Smart-grid plans entice Japanese - Houston Business Journal:

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A memorandum of understanding signed in earlu Mayby Gov. Bill Richardson and ToshihirkoNakai – Japan’s minister of economy, trade and industryu – could facilitate tens of millions of dollars in Japanes e public and private investment in clean energt and “smart grid” technology, said Tom Bowles, Richardson’ds science advisor, who is on loan from . The MOU doesn’ft contain funding commitments. But Bowles said both sidesz are now discussing concrete agreements to facilitate Japanese participatiohnin smart-grid projects that New Mexicko hopes to launch with federal stimuluzs money.
“We’re working to closed on binding agreements with the Japanese to provid e financial resourcesand hands-om involvement in the installation, operation and performance analysis of smart-grir projects,” Bowles said. “Everybodt is committed and working togetherf tomove forward. We’re just hammering out the The MOU expressesboth sides’ interest in collaboratinfg on research and developmentg of clean energy and the smart grid. It also calles for cooperation in the design and manufacture ofemerginf biotechnology, nanotechnology and information technologies.
The MOU came out of a three-dauy meeting in Albuquerque in April witha 40-membeer Japanese delegation of government officials and businesses. Bowles said the MOU is the first such agreement Japan has signed with any state government. “It’s a real coup,” Bowless said. “Other states are perhapws making overtures tothe Japanese, but we’re the only statew in the U.S. now that has an MOU like this in The Japanese are attracted toNew Mexico’x abundant solar and other cleanh energy resources, and to its advancee research capabilities at the national labs and They want to test and develop emergint technologies by installing and demonstrating them in a new internationao energy park.
“The challenge for smart gridsz is how to reliably incorporate renewablez intothe system,” Bowles said. “Solarf and wind can vary a lot. We need to demonstrates a fully integrated system that can supplu a constant source of A lot of details must stil be worked out for the Japaness to install such technologies in an energy park, Bowles said. “Japanese companiesw will build and install thesolar panels, but we need to definre who owns the grid and the power it produces, and who gets paid for Bowles said. “All that needs to be workedr out.” The partners are holdingh video conferences and scheduling visits byJapanese groups.
They want an agreement in place by when the releases its final guidelines for statesz to bid on stimulusx fundingfor smart-grid projects, Bowles said. Japaneses investment could help New Mexicomeet matching-fund requirements for federal grants (see related story on page 6). Once detailws are finalized, it coule mean a lot of Japanese investment, said Stephah Helgesen of the EconomicDevelopmeng Department’s Office of Science and “We expect actual bricks-and-mortar investmentsa to come from Helgesen said. Long-standing relationships between the Japanese and the nationall labs in New Mexico helpe d facilitatethe MOU, Helgese n said.
In fact, and Japan’sw National Institute of Advance Industrial Science and Technology signede a separate agreement on May 4 to conduct and share researchon photovoltaics, nanomaterials and computational investigationsa of the properties of said Bob Hwang, a senior manager at Sandia. “Our agreement and the state’sw MOU with Japan will enables strong collaborationon energy-relevant technologies,” Hwangy said.
“Sandia will support New Mexico in all of these Mushtaq Khan, project manager and senior researcher with the New Mexicol Institute of Mining and Technology’s Institut e for Engineering and Research Applications, said he expects the Japanesre to test some technologies in the town of Playasa in southern New Mexico. The university owns the town and, with DOE is now testing smart-grid technologieds there. “They want to work with us becaus e there are very few places like Playaws that are set up to do this kindof real-world Khan said.