Yoshiyuki Miyabe is the Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer for Panasonic Corporation, responsible for the development of innovative technologies and new businesses in areas such as Digital Home, Energy Devices and Energy Solutions. He has been driving business development, strategic planning and digital network management since 2008. Prior to that, he was Director of Corporate R&D Strategy Office and R&D Academia Collaboration Center. He was a panel speaker at SIEW 2012. Full bio here.
1. Energy efficiency has been emphasised as an important component of the energy mix. What more can governments and businesses do in partnership to promote low-carbon energy usage, besides encouraging consumers to use more energy-efficient appliances?
Yoshiyuki Miyabe: One way to achieve energy efficiency is through the use of renewable energy, which is synonymous with low-carbon energy usage. The public and private sectors should work together to make deployment of low-carbon energy economically viable, especially during the initial adoption phase. One such example is the feed-in-tariff (FIT) schemes which have been implemented by Japan and some other countries in the region. FIT schemes will help attract more businesses to consider switching from carbon-intensive energy sources to more environmentally-friendly renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic systems.
At the same time, governments and businesses can collaborate on joint-research projects to develop innovative and practical low-carbon energy solutions. In Singapore, Panasonic is working with the government to conduct a total energy solutions test-bed for public housing at Punggol Eco Town. Such solutions will not only benefit the host country potentially, but can also be rolled out to other countries with similar energy requirements following successful deployment in the host country.
2. What are the challenges of implementing energy efficiency in the region, especially in the face of rapid urbanisation?
YM: With rapid urbanisation comes rising population and more affluent lifestyles. This will undoubtedly lead to an increase in energy demand. Ensuring energy security and efficiency will thus be a key challenge. Striking a balance between pursuing economic development and ensuring energy sustainability is a key challenge for many developed and developing cities. Promoting public-private partnership is essential in pursuing energy efficiency as an economically-viable option to achieve environment sustainability. For example, government and businesses can work together to increase environmental awareness among the public and promote the adoption of a sustainable lifestyle in attaining energy efficiency.
On one hand, businesses should continue to develop and introduce energy-efficient products and solutions catered to the market's and industry's needs. On the other hand, it is also important for governments to incorporate policy, social infrastructure (such as smart meters) and activities to promote energy efficiency and management. Such a collaborative approach can help to overcome the key challenges of making energy efficiency a cost-effective solution for climate change.
3. Panasonic has been taking an active role in developing energy-efficient technologies for urban living, as demonstrated in its Eco-Town project with Singapore, as well as in collaboration on a smart city in Fujisawa, Japan. What have been the outcomes or lessons learned so far from these test-beds?
YM: Taking leadership in Green Innovation, Panasonic promotes total energy solutions for both residential and commercial buildings that help efficiently Create, Store, Save and Manage energy. As such we provide total energy solutions for buildings, factories and even cities.
The test-bed projects in Fujisawa and Punggol have just started, so it is premature to talk about outcomes at this point. However, one thing which we can take away is that the solutions for different smart cities should be customised for each region. The solutions should be tested under local climate conditions to optimise output. For example, one of the objectives of the Punggol project is to test-bed our customised solutions under Singapore's tropical conditions, which can then potentially be deployed to other countries in the region with similar climates.
4. Asia needs vast amounts of finance and investment--US$12 billion a year until 2030--to provide access to 700 million people in the region with no access to electricity. How can governments and private companies such as Panasonic work towards this goal?
YM: Our company provides off-grid solar systems which are effective in areas with limited or no access to electricity. For off-grid solar systems, energy is stored in batteries to discharge for use when necessary, especially during night time.
Panasonic Smart Energy Storage System, comprising high capacity lithium-ion storage batteries and control units to regulate battery charging and discharging, is an ideal solution for efficient energy storage. It can be used for various on- and off-grid applications for homes and businesses.
Governments and private companies can work together to deploy such off-grid solutions to areas with limited or no access to electricity to not only improve social infrastructure but also achieve energy efficiency. A good example is Panasonic's Life Innovation Container which is provided to Chennai, India; Tanzania, Africa; and areas affected by the Great Eastern Japan earthquake. In Tanzania, Panasonic has also donated mobile LED solar lanterns, which provide much-needed electricity to the Mbola village. Though operating at a smaller scale, these solar lanterns are useful energy efficiency solutions to areas with very limited infrastructure.
5. Panasonic Corporation has been actively involved in energy initiatives towards a sustainable future. How do you view the evolution of the energy landscape in Asia in 2030?
YM: Asia's strong economic growth coupled with rapid urbanisation will continue to fuel the increasing demand for energy. Towards 2030, it is important for governments to work with private companies and the general public to tackle challenges of energy security, energy efficiency and climate change. Panasonic is committed to pursue energy efficiency in all aspects of our business and work with governments and other industry players to develop total energy solutions to tackle climate change issues while pursuing business and economic growth.