Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd. consolidates fuel cell generator R&D sites and establishes a new R&D site to enable seamless integration from material development to commercialization

Tokyo, Japan, May 15, 2026 – Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd. (the company) announced that it has established a new fuel cell generator R&D site to accelerate social contributions through fuel cell generators and strengthen co-creation among industry, government, and academia.

Through the seamless handling of the entire process from basic research to the commercialization of fuel cell generators, the site serves as a core facility for further advancing the company’s R&D capabilities and competitiveness. Taking the site as a starting point, the company will address energy challenges in society and contribute to sustainable social development by partnering with relevant stakeholders.

While GX (green transformation) and DX (digital transformation) are accelerating globally, expectations are growing for distributed power sources that ensure a stable energy supply, rapid deployment, and resilience, due to rising geopolitical and disaster risks. In response to these social challenges, the company has been developing distributed energy solutions, including fuel cell generators, over many years.

As cogeneration systems that can provide electricity and heat in both normal and emergency situations, the company’s fuel cell generators support society across a wide range of fields.

Fuel cell generators the company develops and provides

• ENE-FARM* household fuel cell cogeneration system
  Efficiently generates electricity and hot water for daily use at home and ensures their availability even during emergencies, such as power outages.
• Pure hydrogen fuel cell generators: Commercial and industrial use
  Supplies electricity and heat while balancing carbon neutrality and BCP (business continuity plan).

The company will build an energy foundation that supports everything from homes to social infrastructure by applying the technology and quality it has cultivated in household fuel cell cogeneration systems to commercial and industrial use.

*ENE-FARM is a registered trademark of Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd., Osaka Gas Co., Ltd., and ENEOS Corporation.

Upholding Panasonic GREEN IMPACT, the company will move ahead toward creating a society where systems that connect and utilize energy and information permeate every corner of daily life and thrive on co-creation for the well-being of people and our planet. The company positions energy solutions driven by well-being & energy management as a priority business and will further strengthen the development of solutions that address energy issues.

The R&D site consolidates the following three functions in one building.

1. Material R&D functions: Develop materials and processes for components that determine the performance of fuel cell generators.
2. Product development functions: Test fuel processors and systems under actual conditions to determine readiness for live operations and commercialization.
3. Market verification functions: Support ensuring the reliability of products and components as well as assist in market launch decisions.

By fulfilling the above three functions, the company will enhance the consistency of research, development, and verification to achieve high-quality product development.

At the site, the company will continue to evolve elemental technologies—such as low cost, high efficiency, high output, and high durability—through collaboration among industry, government, and academia and co-creation with business partners, thereby enhancing product reliability and the value the company provides to customers.

Opening ceremony

For the opening ceremony held in late April, the company welcomed many guests from industry, government, and academia. Distinguished Professor Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University, who was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, expressed words of expectation and encouragement for the site in his keynote speech.

The city of Takatsuki in Osaka Prefecture, where the fuel cell generator R&D site is located, is where Matsushita Electronics Corporation—the joint venture with Philips of the Netherlands—was founded by Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Panasonic, to lead the age of electricity and introduce advanced technologies from overseas in postwar Japan. Panasonic Lighting Devices Co., Ltd., which descended from Matsushita Electronics Corporation, is still based in the city.

To Takatsuki, a place that goes down in Panasonic’s history, the fuel cell generator business relocated its product development and sales departments in October 2022. This time, the company consolidated its basic R&D departments to establish a new R&D site.

Inquiries:
Fuel Cell Generators & Hydrogen Strategic Business Unit, Sustainable Energy Business Unit, Electrical Construction Materials & Living Energy Business Division, Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.
TEL: +81-6-6908-1131