Tokyo Gas Branch to Cut CO2 Emissions by Sharing Surplus Solar Heat with Nearby Hotel

MaRRoaD Inn Kumagaya (Left) & Kumagaya Branch (Right)
Copyright Tokyo Gas Co.

The City of Kumagaya in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, and Tokyo Gas Co. announced on November 5, 2009, that their joint project to share surplus solar energy between buildings was selected by the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism as a model project that reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from residential and commercial buildings.

The Kumagaya branch office of Tokyo Gas utilizes heat collected by a solar energy collector installed on its rooftop to operate its air-conditioning system and water heater (for details, refer to the JFS article listed below). While the solar energy collector generates surplus heat during spring, fall, and on holidays when the heat demand at the office declines, the MaRRoaD Inn Kumagaya, a hotel located across the road from the Kumagaya branch, has a stable demand for heat all year round. The Kumagaya office and the Inn are therefore planning to install a heat pipe to share the surplus heat.

For this project, a 25-kilowatt co-generation system fueled by gas will be installed to supplement the heat collected by the solar energy collector, and a 5-kilowatt solar panel will be added to operate a warm water pump, which will work as a heat carrier. The expected annual CO2 reduction for the two buildings is expected to be about 11 tons.

The construction work is scheduled to be completed by the end of FY 2009, and data compiling and technology verification tests are planned until the end of FY 2010. The government of Kumagaya City has provided administrative support, such as planning advice and approval of the heat pipe installation under the city road.

Tokyo Gas Starts Using Solar Heating and Cooling System at Its Kumagaya Office (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/029316.html

Posted: 2010/02/14 06:00:15 AM