IHI Terrasun Solutions, Inc. has completed a milestone upgrade to a 500kw/2.5MWh project in Soma, Japan via remote commissioning. The project supports a microgrid developed by the parent company of IHI Terrasun Solutions (Terrasun), IHI Corporation. This is the first upgrade of its kind completed by Terrasun.  Why it matters Terrasun is headquartered in Chicago, with employees across North America. This system in Japan was upgraded without a single employee traveling thousands of miles to the facility. This was a completely remote international commissioning of the hardware and software and introduces key flexibility to Terrasun’s system upgrade process. The flexibility is made possible by Terrasun’s newest generation of software, which relies on an integrated software platform. In this upgrade, Terrasun provides the facility with the newest control technology, updates the VPN architecture and the battery hardware, and advances other software elements using Terrasun’s latest offering. Notably, this upgrade also enhances the safety measures included in the system and updates the hardware to meet new safety standards. Safety is a priority at Terrasun, and having the capability to support safety improvements remotely is a capability Terrasun plans to leverage as energy storage technology continues to advance and new safety tools become available.  About the Soma facility IHI Terrasun Solutions commissioned the energy storage system in March 2018 to enable solar smoothing and shifting for the 1,250kW of solar generation at the independently sustainable smart grid community that IHI Corporation established. The smart grid leverages a variety of technologies, including onsite hydrogen generation, PV systems, and more, designed to reduce CO2 emissions while providing reliable power.

How did we upgrade without taking COVID-related risks? This upgrade presented challenges unique to the landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic. Travel to Japan was not an option for the operations team, so Terrasun leveraged software simulators and worked closely with the customer, IHI Corporation, to upgrade and deploy the system virtually. Remote testing was completed successfully, and the site is positioned for success at a more efficient and technologically advanced level. The Terrasun operations team has managed to make updates to a system from thousands of miles away and gracefully adapted to unprecedented limitations. Working under these unique conditions to complete this first upgrading effort is a memorable accomplishment.