Residents Protect Local Livelihoods by Funding Local Shops: Some Examples in Japan

JFS Newsletter No.181 (September 2017)

Image by Hajime NAKANO Some Rights Reserved.

Imagine all the shops disappearing from where we live; what could we do on such an occasion? In rural areas of Japan, many grocery shops have closed their doors, suffering from a dwindling, aging population. This month's JFS Newsletter introduces the reality of population decline and aging in rural areas and efforts by local people to fight against the closing of shops.

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METI Releases Case Examples of Smart Communities

Case Examples of Smart Communities

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) released on June 23, 2017, its Collection of Case Examples Concerning Smart Communities, a compilation of selected case studies of leading smart community initiatives. The purpose of this document is to promote smart communities that optimize utilization of energy and comprehensively manage regional energy supply and demand.

The collection includes 12 case examples: five examples of commercial-residential mixed zones, two factory examples, and one example each of detached houses, housing complexes, commercial facilities, educational institutions and office buildings. The solar photovoltaics, storage batteries, cogeneration system (CGS), energy management system (EMS), private distribution line, heat utilization facility (other than CGS heat generation) and the like are shown as icons in a quick reference display.

Daini Sendai Hokubu Central Industrial Park, located in the village of Ohira in Miyagi Prefecture, is a case example using all of the abovementioned technologies. Toyota and 10 other companies have formed an alliance to provide energy management services for and supply energy to businesses in the industrial park by utilizing an in-house power generation facility.

Cogeneration uses the cascade method of energy use, with steam at a temperature of 175 degrees Celsius being used in coating processes, hot water at 98 degrees Celsius being used in the heating of plant-growing facilities, and cool water at 67 degrees Celsius being used for air conditioning/heating and wastewater treatment tank heating. As a result, the total cogeneration energy utilization combining generation of both electricity and heat will peak at 80% during the winter. Consequently, energy consumption in 2015 decreased by 21.3% and CO2 emissions by 27.4% compared to before the technologies were adopted.

In case of emergencies when long-term outages occur, surplus cogeneration power will be supplied to disaster management headquarters such as the Ohira village town hall.