Economy & Tech

Startup Aims to Launch World's First Battery Tanker by 2025

Startup PowerX's new ship, designed to transport renewable energy from rural to urban areas, would allow for distribution of surplus clean energy across oceans.

Published

8 months ago

August 24, 2023

The Sankei Shimbun

Image of the battery tanker being developed by PowerX. (Image courtesy of PowerX)

Read the full story on Japan 2 Earth - Startup Aims to Launch World's First Battery Tanker by 2025

PowerX, a Tokyo-based startup company, is working to develop a "battery tanker", a cargo ship to transport energy. When completed, it will be the first of its kind.

The vessel would store surplus electricity from solar, wind, and other renewable energy produced in rural areas in storage batteries installed on board. The energy could then be transported to urban areas.

The government's Basic Plan on Ocean Policy, approved by the Cabinet in April 2023, clearly states that it will consider supporting this project. Likewise, major trading and power companies are supporting the project with their investments.

Delivering Excess Energy to Where It's Needed

Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kyushu, and other regions where renewable energy is expanding have recently seen a sharp increase in "output power control." Electric power companies are instructing operators to temporarily halt power generation to avoid an excess supply of electricity.

*Overhead image of the battery tanker. (Image courtesy of PowerX)*

Battery tankers, if successfully developed and commercialized, are expected to lead to more effective utilization of renewable energy.

Continue reading the full story on Japan 2 Earth to learn more about how this cargo ship that transports clean energy could soon become a reality.

And find more great articles on the environment and the challenges of achieving the SDGs on our new website Japan 2 Earth (J2E), sparking a transition to the future.

(Read the article in Japanese.)

Author: The Sankei Shimbun