ESSJ 2016 Post Show Report:
International Heft & Unique Opportunities Propel
the Future of Energy Storage

Extraordinarily High International Turnout
Now in its third successful year, the Energy Storage Summit Japan (ESSJ) International
Conference and Trade Fair (Nov. 8-9, 2016) served as a meeting point for industry leaders
and influencers to exchange ideas, share opinions and make connections. This year’s fair
was also remarkable for its extraordinarily high percentage of international participants. In
this first year of Japan’s de-regulated energy market, there were a total of 285
participants. Out of these attendees, there were senior managers, researchers andregulators from 24 nations. Here in Tokyo, the ESSJ participants discussed the effects ofa deregulated energy sector on the national economy. Other important topics included new
business models made possible by the deregulation, and latest storage technology
applications for smart cities, e-mobility, and more.

Strong industry focus
Considering the specific focus of the conference, it should come as no surprise that the listof participants and lecturers include the leading voices and influencers of the storage
industry. There were 124 companies and institutions represented, with the largest group(24%) being senior managers from energy storage equipment producers such as GS
Yuasa, NEC, NGK, Panasonic, Sumitomo Electric, and others. Also in attendance wereBMW, Tesla, Toyota, and other major players from the automotive industry — all of whomspoke of their company’s commitments to storage technology. About 11% of theparticipants came from research institutions such as Germany’s largest researchorganization Fraunhofer, and Japan’s leading think tanks AIST and NEDO. Media outlets
such as Bloomberg news and representatives from financial institutions such as SMBC

and Aon accounted for an additional five percent each.

Satisfied ParticipantsContent-wise, ESSJ scored high levels of satisfaction from attendees. Specific remarks
were noted on speakers providing the latest information on regulation & deregulation,business case studies, and storage application. Other notable praise mentioned the onsite tour, which provided another opportunity to experience storage technologies first-hand.
A total of 74% of the participants rated ESSJ as very satisfactory or satisfactory.
Lorraine H. Akiba, Commissioner, State of Hawaii Public Utilities Commission summarized
it this way:
“The Energy Storage Summit Japan 2016 is a worthwhile and informative global
conference with speakers on current key energy topics convened in one location.
The additional field trip to various projects with battery storage, energy
management system projects and renewable energy projects was very valuable,
and allowed us to visit sites that we as individuals would have no access to. The
conference also provided the attendees with the opportunity for one-on-one
conversations on key topics with diverse representatives from all across theworld.”

An Exceptional Networking and Business Platform
Once again, ESSJ served not only as hub of information, but also as place to network. In
addition to the networking reception on Nov. 8, this year’s new “Meet the Speakers” event
received special praise and attention. Here participants could arrange one-on-one
meetings with this year’s presenters. This provided the opportunity to get first-handinformation and opinions from specialists such as Imre Gyuk (Energy Storage Program
Manager at the US Department of Energy), Yoshimi Okada (Chiyoda Corp.), and Rahul
Walawalkar (Executive Director, India Energy Storage Alliance).
Regarding networking and contacts, Dr. Hiroshi Hanafusa from NEC’s ESS division stated:“The Energy Storage Summit Japan 2016 was a great event characterized by avery well-organized program of exceptional speakers and fruitful discussions.
There were not only specialists from the energy industry, but also speakers andconference participants from the top levels of certification institutions, universities,

financial institutions like banks and insurance companies, as well as frommunicipalities and government institutions from Japan and abroad. Through theircontribution, ESSJ became the place to gain the latest expertise and ideas about
future objectives.”
Accolades like this came not only from conference participants, but also from theexhibitors. The 10 exhibitors at ESSJ 2016 came from Japan, Germany and France,
and they used the chance not only to present their technology, but also to provide insight
into their products during presentations to the conference participants. Kelvin Mo fromSEI’s Energy System Division explained:“We were given examples on the introduction of batteries from Europe and theU.S., regions clearly ahead in the introduction of storage devices. These
examples provided us with hints for our own products’ development and sales.
Moreover, the discussion about thermal storage and hydrogen provided an
outlook on additional storage technologies that have to be taken into account.
ESSJ was a very good opportunity to gain insights, and we have highexpectations for further editions.”
The next ESSJ will take place in Tokyo Nov. 7-9, 2017, and will consist of a 2-day
conference and trade fair (Nov. 7-8) followed by one day of on-site visits (Nov. 9).

Information on ESSJ:
Web: http://essj.messe-dus.co.jp
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EnergyStorageSummitJP/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ESSJ_2016

Contact:
Dr. Andreas Moerke / Mr. Ken Nagata
Messe Düsseldorf JapanNew Otani Garden Court 7F, 4-1 Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0074 Japan
Tel.: +81-3-5210-9951 E-mail: essj@messe-dus.co.jp