Kota Sato

As a Solution Engineer for Hitachi Energy, I am accountable for various tasks, including negotiating with customers, writing specifications, system testing, issue management, and software releases.

When I joined the Operations Team of the Grid Automation, I was assigned to work on the Counterparty Settlements & Billing (CSB)^*1 solution. My role has enabled me to contribute to Hitachi Energy's goal of providing efficient and accurate accounting and billing of complex contracts and implementing it according to our customer's specifications.
^{*1. Counterparty Settlements & Billing | Hitachi Energy}

I have also led in developing a settlement system for Transmission System Operator (TSO) and managing the CSB solution. As a liaison between Hitachi Energy and Global Product Group (GPG), I work with the sales team regarding project management and customer experience (CX). I also provide software, AC, and grid edge solutions.

Leading change, advancing energy

In Japan, each TSO has used to solicit the power reserve after closing the wholesale electricity market (GC: Gate Close) only within the relevant area. Still, in April 2021, the Electric Power Reserve Exchange (EPRX) was established to achieve total optimization through market procurement across the country.

This has resulted in cost savings for TSO as the procurement and operation of regulated power supplies have been broadened. EPRX procures regulated power using the Market Management System (MMS)^*2 developed by Hitachi and Hitachi Energy. That power is operated by Keystone Japanese Coordination System (KJC), created by another company. By applying our CSB, we can calculate rates based on contractual information and various factors extracted from the MMS and other systems to determine the ΔkW (delta kilowatts) power available to the market and the kWh value subject to adjustment. At the CSB, the output data is reflected in the transactions (invoices, etc.) between the TSO and market participants, so careful accounting work is required.
^{*2.Network Manager MMS | Hitachi Energy}

Currently, the power reserve is in a transitional period, with public and market procurement running concurrently, but the plan is to transition entirely to market procurement beginning in FY2024. Various events since the opening of the market have caused the market rules to be revised from time to time. Furthermore, the number of products handled in the market is expected to increase further through FY2024. We will continue to work with customers to build settlement systems while flexibly responding to these changes in circumstances.

Shaping the Future of Sustainable Energy

According to EPRX, based on actual transactions in FY2021, we estimate that the cost of wide-area procurement of power reserve was reduced by about 30% compared to conventional procurement in the area. Our CSB solution is the behind-the-scenes software that underpins this market operation. We will continue to contribute to the efficiency of TSO’s settlement operations.

Beyond boundaries, together.
During the period when we were verifying the results of system tests and retesting almost every day for several weeks with our customers, it was like we were in a remote training camp. I spent many tense days because I could not complete the test items by the target completion date. Still, it was an exciting time because it created a sense of unity as a single project team that transcended company boundaries.

Diversity as a driving force for growth and value creation.
Our current project is highly diverse, with members from different nationalities, backgrounds, and specialties. Taking advantage of this diversity, each member focuses on their role and sometimes goes above and beyond to enhance the value of the entire team and meet our customers' expectations. The good thing is that we respect diversity within the team and feel growth while giving each other stimulation.

#Diversity360 #MeetOurPeople #ProudToBeHitachiEnergy

You can follow and comment the stories from this series here (employees only).