Introduction of Low-Carbon Community Energy Systems by Combining Information Networks and Cogeneration-Type District Heating and Cooling Systems

Abstract

Achievement of a low-carbon society is becoming extremely important. In this report, we introduce an example of carbon dioxide (CO 2) emission reductions and energy savings, using a local energy-control system. Our research is focused on the town of Shinchi in the Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Shinchi is pursuing initiatives to create a low-carbon, energy-efficient society and a disaster-resilient community. The National Institute for Environmental Studies provides academic support for the design and planning of lowcarbon community energy systems by the local government of Shinchi, based on the Basic Cooperation Agreement. For the redevelopment of the Japan Railway (JR) Shinchi Station district that is being carried out, construction of a cogeneration-type district heating and cooling system is currently in progress. CO 2 reductions of about 20% can be expected by introducing this community energy system. To support these initiatives, we have developed an information and communication technology (ICT) system that shares a wide range of local information to support energy conservation. By analyzing electricity consumption data from the ICT, we evaluated the pattern of residential power consumption and confirmed that the project supports energy-saving behavior within the community. Additionally, the community energy project in the JR Shinchi Station district enables adjustment of the supply and demand balance.

The Energy Consumption and Carbon Emission Model Development and Application for Ongoing Railway Construction

“…Wang and colleagues built a new lifecycle model of China's high-speed railway energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions based on TLCAM ( Tsinghua University Life Cycle Assessment Model ), providing an important reference for domestic railway energy consumption research [3]. However, most research both domestic and abroad constructs railway lifecycle energy consumption and carbon emission models at a macro scale [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15], focusing more on carbon emission estimation during the operation period, with little attention to construction machinery energy consumption during the railway construction period, nor the construction of machinery energy consumption and carbon emission models from the perspective of construction scenarios and energy consumption [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23].…”