2019 Sponsors
TOKYO GAS is Japan‘s largest provider of natural gas, serving more than 11 million customers. In FY2016, TOKYO GAS made a start by entering the electricity retail business and has since reached 1.6 million customers (Nov 2018). TOKYO GAS is shifting from the in-house R&D focused on natural gas energy to an open innovation style R&D to focus on a broad range of innovative energy solutions.
ENECHANGE LTD. is Japan's most popular energy switching website, having 3 million monthly unique visitors and working with over 100 energy suppliers. Enechange is also recognised as one of the most innovative energy ventures in Japan, providing vertically integrated tech solutions - such as data-driven CRM solutions, smart-meter data management (SMAP), AI-driven load curve simulation etc. - for energy suppliers.
SUMMIT ENERGY is a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation, one of the major integrated trading firms in Japan. They supply electricity to both commercial and residential customers. In 2016, they supplied 2,800GWh, making them the 6th largest retail electricity supplier in Japan. Summit Energy has its own generating capacity from a variety of sources, including biomass power generation.
SHOWA SHELL SEKIYU K.K. is the Shell brand licensee and one of the major oil companies in Japan. They also provide energy solution business with operating power plants and delivering eco-friendly-sourced electricity. Solar Frontier, the world largest CIS solar energy solution provider, is their 100% subsidiary company and operates as independent solar power producer in Japan and worldwide.
HOKURIKU ELECTRIC is a vertically integrated electricity supplier serving about 2.1M customers. Their generation mix is characterised by a higher ratio of hydroelectric power - which is less carbon intensive than other forms of generation - thanks to plentiful water resources in their area. Their Transmission/Distribution Division will be reformed as a separate entity in 2020 and plans to install smart meters to all household by 2024.
LOOOP operates a low-voltage power retail business ‘Looop Denki’. Since starting in April 2016, the business has gained over 100,000 users by the end of March 2018. After reaching this critical turning point, LOOOP aims to reach 200,000 users by the end of the next fiscal year, and is opening a broad array of new services to attract smart energy consumers.
JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy is the largest oil company and 3rd largest new electric power supplier in Japan, and is known by its brand ENEOS. JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy has crude refining capacity of around 2 million barrel per day - which is comparable to BP - and a nationwide supply chain enabling stable supply of products and services associated with energy. JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy has also been increasingly supplying low-carbon energy sources, such as solar power, wind power, biofuel, and hydrogen, while developing related technologies.
CHUBU ELECTRIC POWER is Japan's third largest energy utility provider. They are transforming by separating their organisation into three division, Power generation, Transmission/distribution, and Sales division. With a FY2018 target of 130 TWh sold, they established a new sales company in Tokyo area. They also prioritise to improve local community by utilising their infrastructure and data as well as new technology.
TOHO GAS engages in the gas, heat supply, and electricity businesses. Their core gas business covers 2.46 Million Customers. They also have a growing electricity supply business, aiming to grow customer acquisition by 60% in 2018. Furthermore, Toho Gas also provide services related to connected homes, business energy support, and energy resource aggregation & balancing.
2019 Cohort Winners
Connected Energy provide energy storage units comprised of second-life EV batteries for use in commercial, industrial, and utility applications.
Read our interview with Connected Energy here.
EVBOX build easy-to-use and durable charging solutions (hardware and software) for electric cars. It has provided 50,000+ charge points in over 30 countries, making it Europe’s largest charging solution provider.
Heliatek make Organic Solar Films, a flexible and light solar panel for the building industry that can be installed on many more surfaces than traditional PV modules. Read our interview with Heliatek here.
KiWi Power is the UK’s leading demand response aggregator, working with system operators like National Grid to reduce electricity consumption at peak times and create a cleaner, more cost-effective grid.
2019 Cohort Finalists
Edge Electrons have designed a range of energy efficiency and monitoring technology solutions for grids, businesses and homes.
eMotorWerks (now part of Enel X’s e-mobility solutions group) offer a complete line of smart electric vehicle charging stations and custom solutions and allow their customers to control their EV fleet’s charging schedules with the advanced IoT platform, JuiceNet Enterprise. Read our interview with eMotorWerks here.
Energisme is a software platform that provides its customers with predictive modeling tools and an ecosystem of partners to anticipate and optimize their energy consumption.
EO Charging designs and manufactures EV charging stations and smart software for homes, fleets and destinations. Read our interview with EO Charging here.
Ezzing Solar have developed an “all-in-one” software solution that simplifies solar PV sales and allows companies to develop and be profitable in providing distributed generation. Read our interview with Ezzing Solar here.
Green Energy Options (GEO) focuses on the energy element of the smart home. Their aim is to use their smart energy devices to help customers save money on their energy bills. Read our interview with GEO here.
Hubject provide a digital B2B marketplace for connecting different market players in order to create a digital and cross-border charging network for electric vehicles – the intercharge network. Over 140,000 charge points on three continents are connected to their platform. Read our interview with Hubject here.
Kaluza provides a platform to securely connect, control, and optimise a wide range of IoT enabled flexible assets. Read our interview with Kaluza here.
Lumenaza‘s “utility-in-a-box” software connects producers and consumers of locally produced renewable power so they can build up a regional, communal and transparent supply with green electricity. Read our interview with Lumenaza here.
Next Kraftwerke‘s virtual power plant software-as-a-service solution NEMOCS allows clients to aggregate, monitor and manage thousands of decentralized energy resources in a very performant, reliable and beneficial manner. Read our interview with Next Kraftwerke here.
Open Energi manage distributed energy to radically reduce electricity costs and provide flexible capacity to enable a 100% renewable energy system. Read our interview with Open Energi here.
Power Ledger have designed a blockchain-enabled energy trading platform that can be used to buy and sell electricity in real time as well as measuring, reporting and validating renewable generation certificates. Read our interview with Power Ledger here.
Solargis provide solar and meteorological data, energy-calculation software and consultancy for developers, investors and operators of solar power plants. Read our interview with Solargis here.
Switchd provides electricity and gas retail customers with a software service to automatically switch their energy supply to the best energy deal, saving them time and hundreds of pounds per year. Read our interview with Switchd here.
tiko operates a unique software platform that brings retail electricity customers the power of a virtual power plant and smart home energy management system designed to connect and control residential and SME assets.
Virta provide homes and businesses with a connection to smart charging stations and charging networks for their electric vehicles.