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: Creating Greener Communities in the U.S. Creating Greener Communities in the U.S....

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Japan and the US: The Bigger Picture

Creating Greener Communities in the U.S.

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Panasonic’s Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town Project outside of Tokyo gives a glimpse of what is possible for the smart communities and homes of the future. Source: Panasonic

U.S. – Japanese cooperation and technological exchanges are helping to create greener communities in the U.S. While corporations from both countries are actively developing commercially marketable green technologies, Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) is also partnering with U.S. states and national laboratories to conduct cutting-edge projects in the U.S. In the graphic below, we showcase what the smart communities of the future can look like—using innovative technology from private corporations as well as public entities such as NEDO.










Smart House <b>Solar Arrays:</b><br />Solar panels capture photons from sunlight, which cause electrons to react and move through a closed-loop circuit as electricity. The Japanese company <b>Kyocera</b> produces large-scale photovoltaic array that supplies solar power to microgrids.<br /> <br /><b>Panasonic’s</b> sustainability efforts largely focus on greening its materials and supply chain, buildings and manufacturing processes, packaging and shipping systems, and reducing power consumption in its products as well as its operations.<a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/panasonic3.jpg" style="float:left;margin:1px;"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-842628 size-small" src="https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/panasonic3.jpg?w=225" alt="Panasonic3" width="225" height="150" srcset="https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/panasonic3.jpg 2500w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/panasonic3.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/panasonic3.jpg?resize=550,367 550w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/panasonic3.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/panasonic3.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/panasonic3.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/panasonic3.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/panasonic3.jpg?resize=401,267 401w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/panasonic3.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/panasonic3.jpg?resize=1920,1280 1920w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/panasonic3.jpg?resize=1000,667 1000w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/panasonic3.jpg?resize=275,183 275w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/panasonic3.jpg?resize=325,217 325w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/panasonic3.jpg?resize=600,400 600w" sizes="(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" /></a> The company emphasizes the reduction of CO2 emissions and recycling-oriented manufacturing. Panasonic’s work on the Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town Project outside Tokyo serves as an example of designing for disaster resistance, safety, and environmental responsibility. Panasonic and its partner companies have designed a community that uses smart tech to enhance healthcare, communications, security, financial interactions and other lifestyle experiences. <b>Energy Storage:</b><br />Batteries that can be discharged and then recharged help manage the demands on traditional power supplies. Japan’s <b>NGK Insulators</b> supplied the sodium-sulphate batteries for a microgrid demonstration in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and lithium-ion batteries can be used for energy storage in smart communities as well.<br /><a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/hitachi.jpg" style="float:left;margin:1px;"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-842626 size-small" src="https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/hitachi.jpg?w=200" alt="Hitachi" width="200" height="150" srcset="https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/hitachi.jpg 1280w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/hitachi.jpg?resize=150,113 150w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/hitachi.jpg?resize=550,413 550w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/hitachi.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/hitachi.jpg?resize=400,300 400w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/hitachi.jpg?resize=401,301 401w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/hitachi.jpg?resize=800,600 800w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/hitachi.jpg?resize=1000,750 1000w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/hitachi.jpg?resize=275,206 275w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/hitachi.jpg?resize=325,244 325w, https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/hitachi.jpg?resize=600,450 600w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" /></a><b>Hitachi</b> is working with U.S. East Coast company Demansys Energy on the CrystEna, a commercial-level energy storage system. CrystEna complements renewable power supplies such as wind and solar power by stabilizing these energy sources during inclement weather or surges. Each CrystEna container holds more than 1,600 lithium-ion batteries and can store enough energy to supply the Japanese average residence for a month and a half. Hitachi and Demansys installed a CrystEna unit at a New Jersey shopping mall to observe its performance before bringing it to market in the U.S. <b>Home Energy Management Systems:</b><br />Home energy management systems (HEMS) act as smart meters that monitor energy usage and anticipate residents’ electricity needs. In communities with a microgrid, HEMS can balance use among houses and pull from different resources, such as solar, battery, or wind power, to support the traditional power supply. <b>NEC Corporation</b>, a Japanese outfit, develops the power line communication systems between smart house demonstrations and the grid, as well as the equipment to stabilize supply and demand. <b>Sharp</b>, also a Japanese company, provides the HEMS and home appliances for green communities. Solar Panels Solar Panels <b>Electric Vehicle Service Equipment:</b><br />Electric vehicle service equipment (EVSE) allow drivers to recharge their cars from their own homes. <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/mirai-manufacturing-ii.png" style="float:left;margin:1px;"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-842630 size-small" src="https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/mirai-manufacturing-ii.png?w=250&h=120&crop=1" alt="Mirai manufacturing II" width="250" height="120" /></a><b>Toyota</b> debuted the Mirai, a zero-emission, fuel cell sedan in California in 2015. The Mirai is an electric vehicle that creates power on board using hydrogen and oxygen while emitting nothing but water vapor, and it has an estimated driving range of 312 miles on a single fill of hydrogen. Toyota’s Kentucky plant, its largest in the U.S., recently began drawing on methane gas from solid waste at a local landfill as part of its power supply. The process reduces the amount of harmful methane-produced C4 greenhouse gases that get into the air and provides enough clean energy to manufacture 10,000 vehicles. <b>Traditional Power:</b><br />Traditional power grids rely on energy from sources such as coal and natural gas, the burning of which releases harmful emissions. Microgrids composed of solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources help decrease the amount of power being drawn from the traditional supply, reducing emissions and helping communities use energy more efficiently. <b>Microgrid Development:</b><br /><b>Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)</b> established a microgrid development project in Albuquerque, New Mexico to study how multiple power generation sources, including natural gas engines and fuel cells, can be used to manage a commercial building’s energy load.<br />The project’s smart building operates on sophisticated hardware that runs complex calculations to optimize energy use by pulling from different sources throughout the day. Rechargeable batteries and alternative energy sources ease the demand on the grid and create new possibilities for building smart, eco-friendly communities. <b>Energy Storage (Home) and Demand Response Systems:</b><br />U.S. company <b>Enphase Energy</b> is working with Japan’s <b>ELIIY Power Co.</b> on a battery storage system that could help power private residences and ease dependence on power grids.<br /><a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/nedo-smart-house-demo-to-gov-martinez.jpg" style="float:left;margin:1px;"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-842626 size-small" src="https://foreignpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/nedo-smart-house-demo-to-gov-martinez.jpg" height="“272”" /></a><b>Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)</b> created a smart grid demo to show how electric-storage batteries and demand response systems can be used in residential areas. For the demand response system demonstration, researchers outfitted 1,600 homes with smart meters, and community members participated. The initiative studied how different incentives affected residents’ energy usage as well as how renewables could complement standard power grids.

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About the Author

Casey Hynes is an independent journalist. She lived in Asia from 2010-2014, and contributed freelance features to a variety of leading media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Christian Science Monitor, South China Morning Post, and others during her time there. She holds a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University, and worked at Roll Call before moving overseas.

Japan and the US: The Bigger Picture is a series of sponsored reports and articles studying the long-standing alliance between Japan and the United States with a focus on unique economic and political success stories. It is underwritten by the Embassy of Japan and produced by an independent writer in conjunction with the business department of The FP Group.

Japan and the US: The Bigger Picture does not involve the editorial staff of Foreign Policy magazine or ForeignPolicy.com.

For any questions or comments, please contact Duc Luu, Director, International, at duc.luu@foreignpolicy.com.

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