April 17, 2014 – Hydro-Quebec and Sony Corp. are establishing a joint venture to research and develop a large-scale energy storage system for power grids. They plan to establish the unnamed new company in June 2014.

“By combining Hydro-Quebec’s experience in electricity systems and its R&D work in energy storage with Sony’s expertise in lithium-ion battery production, we are creating a world-class joint venture with the necessary expertise to manage the R&D of batteries for renewable energy storage and the smart grid,” said Elie Saheb, executive vice-president, technology, for Hydro-Quebec.

According to the utility, demand for safe and reliable large-scale energy storage systems will increase to meet demand for electric power during peak times, stabilize fluctuations in electricity generated by renewable energy sources, and secure a stable power supply in case of outages or disasters.

The new company will utilize Hydro-Quebec’s operation and control technologies for electric power supplies—as well as its lithium-ion battery material technology—together with Sony’s control technologies for olivine-type lithium-ion iron phosphate rechargeable batteries and scalable module systems.