Name

Shizen Connect

Legal name

株式会社Shizen Connect (Shizen Connect Inc.)

Website

https://se-digital.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Virtual Power Plant Platform

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

VPP Orchestration & Aggregator Operating Platforms (EUAFAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

VPP Optimization, Forecasting & Dispatch Software (AI/ML, Digital Twins) (EUAFAHAG), Device/Asset Enablement & Edge Control (IoT Gateways, Controllers, Interoperability) (EUAFAHAI), Virtual Power Plants & Aggregation Market Access (DER Aggregation, Dispatch, Settlement) (EUAMAMAE), Residential DER Aggregation & VPPs (Solar+Storage, Smart Home, Community) (EUAFAHAA), EV Charging & Fleet VPP Aggregation (Managed Charging, V2G, Depot/Highway) (EUAFAHAC), Microgrid & Community Energy VPPs (Campus, Military, Remote, Resilience) (EUAFAHAE)

Keywords

• Virtual power plant
• Demand response
• Energy management system
• Distributed energy resources
• Battery aggregation

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. VPP platform SaaS subscription (機器制御型DR支援サービス, 系統用蓄電池制御 SaaS, HEMS SaaS, 遠隔検針 SaaS): Recurring SaaS subscription fees from retailers/utilities/aggregators using Shizen Connect for DR (energy-DR, demand-creation, supply-demand tight, capacity-market, balancing-market), grid-scale battery control, HEMS, and remote metering; monthly or annual billing per usage plan with auto-renewal; paid annually/monthly in advance; can be sold via direct or via resellers.
2. Grid-scale battery operation agency (運用代行): Shizen Connect performs trading and remote control/monitoring on behalf of battery owners (e.g., TENOHA Higashimatsuyama, Nishitetsu Battery Hub Umi/Iizuka, Hulic Saga/Hyogo, Matsuyama Storage); revenue generated from market arbitrage across wholesale, capacity, and balancing markets plus BG operation and charging-power retail supply.
3. IoT hardware sales (Shizen Box series): Sale of proprietary Shizen Box 2 (EBI01W010) and Shizen Box 1 Industrial (EBA03B010) edge devices with built-in LTE closed-network, plus legacy SKUs (ECA01B010/EBA02B010) which ended sale on 2025-05-31; supports 5-year compatibility guarantee post end-of-sale.
4. Setup Card and DR-subsidy enablement fees: Sales of "Shizen Connect セットアップカード" (QR-code-based setup) to battery retailers/aggregators enabling residential batteries to qualify for DR subsidies without installing dedicated IoT hardware; sold via trading companies and manufacturer/distributor partners.
5. Energy-management professional services (microgrid design, FIP/自己託送, EV/蓄電池 peak-cut studies): Project-based professional services including microgrid basic design commissions (e.g., Kamishihoro, Obuse), microgrid implementation (KURKKU FIELDS, Karatsu Purification Center, Aquadium Kumamoto, Hiyukan High School), and demand/renewable aggregation services for FIP/自己託送 via Shizen Connect platform.
6. Multi-tenant OEM/white-label platform licensing: Multi-tenant (OEM/white-label) SaaS option that allows partners to share the Shizen Connect system infrastructure while branding/customizing for their own customers, providing a license-revenue layer atop the standard SaaS offering.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Shizen Connect develops and provides an IoT/AI cloud-based Virtual Power Plant (VPP) aggregation platform that integrates distributed energy resources such as grid-scale and co-located batteries, residential storage batteries, Eco-cute heat-pump water heaters, EVs/EV-buses, and microgrids. The platform performs AI-driven market price forecasting, optimal bid/control planning, dispatch, and remote monitoring/control across JEPX wholesale, capacity, and balancing markets, and pairs with proprietary Shizen Box edge devices.

Product overview

Shizen Connect offers a unified VPP / EMS platform plus a set of modular services and proprietary edge hardware, organized around the core 'Shizen Connect' energy management system. The core platform powers both generation-side modules (Grid-side Battery Control SaaS & Operation Agency; Co-located Renewable Energy Battery Control SaaS; Industrial Battery Control & Microgrid) and demand-side modules (Device-Controlled DR Support Service; HEMS for ZEH/GX housing; Remote Meter Reading; EV Charge/Discharge Control). Deployment is complemented by the 'Shizen Connect Setup Card' (cloud-only DR activation) and the proprietary edge devices 'Shizen Box 2' (residential HEMS/low-voltage DER) and 'Shizen Box 1 Industrial' (grid-scale/industrial sites), together covering the full lifecycle of AI-driven VPP market trading, remote control and monitoring, microgrid operation, and subsidy-aligned residential energy management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shizen Box (シゼンボックス): In-house IoT edge-computer product line (including Shizen Box 2 for low-voltage DR/VPP resources and Shizen Box 1 Industrial for grid/industrial batteries and microgrid sites) with built-in LTE closed-network connectivity. JC-STAR ★1 certified.
• Shizen Connect Setup Card (Shizen Connectセットアップカード)

Products and services

• Shizen Connect VPP/EMS Platform Core AI/IoT energy management and VPP platform that aggregates distributed energy resources (grid-scale and co-located batteries, household storage, Eco-cute, EVs) for optimal market trading, demand response, peak-cut, microgrid, and remote monitoring/control.
• Grid-side Battery Control SaaS SaaS module of the Shizen Connect platform that provides control, monitoring and trading-support functions for grid-scale battery storage operations, including market price forecasting, bid planning, and multi-tenant (OEM/whitelabel) deployment.
• Grid-side Battery Operation Agency Service Operation-agency (outsourced) service where Shizen Connect performs trading, control and remote operation on behalf of battery-owning generators across wholesale, capacity and adjustment markets.
• Co-located Renewable Energy Battery Control SaaS SaaS module that remotely controls batteries co-located with FIP solar plants to avoid output curtailment losses, improve average selling price, and combine with EPRX primary response trading.
• Device-Controlled DR Support Service Service for power retailers to remotely control household storage batteries, Eco-cute, and other DERs for economic DR, demand-creation DR, supply-tightening DR, capacity market, and adjustment market menus, including individual per-customer control logic.
• HEMS (ZEH/GX-Oriented Housing) HEMS service for residential subsidies (ZEH, ZEH+, GX-ZEH, DR subsidy) providing visualization, remote control and advanced energy management via the Shizen Box 2 controller.
• Shizen Connect Setup Card QR-code setup card enabling cloud-only DR control of household storage batteries (Omron, Kyocera, Nichicon and others) without dedicated IoT hardware, to meet DR subsidy requirements.
• Remote Meter Reading Service Remote meter reading SaaS combining an edge gateway with Wi-SUN smart meter connectivity and cloud-based self-consumption / PPA fee calculation, with multi-meter per gateway support.
• Industrial Battery Control and Microgrid Service Industrial battery control and microgrid service providing peak-cut based on demand/generation forecasting, time-of-use tariff shifting, blackout islanding (microgrid switchover), and reverse-power-flow prevention.
• EV Charge/Discharge Control Service Service that controls EV chargers and V2H devices to suppress basic-charge increase, avoid high-voltage receiving equipment upgrades, and provide peak-cut, VPP aggregation, and resilience during outages.
• Shizen Box 2 LTE closed-network-equipped edge computer for controlling low-voltage resources (household storage, Eco-cute, EV chargers/V2H, smart meters, weather meters, PV PCS); supports DR subsidies, ZEH / ZEH+ / GX-ZEH, and JC-STAR Label 1 security.
• Shizen Box 1 Industrial Industrial-grade edge computer (built on Atmark Techno Armadillo-IoT G3) for remote monitoring and control of grid-scale / industrial storage batteries, solar plants, and microgrid sites; supports SMA PPM, Sungrow EMS3000CP, fail-over and intrusion monitoring.
• Battery Monitoring & Control API Specification v1.00 External Information API for partner and system integration that allows registering/updating external data per settlement date (JEPX charge/discharge output, balancing-market award volume, remaining capacity) for battery control and O&M monitoring.

Quantifiable outcome

• 26% share of AC system/RA system corporate contracts for 2025 (No.1 in Fuji Keizai survey)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration34 records

AI capability7 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• 経済産業省 / SII (Sustainable open Innovation Initiative)flagshipOthers · 1 April 2026Shizen Connect registered as "蓄電池アグリゲーター" (battery aggregator) under METI's 令和7年度補正 再生可能エネルギー導入拡大・分散型エネルギーリソース導入支援等事業費補助金 家庭用蓄電システム導入支援事業 (FY2027 supplementary), administered by SII, enabling subsidy fulfilment via Shizen Box 2 and Setup Card.
• AAKEL / eMotion Fleet / ヤネカラ (Yanekara)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 December 2025Device partners for EV/EV-bus charge-discharge control; AAKEL joined December 2025, eMotion Fleet and Yanekara joined July 2025; together enable advanced V2G/V1G and EV-bus aggregation control on the Shizen Connect platform.
• 富士アイティ (Fuji IT) / メテオコントロール (Meteo Control) / UniversflagshipTechnology or Integration · 1 November 2025Partner contract with three major local EMS providers (Fuji IT, Meteo Control, Univers) announced November 2025 enables Shizen Connect to control large BESS via these local EMS systems. Provides multi-vendor coverage of grid-scale / co-located BESS without bespoke integrations.
• ElecONEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Partner contract signed October 2025 for joint provision of one-stop grid-scale battery control solution combining Shizen Connect platform with ElecONE's offerings.
• 東京都 (Tokyo Metropolitan Government, via Cool Net Tokyo)flagshipOthers · 1 October 2025Registered as "東京都家庭用アグリゲーター" under Tokyo Metropolitan Government's 家庭用アグリゲーションビジネス実装事業 for FY2027 (Reiwa 8), continuing from FY2026 (Reiwa 7) registration. Enables subsidy support for battery sellers installing Shizen Box 2 or Setup Card for DR-eligible household storage.
• Nature (Nature Inc.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Partner contract (October 2024) to realize "家庭のDERの最適制御" (household DER optimal control), combining Nature's energy-management services with Shizen Connect's platform.
• 自然電力 (Shizen Energy)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023Shizen Connect was established in October 2023 as a spin-off of Shizen Energy; Shizen Energy remains the lead shareholder. Group-level relationship enables co-marketing under the Shizen Energy Group umbrella and shared research/development of EV/aggregation services and renewable aggregation platforms (Shizen EPS, on-site PPA).
• 伊藤忠商事 (Itochu Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2023MOU for grid-scale battery business collaboration signed February 2023; Itochu participates in Shizen Connect Partner Meeting 2025 panels on grid-scale and co-located BESS. Represents commercial-and-strategic collaboration beyond pure financial relationship.
• NTTアノードエナジー (NTT Anode Energy)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2022Business alliance agreement (December 2022) on energy management leveraging IoT technology for carbon-neutrality; collaboration includes EV charging/discharge at NTT West Yamaguchi branch (V2H peak-cut, solar self-consumption, outage resilience).
• オムロン (Omron), 京セラ (Kyocera), 住友電気工業 (Sumitomo Electric), ニチコン (Nichicon), スマートソーラー (Smart Solar), 長州産業 (Choshu Sangyo), パナソニック (Panasonic), カナディアン・ソーラー (Canadian Solar), ダイヤゼブラ (Dia Zebra), 伊藤忠 (Itochu)flagshipTechnology or IntegrationBattery manufacturer partners whose cloud or edge-controlled residential batteries are integrated into Shizen Connect for DR/VPP control. Combined coverage ~80% of residential-battery market (cloud+edge). Notable integrations include cloud-based Setup Card support with Omron, Kyocera and Nichicon (March 2026).
• ダイキン (Daikin), コロナ (Corona), 長府製作所 (Chofu Manufacturing), 日立GLS (Hitachi GLS), パナソニック (Panasonic), 三菱電機 (Mitsubishi Electric)flagshipTechnology or IntegrationEco-cute (heat-pump water heater) manufacturer partners integrated with Shizen Connect for 上げDR / 需要創出DR control. Combined share ~97% (commercial + pilot). Supports Shizen Box 2 ECHONET Lite / cloud integration for heater remote control.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• AutoGrid (Schneider Electric): Enterprise DER and VPP platform acquired by Schneider Electric, offering flexibility management across wholesale, ancillary and retail markets globally. Comparable as an established VPP/DER platform now embedded in a broader industrial software portfolio.
• Tesla (Autobidder / Energy): Tesla's energy business includes Powerwall residential storage, Megapack grid-scale batteries, and Autobidder VPP trading platform used by operators globally. Comparable across both hardware (Powerwall vs Shizen Box) and software (Autobidder vs Shizen Connect platform) layers, though Tesla is a far broader and more diversified incumbent.

Direct peers

• EnergyHub: US-based DER aggregation platform serving utilities and energy retailers with residential battery, smart thermostat, EV, and solar DR programs. Closely comparable as a multi-DER cloud platform serving utility customers with retailer-facing DR programs.
• sonnen (Shell): Residential battery and VPP operator now owned by Shell, aggregating distributed home batteries into virtual power plants across Europe, Australia and the US. Comparable for residential battery aggregation into utility/retailer DR programs.
• Enerlis: Japanese VPP/aggregation platform operator offering retailer-facing low-voltage DR services, grid-scale battery control, and aggregated energy management. Most direct Japanese peer: CSO Hirao was formerly Enerlis's Executive Officer of Business Planning Division and Sakamaki was in Enerlis's DR control and market forecasting team.
• Voltus: US commercial DER and demand-response aggregator connecting building loads, batteries and generators into wholesale capacity, ancillary and retail DR programs. Comparable as a pure-play VPP/DR aggregation services business.
• Terrace Energy (formerly SB Energy): Japanese VPP/DER aggregation business from the SoftBank group offering household battery aggregation, EV control and grid-scale battery services to utilities and retailers. Direct competitor for retailer low-voltage DR service contracts; CSO Hirao previously headed SB Energy's VPP business promotion office.
• The Mobility House: European EV charging, V2G and battery aggregation platform; COO Abo was previously Japan Representative. Directly comparable for the EV aggregation / V2H / charging-control module of Shizen Connect's product suite.
• Stem Inc (now STEM): AI-driven energy storage optimization and VPP platform serving commercial/industrial and utility-scale battery assets across North America. Comparable as an AI-driven battery optimization SaaS operating across wholesale and ancillary services markets.

Emerging players

• Sunrun: US residential solar and battery installer operating its own VPP via aggregated Brightbox batteries for grid services and retailer DR programs. Comparable in the residential-DER-VPP segment but more vertically integrated into installation rather than a pure platform play.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat8 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shizen-connect

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors7 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shizen Connect