Consumer electronics giant Sharp Electronics Corp., Osaka, Japan, has made inroads in the global electrical industry over the years and although it recently curtailed its plans to build solar photovoltaic panels in Europe, it has continued to build a presence in LED lighting. Not content with those two dynamic markets, it announced this week that it will also join the energy storage and building energy management markets with a new product line it calls the SmartStorage energy solution.
The products were developed by the company’s Sharp Laboratories of America, in Camas, Wash., and the company says they represent a unique energy storage solution that can cut utility demand for commercial and industrial building operators. Offering the storage combined with solar panels or as a stand-alone energy storage system, Sharp is backing the solution with a 10 year service and performance warranty. Sharp will offer the systems in California initially and has distribution agreements in place to start that, and plans to roll it out in other markets
Separately, Eco-Shift Power Corp., Cambridge, Ontario, said it signed a letter of intent with another Sharp division, Sharp Manufacturing Co. of America, to collaborate on wireless high-bay LED lighting technologies for the North American market.