Shizen Connect Selected to Operate Hulic Group's Two Grid-Scale Battery Storage Projects Totaling 4MW
Shizen Connect will operate two 2MW grid-scale battery storage projects for Hulic Energy Solution in Saga and Hyogo prefectures, starting July 2026. Using its "Shizen Connect" energy management system, the company will manage battery control and operations to generate revenue from various electricity markets. This partnership supports Hulic's goal of expanding renewable energy and stabilizing the power grid.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 15, 2026 at 22:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 15, 2026 at 13:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 15, 2026 at 19:39 (6h 7m after Collected)
Shizen Connect Inc. (hereinafter "Shizen Connect"), a Virtual Power Plant (VPP*1) platform development company, announces that its operational agency service has been selected for the grid-scale battery storage projects being implemented by Hulic Energy Solution Co., Ltd. in Saga and Hyogo prefectures.
Hulic Co., Ltd., building on its achievement of RE100 (*2) in 2023, is promoting the development of solar and small hydropower to achieve 100% renewable energy for all its owned buildings by 2029. In February 2025, it consolidated and reorganized its group's renewable energy and battery storage business into "Hulic Energy Solution Co., Ltd." Furthermore, the company plans to invest 100 billion yen in grid-scale battery storage over the 10 years leading up to 2034, aiming to strengthen its "balancing capacity" to achieve both the expansion of renewable energy and a stable electricity supply (*3).
Shizen Connect has been controlling and monitoring a wide range of energy resources, including grid-scale and industrial battery storage, using its proprietary energy management system, "Shizen Connect." The company has a track record of providing operational agency and SaaS for multiple grid-scale battery storage projects (*4) and also offers control systems for battery storage co-located with solar power (*5).
Against this backdrop, the grid-scale battery storage operational agency service using "Shizen Connect" was selected for the projects in Saga and Hyogo prefectures. This project boasts an output scale of 2MW at each site (total 4MW) and is scheduled to begin operations in July 2026. In this project, Shizen Connect will be responsible for battery control and operation using its "Shizen Connect" energy management system. Specifically, it will perform tasks such as market price forecasting, charge/discharge planning, and remote control execution to monetize through trading in various electricity markets like the wholesale power market, the supply-demand balancing market, and the capacity market. It will also handle a series of operations including balancing group management (*6) and retail supply of electricity for charging.
As stabilizing the power grid amidst the expansion of renewable energy adoption in Japan becomes a pressing issue, Shizen Connect will contribute to maximizing the market value of battery storage and realizing a decarbonized society through its advanced control technology.
Figure 1: Business Scheme
Table 1: Battery Storage Plant Overview
| | Saga Prefecture | Hyogo Prefecture |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Location | Miyaki-cho, Miyaki-gun, Saga Prefecture | Himeji-shi, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Facility Scale | Rated Output: 1,999kW
Rated Capacity: 8,224kWh | Rated Output: 1,999kW
Rated Capacity: 8,224kWh | | Battery | SUNGROW | SUNGROW | | Commercial Operation Start Date | July 2026 | July 2026 | Table 2: Generation-Side Battery Storage Control Menu List | Menu | Description | Control Target: Grid-Scale Battery Storage | Control Target: Battery Storage Co-located with Renewables | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Control for Wholesale Market | Charge/discharge control linked to the wholesale electricity market price. | Yes | Yes | | Control for Capacity Market | Discharge control based on activation orders from the capacity market. *For stable power sources, control for surplus capacity contracts is used. | Yes | No | | Control for Surplus Capacity Contracts | Charge/discharge control to provide upward/downward surplus capacity upon instruction from general transmission and distribution system operators. | In Preparation | No | | Control for Supply-Demand Balancing Market | Charge/discharge control based on contract results from the supply-demand balancing market. * Primary/Primary Offline/Secondary ① Equivalent/Secondary ② Tertiary ①② * Adjusts battery's state of charge if activation rate is lower than expected or if bids are unsuccessful. | Yes | Yes (Primary only) | | Curtailment Avoidance Control | Control to reduce power sale losses due to curtailment by charging with renewable energy during curtailment periods and discharging during periods of high wholesale market prices. | Yes | Yes | | Control for Hourly Matching | Control to maximize the economics of 24/7 CFE (Carbon Free Energy) and reduce imbalances occurring at each site. | In Preparation | In Preparation | *1 Virtual Power Plant (VPP): A general term for digital technology that collectively controls distributed energy resources (power generation facilities, storage batteries, EVs, etc.) and demand facilities as if they were a single power plant. *2 RE100: An abbreviation for "100% Renewable Electricity," an international corporate initiative aiming to cover 100% of the electricity used in business activities with renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, etc.). *3 Regarding Investment in Battery Storage Business and Reorganization of Group Structure (Press Release dated January 28, 2025) https://ssl4.eir-parts.net/doc/3003/ir_material16/243971/00.pdf *4 Examples of Shizen Connect's System Provision for Grid-Scale Battery Storage Operational Agency - Shizen Connect Selected for Tokyu Land Corporation's Grid-Scale Battery Storage Project at TENOHA Higashimatsuyama (Press Release dated August 3, 2023) https://www.shizenenergy.net/2023/08/03/shizenconnect_tokyu_grid_battery/ - Opening Ceremony Held for Grid-Scale Battery Storage Plant "Nishitetsu Shizen Energy Battery Hub Umi" (Press Release dated June 11, 2024) https://www.shizenenergy.net/2024/06/11/opening_ceremony_batteryhub_umi/ - Shizen Connect Begins Operation of "Nishitetsu Shizen Energy Battery Hub Iizuka" as Second Grid-Scale Battery Operational Agency Project (Press Release dated December 2, 2024) https://www.shizenenergy.net/2024/12/02/sc_ns2nd_battery_operation/ SaaS Provision - Shizen Connect Begins SaaS Provision of Grid-Scale Battery Storage Control System (Press Release dated March 1, 2024) https://www.shizenenergy.net/2024/03/01/sc_saas_service_grid_battery/ *5 Shizen Connect Begins Offering Control System for Battery Storage Co-located with Solar Power (Press Release dated July 23, 2025) https://www.shizenenergy.net/2025/07/23/sc_control-system-for-solar-powered-bess/ *6 Balancing Group (BG): A group (unit) of operators for settling imbalances (differences between plans and actuals). There are "demand balancing groups" by retail electricity providers and "generation balancing groups" by generators.
Rated Capacity: 8,224kWh | Rated Output: 1,999kW
Rated Capacity: 8,224kWh | | Battery | SUNGROW | SUNGROW | | Commercial Operation Start Date | July 2026 | July 2026 | Table 2: Generation-Side Battery Storage Control Menu List | Menu | Description | Control Target: Grid-Scale Battery Storage | Control Target: Battery Storage Co-located with Renewables | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Control for Wholesale Market | Charge/discharge control linked to the wholesale electricity market price. | Yes | Yes | | Control for Capacity Market | Discharge control based on activation orders from the capacity market. *For stable power sources, control for surplus capacity contracts is used. | Yes | No | | Control for Surplus Capacity Contracts | Charge/discharge control to provide upward/downward surplus capacity upon instruction from general transmission and distribution system operators. | In Preparation | No | | Control for Supply-Demand Balancing Market | Charge/discharge control based on contract results from the supply-demand balancing market. * Primary/Primary Offline/Secondary ① Equivalent/Secondary ② Tertiary ①② * Adjusts battery's state of charge if activation rate is lower than expected or if bids are unsuccessful. | Yes | Yes (Primary only) | | Curtailment Avoidance Control | Control to reduce power sale losses due to curtailment by charging with renewable energy during curtailment periods and discharging during periods of high wholesale market prices. | Yes | Yes | | Control for Hourly Matching | Control to maximize the economics of 24/7 CFE (Carbon Free Energy) and reduce imbalances occurring at each site. | In Preparation | In Preparation | *1 Virtual Power Plant (VPP): A general term for digital technology that collectively controls distributed energy resources (power generation facilities, storage batteries, EVs, etc.) and demand facilities as if they were a single power plant. *2 RE100: An abbreviation for "100% Renewable Electricity," an international corporate initiative aiming to cover 100% of the electricity used in business activities with renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, etc.). *3 Regarding Investment in Battery Storage Business and Reorganization of Group Structure (Press Release dated January 28, 2025) https://ssl4.eir-parts.net/doc/3003/ir_material16/243971/00.pdf *4 Examples of Shizen Connect's System Provision for Grid-Scale Battery Storage Operational Agency - Shizen Connect Selected for Tokyu Land Corporation's Grid-Scale Battery Storage Project at TENOHA Higashimatsuyama (Press Release dated August 3, 2023) https://www.shizenenergy.net/2023/08/03/shizenconnect_tokyu_grid_battery/ - Opening Ceremony Held for Grid-Scale Battery Storage Plant "Nishitetsu Shizen Energy Battery Hub Umi" (Press Release dated June 11, 2024) https://www.shizenenergy.net/2024/06/11/opening_ceremony_batteryhub_umi/ - Shizen Connect Begins Operation of "Nishitetsu Shizen Energy Battery Hub Iizuka" as Second Grid-Scale Battery Operational Agency Project (Press Release dated December 2, 2024) https://www.shizenenergy.net/2024/12/02/sc_ns2nd_battery_operation/ SaaS Provision - Shizen Connect Begins SaaS Provision of Grid-Scale Battery Storage Control System (Press Release dated March 1, 2024) https://www.shizenenergy.net/2024/03/01/sc_saas_service_grid_battery/ *5 Shizen Connect Begins Offering Control System for Battery Storage Co-located with Solar Power (Press Release dated July 23, 2025) https://www.shizenenergy.net/2025/07/23/sc_control-system-for-solar-powered-bess/ *6 Balancing Group (BG): A group (unit) of operators for settling imbalances (differences between plans and actuals). There are "demand balancing groups" by retail electricity providers and "generation balancing groups" by generators.