Aichi Topped of National Subsidy Application for Residential Solar: 2009-2013

J-PEC (Japan Photovoltaic Expansion Center) released on 23rd that Aichi prefecture was at the top of the accumulated number of applications for national subsidy for residential solar of all 47 prefectures in Japan.

The research period is from January 13, 2009 to March 31, 2013.

1st: Aichi 74,896 (Newly built: 28,507, Second hand: 46,389)
2nd: Saitama 54,945 (Newly built: 19,091, Second hand: 35,854)
3rd: Tokyo 48,877 (Newly built: 15,401, Second hand: 33,476)
4th: Fukuoka
5th: Kanagawa

Kankyo Business 2013/05/24
http://www.kankyo-business.jp/news/004883.php

Geothermal Excavation Study in Hachimantai, Iwate

Iwate Jinetsu announced on 22nd that the company, together with other investor companies, would start a joint excavation for geothermal power in Matsuo-Hachimantai area, Hachimantai city, Iwate prefecture.

The area is famous for its abundant onsen hot springs.

The investor companies are Japan Metals &Chemicals, Geothermal Engineering, JFE Engineering, and Mitsui Oil Exploration.

The joint team is expecting to start from a 7 MW class geothermal station.

SmartJapan 2013/05/23 13:00
http://www.itmedia.co.jp/smartjapan/articles/1305/23/news055.html
Mitsui Oil Exploration: Press Release (in English)
http://moeco.com/en/news/2013/05/moeco-participates-in-joint-geothermal-energy-development-study-at-matsuo-hachimantai-area-in-iwate.html
Geothermal Engineering (2nd Shareholder of Iwate Jinetsu) Press Release (in Japanese):
http://www.geothermal.co.jp/etc/hachimantai.htm

50-Year-Old Hydro Got Upgraded in Hida, Gifu

Hokuriku Electric Power released on 21st that the company had increased the capacity of its existing Shin'inotani hydro power station in Hida city of Gifu prefecture by 1,900 kW.

The new capacity is 35,400 kW.
The annual generation will increase by 4.7 million kWh. (*The original amount unopened)

The station has been operated since 1964. On the recent occasion of equipment repair, the company re-tested the hydro turbine and the generator to notice room for the potential increase.

The turbine runner and the generator stator were changed to new ones.

Hokuriku Electric Power: Press Release (in Japanese): 2013/05/21
http://www.rikuden.co.jp/press/attach/13052101.pdf
SmartJapan: 2013/05/23 11:00
http://www.itmedia.co.jp/smartjapan/articles/1305/23/news029.html

N-EXPO 2013 (5)

Other products / services in which the webmaster got interested were:

1) Diaper processing by Super Faiths in Yonago city, Tottori
The nickname for the system is "Omutsu (diaper) Magic." :)

Superfaiths (in English):
http://www.superfaiths.com/english/index.html

2) Heat Insulation by Moss
I remember I found two companies exhibiting at the expo, but seemingly I got brochures of only one.

More Green Project by Shiotani (in Japanese)
http://www.shiotani.co.jp/moregreen/

3) There were many exposition about underground thermal energy.
I am going to add this category to my news hunting.

(fin.)

N-EXPO 2013 (4)

Dust catcher by Nioix

Comptech's "Terminator"

Mycrohydro by Seabell International

Classification of recycled plastics

Styrofoam Processor

N-EXPO 2013 (3)

 PV panels of Yingli Solar and SunPower

Eco Max Japan's Rainbow Solar (seemingly made-in-China) 

Incenerators

Electric Scooter for Delivery Service 

The booth of Cosmotech (Kyoto) was surrounded by mist

from its high-pressure humidifier

N-EXPO 2013 (2)

Model of Micro Steam Recovery Compressor by Kobelco,

which is to utilize unused flash steam in factory

This seemed to be useful and innovative.

Saisei Energy Development's "Enelead iF2400,"which re-uses second-hand

lead batteries to make an automatic backup battery (2400Wh/600W).

The price is about 350 thousand JPY.

The same company's "Enelead SR819," to recycle

lead batteries up to 85% of the original capacity.

I heard that it is better for big batteries like ones for fork lift,

from the viewpoint of cost efficiency.

Ushio's Hybryd Fan

Heat Insulation Film.

The right is without film and the temperature is 38.1 Celsius,

where as the left with film 32.0 Celsius.

Kansai Electric Power to Start Wind Station in Tahara, Aichi

Kansai Electric Power announced on 22nd that its group company Kan-ed (Kanden Energy Development) had concluded a contract on environmental protection with Tahara city of Aichi prefecture.

Kan-ed is going to implement its wind turbine project in the city. After one in Awaji city of Hyogo prefecture, this is the second wind power station for the company.

===
 Capacity: 6,000 kW (three turbines of 2,000 kW)
 Annual generation: about 14 kWh, which is to be sold to Chubu Electric Power
 Annual CO2 Emission Reduction: about 5,900 t-CO2
 Turbine: Tower height 80m, Roter diemeter 60m
 Construction start: June 2013
 Commence operation: June 2014
===

SmartJapan from JPubb: 2013/05/22 12:54
http://release.itmedia.co.jp/release/sj/2013/05/22/c1f2ffc17a9b5163288c9c3f574fb12a.html
Kansai Electric Power: Press Release (in Japanese) 2013/05/22
http://www.kepco.co.jp/pressre/2013/0522-1_1j.html

Imabari Shipbuilding Started Construction of 17MW Solar in Saijyo, Ehime

Imabari Shipbuilding hold a ground-breaking ceremony on 18th to celebrate the construction start of its 17MW solar station in Saijyo city of Ehime prefecture.

It is an in-factory power station, which utilizes a seaside land of 20 hectares.
Sharp's solar module is adopted for the project.

The annual generation is estimated to be 19 million kWh, which is to be sold to Shikoku Electric Power.

The station will be completed by the end of this year to become the largest facility in Shikoku island at that point.

Smart Japan: 2013/05/22 09:00
http://www.itmedia.co.jp/smartjapan/articles/1305/22/news015.html

N-EXPO 2013 (1)

An big exposition about eco-products and related businesses is being held at Tokyo Big Sight until 24th (Friday).

N-EXPO (English Webpage):
http://www.nippo.co.jp/eng/n-expo013/

Belated start with a sumptuous buffet lunch... Super! :)

Machine for Cesium absorption

Kyokuto's garbage wagon "e-Packer,"

whose rear loader is electrified

Supplying electricity to the wagon.

This wagon utilizes i-MiEV battery system

of Mitsubishi Motors

"Smart Solar" follows the sun and

provides both electricity and hot water

SoftBank to Reconsider Megasolar in Hokkaido

The internet and mobile communication conglomerate SoftBank decided to reconsider its construction plan of three mega-solar stations in Hokkaido.

The company had planned the solar stations of 180MW in total, but Hokkaido Electric Power recently announced that capacity of about 400MW in the whole Hokkaido area is the upper limit for the buyer power company to accept.

Sankei 2013/05/21 13:44
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/science/news/130521/scn13052113470001-n1.htm

Panasonic Donated 2,000 Solar Lanterns for Kenyan Refugees

Panasonic donated 2,000 solar lanterns to the Kenyan office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for helping refugees in Dadaab and Kakuma.

This is a part of the company's "100,000 Solar Lanterns Project." After donations to Myanmar and India, it is the third implementation.

PR Times 2013/05/21 11:30
http://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000702.000003442.html

Two Megasolar Projects in Onomichi city, Hiroshima

It is recently known that there are two mega-solar plans in In'noshima area in Onomichi city of Hiroshima prefecture.

The shipbuilding company Hitachi Zosen will start in June the construction of a 1.5 MW solar facility at its idle land.

And its affiliated shipbuilding firm Naikai Zosen is going to install a 1.0 MW station at its factory site closed last year.

Chugoku Shimbun: 2013/05/21
http://www.chugoku-np.co.jp/News/Tn201305210024.html

"Solar of Bonds" under Construction in Tsunami-hit Higashi-matsushima, Miyagi

A demolished park in Higashi-matsushima city of Miyagi prefecture, where the tsunami heavily struck in March 11th, 2011, is now transforming itself into a mega-solar facility.

The solar station is named "Kizuna (Bonds) Solar Park."

Mitsui Bussan took the lease of the land of 47,000 square meters which is owned by the city. And the company is going to run the mega-solar business.

The annual generation will amount to 2.1 million kWh.
The station will commence operation in October.

Asahi Shimbun: 2013/05/21 0:26
http://www.asahi.com/business/update/0520/TKY201305200373.html

Sekisui House's 6.7 MW Solar Facilities in Operation

The house constructor Sekisui House announced on 15th that the company had completed the construction of megasolar facilities at its five factories and had started operation.

The five factories and their rated capacities are as follows:
-Tohoku Factory (Shikama town, Miyagi) 693kW
-Kanto Factory (Koga city, Ibaraki) 2,438kW
-Shizuoka Factory (Kakegawa city, Shizuoka) 1,982kW
-Hyogo Factory (Kato city, Hyogo) 371kW
-Yamaguchi Factory (Yamaguchi city, Yamaguchi) 1,199kW
Total: 6,683kW

The real-time generation data is available at:
http://www.sekisuihouse.co.jp/megasolar/

Sekisui House Press Release (in Japanese) 2013/05/15
http://www.sekisuihouse.co.jp/company/topics/datail/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2013/05/15/20130515_1_1.pdf

Grassroots Solar Workshop in Tokyo

(from the Webmaster)

The webmaster (me!) participated in a solar module workshop held yesterday in Adachi ward in Tokyo.

I was just an observer and paid only 1,000 JPY. Three people who wanted to buy a module kit paid about 43,000 JPY for a 50W solar panel, a deep-cycle lead battery, an inverter, a charge controler, a cigar socket, wires and connectors.

The instructor was Mr. Odajima from Fujino Denryoku, a volunteer-basis civic activity in Sagamihara city (formerly Fujino town) of Kanagawa prefecture.

After the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, and the aftermath electricity crises, this kind of grassroots workshops and seminars on renewable energy has been held throughout Japan.

Fujino Denryoku
http://fujinodenryoku.jimdo.com/

Microhydro in Irrigation Channel: First in Southern Part of Aomori

A 5.7kW fieldtest hydro power station started operation in Shichinohe ｔown of Aomori prefecture.
It utilizes small elevation gap in the irrigation channel, which has been neglected until then.

The system combined two parts of 1.5 meter elevation gap by plumbing between them to make a 3.0 meter elevation.

This is the first case of irrigation hydro power in the southern part the prefecture.

Daily Tohoku Online: 2013/05/16 23:06
http://cgi.daily-tohoku.co.jp/cgi-bin/news/2013/05/16/new1305162301.htm

Panasonic's "Functional Roof System" without Piercing the Roof

Panasonic released on 17th that it had developed a new type of solar panels for residence rooftop.

The system doesn't need to pierce the roof, which means it is free from rain leaking. The panel can be installed and detached whenever the owner wants.

Also, it takes a heat-exhaustion structure, which has wind passageways behind panels.

Panasonic: Press Release: 2013/05/17
http://panasonic.co.jp/corp/news/official.data/data.dir/2013/05/jn130517-2/jn130517-2.html

Solar Power to Support Immigration to Countryside: Miyoshi, Hiroshima

Blue River, a de facto not-for-profit company in Aoga town, Miyoshi city of Hiroshima prefecture, has recently installed a solar facility in the same town. And it will start selling electricity to Chugoku Electric Power on 20th.

The company is invested by nine local volunteers, who have a sense of crisis about depopulation in the rural area. So it has provided residences for a rent of relatively low-cost to welcome new immigrants with young children.

But it has been a headache for the company that the residences are not always full of tenants and that the balance tends to be a minus.

Therefore the company decided to install the solar facility with 164 panels for 1.5 million JPY. The output is 50 kW, and the annual generation 49 thousand kWh. The annual profit is estimated to be 2 million JPY.

Chugoku Shimbun 2013/05/17
http://www.chugoku-np.co.jp/News/Tn201305170025.html

"Automatic" Energy-Saving Sheet for Window Glass

The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) announced on 16th that the institute, in cooperation with Sumitomo Chemical, had developed a new energy-saving sheet for window glass.

Basically the sheet is to be put on window glass, and it can automatically avoid summer sunlight to penetrate the glass. It takes advantage of the difference of incidence angles between summer and winter sunlight.

The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST): Press Release (in Japanese) 2013/05/16
http://www.aist.go.jp/aist_j/press_release/pr2013/pr20130516/pr20130516.html

94% of New Renewable Energies was Solar: 11 months of Last FY

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced that the total rated output of renewable energies in Japan which newly started operation from April 2012 to February 2013 was 1,662 thousand kW.

In that solar power accounts for 1,559 kW, that is about 94% of the total output: for residence 1,137 kW, and for non-residence 422 kW.

Nikkei BP net: 2013/05/18
http://www.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/news/20130518/351024/?rt=nocnt