Tokyo Gas unit to test BESS-PV model in Thailand factories

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has selected TGES for its Global South Future-Oriented Co-Creation Project. The program is funded through METI contributions to the Association for Overseas Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Partnerships’ ASEAN-Japan Economic and Industrial Cooperation Committee (AMEICC) and supports large-scale demonstrations in ASEAN member countries.

The roughly JPY 3.7 billion ($22.8 million) demonstration will install about 20 MWh of BESS capacity and about 20 MW of PV capacity across multiple high-demand factory sites in Thailand under an on-site power purchase agreement structure, TGES said. Under the model, PV output is used directly during the day, surplus solar charges the batteries, and stored power is discharged during evening hours or peak demand periods.

TGES said the project marks its first overseas demonstration of this integrated BESS-PV supply technology. The company cited a November 2024 domestic installation of solar and lithium-ion batteries at Honda’s Kumamoto plant and its Hosoe outboard motor factory in Shizuoka prefecture as its track record for the technology.

TGES said rising solar adoption in Thailand has created surplus midday electricity and grid-stability challenges, and that the demonstration aims to test whether battery storage can absorb excess solar generation and shift it to periods of higher demand.

The company said it will collect performance data on system effectiveness, equipment reliability, and operating conditions in Thailand’s high-temperature, high-humidity climate to support a broader commercial rollout of Japanese-made industrial BESS and PV equipment in the country.

TGES is a subsidiary of Tokyo Gas Group, operating under the group’s “IGNITURE” solutions brand, launched in 2023 around decarbonization, optimization, and resilience.