Using cold storage to lower energy prices in Japan

This summer has sent both temperatures and electricity prices soaring. One Japanese startup, however, has found a way to use industrial cold storage to reduce our energy bills. Today we sit down with Takehito Nishiyama, the CEO Greenphard Energy, and we talk about what it takes for startups to meaningfully compete in Japan's energy markets, how hardware startups can avoid the scalability trap, and how to sell to large Japanese industrials. It's a great conversation, and I think you'll enjoy it. Show Notes Why making money from demand response is hard How industrial cooling costs can be reduced by 40% How to start a startup from within another startup Developing a GTM to target Japanese industrial companies A unique electricity arbitrage opportunity How hardware startups can escape the scalability trap How to onboard Japanese industrial clients The future of Japanese energy startups Is the Japanese education system really that conservative? Links from the Founder Everything you ever wanted to know about Greenphard Energy Connect with Takehito on LinkedIn Leave a comment Transcript Welcome to Disrupting Japan, Straight talk from Japan's most innovative founders and VCs. I'm Tim Romero, and thanks for joining me. Good lord, it is hot outside! Of course, maybe you see things differently. I have no idea where you are or even when you are listening to this episode of Disrupting Japan, but here in Tokyo in August of 2026, it is hot. Well, today we're going to sit down with Takehito Nishiyama, founder of Greenphard Energy, a startup that's working to help keep us cool. Well, not so much keep us cool, but keep our food cool. You see, Greenphard works with refrigerated warehouses to significantly cut their electricity costs and to help them actually earn money from their electricity use. Now, in this episode, we talk about demand response, or DR. Now, we don't define it during the interview, but the idea is pretty simple. When electricity demand gets so high that it threatens to destabilize the grid, power companies will pay heavy electricity users to cut back for a while. And strategic use of demand response is a big part of Greenphard's offering. Takehito and I talk about how startups can escape the scalability trap that plagues so many industrial startups, how to start a startup from within another startup, and just why innovation is so slow to come to the energy sector in Japan. But you know, Takehito tells that story much better than I can. So, let's get right to the interview. Interview Tim: So, we're sitting down with Takehito Nishiyama of Greenphard Energy, who's helping reduce customers' electricity bills and balance grid demand. So, thanks for sitting down with us. Takehito: Thank you. Tim: In the intro, I gave a really brief description of what you guys do, but I'm sure you can explain it much better than I can. Takehito: Greenphard provides electricity solutions for mainly a refrigerator or air conditioner user. And also we provide our product for electricity producer side as well. We are IoT and physical AI provider and we are electricity trader as well. We are in a unique position. Tim: So, if I understand it, you're working to, on one side, increase the efficiency of HVAC, of cooling and refrigeration, and on the demand side, take advantage of demand response programs that are being offered by Japan's energy company. Takehito: Yeah, right. We control HVAC system, refrigerate and freeze very deeply. And we have two main value. First one is saving electricity consumption. And our second one is creating new electricity resource from electricity consumption side. Tim: Well, I mean, it's a really good topic right now, because it is suddenly very hot in Tokyo. Takehito: Yeah, right. Today's temperature is crazy level. Tim: Yeah, it's just like rainy season ended and it's been 35 degrees for the last week. Yeah, right. Takehito: And also today, summer area reached 40 degrees. Tim: Oh my God