MANUFACTURINGINTEGRATION
It is the combination of these areas of excellence that Sanyo has focused on to develop their long term vision for green based energy supplies. Rather than rest on the laurels of the products the company sought a way to integrate their energy creation with their energy storage and develop technology that will lead to industrial size projects that can provide the power required for industry.
They decided the best way to do this was to build what they had in mind and then show the world how effective it was. This is not the first time Sanyo has built infrastructure with the goal of improving their technology. The Solar Ark in Gifu Prefecture, in the geographical centre of Japan, is a unique, ark-shaped, solar photovoltaic power generation facility that was built to not only provide a testing environment for the solar panels but also offers activities to cultivate a better appreciation of solar power generation. The 315m-wide, 37m-tall facility can be seen from the JR Tokaido bullet train and contains a museum of solar energy and a hands- on experience for visitors to discover the potential of solar energy.
Smart integration
Selling solar cells and battery storage is obviously a key component of a Green Energy goal but Sanyo realised that potential customers wanted more than product. They wanted smart solutions that could actively show improvements in energy usage. Setting up a major energy plant is very expensive in the initial phases and companies wanted proof that their investment was worthwhile and the promised return on investments were plausible. Unfortunately the industry was too new to provide such data so Sanyo chose themselves as the guinea pigs to be able to prove the merits of their energy ideas.
Sanyo has a history of innovative concepts in selling their product. A perfect example of this is their hybrid electric bicycles. Some parts of the world do not realise the company makes bicycles but they are one of the best selling types in Asia. The publicity people at Sanyo are more than happy to explain that the company chooses it markets carefully and does not enter markets where they are unlikely to be a top three provider. It is the reason that their bicycles are not as visible in Europe.
Rather than be a blocking point to sales Sanyo developed an ingenious idea that combined their
bicycles with their energy concepts to develop a package that includes hybrid electric bicycles with storage sheds that are solar powered energy stations for the bikes.
Rather than try and sell the items separate Sanyo has been selling the idea as a package where someone purchases the solar powered shelters and the bikes. The customer focus here has been with hospitals, local councils, even nature reserves such as Yellowstone Park in the USA. This sort of imaginative product integration is the basis of the new Green Energy Park at Kasai in Hyogo prefecture that the company opened at the end of 2010.
Putting your money Before Panasonic came along with takeover aspirations, Sanyo was already considering how they would show what solar energy could provide companies. To this end they began work on the Green Energy Park at their Kasai plant. The Green Energy Park is described as a next-generation eco- friendly plant equipped with Sanyo’s green technology. The park has been built to showcase Sanyo’s energy solutions to customers and to demonstrate efficient energy utilization.
The goal is to use the Park as a research prototype for a holistic approach to energy creation, storage and management. Sanyo sees the Park as a stepping stone to future energy management at the local level for industrial and large community concerns such as hospitals and schools. A large
A view into the large energy storage area in Kasai
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A view of the solar covered roof of the new manufacturing site in Kasai
www.solar-pv-management.com Issue I 2011
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