Tokyo, Japan, July 3, 2012 – Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. announced today that its subsidiary, Fuji Electric Retail Systems Co., Ltd. has developed a new “night-shift” type of vending machine designed to save energy during peak electricity demand. The new vending machine has been developed in collaboration with Coca-Cola® (Japan) Co., Ltd. as part of the “Apollo” ultra-energy-saving vending machine development project.
In the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake that struck in 2011, Japan’s business environment has seen an increased demand for vending machines that consume power more efficiently. In response this growing demand, the Apollo joint-development project was undertaken with the goal of helping to reduce electricity consumption during peak electricity usage hours by developing more energy-efficient vending machines. Fuji Electric has stated that this project is one example of their ongoing effort to remain committed to responding to public demands and society’s needs.
Since demand for electricity generally peaks in the daytime, this new peak-shift type of vending machine uses electricity for refrigeration during the nighttime, when electricity demand is comparatively low, thereby significantly reducing power consumption during the day. Refrigeration is performed entirely during the night and then maintained through a highly advanced insulation technology that employs vacuum insulation materials, as well as a thermal-storage technology that enables efficient electricity usage in the daytime. This allows the vending machine to provide cold beverages for an entire day without consuming any electricity for refrigeration during that peak energy-demand time.
The vending machine’s performance will be verified, and its peak-shift nighttime refrigeration functions exposed to a maximum test scenario in a field test conducted in Kumagaya City in Saitama Prefecture and Tajimi City in Gifu Prefecture, the hottest regions in Japan beginning mid- July 2012.
About Fuji Electric Corp. of America
Fuji Electric Corp. of America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., and has been responsible for sales and distribution of the company’s products since 1970. Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. has been developing power electronics equipment since 1923, and is a global leader in industrial products ranging from semiconductors, photoconductors, and radiation detection equipment to AC drives and electric vehicle charging stations. For more information please visit www.americas.fujielectric.com
Media Contacts:
Doretta Caprarola
Fuji Electric Marketing Manager
(201) 490-3933
dcaprarola@fecoa.fujielectric.com
