Japan Gets New Virtual Power Plant

Add Japan to the growing list of countries buying in to Tesla’s Virtual Power Plant systems.

Miyakojima, an island town in Okinawa Prefecture, has reportedly been building a Virtual Power Plant since 2021, and now has over 300 Powerwall units operating in sync.

Just like in Australia, California, and Texas, Miyakojima’s VPP operates by linking the Powerwalls of customers who opt into the system. During low-demand times, power is stored by users as normal; and during peak, discharged not only among the linked households, but to the grid itself to improve stability.

Miyakojima being a small island helps with this sort of system, as the benefits are obvious to the people who live there. Tropical storms and typhoons often cut power, and repair is slow. With the VPP, the grid can remain stable for much longer and in more inclement weather.

Tesla expects the Miyakojima VPP to grow to over 600 users by the end of 2023, and the company is confident that by 2024 they’ll be installing similar systems across Okinawa Prefecture.

The VPP systems sure are spreading. With any luck, this sort of backup will become the standard, and take a lot of stress off privatised grids in the future.