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Komiyama Do you have that many furnaces?
Uchiyamada There’s also the forging process. We use furnaces when heating and
then drying materials. Our battery plants also need drying furnaces.
Komiyama At what temperature do they dry things?
Uchiyamada For forging, it’s close to 1000 °C. The temperatures of the drying
furnaces for painting don’t get that high. Whatever the case, we’re all thinking about
how to short the total length of the furnace in order to save energy. Recently, when
forging axle-shaped parts, we’ve been using high-frequency heating rather then
send them through the furnace. We use electricity to apply heat. This greatly reduces
the amount of energy consumed.
Komiyama Gradually switching to electricity will make it easier to use renewable
energy.
Uchiyamada That’s why I’m not gloomy about advances in technology.
Mid-To-Long-Term Targets for Clearing Regulations
Komiyama Did you announce Environmental Challenge 2050 last October with
the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) held at the end of
last year in mind?
Uchiyamada It was that kind of a year.
Komiyama Did you think an agreement could be reached?
Uchiyamada Given that there no longer is any “later,” I thought that—setting aside
what level it would be—some sort of agreement would be reached. That’s because
a variety of organizations were also applying pressure along with that coming from
governments.
Komiyama I was saying they definitely would make an agreement. That is to say,
CO 2 emissions from the world’s two biggest emitters, the United States and China,
have already started to fall. These two countries were positive.
Uchiyamada The volume of Japan’s CO 2 emissions is about 4% of the world’s
total. Even if Japan reached zero, the world’s level wouldn’t get that much better. As
you say, the important thing is for countries like China and the United States, which
are major emitters to participate in a global framework and worked toward reducing
emissions. In that context, I think the question is what can an advanced country in
the area of environmental technology like Japan do to help.
Interview
Komiyama Do you have that many furnaces?
Uchiyamada There’s also the forging process. We use furnaces when heating and
then drying materials. Our battery plants also need drying furnaces.
Komiyama At what temperature do they dry things?
Uchiyamada For forging, it’s close to 1000 °C. The temperatures of the drying
furnaces for painting don’t get that high. Whatever the case, we’re all thinking about
how to short the total length of the furnace in order to save energy. Recently, when
forging axle-shaped parts, we’ve been using high-frequency heating rather then
send them through the furnace. We use electricity to apply heat. This greatly reduces
the amount of energy consumed.
Komiyama Gradually switching to electricity will make it easier to use renewable
energy.
Uchiyamada That’s why I’m not gloomy about advances in technology.
Mid-To-Long-Term Targets for Clearing Regulations
Komiyama Did you announce Environmental Challenge 2050 last October with
the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) held at the end of
last year in mind?
Uchiyamada It was that kind of a year.
Komiyama Did you think an agreement could be reached?
Uchiyamada Given that there no longer is any “later,” I thought that—setting aside
what level it would be—some sort of agreement would be reached. That’s because
a variety of organizations were also applying pressure along with that coming from
governments.
Komiyama I was saying they definitely would make an agreement. That is to say,
CO 2 emissions from the world’s two biggest emitters, the United States and China,
have already started to fall. These two countries were positive.
Uchiyamada The volume of Japan’s CO 2 emissions is about 4% of the world’s
total. Even if Japan reached zero, the world’s level wouldn’t get that much better. As
you say, the important thing is for countries like China and the United States, which
are major emitters to participate in a global framework and worked toward reducing
emissions. In that context, I think the question is what can an advanced country in
the area of environmental technology like Japan do to help.
Interview