Two members of the IEA Sustainable Energy and Policy Technology Directorate recently visited Japan’s Tohoku region to provide advice on rebuilding as energy self-sufficient “smart communities” many of the municipalities that were hit hardest by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Energy Technology Policy Division head Jean François Gagné and Energy Demand Technology analyst John Dulac toured the planned reconstruction sites, where co-generation and solar farms will provide not just a more sustainable energy system but will also serve as an example to the rest of the country and the world.
For instance, the town of Minami-Soma is developing a park that combines a solar power plant with a renewable-energy “green academy” interactive learning centre for children based on a similar project in Tokyo that aims to build support among the next generation. Elsewhere, industrial waste energy will be reused as heat for a hospital.
Japan is seeking to reconstruct the areas devastated by the tsunami not only with renewable energy systems but also with self-sufficient and back-up power provision. By incorporating high standards for energy efficiency as well, the plan is to bolster both energy security and regional emergency preparedness.
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