A patch of land in the shadow of Mount Fuji is becoming a testing ground for energy storage, with some of Japan's leading companies trying to develop technologies such as spinning flywheels and fuel cells.
The Yamanashi Prefectural Government is hoping that by attracting companies such as Panasonic Corp. and Toray Industries Inc. it can become a kind of Silicon Valley for energy storage development.
As part of a project in the city of Kofu, the prefecture has built a 1-megawatt solar power station that is being made available to developers of storage devices who want to run tests under closed conditions, according to Masaki Sakamoto, an official in charge of the project.