SoftBank Group and Bloom Energy Corp. launched a 50/50 joint venture that will bring Bloom fuel cells to Japan. Softbank has a majority stake in cellular carrier Sprint.
The new company, Bloom Energy Japan Limited, will offer Bloom Energy’s servers. A plant in Newark, Del. Is now building the servers on a limited basis. The serves will be installed at Delmarva Power sites as part of the state’s alternative energy program.
Bloom fuel cells are powered by natural gas or renewable gas from landfills.
Bloom, to date, has focused on the U.S. Market. Prior ot the Softbank announcement, the company had gained an investment from Germany’s largest utility.
A joint release from the two companies cited damage caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake, the incident at the Fukushima nuclear plant and closings of other nuclear plants as factors that are causing an electric power shortage in the nation.
Energy imports have greatly expanded Japan’s trade deficit while consumer electricity prices have recently risen by double digits.
Bloom Energy Japan was created to provide a reliable electricity alternative that is at once safe, clean, affordable, and compact, and provides electricity around the clock, the release stated. Bloom has been touting the reliability of the fuel cells, which kept running in Delaware during Hurricane Sandy.
With the establishment of this Joint Venture, SoftBank will add distributed power from Bloom Energy and further encourages the domestic use of clean energy complementing its existing portfolio of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, the release stated.
“I am delighted that we are establishing this Joint Venture with Bloom Energy, an innovation leader in energy. By providing Bloom Energy’s breakthrough technology through this new Joint Venture, SoftBank will further empower the adoption of innovative, clean energy,” said Masayoshi Son, Representative and CEO of SoftBank.
“Empowering customers in Japan to buy electricity on their terms is another significant step on our journey to change the way energy is generated and consumed in the world,” said . KR Sridhar, co-funder and CEO of Bloom Energy.
SoftBank offers mobile communications, broadband infrastructure, fixed-line telecommunications, Internet culture and other services.
In October 2011, SoftBank Corp. established SB Energy Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary which produces electricity from renewable energy sources. For more information, see http://www.softbank.co.jp/en/.
