Tesla has reportedly taken a major step to expand its presence in Japan’s energy market through a partnership with Yamada Denki, the country’s largest electronics retail chain.
According to a report from Nikkei Asia, Tesla will soon offer its Powerwall home battery system through the Japanese retail giant, which operates nearly 1,000 stores nationwide. Yamada Denki’s stores are known for selling everything from home appliances to lifestyle products, making the partnership a great way to introduce the Powerwall to a mainstream consumer base that may not yet be familiar with residential energy storage solutions.
Tesla’s Powerwall is a rechargeable lithium-ion battery designed for residential use. It allows homeowners to store energy from solar panels or from the grid during off-peak hours when electricity is cheaper. This stored energy can be used when grid energy is more expensive or during outages, helping homeowners reduce energy costs and improve energy resilience.
Japan is as an ideal market for such technology. The country regularly faces natural disasters like typhoons and earthquakes, which disrupt power supply, making a reliable home energy storage system like the Powerwall indispensable.
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Powerwalls also play a vital role in Tesla’s virtual power plant (VPP) program, where individual Powerwalls can be connected to form a large, distributed energy resource that provides power back to the grid when needed.
Tesla has already set up a VPP in Japan. The Miyakojima VPP was first launched in 2021. Located in Okinawa Prefecture through a partnership with Miyakojima Mirai Energy Co., Ltd. and Nextems Co., Ltd,, the VPP had grown to over 300 homes with Powerwall batteries installed by August 2022.
