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houses contribute to promoting the health of the people who live there. Houses will
become the hub for comfortable living, promoting good health, generating energy,
and contributing as an industry in itself. Fig. 12 shows an example of recent solar
cells, with the solar cells serving as roofing material, and its elegant design. We are
moving past the era of “putting solar cells” on the roof and entering an era where
“the roofs are themselves solar cells.”
Houses in Japan have been built to spend the summer in comfort. Therefore,
while they provide good ventilation and their roofs look great, thermal insulation is
very poor. The energy used in heating and cooling will diminish if thermal insulation is improved. At the same time, the energy efficiency of home appliances with
high energy consumption such as refrigerators, air conditioners, and lighting has
significantly improved. In newly built homes, reducing the energy consumption to
about one-third has already become the norm. Energy-creating houses that provide
power to the third party by turning the whole roof into solar cells are also already
commercially available.
Cooling, heating, and lighting are at the center of energy consumption in the
office. Yet the amount of consumption in the office is not that very different from in
the home. However, the density of energy consumption is high, and in the case of
high-rise buildings, the area of the roof where solar cells are installed is relatively
small, and so reducing energy consumption to zero is more difficult than in the
home. Nevertheless, results of experiments have shown that it is possible to reduce
energy consumption to zero for up to three-story buildings, and this is already
becoming common knowledge. High-rise buildings will also likely become zeroenergy buildings by turning their “walls into solar cells” (Fig. 13).
The era in which solar cells on tile roofs of temples are commonplace is just
around the corner.
Fig. 12 Era of “solar-cell roofs”. (Courtesy: Kaneka Solartech Corporation)
Preface: From “Vision 2050” to “New Vision 2050”
houses contribute to promoting the health of the people who live there. Houses will
become the hub for comfortable living, promoting good health, generating energy,
and contributing as an industry in itself. Fig. 12 shows an example of recent solar
cells, with the solar cells serving as roofing material, and its elegant design. We are
moving past the era of “putting solar cells” on the roof and entering an era where
“the roofs are themselves solar cells.”
Houses in Japan have been built to spend the summer in comfort. Therefore,
while they provide good ventilation and their roofs look great, thermal insulation is
very poor. The energy used in heating and cooling will diminish if thermal insulation is improved. At the same time, the energy efficiency of home appliances with
high energy consumption such as refrigerators, air conditioners, and lighting has
significantly improved. In newly built homes, reducing the energy consumption to
about one-third has already become the norm. Energy-creating houses that provide
power to the third party by turning the whole roof into solar cells are also already
commercially available.
Cooling, heating, and lighting are at the center of energy consumption in the
office. Yet the amount of consumption in the office is not that very different from in
the home. However, the density of energy consumption is high, and in the case of
high-rise buildings, the area of the roof where solar cells are installed is relatively
small, and so reducing energy consumption to zero is more difficult than in the
home. Nevertheless, results of experiments have shown that it is possible to reduce
energy consumption to zero for up to three-story buildings, and this is already
becoming common knowledge. High-rise buildings will also likely become zeroenergy buildings by turning their “walls into solar cells” (Fig. 13).
The era in which solar cells on tile roofs of temples are commonplace is just
around the corner.
Fig. 12 Era of “solar-cell roofs”. (Courtesy: Kaneka Solartech Corporation)
Preface: From “Vision 2050” to “New Vision 2050”