Dr Narito Shibaike heads the Environmental Strategy Research Centre at Panasonic Corporation in Japan. He is presently involved in the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development & Climate (APP), International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) as a Japanese industry representative.He willbe speaking at the Panasonic 'eco ideas' Forum on 2 November during SIEW 2011. You can also check out our 5 Questions with Dr Narito Shibaike.
The global environment is losing its balance in various aspects. It is not an exaggeration to say that the world is now facing an extremely critical turning point. A typical example is the issue of climate change, and concerns on resource depletion are growing. Taking into consideration the fact that developed countries will take time to change their way of life, while emerging countries are picking up speed in economic growth, environmental and resource issues are becoming increasingly challenging worldwide.
In order to realise a sustainable society in which economy and environment co-exist, it is necessary to achieve the best mix of various energy sources using clean technologies. Securing a stable supply of energy is crucial for supporting the vigorous economic activities, especially of emerging markets. After the Japan earthquake on 11 March 2011, the importance of a safe and robust social system, as well as sound and green energy systems, has been recognised once again.
A collaborative effort for total energy solutions and smart cities
In the context of recent developments, the concept of smart cities, which aim to realise smart and green energy use in an entire area, is gaining momentum. It will become very important to further improve technologies relating to "energy saving", "energy creation", "energy storage", and "energy management", which control various equipment and devices in an optimum manner. However, given that this will change the structure of the entire community, it becomes essential that all stakeholders, in particular, government, businesses, related agencies and residents, are involved at various levels--from discussion to decision making.
There are numerous projects taking place globally on the development of smart and eco cities aimed at achieving sustainable societies. These smart cities need to look at various aspects, such as integration of renewable energy as one of the energy sources, green transportation (electric vehicles, plug-in vehicles, electric bikes, etc.), total energy solutions for residents to lead a comfortable green lifestyle, and government policies to make these cities economically viable and sustainable.
(Photo credit: Panasonic Corporation)
Concept of a model project, Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town
Against this backdrop, Panasonic has initiated a smart city project, Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town (Fujisawa SST) at a former Panasonic manufacturing site. This is being carried out jointly with eight other partner companies and Fujisawa City, and will be located in Fujisawa city in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan, about 50km south of Tokyo.
The Town is due to open in March 2014, and the developers, manufacturers and service providers will work closely together throughout every phase of the project--from master planning to actual operation of the town, which will have about 1,000 households. This project aims to realise the idea of a safe, secure and sustainable smart town that embraces nature to the fullest extent, as well as produce energy for local consumption in the town. At the same time, the project looks to create a smart town that is connected to the power and data networks right from the start, allowing for optimal control without burdening the residents.
Here is an overview of the Fujisawa SST:
1) Master planning to provide an eco-conscious, comfortable lifestyle and services.
It is important to consider adopting city block designs that take into consideration "how to achieve a natural environment that is in harmony with people's lifestyles" and "how to provide more efficient services in the area" in order to improve the town's value over time, even after the development and sales of residential homes and lots are completed.
Master planning should include:
- Organic city block plans that incorporate nature and energy systems, and designs that match the landscape
- Creation of new space and synergies for electric vehicles, garages and homes to promote electric vehicle-sharing
- Designing of a new method to assess the value of environmental real estate in smart towns
2) "A smart town that is connected from the start" through optimal design and introduction of infrastructure and equipment in all city blocks.
It should be a "smart town with power and information networks that are connected from the start", employing optimally-designed infrastructure and considering total energy solutions in all city blocks. These comprehensive solutions should include those for residential homes, storage, healthcare facilities and public facilities:
- Homes: Combining comfort and high environmental performance with comprehensive energy solutions for the entire home, which include devices to create, store and save energy, and SEG (Smart Energy Gateway) linking all appliances to enable optimal energy management in accordance with the consumers' energy usage
- Storage: Introduction of energy creation, saving and storage equipment for the four domains of wind, light, heat and water, enabling efficient use for the entire energy storage
- Town: Creation of a safe and secure town with comprehensive solutions for the entire public facility with charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.
3) Creation of a service model that enables a next-generation lifestyle unique to a smart town
Smart towns should aim to provide services that meet the needs of society, inhabitants and businesses now and into the future.
These include:
- Energy services: Diagnostic and maintenance services for energy storage and creation systems for residents
- Mobility services: Economical eco-car and electric bicycle sharing programmes for suburban-style household use
- Security services: Introduction of comprehensive security solutions for the entire town
- Healthcare services: Support easy, healthy and comfortable everyday living for residents in cooperation with administrative agencies and medical facilities
- Community platforms that support the above services: Provide visualisation of energy consumption through the SEG
- Others: Financial services, asset management services, and club services for the residents
The development of future smart cities should ideally be envisioned with a bottom-up approach to energy efficiency--sites built from scratch with modern green technologies instead of less-efficient older technologies. It is about cultivating a sustainable green lifestyle through creating environmental consciousness and delivering green innovation.
BY : Dr Narito Shibaike