st Domestic Offices Rising Expectations for Ocean Energy

[1st Featured Article]

Rising Expectations for Ocean Energy in Japan

Reporting on Today and Tomorrow’s Energy, Environmental and Industrial Technologies

[2nd Featured Article]

Interview with NEDO’s Representative Office in BangkokNew Trends in Business in Southeast AsiaPerspectives on Future Technologies

Kumi Fujisawa, Co-Founder of Think Tank SophiaBank

MUZA Kawasaki Central Tower, 1310 Omiya-cho, Saiwai-kuKawasaki City, Kanagawa 212-8554 JapanTel: +81-44-520-5100 Fax: +81-44-520-5103URL: http://www.nedo.go.jp/english/index.html February 2018 (1st Edition)

● Head OfficeMUZA Kawasaki Central Tower, 16F-20F1310 Omiya-cho, Saiwai-kuKawasaki City, Kanagawa 212-8554 JapanTel: +81-44-520-5100Fax: +81-44-520-5103

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0302 Focus NEDO 2017 No.66

02 Perspectives on Future Technologies Kumi Fujisawa, Co-Founder of Think Tank SophiaBank

04 1st Featured Article


06 Ocean Current Power Generation: Subsea Floating Type Ocean Current Power Generation

09 Tidal Current Power Generation: Counter-Rotating Propeller Type Tidal Current Power Generation

10 Wave Power Generation: Air Turbine-based Wave Power Generation / Mechanical Wave Power Generation

12 2nd Featured Article Interview with NEDO’s Representative Office in Bangkok

New Trends in Business in Southeast Asia

16 Easy to Understand! News Release Commentary NEDO Developed Japan’s Largest Biomass Power

Generation Vehicle that Turns Fats, Oils & Grease into Electricity

18 After Project Follow Up!

NEDO Project Success Stories Playback History Vol. 6: Development and Demonstration of a Home

Appliance Recycling Plant

Creating Innovation through ConnectionKumi Fujisawa,Co-Founder of Think Tank SophiaBank

While there are many buzzwords pointing the way to the next phase of technologically-enabled industry changes – such as “Industry 4.0” and “Society 5.0” – I think in Japan, an attitude of “wait and see” prevails, especially in big corporations. For examples, if self-driving becomes widespread, this will result in major changes for the automobile insurance industry, but that shift has not yet arrived. Likewise, if our entire society becomes digitalized, we will be able to acquire data accessibility on a massive scale, but the Japanese government has only just started to consider initiatives regarding organizing big data and utilizing it in businesses.

On the other hand, when I listen to representatives of star tups and entrepreneurs who are trying to create new technologies or utilize those technologies in their business, some of them tell me they have given up because “the law doesn’t address new technologies,” or they are “inconsistent with the existing business practice.” What this means is that simply needing a new thing is usually insufficient to realize those innovations. For that very reason, it is crucial for NEDO and other public organizations to provide opportunities to incorporate new technologies and businesses into our society.

The era in which entities would say “We support startups and SMEs with grants because they are in weak positions” has passed. Nowadays, the important thing is that we are “connecting,” not “giving.” We seek to understand our strengths and learn how to compensate for our weakness, while improving what we do best. In this age of doing business on a worldwide level, I personally feel that “global” means “diverse.” We should clearly verbalize what we want to do, what our strengths are, and what our weaknesses are, and disseminate that information, so that we can find the one and only thing we need while surrounded by variety of people, corporations and societies, including every area of Japan.

With the predicted diffusion of blockchain and sharing economies in addition to new technologies such as IoT and AI technologies, business practices will be changed drastically. This paradigm shift presents an opportunity for all companies. As technology progresses quickly, it is important that individuals wishing to start businesses do not remain in private reflection, but instead take action and actively communicate with others. I hope that support organizations like NEDO will also act proactively, and become a connector, in order to support innovation in the entire society including major companies.

Kumi Fujisawa

Kumi Fujisawa founded Japan’s first investment trust evaluation company in 1996 after working for several investment fund management companies. She sold the company to Standard & Poor’s in 1999 and joined Think Tank SophiaBank to incubate new social systems by fostering social entrepreneurs in 2000, has worked as a co-founder since 2003. She was nominated to the Young Global Leaders in 2007 by the World Economic Forum, which presides over the Davos Conference. She served as a committee member in severa l government ministries and as a board member at the Japan Securities Dealers Association, as well as an external board member and other positions at numerous public-listed companies. She hosts the internet radio program “Kumi Fujisawa’s Shacho (Executive) Talk,” and has also written many books, including “The Real Essence of Visionary Leadership-Do Nothing and Think All- ”, and “Why Has the Kawasaki ”

Perspectives on Future TechnologiesContentsDirecting the Future

2017No.66

Reporting on Today and Tomorrow’sEnergy, Environmental, and Industrial Technologies

“Focus NEDO” is the public relations magazine of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), introducing the public to NEDO’s various projects and technology development activities related to energy, environmental and industrial technologies.

While promoting the diffusion of renewable energy generation, such as wind power, solar power, and others, the potential of the ocean – which covers 70% of the surface of the Earth – should not be forgotten. The movement of seawater, which is caused by phenomena including the Earth’s rotation, gravitational forces from the sun and moon, the wind, and others, contains an enormous amount of energy.

Ocean energy generation, which utilizes the energy in moving seawater, has been the subject of numerous large-scale demonstrations in actual sea environments mainly in Europe such as the UK, where there is high potential for tidal current and wave power. The technology is not yet commercialized, however. In Japan, although wave power demonstration tests were conducted in the 1980s, R&D on ocean energy generation was largely downscaled after 2000.

NEDO conducted prior research projects related to ocean energy generation from FY2009 to FY2010; since FY2011, as part of the “Research and Development of Ocean Energy Technology” project, NEDO has been promoting three R&D projects: “Demonstration Research on Ocean Energy Power Generation ,” which demonstrates a generation system in an actual ocean environment with the aim of promoting its commercialization and business development; “Technical Research and Development on Next-Generation Ocean Energy Power

Rising Expectation for Ocean Energy in Japan

Generation ,” which aims to improve the performance and reliability for element technologies including components and parts related to next-generation ocean energy power generation equipment; and “Common Base Study on Ocean Energy Power Generation Technology,” which gathers technology and market information from multiple countries and conducts performance evaluations for various ocean energy generation systems.

Kyoji Kamemoto, who is a project leader of this project, notes that it is essential to integrate technologies from multiple industries, such as shipbuilding, offshore engineering, mechanical, and electrical industries. He added, “The condition of each ocean environment is different depending on its location on Earth. R&D on ocean energy in Japan is ten years behind that of European countries; however, Japan too can be a country with advanced ocean energy technology if we develop generation devices that are optimized for the oceans surrounding Japan.”

How can we best apply advanced Japanese technologies of generators and waterwheels to ocean power technology, and how much can Japan’s mechanical engineering expertise contribute to the creation of ocean power devices? The key to success will be taking advantage of Japan’s sophisticated naval engineering techniques and integrating multiple engineering areas.

When conducting ocean energy generation demonstrations in actual sea environments, prior research and previous arrangements with stakeholders, including local government, fishing industry, and other entities, are required. In Japan, based on “The Future Policy on Promotion of Use of Marine Renewable Energy”, the National Ocean Policy Secretariat in the Cabinet Office promotes the preparation of sea areas for the demonstration and testing of renewable ocean energy as “demonstration field for marine renewable energy” since FY2014. Fields are selected based on various conditions including not only natural characteristics, such as weather and nautical conditions, depth of the sea, and ocean floor topography, but also navigation safety, the conservation status of the environment and landscape, and arrangement with other users of the same ocean area.

Masaharu Itoh, a Senior Researcher in the Offshore Wind & Ocean Energy Group of the New Energy Technology Department, says, “To achieve commercialization, it’s important to prepare cost estimates and utilization plans from a comprehensive point of view including maintenance and other factors, which take into account impacts to the ocean environment and fishing activity.” Ocean energy generation draws on various generation methods depending on what type of energy is used; wave power generation utilizes wave energy, tidal current power generation utilizes the horizontal movement of water, ocean current power generation utilizes the flow of ocean currents such as the Kuroshio Current, and ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) utilizes the temperature difference between the warm surface

water and the cold water deeper down. All of the methods have different features. Here, we will introduce what kind of research and development (R&D) NEDO is promoting, along with an explanation of the features of each ocean energy generation method.

Japan, a country surrounded by oceans, has rich potential for ocean energy. Ocean energy generation, which utilizes energy from wave power, ocean current power, and tidal current power, is expected to create new industries and improve Japanese energy security as a new source of renewable energy. NEDO has been working toward the realization of ocean energy systems since FY2011, and has been conducting R&D related to the element technologies of wave power, ocean current power, and tidal current power generation, as well as demonstrations in actual sea environments.

Ocean Current Power GenerationUnidirectional stable flow

Tidal Current Power GenerationPeriodic horizontal flow

Wave Power Generation

Universal vertical motion

Expectations for ocean energy’s potential including generating power in isolated islands and supplying electricity in the ocean

Realizing ocean power generation by connecting tech-nologies from multiple industries, including shipbuilding, offshore engineering, mechanical, and electrical industries

05Focus NEDO 2017 No.6604

Kyoji KamemotoPh.D. in EngineeringProject Leader, NEDO’s Project on “Research and Development of Ocean Energy Technology” Professor Emeritus, Yokohama National University

Masaharu ItohSenior Researcher,Offshore Wind & Ocean Energy Group New Energy Technology Department NEDO

1st 　 Featured Article


Current; therefore, the region has high potential for generating ocean power. NEDO and IHI Corporation developed a “subsea f loating type ocean current power generation system,” which generates power by using ocean current flux. The system was developed as part of the “Demonstration Research on Ocean Energy Power Generation” project. In August 2017, NEDO and IHI conducted the world’s first 100kW-class demonstration test of ocean current power generation, by using the energy from the Kuroshio Current in Kuchinoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture.

The subsea floating type ocean current power generation system consists of blades, generators, and other equipment, which generate power by transferring the motion of ocean currents into rotations. The

Ocean currents are the circulation of sea water by forces such as solar heat and westerlies; they generally flow unidirectionally due to the Earth’s rotation and terrain. If it were possible to use the flux of ocean currents to generate power, we would have access to a constant, stable supply of electricity, which means it could be a baseload power supply. Especially on isolated islands with small, independent electric power generation systems, it is difficult to introduce unstable renewable energy, including wind power and solar power; however, ocean current is comparably stable power and is expected to contribute to improving energy security on isolated islands.

In the seas surrounding Japan, there are several currents including the Kuroshio Current, which flows northeast along the Pacific coast and is one of the world’s fastest currents, and the Tsushima Current, which flows northeast to the Sea of Japan after bifurcating the Kuroshio

Key Points of Technology Development

[Subsea Floating Type Ocean Current Power Generation]· By taking sea water in and out of the device balances buoyancy and controls the depth of the device autonomously

· Maintains stabilized position by turning two sets of blades in the opposite directions

system floats in water like a kite from sinkers submerged in sea bed so that it would not be affected by bad weather such as typhoons or interfere with the marine navigation of boats and ships.

The sea off the coast of Kuchinoshima in Toshima Village, Kagoshima Prefecture, where NEDO and IHI Corporation held demonstration tests, is selected as a “demonstration field for marine renewable energy” by the Administration Office of the Headquarters for Ocean Policy in the Cabinet Office in June 2017.

The demonstration tests used a subsea f loating type ocean current power generation system, “Kairyu,”*1 which was placed in the Kuroshio Current about 5 km off the coast of Kuchinoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture. Sinkers were dropped into the sea bed at a water depth of about 100 m, and its power generation performance and autonomous position control system were verified at depth of 30 to 50 m. This was the first 100kW-class demonstration test of ocean current power generation in an actual sea environment in the world.

Various technologies were employed in this system. A floatation device is built in the center of the system’s main body, which allows it to autonomously control the depth of the device by taking sea water in and out to adjust buoyancy. It also maintains a stabilized position underwater by turning two sets of propeller blades in the opposite directions, which makes the system generate power in a highly efficient manner.

Shigeki Nagaya, part of Corporate Research Development at IHI Corporation and a leader of the demonstration test, said, “It is important to maintain a stabilized floating position in the sea, where the flux constantly changes. Moreover, we don’t know what problems

will occur in the ocean environment. The demonstration test is a great opportunity to know conditions underwater and understand the potential of the device; and I am deeply proud that we have reached this stage.”

Norihisa Handa, of IHI Corporation, who was in charge of mechanical design for the project, remarked, looking back at the struggle, “We had to learn how to make the device on this scale without any examples. We had to develop everything from scratch, including the device spec including the size and radius of the entire system.” Yasushi Dodo, in charge of production and process management, said, “We made extensive use of IHI’s existing technologies, such as drawing upon the design and manufacturing technologies of nuclear reactors to create the pressure vessel, and learning from industrial machine design to create the interfaces of the propellers and rotors.”

The workings of a subsea floating type ocean current power generation system.Generated power is sent to land via seabed cable.

First in the world ! 100kW class demonstration test in an actual sea environment Generating power from the flow of the Kuroshio Current with two sets of blades

Ocean Current Power Generation

Obtains stable kinetic energy from a unidirectional flow. Can be introduced to isolated islands.

Sea bed junction box

30～50m

Power generation unit

Riser cable

Sea bed

Sea bed cable

Sinker or anchor

Float on surface during maintenance

Flow

Mooring lines

Sea surface

*1 “Kairyu” was named by elementary and junior high school students from Toshima Village, Kagoshima Prefecture. It has the double-meaning of “dragon” and “power generator using ocean current.”

1st 　 Featured ArticleRising Expectations for Ocean Energy in Japan

Using the constant flow of the Kuroshio CurrentExpected to become a new baseload power source

Gathering technologies from all over Japan to develop an ocean current power generation system completely made in Japan

Conducting a demonstration test in Kuchinoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture First in the world! Running an ocean current power generation system in an actual sea environment

From right

Norihisa HandaSenior ResearcherMarine Technology GroupMechanical Technology DepartmentProducts Development CenterIHI Corporation

Shigeki NagayaHead, Marine Technology GroupMechanical Technology DepartmentProducts Development CenterIHI Corporation

Yasushi DodoSenior ResearcherProduction Machinery GroupMechanical Technology DepartmentProducts Development CenterIHI Corporation

Yuko TakuboProject ManagerDirector, Offshore Wind & Ocean Energy GroupNew Energy Technology DepartmentNEDO


Tidal currents, which are caused by the ebb and flow of the tide, are possible to predict due to their cyclically changes. Additionally, the drift of a tidal current is faster than an ocean current, and its energy density is high; on the other hand, because the drift of the current is not consistent and the tide regularly turns, this system is unable to maintain stable energy outputs.

One of the projects from NEDO’s “Technical Research and Development on Next-Generation Ocean Energy Power Generation ,” which aims to develop element technologies for power generators that utilize currents, is the “counter-rotating propeller type tidal current power generation system.” This project was contracted to a group consisted of Kyowa Engineering Consultants Co., Ltd.; EIM Electric Co., Ltd.; Maeda Corporation; Kyushu Institute of Technology; and Waseda University. Each contractor engages in technology development by bringing their respective knowledge and technologies.

This power generator is built mainly with front and rear counter-rotating propellers and a double rotating armature. With the propellers moving in the opposite directions, it is possible to maintain a stabilized position underwater. Additionally, a double rotating armature reduces

leakage of magnetic flux and improves power generation efficiency. Since it was confirmed through a tank test conducted in FY2015 that the unit performed as designed, a new towing test is now planned to verify its performance underwater, imitating a tidal current by towing the device from a ship off the coast of Iojima, Nagasaki Prefecture, in October 2017. Chief Officer Masato Hamamoto of Offshore Wind & Ocean Energy Group, New Energy Technology Department at NEDO, said, “For the counter-rotating propeller type tidal current power generation, the towing tests planned in October will be the first to take place in an actual sea, and we hope to conduct them steadily in order to acquire the essential data.”

Isao Samura of Kyowa Engineering Consultants Co., Ltd., who is in charge of the site research, said, “We are the first to create an actual counter-rotating propeller with a double rotating armature, which was previously only known theoretically. We thought it worth to give it a shot, because it was an idea that could be a potential breakthrough for tidal current power generation.” Ryunosuke Kawashima of EIM Electric Co., Ltd., who was in charge of design, enthusiastically added, “Although the flux under the sea is not consistent, the counter-rotating propellers can maintain its position. We want to confirm the results we obtained by using the waterwheel on the ground are applicable under the sea.”

A towing test at Koshiki Strait, Kagoshima Prefecture. The device’s operation was confirmed to be stable even while the vessel speed changed.

In advance of the demonstration test off the coast of Kuchinoshima, at the end of July, a test was conducted to confirm the system’s behavior under the sea, using an imitation current created by a ship towing the device through Koshiki Strait, Kagoshima Prefecture.

The test verified the function of the demonstration unit, including testing to see if the power generation system functioned as designed and how the autonomous control system performed. After that, the power generation performance and the mooring system’s stabilization performance were verified in the actual sea environment during the demonstration test off the coast of Kuchinoshima. These test runs provided the researchers with data to estimate power generation costs. The team can move forward toward commercialization by analyzing the data.

Yuko Takubo, Director of New Energy Technology Department at NEDO, who is leading the project as a project manager, said, “Ocean current power generation is an almost totally unfluctuating power supply; therefore, we think that introducing the system to small isolated islands, where there is limited grid capacity, will be the first step to commercialization. We expect the system to improve energy security on the islands.”

In order to realize subsea f loating type ocean current power generation, NEDO is looking at scaling up the rated power output to 2,000 kW. In order to do that, the researchers might need to consider enlarging the power generation equipment and introducing array structures, which would connect multiple units to each other. There are great expectations for ocean current power generation that can draw upon ocean forces such as the Kuroshio Current, revealing the high potential in the sea surrounding Japan.

Images of the tank test. Diam-eter of each propeller on the front and rear on the testing machine is about 1 m. It will be used in a towing test off the coast of Iojima, Nagasaki Prefecture in October 2017.

Ocean Energy Portal Website

Portal webpage now onlineht tp: //www.todaiww3.k.u-tok yo.ac. jp/nedo_p/ jp/

In the future, when we introduce ocean energy generation to the sea surrounding Japan, it will be important to understand the potential of ocean energy, including where it exists, what kind it is, and how much it is available. In order to do that, NEDO has launched a portal website for the purpose of disseminating information to evaluate ocean energy possibilities and publishing an ocean potential map.

The website was created by the University of Tokyo and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) as part of the “Common Base Study on Ocean Energy Power Generation Technology (Estimation of Energy Potential)” project.

The website can create a colored map based on numeric data relating to the potential including ocean currents, tidal currents, wave power, and ocean temperature difference. For example, the map can show data in various ways including the maximum amount of wave power’s

significant wave heights*2, as well as “summertime climate data” and “during a large meander of the Kuroshio Current.”

Wave power data between 1994 and 2014 is measured via the gridded coastal area of Japan, where each grid square represents 1 km2 of ocean. Data on ocean currents, tidal currents, and ocean temperature difference from 2002 through 2012 is shown onto a 3 km by 3 km gridded representation of the sea surrounding Japan. These can be used to generate a map.

The power output of this demonstrator is 100kW, but the project team is considering creating practical units, which can achieve three to five times greater power output than the demonstrator, for areas where there is a small grid capacity, such as isolated islands.

Mechanism of counter-rotating type tidal current power generator unit. The idea of balancing out reaction caused by rotational motion, by using the front and rear propellers as well as the double rotating armature to improve the power generation performance, was conceived by Specially Appointed Professor Toshiaki Kanemoto of the Kyushu Institute of Technology.

Gathering Japan’s technical capabilities. Obtaining tidal current energy efficiently by use of a counter-rotating propeller


[Counter-Rotating Propeller Type Tidal Current Power Generation]· Maintains position by rotating front and rear propellers in opposite directions· Improves efficiency of power generator by use of a double rotating armature,*3 which controls leakage of magnetic flux.

Ocean current potential mapSpeed of ocean current

Wave powerpotential mapAmount of energy per unit length generated by the wave

Ocean temperature difference potential mapDifference in temperature between surface water and deep water

*2 The mean of one-third of the highest of wave height.

*3 The inner shaft magnet and the outer coil counter-rotate. In conventional technology, the outer coil was fixed and only the inner shaft magnet rotated.

Front propellerMechanical seals

Rear propeller

Counter-rotating type power generator

Floatation adjustment device

Turbine blades madewith glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP)

Power generator, control device, and various measuring instrument (right side) Position adjustment device

Pressure-resistant steel structures

Mooring equipmentTransmission cable

Turbine blade angle changing device

Transformer and transmission equipmentUnderwater connector

Power generator, control device, and various measuring instrument (left side)

Diameter: about 11 m

Full length: about 20 mWidth: about 20 m


Introducing the system to isolated islands at firstAiming to contribute to providing a stable energy supply

Tidal Current Power Generation

Generate power with tidalcurrents, which are horizontal fluxes of tide occurring due to lunar and solar gravity. The flux is cyclically changes due to ebb and flow; therefore, it is accurate enough to make projections about energy output.

Maintains stabilized positions in tidal currents during inconsistent flows Planned demonstration via towing test in October

From Left

Isao SamuraAdvanced Project TeamChief EngineerKyowa Engineering Consultants Co., Ltd.

Taizo OdaChiefResearch & Development DepartmentEIM Electric Co., Ltd.

Ryunosuke KawashimaManagerResearch & Development DepartmentEIM Electric Co., Ltd.

Masato HamamotoChief OfficerOffshore Wind & Ocean Energy GroupNew Energy Technology DepartmentNEDO


The wind, which is constantly blowing on Earth, causes “waves” on sea surface. Wave energy can be found in almost anywhere in ocean environments.

There are several methods for generating power through waves, one of which is “air turbine-based wave power generation”, which is an Oscillating Water Column (OWC) type. This is one of the methods that have been advanced to a demonstration research phase towards practical use. In this system, when the beating wave enters the generator’s air chamber, air is pushed around due to the rising and falling movements of the sea surface inside of the air chamber. This displacement causes the air to rotate the turbine, which generates power. Because the system is a “fixed coastal-type” that can be installed in breakwaters and seawalls, the cost of construction, power transmission, and a connection to an electric grid will likely all be reduced.

NEDO installed an air turbine-based wave power generation system (rated power output 15 kW) on the shore wall in the Port of Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture, as part of the “Demonstration Research on Ocean Energy Power Generation” project. A demonstration test began in January 2015 and the power output has been verified at a maximum of 13 kW.

Chief Officer Hidetoshi Tamura of NEDO’s Offshore Wind & Ocean

In the sea areas including those outside of the bay that are far away from land, high wave energy can be observed, compared to those inside of the bay with breakwater and seawalls. Among several wave power generation methods, another method, which is also slated for demonstration research to move toward realization, is a movable object type “mechanical wave power generation system.” By using movable objects floating on sea surface, it converts wave kinetic energy into power.

NEDO, in cooperating with Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., is promoting the development of a mechanical wave power generation device as part of its “Demonstration Research on Ocean Energy Power Generation” project. The generation device vertically moves a float and a rod, which is attached to a float, in accordance with the vertical movement of waves. This vertical motion is translated into rotational motion by a rack attached to a rod (a bar with teeth) and a pinion (a wheel with teeth), which is inner part of the body called a spar. By utilizing the energy of rotation, a generator can generate electricity.

Since April 2017, for about five months, NEDO conducted a

Energy Group, New Energy Technology Department, spoke about the result of the project. “This is the world-first demonstration test of an OWC-type wave power generation device that uses an impulse turbine to achieve a large output. We were able to get the power generation performance we expected,” he said. He also mentioned the coming challenges NEDO would face in the next steps of realizing the system, saying, “It will be important to verify the generator’s performance when it is actually connected with to a power grid system.”

demonstration test of a mechanical wave power generation device in the waters about 800 m from the shore of Kozushima, Tokyo Prefecture, and about 30 m below the surface of the sea. Chief Officer Shunji Ueda of the Offshore Wind & Ocean Energy Group, New Energy Technology Department, said, “Based on the demonstration test results and our experience installing and demobilizing the system, we will analyze the cost and identify issues; and we hope this will lead to the development and commercialization of the actual device, which will be adapted to Japan’s wave conditions in the future.” Based on the data obtained in the tests, NEDO will continue identifying challenges to commercialization.

Steel anchor

Intermediate buoy

Vertical mooring lines

-30

-20

-10

0

10

Mooring lines under the water

Wave power generation device

Wave power generation device, moored by �oating anintermediate buoy under the sea surface

Dep

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om t

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)

Image of a demonstration test that was held for approximately five months from April 2017, off the coast of Kozushima. The diameter of the float facing the sea surface is 2.7 m. The total height of the device including the section below the surface of the sea is approximately 13 m. As is illustrated by the red arrows in the picture, a rod and a spar move up and down in a relative manner by wave power.

Image of a demonstration test in the Port of Sakata. The data acquired during the roughly nine-month test shows that high power generation can be expected in winter in this location.

Project participants from Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., NEDO, and others who conducted a demonstration test in Kozushima.

Conceptual diagram of air turbine-based wave power system. Compared to other wave power generation systems, the structure is simple and safe because it is installed on the coast.

In order to decrease the area needed for installation, a new mooring method that combines vertical mooring lines and horizontal mooring lines was developed.

Project participants, including representatives from MM Bridge Co., Ltd. and Toa Corporation.

Machine room / turbine generator

Unit structure multiple resonance type wave power device

Principle of Air Turbine-based Wave Power Generation

Curtain wall Air chamber

Existing caisson

Projecting wall

Vertical movement of water surface

Primary conversion

Secondary conversion

Round-trip air flow occurs

Air flow Air flow

Movement of piston(movement of water

surface)

Movement of piston(movement of water

surface)

Wave power generation that can be installed in breakwaters and seawalls. Great results from the world’s first demonstration test in the Port of Sakata

Floating-type mechanical wave power generationA step toward realization with a demonstration test in Kozushima


[Air Turbine-based Wave Power Generation]· Generates power using the movement of air from waves to rotate turbines.· Because the generator is installed on the coast, it is possible to reduce the costs of construction and power transmission.


[Mechanical Wave Power Generation]· Generates power with a generator by transforming vertical movement of waves into rotational motion with a gear wheel.

· Because generation process only uses a small area in the sea, it is possible to obtain electric power in a highly efficient manner .

Hidetoshi TamuraChief OfficerOffshore Wind & Ocean Energy GroupNew Energy Technology DepartmentNEDO

Rod

Float

Spar

Bridge

Wave Power Generation

Utilize the vertical sea surface movement for power generation. Since waves are a universal phenomenon, which happen in every ocean on earth, the technology can be applied to various locations.


From right

Takao SuzukiManagerRenewable Energy Project GroupTechnical Co-ordination DepartmentResearch & Development HeadquartersMitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.

Shunji UedaChief OfficerOffshore Wind & Ocean Energy GroupNew Energy Technology DepartmentNEDO

Verifying the power generation performance with a demonstration test Considering connections to the grid

Installing Japan’s first mechanical wave power generation system in an actual ocean environment Considering mooring techniques etc.


Interview with NEDO’s Representative Office in Bangkok

New Trends in Business in Southeast AsiaRemarkable economic growth in Southeast Asia: NEDO’s staff from the Repre-sentative Office in Bangkok reports on each ASEAN country with close economic ties to Japan. ASEAN celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

NEDO’s Representative Office in Bangkok was opened in October 1993 to be in charge of relations with ten ASEAN countries. Since then, the Bangkok office has worked on demonstration projects to contribute to solving issues in ASEAN countries by utilizing energy and industry-related technology from Japan.

The purpose is to create a unified team of Japan and partner countries, and to showcase actual case studies of introducing new technologies, as well as to transform the technologies to new businesses and promote and disseminate them after the demonstration. For the partner countries, this is an opportunity to study closely and acquire Japanese technology, while Japan is able to develop technology that fits the partner country’s market environment in terms of cost, performance and operation. It is important that both countries benefit from the project.

NEDO is now focusing on three fields: “Energy,” “Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions,” and “Resource Circulation.” However, ASEAN countries have different languages, religions, cultures, and political backgrounds, as well as diverse levels of economic development. Yet, as typified by the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) launched at the end of 2015, they seek to strengthen cooperation with each other and work to increase awareness of ASEAN. In this featured article, w e i n t r o d u c e N E D O ’s demonstration projects in T hai land , Vie t nam, and Indonesia, who have the most projects in the geographic a rea represented by t he Representat ive Off ice of Bangkok, along with the background of each country.

“Biofuel and Biochemical” is one of the ten key industries Thailand is focusing on, and NEDO engages in a project that is pushing the envelope in this field. The project is a demonstration of a manufacturing system for creating useful materials, such as cellulose sugar, oligosaccharide, and polyphenol, from sugarcane waste (also known as “bagasse”), which then could be used in high value-added products.

By utilizing a polymer membrane technology developed in Japan, this project aims to achieve a more than 50% reduction in energy consumption compared to conventional evaporation techniques. As of October 2017, a pilot plant is being built, which will be used to demonstrate the effective utilization of bagasse, a non-edible waste product that will not use arable land. NEDO aims to contribute to the effective utilization of unused resources in Thailand and to help Thailand manufacture more high value-added products. This is a valuable proposition in Thailand, which is one of the top sugarcane-producing countries in the world.

ThailandSustainable economic growth made possible by innovation

Staff at NEDO’s Representative Office in Bangkok.

Chief Officer Haruka Saito of NEDO’s Representative Office in Bangkok (fifth from right in front row) attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a plant demonstration project in Udon Thani, Thailand.

Minister H.E. Dr. Atchaka Sibunruang, of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Kingdom of Thailand, and Director Pun-Arj Chairatana, of the Kingdom of Thailand's National Innovation Agency (NIA), visited NEDO and engaged in discussions with NEDO Chairman Kazuo Furukawa and others.

Starting various support systems and personnel exchanges to build a startup ecosystem inThailand!TOPICS

Basic Information Name of country: Kingdom of Thailand

1 Capital Bangkok2 Currency Baht 1 Baht ≒ 3.3 JPY3 Population 65.72 Million people4 Area 514,000 km2 (1.4 times bigger than Japan)5 GDP 406.9 Billion dollars (2016)6 GDP per capita 6,033 dollars (2016)7 Economic growth rates 3.2% (2016)

8 Trade(1) Export 215.3 Billion dollars (2016)(2) Import 194.7 Billion dollars (2016)

9 Number of Japanese companies in Thailand 1,748 firms (April 2017)

Reference: #1-8 are from a website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and #9 is from a website of JETRO

In order to escape the so-called “middle-income trap” and join the ranks of high-income countries, the government of Thailand has adopted various policies. Especially, it aims for the promotion of advanced and high value-added industries as well as the realization of sustainable economic growth by achieving “Thailand 4.0,*” which calls for an innovation-driven economy. Specifically, the government picked ten different key industries that have “S curve” growth trajectories, which develop shortand mid-term, or “new S curve” trajectories, which develop long-term, to be its “focus industries”. Thailand aims to strengthen its competitiveness to maintain sustainable economic growth by promoting these industries.

Three provinces - Chachoengsao, Chonburi, and Rayong - were picked to compose the “Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC),” an area where value-added service industries, such as the focus industries that utilize advanced technologies, infrastructure development, tourism development, R&D, and others, would be highly promoted. In order to bringing investments into these EEC areas, the government of Thailand has adopted tax benefits, such as exemptions from the corporate income tax for participating companies. Particularly, the government addressed its high expectations for a continuous role for Japanese firms, whose contributions to the development of the economy in Thailand are extremely important.

Strengthening competitiveness via “Thailand 4.0”

The latest trends in the spotlight

· Model Project for an Industrial Waste Power Generation System (Energy Demonstration)· JCM Demonstration and Verification Project for Promotion for Low Carbon Hotel: A New Energy Management System for Vietnam (V-BEMS) (JCM)

· JCM Demonstration and Verification Project for Promotion of Green Hospital by Energy-Saving/Environmental Improvements in National Hospitals (JCM)

· JCM Demonstration and Verification Project for Energy-Saving and Work Efficiency Improvements by Introducing a New Technology Chip-on-Board LED System (JCM)

Vietnam

Basic Information on ASEAN

Area 4.49 Million km2 11.9 times bigger thanJapan (0.378 Million km2)

Population638.62 Million people

5 times more thanJapan (126.99 Million people)

GDP2.5547 Trillion US dollars

51.7% of Japan(4.9394 Trillion US dollars)

Trade(Export + Import)

2.2555 Trillion US dollars

1.8 times more than Japan(1.2518 Trillion US dollars)

Reference: ASEAN at a Glance (Regional Policy Division, Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan) http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/files/000127169.pdf

· Demonstration Project for Smart Communities in Industrial Parks (Energy Demonstration)· JCM Demonstration and Verification Project for Energy Saving by Optimum Operation at an Oil Refinery (JCM)

· JCM Demonstration and Verification Project for Utility Facility Operation Optimization Technology –“RENKEI” CONTROL- (JCM)

· JCM Demonstration and Verification Project on Industrial Technology for Low Carbon BTS with a Tribrid System (JCM)

Indonesia

· Demonstration Project for Mobility as a System (Energy Demonstration)

Philippines

· International Demonstration Project for Introducing Electric Vehicle Buses with Fast-Charging System (Energy Demonstration)

Malaysia

NEDO’s FY2017 demonstration projects in Southeast Asia.

* Thailand 4.0: A society that have transferred from labor-intensive industry to knowledge-intensive industry, and has achieved advanced industry. Thailand 1.0 was agriculture, Thailand 2.0 was light industry, and Thailand 3.0 was foreign direct investment (heavy and chemical industry).

(Energy Demonstration): International Demonstration Projects on Japan’s Energy Efficiency Technologies

(Environment/Medical Demonstration): International Research, Development and Demonstration Projects in Environmental and Healthcare Fields / International Research, Development and Demonstration Projects for Advanced Medical Systems

(JCM): JCM Demonstration and Verification Projects

Since FY2017, NEDO began new campaigns for supporting startup creation that utilizes the results of

joint research between Japan and Thailand. The government of Thailand, which highly values innovation, is

focusing on startups as innovation leaders and has adopted various promotion policies.

Through its “R&D-based Startup Support Project,” which has been conducted inside of Japan, NEDO,

in cooperation with the NIA, is building networks of human resources and venture capitals (VCs) to support

commercialization for R&D-based startups. NEDO plans to develop a mechanism connecting R&D results to

businesses in Thailand based on lessons learned from the past experiences. NEDO expects this system to

provide a foothold for Japanese entrepreneurs seeking to expand their businesses into Thailand.NEDO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with NIA at “Startup Thailand 2017.”

2nd　 Featured Article

· Demonstration Project for an Energy-Saving Cellulosic Sugar Production System Using Bagasse (Energy Demonstration)

· Cooperative Research and Development Project on Knee Joint Prostheses and a Tree-Dimensional Surgery Support System (Environment/Medical Demonstration)

Thailand

· JCM Demonstration and Verification Project for Lao PDR Energy Efficient Datacenter (LEED) (JCM)

Laos

Yoshinori FurukawaChief RepresentativeRepresentative Office in BangkokNEDO

Efforts by NEDO’s Representative Office in Bangkok to promote energy and environmental technologies to ASEAN countries

Aiming to manufacture high value-added products


Rapidly increasing waste disposal has become a major challenge in Vietnam. Generally, Vietnam uses landfill disposals; however, there have been concerns such as a shortage of landfill areas and a risk to environmental health. NEDO conducted a demonstration project that incinerates industrial waste to generate power via a waste heat utilization system, proposing it as a countermeasure to help solve this challenge.

This project was announced in the Japan-Vietnam Joint Statement in 2014 by the previous President of Vietnam Trương Tấn Sang and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and it became a symbolic project for both countries. Including the countermeasure of dioxins, contributing waste disposal and securing powers in facilities integrated with environmental measures which utilize Japanese technology is exactly a project which goes with the current of the times in Vietnam.

Additionally, to contribute to reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, NEDO conducted its “Promotion Project of Green Hospitals” to introduce Japanese superior inverter air conditioners to hospitals. This project improved comfort and air quality in hospitals, as well as aiming for huge energy savings. It became the first registered JCM project for NEDO. Along with the Vietnam’s energy efficiency labelling standards, this project introduced and utilized a performance evaluation device for room air conditioners, and has

Continued rapid economic growth in Indonesia has resulted in a significant growth in energy demand, and the establishment of advanced energy usage and environmental measures is an urgent issue. For the purpose of power stabilization and energy savings in industrial parks, which consume high volumes of energy, NEDO conducts demonstrations of electric power quality stabilization technologies and energy management technologies. As part of a JCM project, NEDO also conducts demonstrations of operation control optimization technology for an oil refinery plant that, like industrial parks, has a high volume of energy consumption and CO2 emissions.

At the same time, waste disposal issues need to be solved, and NEDO conducted a demonstration regarding waste oil recycling technology in Borneo (also known as “Kalimantan”). Going forward, NEDO, in cooperation with the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology of the Republic of Indonesia (BPPT), NEDO’s Indonesian counterpart, plans to hold a seminar promoting dissemination of the technology.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo eliminated the gasoline subsidiary, which places financial burden on Indonesia, as soon as he was inaugurated; moreover, on March 2, 2017, he added a development plan for EV and hybrid cars to Presidential Regulation

promoted the general dissemination of inverter air conditioners in Vietnam. In addition, the project succeeded in applying a treatment to destroy chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in air conditioner refrigerants for the first time in Vietnam, and thus it received a lot of positive attention. In Japan, the recovery and destruction of CFCs is regulated by law; however, in Vietnam, this area is still underdeveloped in terms of laws and regulations. The government of Vietnam recognizes the importance of CFC measures, and will consider this result as it contemplates regulation improvement in Vietnam.

Number 22 of 2017, on the General Planning for National Energy (RUEN). Following these changes, the energy saving movement and the effort to reduce dependence on oil in the transportation sector has been energized. Going forward, NEDO is considering promoting demonstrations related to mobility that can meet the needs of Indonesia. Additionally, NEDO, in cooperation with the government of Indonesia, plans to engage in the infrastructure development that is necessary for dissemination.

IndonesiaVietnam

A handover ceremony for a performance evaluation device for room air conditioners.

Re p re se n t a t i ve Taka h i ro Ya b e o f the NED O Representative Office in Bangkok (left) and Vice President Performance Excellence Mr. Yulian Dekri of the state-owned oil company, PT. Pertamina, at the steering committee of the JCM project.

A huge market that keeps growing: an attractive investment location

Realizing both economic growth and environmental measurements

Indonesia has a land area which is about five times bigger than Japan’s, and it has rich natural resources, including oil, natural gas, and coal. The population accounts for about 40% of the total ASEAN population in addition to possessing a high “demographic bonus,” which is the ratio of the working-age population to the total population. It is expected this ratio will keep increasing until about 2030. Indonesia faces various challenges regarding business development, such as increases in labor cost, the complexity of various customs clearance procedures, and the ambiguity of legal interpretations; however, the economic growth rate remains at five to six percent in recent years, and continuous steady growth is expected in the future.

After the 10 years of Yudhoyono Administration, Widodo was appointed to 7th President of Indonesia in October 2014. “Infrastructure development,” “advanced industry development,” and the “Indonesia as a maritime nation “ were addressed as high priority economic policies in the Widodo Administration. Infrastructure development includes building a 35 GW power generation plant, fifteen industrial parks, and eleven Special Economic Zones (SEZs).

In Vietnam, annual economic growth rate is about six to seven percent, which is a high level; the country recently reached a population of 90 million, and expected to grow to 100 million by 2026. Along with this growth will come market expansion. Vietnam is also expected to increase its environmentally conscious economic activities, and especially since the contaminated waste water incident of 2016, citizens’ interest in environmental stewardship has further increased. In conjunction with Vietnam’s projected economic development, maintaining sufficient electric power is also important. In Vietnam’s current Power Development Plan, it aims to increase the ratio of renewable energy in its power generation capacity to 21% by 2030; introducing and promoting renewable energy is also an area of interest for Vietnam.

Rich land and demographic bonusRaising the ratio of renewable energy to 21% by 2030

The latest trends in the spotlightThe latest trends in the spotlight

Ceremony to commemorate the start of a demonstration plant for waste oil recycling.

Representative Tetsuya Anjo of the NEDO Representative Office in Bangkok (first from left in middle row) attended a meeting regarding model project for an industrial waste power generation system with a local government agency in Vietnam.

Industrial waste incineration power generation plant integrated with Japanese technology for measuring the environment.

Completion ceremony for the facility.

Completion ceremony for a waste oil recycle project conducted with BPPT.

2nd　 Featured ArticleNew Trends in Business in Southeast Asia

Converting from waste to energy resources

Countermeasures against global warming are also an important task

Energy-saving and environmental measures for infrastructure

Aiming to save energy and eliminate dependence on oil in the transportation sector

Basic Information Name of country: Socialist Republic of Vietnam

1 Capital Hanoi2 Currency Vietnam Dong (VND) 1000 VND ≒ 5 JPY3 Population About 92.7 Million people4 Area About 330,000 km2 (Almost the same as Japan without Kyushu area)5 GDP About 201.9 Billion dollars (2016)6 GDP per capita 2,215 dollars (2016)7 Economic growth rates 6.21% (2016)


9 Number of Japanese companies in Vietnam 1,637 firms (March 2017)


Basic Information Name of country: Republic of Indonesia

1 Capital Jakarta2 Currency Rupiah (IDR) 1000 IDR ≒ 8–9 JPY3 Population About 255 Million people (2015, Indonesian government data)4 Area About 1.89 Million km2 (5 times bigger than Japan)5 GDP 861.9 Billion dollars (2015)6 GDP per capita 3,605.1 dollars (2016)7 Economic growth rates 5.0% (2016)


9 Number of Japanese companies in Indonesia 1,533 firms (November 2015)


Easy to understand!News Release

A special feature that aims to make news releases full of jargon, technical terms and difficult technologies easier to understand by focusing in on the important points. This conveys NEDO’s state-of-the-art technological achievements and activities with an easy-to-understand explanation.

C ommentary

News ReleaseConverting Grease Traps Oils into Electricity: 100kVA Mobile Power Supply Vehicles equipped with biomass generator– Will aim to establish a New Local Production for Local consumption Model of Biomass energy in the Tokyo Metropolitan area –

We have picked up a news release dated the

September 8, 2017 about the “New Energy Venture Technology Innovation Support Program for Startup Companies,” promoted by the Innovation Promotion

Department of NEDO.

News Release


Featured Technology

FOG in liquid form may not appear to be harmful, but when disposed into the drainage system, they congeal and harden in the pipe. Over time they grow to form sewer blockages and cause bad smells. Naturally, if we drain directly this waste into rivers, this can have a negative effect on the environment.

Thus, discharging FOG to the public sewer system is rigorously regulated by the Sewerage Act and Water Pollution Prevention Act. It follows from this that grease traps must be installed on relevant premises, such as hotels, restaurants, fast food chains, etc.

Until now, the FOG collected from grease traps were considered difficult to recycle for the reason that they have a high moisture content and may contain food or other debris, and so they were incinerated as industrial waste.

The Food Green Elect r ical Power Generation turns these wastes into fuel for

power generation without the addition of chemical products or the creation of any byproducts.

Bio Diesel Fuel (BDF) is already well-known as a biomass fuel derived from food industry waste oils, or rather, from used fryer and vegetable cooking oils. In contrast, the Food Green Power Generation that converts animal fats, oils and grease in grease traps into electricity, has attracted attention as an urban-oriented “local production for local consumption” model of new biomass power generation.

New Biomass Power Generation Method that Concurrently Purifies Wastewater and Recycles Industrial Waste:

Food Green Generation Systemwith which we will promote innovation systems for renewable energy technologies, build a new energy business, and expand the possibilities of renewable resources.

Exterior of 100kVA biomass power generation vehicle

Glossary

Grease trapsA grease trap is a plumbing device designed to intercept most greases and solids before they enter a wastewater disposal system. The Ministry of Construction’s Announcement #1597 of January 1, 1976 (Ministry of Construction’s Revised Announcement #1674) mandates that this device should be installed if there is a high possibility of blocking the function of wastewater disposal system with fats, oils and greases (FOG).

Approx. 310,000 tons of trapped greases in a yearC f . F Y 2 012 E n v i r o n m e n t a l Research, General Promotion Grants and Research Projects - National Institute for Environmental Studies (K2114).

100kVAkVA stands for kilovolt ampere. When calculating the amount of active power with the formula “Rated power (kW) = Rated output (kVA) X Power factor (about 0.8),” it’s possible to generate about 80 kW of power.

Green (electrical) powerGreen power is electric power g e n e r a te d f r o m r e n e w a b l e resources such as wind, sunlight and biomass.

Here are the key points!　　

◆ CommentaryRecycling not only “waste oils” but “fats, oils and grease in wastewater”

Recycling FOG in wastewater generated by restaurants and food factories, etc., which until now were treated as industrial waste.

Invention of the Japan’s largest biomass power generation vehicle, mounted with a 100kVA-scaled generator.

The first successful attempt in Japan to turn FOG collected from grease traps into biofuel for electrical power generation.

Capable of functioning as an emergency power supply during disasters.

◆ Outlook for the FutureGuideline for Establishing a “Local Production for Local Consumption” Model of New Renewable Energy in Urban Areas

TBM, which successfully developed this project with NEDO, has now built a “local production for local consumption” model of new renewable energy with food green power generation system. This system can create electricity, reduce CO2 emissions, promote recycling, and clean water, exploiting the most familiar renewable

energy source in our lives. NEDO contributes continuously to the dissemination of renewable energy businesses and the diversification of energy resources by supporting original ideas and innovative technologies.

NEDO Developed Japan’s Largest Biomass Power Generation Vehicle that Turns Fats, Oils & Grease into Electricity.– Aiming to establish a “local production for local consumption”

model of new biomass energy throughout the metropolitan area –<Summary>

Restaurants, commercial facilities, and food factories are obliged to discharge their wastewater at levels below the effluent pollution standards regulated by the Sewerage Act and Water Pollution Prevention Act. The laws mandate that these institutions install a grease trap to prevent fats, oils, and grease (FOG) from reaching the sewers and the drainage systems.

In Japan, approximately 310,000 tons of greases, which mainly consist of animal fats and oils, are trapped each year. These enormous quantities of FOG were treated until now as industrial waste, and it was believed that they would be difficult to turn into renewable energy resources, the reason being that they have a high moisture content and may contain food or other debris. Since 2013, as part of the NEDO New Energy Venture Technology Innovation Support Program, TBM Co., Ltd. has been committed to developing a recycling system for generating electricity from trapped FOG, which TBM has named the Food Green Generation System.

NEDO and TBM conducted Japan’s first successful attempts to turn trapped greases into biofuel for electrical power generation and to develop the Japan’s largest biomass power generation vehicle, which is mounted with a 100kVA-scaled generator.

On September 10, a reliability demonstration testing for the provision of green electrical power with this biomass power generation vehicle will be conducted at the 23rd Iruma Tambour Session, in the City of Iruma. This will be the first time in the world that biofuel produced from trapped FOG is used for generating electricity.

This demonstration test was realized with the full cooperation of Matsuya Foods Co., Ltd. The animal fats and oils that have been turned into biofuel for power generation are collected from Matsuya’s Iruma branch, as well as from 98 other branches in Saitama Prefecture. The electricity generated by the power generation vehicle will be provided to the event. This demonstration test will verify that our biomass power generation vehicle can provide a stable green electrical power source for kitchen equipment, lights in shops, and water misting fans, which create cool spots for preventing heatstroke at outdoor facilities.

A similar reliability demonstration test is scheduled at the 39th Iruma Mandou Festival, held by the City of Iruma on October 29 and 30. In addition, other demonstration tests will be conducted at various events hosted by local governments during 2017, including an environment festival hosted by the City of Musashino in Tokyo in November.

Through these reliability demonstration tests, TBM aims to establish the Food Green Power Generation System in the Tokyo metropolitan area by 2020, which will help to realize a “local production for local consumption” model for new energy.

September 8, 2017 News Releasehttp://www.nedo.go.jp/english/news/AA5en_100346.html

Emergency powersupply Sport events FestivalsReducing CO2

emissionsEnvironmental

countermeasure

Disaster countermeasure

Cities

For the first time in Japan ! Food Green Electric Generation

Restaurants

FOG FOG FOG FOG FOG

FOG

Convenience stores and super markets

Commercial strips and shopping centers

Commercial facilities and hotels

Food factories

Rivers and seas Sewage treatment plant Turning FOG into biofuel Cogeneration power plant

Keep seas and rivers clean

Resourcerecycling

Provision of green electrical energy

Selling electricity

Japan’s largest !

The first demonstration test in the world !

Overview of Food Green Generation System

“Local production for local consumption”model of new biomass energy

① Separating and collecting fats, oils and greases (FOG) from wastewater

③ Food Green Electric Generation Plants generate 100 kW×24 h×365 days

④ Providing green electricity to festivals and events with our Food Green Power generation vehicle

② Converting trapped grease into biofuels for electrical power generation (without the addition of chemical products)


Collected aluminum. Contributing to building a recycling-oriented society that utilizes terrestrial resources by improving the recycling rates of each material. (Photo courtesy of Tokyo Eco Recycle Co., Ltd.)

A graph of remaining operation years and final disposal amount of final disposal sites for non-industrial waste. (Based on Discharge and treatment of non-industrial waste (FY2013 and FY2009) published by Ministry of the Environment.)

A crew manually scrapping a CRT te lev is ion . Do ing th is p rocess by hand affects the purity of the recovered material.

Hitachi, which manufactures many kinds of industrial products, began considering a method of recovering recyclable resources from discarded industrial products in 1991 when the shortage of landfills for discarded industrial products including large appliances became a major social issue. At the same time, the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) was discussing a method of utilizing unused energy from cold energy of LNG. Hitachi had developed a method of crushing waste industrial products using cold energy by taking advantage of a characteristic of iron and plastic that makes it easy to break by cooling (known as “embrittlement”).

CFCs, which are considered a source of ozone layer depletion, were used in refrigerators and air conditioners as a compressor and a forming agent in urethane insulation. It was recognized that recovery technology needed to be developed.

Hitachi joined Development and Demonstration of a Home Appliance Recycling Plant/Development of Cryogenic Crushing Technology for Waste Industrial Products Ut i l iz ing Unused Energy (Cold Energy) from FY1992 through FY1997, and began developing technologies to solve these problems.

To implement effective recycling inside of a plant, the project team aimed to create a single system design that incorporates all of the processes, and began the element technology development for home appliance recycling treatments necessary for each phase, including technologies for cryogenic crushing, recovering CFCs, selecting aluminum, copper, and plastic, and recycling plastics. To have the entire recycling system run smoothly, it is important to look ahead to the selecting and recovering stage, separate compound materials during the crushing process, and divide each material.

However, metal composites, including a compressor used in refrigerator, are very hard, and it was challenging to break down these materials by crushing at room temperature. Taking advantage of characteristic of iron and plastic, which is easy to break when cooled to cryogenic temperatures, the project team developed “cryogenic crushing technology” that fractures composites efficiently with less than half of the energy of room temperature crushing, by using the liquid nitrogen that occurs when manufacturing LNG. But the realization of “cryogenic

President and CEO Nobuhiko Kawakami of Tokyo Eco Recycle Co., Ltd. said, “Even though the technology didn’t reach realization, it was part of a project outcome that we were able to verify its applicability.” Most of the recycling methods used recently are often selected based on changing market conditions. Regardless of whether they were realized or not, all of the developments, including technologies not applied to the present systems, were the foundation of constructing a home appliance recycling system.

During the latter half of the project, a pilot plant of home appliance recycling was completed in a Hitachi factory and started a trial operation. Many people, including consumer groups, industry groups, and educators visited the site every day. This was unbelievable in the beginning of 1990s, when the public didn’t know much about recycling.

Responding to these effor ts, the Home Appliance Recycling Law was enacted in 1998 and enforced in 2001. As a result, recycling plants were established throughout Japan and promoted the recycling of home appliances; this reduced final disposal amounts to just 5,000 tons in FY2012, down from 10,000 tons at the time when the Home Appliance Recycling Law was first enforced (2001). Ever since, the remaining operation years of final disposal sites are also increasing every year.

Manager Takeshi Nemoto of Resource Recycling Promotion Group, Service Project Promotion, Water Solution Division, Water Business Unit, Hitachi said, “Recycling is necessary not only in Japan but in the entire world. To establish it as a business, things other than technology such as collecting methods are also important.”

Due to a recent increase of new high-performance products such as vacuum insulations, there are some products that cannot be handled by existing recycling technologies, and new technologies are now required. While continuous evolution is necessary, the Tokyo Eco Recycle Company achieved six million units of home appliance recycling in April 2016. They are now applying the home appliance recycling technology to new appliances, expanding its target products to office automation equipment and industrial air conditioners, while also actively working on rare earth metal recycling. The efforts by NEDO and Hitachi, who raised consumers’ and manufacturers’ awareness of recycling, continue influencing the society twenty-five years after the start of the project.

crushing technology” was shelved as being too risky because the cost of the liquid nitrogen for crushing was high, and room temperature crushing technology was advancing. However, the technology itself was very prominent, and the “cryogenic crushing technology” was a start of the home appliance recycle system.

To conduct recycling accurately, it is necessary to select crushed iron, non-metal, and plastic correctly and increase the purity of each material. As a method of selecting targeted materials at high purity from mixed crushes, first, a magnetic separator was installed to collect iron using a magnet. This itself was existing technology, but Hitachi ran many trials to test components, including shape of the magnetic separator and number of installed separators, in order to collect iron more efficiently, and as a result it achieved a very high outcome, with the collection rate and the purity of iron both reaching 99%.

For selecting copper and aluminum, researchers made improvements to an eddy current separator, which is used for selecting aluminum cans. The method involves generating a magnetic field via an eddy current, and force out copper and aluminum that are repulsed by the field. This was also an application of an existing technology, but system was optimized in the light of the mechanism of eddy current generation. These efforts were fruitful, as a 97% recovery rate of copper and 95% for aluminum was achieved, while the purity of copper was 92% and aluminum was 90%. For CFCs used in urethane insulations and compressors in refrigerators, Hitachi conducted an element technology development of recovery and decomposition for heat-insulating CFCs and refrigerant CFCs, which made it possible to recover more than 90% of CFCs.

Focusing on discarded industrial products recycling utilizing unused energy

Developing a comprehensive processing system of crushing, selecting, recovering, recycling

Selecting iron, non-ferrous metal, and plastic by arranging new and existing technologies for home appliance recycling

An opportunity to change publ ic perception toward recycling with a NEDO project

The Development and Demonstration of a Home Appliance Recycling Plant project was started to support R&D in the recycling field, which was the new technology to home appliance manufacturers. From the perspective of environmental protection, Hitachi, Ltd., recognizing the importance of recycling instantaneously as a home applicant manufacturer, joined this project alone. During this project, Hitachi built the foundation of a home appliance recycling system and founded three companies, including Tokyo Eco Recycle Co., Ltd., to promotes the recycling of home appliances.

View of interior at Tokyo Eco Recycle C o. , L td . S c r a p p ing T Vs , ACs , refrigerators, and laundry machines at each dedicated line.

In“NEDO Project Success Stories”,we interview the developers including corporations involved in the project and post success stories on the website.

http://www.nedo.go.jp/content/100871470.pdf

What is Development and Demonstration of a Home Appliance Recycling Plant?

At the start of the 1990s, waste disposal became a significant social issue, including the lack of final disposal sites. Especially, in terms of used home appliances including TVs and refrigerators, the development of an economic and comprehensive recycling system for reduction and reuse was an urgent issue. NEDO conducted the first national project on home appliance recycling in FY1992 in cooperation with local governments and manufacturers. It has been contributing to the further realization of home appliance recycling ever since.

The results of NEDO projects are utilized in manufacturing processes used by

companies and final products available for consumers. In this series, we look at

untold stories of how technology development projects scaled the high, difficult wall

to successful commercialization and what came after, summarizing past articles in

“NEDO Project Success Stories.”

NEDOPROJECT SUCCESS STORIESVol 6.

Project

Follow Up!

Playback

History

Development and Demonstration of a Home Appliance Recycling PlantConstruction of a new white goods recycling system in collaboration with local governments and manufacturers

Final disposal amount

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[1st Featured Article]


Reporting on Today and Tomorrow’s Energy, Environmental and Industrial Technologies

[2nd Featured Article]

Interview with NEDO’s Representative Office in BangkokNew Trends in Business in Southeast AsiaPerspectives on Future Technologies

Kumi Fujisawa, Co-Founder of Think Tank SophiaBank

MUZA Kawasaki Central Tower, 1310 Omiya-cho, Saiwai-kuKawasaki City, Kanagawa 212-8554 JapanTel: +81-44-520-5100 Fax: +81-44-520-5103URL: http://www.nedo.go.jp/english/index.html February 2018 (1st Edition)

● Head OfficeMUZA Kawasaki Central Tower, 16F-20F1310 Omiya-cho, Saiwai-kuKawasaki City, Kanagawa 212-8554 JapanTel: +81-44-520-5100Fax: +81-44-520-5103

● Kansai Branch OfficeUmeda Dai Building, 6F, 3-3-10Umeda, Kita-kuOsaka 530-0001 JapanTel: +81-6-6341-5403Fax: +81-6-6341-5405

● Washington, D.C.1901 L Street, N.W., Suite 720 Washington, D.C. 20036 U.S.A.Tel: +1-202-822-9298Fax: +1-202-822-9259

● Silicon Valley3945 Freedom Circle, Suite 790 Santa Clara, CA 95054 U.S.A.Tel: +1-408-567-8033Fax: +1-408-567-9831

Domestic Offices

Overseas Offices

● Europe10, rue de la Paix 75002Paris, FranceTel: +33-1-4450-1828Fax: +33-1-4450-1829

● New Delhi9th Floor, Hotel Le Meridien Commercial Tower, Raisina Road New Delhi 110 001, IndiaTel: +91-11-4351-0101Fax: +91-11-4351-0102

● Beijing2001 Chang Fu Gong Office Building Jia-26, Jian Guo Men Wai Street Beijing 100022, P.R. ChinaTel: +86-10-6526-3510Fax: +86-10-6526-3513

● Bangkok8th Floor, Sindhorn Building Tower 2 130-132 Wittayu Road, Lumphini PathumwanBangkok 10330, ThailandTel: +66-2-256-6725Fax: +66-2-256-6727

Documents

st Domestic Offices Rising Expectations for Ocean Energy