Updating Fukushima's Image

Source : Ministry of the Environment

What aspects of Fukushima's image should be updated, in what way, and from whose perspective? In this article we will focus on the public statement published following Part 3 "Support by Learning, Support by Sharing--Summary" of the panel discussion "Update Fukushima--Support Fukushima by Learning and Sharing with Others."

The Update Fukushima Executive Committee hosted the panel discussion on February 10, 2018, after recognizing the need to bring relief to residents of Fukushima who are struggling with prejudice and harmful rumors generated from a distorted image of the prefecture. The discussion focused on the current situation in Fukushima and how it is being communicated. At the end, comments from all participating panelists were summarized. Fukushima's image will be updated following the approach below.

Resolving bias and misunderstanding

Bias and misunderstanding towards Fukushima and discrimination based on them are deep-rooted. Through such means as education, it is necessary to share scientific facts--for example, that people from Fukushima can have children without worrying about genetic effects from radiation.

Addressing individual concerns

To address individual concerns that cannot be resolved through scientific and data-based facts alone, the problem should be tackled in group settings, through supportive, face-to-face relationships where individuals can trust and learn from one another. At the same time, it is also important to communicate far and wide to people both in and outside Japan.

Facing invisible boundaries

Various kinds of boundaries exist between people in Tokyo and people in Fukushima, between foreigners and Japanese, between one generation and another, between those who have experienced and overcome grief or internal struggle as a result of disaster and those who have not. Under these circumstances, it is important to talk about Fukushima in a way that goes beyond any one person's experience.

Communicating Fukushima's new attractive points

New attractive points and clues for new community building are emerging from Fukushima. These have global value and should be actively communicated. New knowledge and experience - for example, initiatives to organize educational field trips and trainings and to encourage young people to think about their communities' futures - should be accumulated and conveyed to a wide audience as a model originating from Fukushima.

To conclude "Update Fukushima," the panelists vowed to "learn, study, and share the constantly changing Fukushima and work towards creating a new society."

Asahi Breweries Succeeds in Long Continuous SOFC Power Generation Using Biogas Produced in Wastewater Treatment

Image by Kirakirameister Some Rights Reserved.

Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd. announced on May 15, 2018, that it had established a process to purify the biomethane gas (biogas) produced in the wastewater treatment process at breweries into high-purity biogas suitable for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) power generation. Using the purified biogas as a fuel, Asahi conducted a power generation experiment on a SOFC power generation test device jointly developed with Kyushu University Next-Generation Fuel Cell Research Center, and successfully generated electricity for more than 2000 consecutive hours.

Asahi has introduced anaerobic wastewater treatment equipment at its 13 breweries in Japan, allowing it to treat wastewater discharged from the manufacturing process by a fermentation method to produce biogas. This plant-derived, carbon-neutral biogas is then burned in boilers, etc., and reused as heat energy in the facilities. If the biogas were to be used in SOFC power generation to produce electricity more efficiently, however, further reductions in CO2 emissions can be expected.

When using biogas in SOFC power generation, impurities in the gas can interfere with power generation; thus, for steady power generation, it is critical to eliminate the impurities. To solve this problem, Asahi has established a new purification process and developed a system that can produce high-purity biogas at a low startup cost.

Since Asahi started continuous power generation on a test SOFC power generation device, the device has been successfully working for more than 2000 consecutive hours without any occurrence of the biogas inhibiting power generation. The company says it will continue the test up to 10,000 hours to investigate seasonal variations caused by the biogas.

ISEP Releases Web Page which Visualizes Renewable Energy Supply and Demand

ISEP Energy Chart

Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies (ISEP), a nonprofit organization, released on February 14, 2018, a web page featuring the ISEP Energy Chart, which visualizes the state of domestic supply and demand of electricity and energy.

ISEP makes policy proposals aimed at creating a sustainable society with renewable energy at the core. The web page, therefore, also focuses on renewable sources of electricity and heat.

Detailed data covering energy supply and demand is rarely disclosed. In order to ascertain the spread of renewable energy in a timely manner, visualizing the data was one of the major issues to be tackled. Following the deregulation of the electricity market in Japan, ten general electricity transmission and distribution companies have been disclosing supply and demand data for their distribution areas on an hourly basis since April 2016.

ISEP established the ISEP Energy Chart for the broader public, using the knowledge and information accumulated by the institute itself as well as the newly disclosed data.

The Energy Chart is designed to show graphs for a selected period of the trends in power generation capacity and in the energy mix, as well as the total installed capacity of renewable energy-generating and heat-supplying facilities. The graphs are available for download as images or as PDF files. The Energy Chart allows a user to select a specific region and period, and has the function of displaying the maximum and minimum capacity of renewable energy generation for the selected region and period.

The web page is published under the creative commons license, meaning that if credit is given to ISEP, downloaded graphs may be freely used for the purpose of education, research or business. In addition, use of the graphs is free of charge.