Active Power, a maker of flywheels, has just opened a Tokyo office in order to serve the burgeoning Asia-Pacific markets.

I'm sure there are good reasons for being in Tokyo, but by far and away the greatest growth in electricity consumption is going to be in China, which plans a 6 fold increase in electrification by 2020. Still, many high-tech firms - including I would guess, Active Power - remain nervous of locating in China. They worry that their intellectual property will not be protected, either by the business culture and especially by the courts. A quick glance at the internet suggests there are more than a few companies in China that are engaged with flywheel technology who wouldn't mind getting together with AP or for that matter Beacon Power.