Sanyo to boost energy business

Sanyo aims to increase the annual sales amount of its energy saving products in China from the current US$36.5 million to US$146 million by 2015.

The company noted that the number of convenience stores is increasing from about 10,000 in fiscal 2010 to 40,000 in fiscal 2015 and energy-saving laws are being prepared in China.

In Japan, Sanyo is planning to launch the "Smart Energy System" business, which is for introducing photovoltaic batteries, storage batteries and energy-saving commercial equipment in convenience stores, etc in the aim of optimizing energy supply and demand, in 2011 with a scale of US$18.2 million per year. In addition, the company intends to expand its energy-saving service that reduces energy use and improves business operations at supermarkets by "visualizing energy" to a scale of US$60.8 million per year.

In the Japanese distribution and retail industries, the Revised Energy Use Law was implemented in 2010, changing the objects of the regulation from business places to companies. As a result, businesses that run more than seven supermarkets or more than 29-39 convenience stores are now the objects of the regulation, which means almost all of the businesses.

Sanyo is now actively promoting the visualization of energy use, systems that control lighting and refrigeration equipment and non-chlorofluorocarbon freezing systems using carbon dioxide for such businesses to realize environment-conscious stores.