving the problems arising at the large-scale introduction of the renewable energies into the microgrids. In addition, Kawasaki group will also contribute to achieve the goal to carbon neutrality by 2050 as stated by the Government of Japan through rolling the results obtained from these initiatives out to other business fields, where progressing electrification and hybridization due to the global trend toward the decarbonization.