ORIX, Envision Digital amp up solar farms in Japan

Image courtesy of Envision Digital

ORIX Renewable Energy Management (OREM) and Envision Digital International have teamed up partnership to deploy advanced analytics and remote monitoring applications in utility-scale solar farms across 82 sites in Japan.

By improving energy productivity and operational efficiency, the deployment will enhance ORIX’s efforts to popularise renewable energy and contribute to Japan’s national goal of increasing its reliance on renewables to 24% of its energy mix by 2030.

With 1,000 megawatts (MW) of solar energy assets, including utility-scale, commercial and industrial, ORIX is one of the largest solar asset managers in Japan. It also develops and operates its own fleet of solar farms that currently generate 420 MW in utility.

The partnership with Envision Digital will involve the deployment of Ensight Solar and Enlight Solar, the company’s cloud-based advanced analytics and remote monitoring solutions. By leveraging Ensight Solar’s algorithms, which proactively detects emerging system underperformance and component health issues from raw data and delivers recommendations for corrective action, OREM’s operations and maintenance (O&M) teams can visualise power generation conditions and pre-emptively maintain the long-term efficiency and health of its photovoltaic (PV) assets.

Enlight Solar then overlays real-time remote operational monitoring capabilities across ORIX’s diverse portfolio of distributed PV sites, allowing OREM’s O&M teams to provide immediate recovery support in the event of malfunctions and maximise power generation capacity. Both solutions are powered by EnOS, Envision Digital’s AIoT (Artificial Intelligence of Things) operating system.

“With Envision Digital’s end-to-end solution and expertise, OREM can provide total customer support – from proposals to implementation to maintenance, which in turn helps our customers optimise energy use and reduce costs,” said Yurita Kazuhisa, chief strategy officer of ORIX Renewable Energy Management.

Sylvie Ouziel, international president at Envision Digital, said AIoT projects like this help to improve the productivity of existing renewable energy assets.

“Over time, the wider adoption of AIoT in the sector will create further network effects and amplify current benefits,” said Ouziel. “This local project, among others, along with our recent expansion of operations with a new office in the Kanagawa prefecture, reinforce our commitment toward empowering a more sustainable future for citizens and businesses in Japan.”