No. 130: Constructing a system to recycle electric vehicle batteries (May 13, 2012)

Business trend:

Nissan Motor and Sumitomo Corp. will collaborate to recycle electric vehicle batteries. In September 2010, the two companies jointly founded 4R Energy with a capital of 450 million yen, of which Nissan paid 51% and Sumitomo 49%, that is currently conducting research on the performance of electric vehicle batteries. The two companies will increase the capital of 4R Energy on the current ratio to let it start the battery recycling business. It will be four to five years later that 4R Energy actually purchases used-up electric vehicle batteries.

An electric vehicle battery is nearly 2 million yen that accounts for nearly half of the price of an electric vehicle. Because a used-up vehicle battery can be used as an emergency power source of household, the three companies wish to construct a system to recycle electric vehicle batteries for further spread of electric vehicles. During the four to five years, 4R Energy will construct a network for collecting used-up batteries and accumulate know-how on their appraisal. 

No. 129: The Japanese government takes the initiative in building ocean liners powered by natural gas (May 11, 2012)

Business trend:

The Japanese government decided to subsidize domestic shipping and shipbuilding companies and carry out the plan to build ocean liners powered by natural gas in 2015. A natural gas-powered ship emits 25% less carbon dioxide and 40% less nitrogen oxide than a heavy oil-powered ship, and it does not emit any sulfur oxide at all. Although Norway uses small coasting liner powered by natural gas, Japan will supposedly be the first country that introduces natural gas-powered ocean liners like oil tankers for the first time in the world. The Japanese government wishes to increase the competitive edge of the Japanese shipbuilding industry in the world market.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,Transport and Tourism will recruit participating companies toward this summer to start the research on necessary technological development. The research team will study necessary technology for fuel tank and gas supply equipment and conduct simulation on steering. Beginning in 2013, it will subsidize part of the shipbuilding cost. A natural gas-powered ship costs 20% more than a heavy oil-powered ship, and it is supposed to cost more than 10 billion yen to build an ocean liner with a load capacity of more than 200,000 tons. The Japanese government will issue a draft report on safety criteria using the technological research results and submit it to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) with a view to effecting the amendments of the relevant treaties by 2016. IMO wishes to reduce emissions from newly built ships by 30% by 2025.   

  

An ocean liner owned by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines

No. 128: Japanese general contractors are busily developing the concept of a zero energy building (May 10, 2012)

Business trend:

The net zero energy building, or zero energy building (ZEB) for short, gets supplied with electricity from an electric power company, but it generates and stores electricity by itself to reduce purchase volume considerably. Because it can sell surplus electricity to an electric power company, the procurement volume of power comes out even.

Shimizu developed a design method to reduce energy consumption to virtually zero through self-support of electricity by employing windows with high heat insulating properties and utilizing natural ventilation. The company got an order from a religious institution for a low-rise office building for about 5 billion yen. The office building is scheduled to be completed in March 2013. This building will supposedly be the first ZEB in Japan. In addition to using LED illuminations and insulated windows, the company will introduce the latest building energy management system (BEMS) for full utilization of the electricity stored in battery.

Obayashi is developing a technology to construct a ZEB that conserves energy using earth thermal whose temperature remains the same throughout the year. Takenaka has been developing the idea of carbon-minus building that supplies surplus energy to other buildings. Toda plans to construct a ZEB by 2020. It costs 30-40% higher to construct a ZBE than a standard building. Shimizu is constructing its head office building in Tokyo that reduces carbon dioxide emissions by more than 60%.

In 2009, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry laid down a policy that newly buildings be a ZEB by 2030, and plans to appropriate a budget for subsidies to construct a building closed to a ZEB. The construction industry is busily occupied with the development of ZEB concepts because ZEBs are supposed to grow widespread in 2020. 

 

State-of-the-art technology from Shimizu for reducing CO2 emissions

No. 127: The smart appliance market is expected to grow fast in a few years (May 2, 2012)

Business trend of the smart house market (8/8)

Smart appliances

Electric appliances with the mechanism to optimize power consumption automatically in coordination with smart grids and smart meters are called smart appliances. Generally, they have such functions as utilizing night power effectively and controlling power consumption when the total power consumption of the power grid exceeds a certain level. It will supposedly not take long for smart appliance to start spreading gradually because of the spread of smart meters, ever-increasing energy cost, and improved interface with smart grids. It is generally expected that smart appliance shipments will exceed 24 million units in 2017.

The smart meter seems to be the key to the spread of smart appliances. It is the next-generation power meter that allows for interactive information exchange on power consumption wirelessly or by optical fiber. The power meter is up to now a device that the electric power company checks periodically for charging electric bill, but the next-generation smart meter gives consumers information on power consumption in real time for power saving. Consumers can optimize their efforts for energy-saving by communicating with the controller that manages energy consumption inside the smart house.

Tokyo Electric Power Company plans to replace the power meter of 17 million households, about 60% of all households to which it supplies power, with smart meters by 2018. Western companies are ahead of Japanese companies, but Toshiba and Fuji Electric are energetically chasing them. Toshiba acquired Landis+Gyr that is a leading smart meter maker in Switzerland and Fuji Electric is collaborating with GE of the U.S. 

Smart life proposed by Panasonic