A new Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) subsidy for lithium-ion battery equipment — which covers up to two thirds of the costs of household installations, up to ¥1m ($10,000) — could ratchet up growth even more. Businesses can claim up to ¥100m under the ¥10bn programme.
Japanese electronics groups are positioned to reap the benefits. Sharp is releasing a cloud-connected household battery storage system in July, while Panasonic is competing for residential and utility-scale opportunities with its Smart Energy Storage Systems (SESS) line-up.
