36
the electricity bill they saved from equipment renewal toward repayment, it would
become easier for them to undertake renovations.
Meanwhile, in the case of monozukuri, the majority of energy consumption goes
toward manufacturing materials. The industry with the largest energy consumption
is the steel industry, followed by such industries as the chemical and ceramic, stone,
and clay (cement) industries. When thinking about low carbonization of the manufacturing sector, it must not be forgotten that man-made objects such as iron and
cement will eventually become saturated.
All man-made objects, whether it be an automobile or a building, are continuously introduced into the city, accumulated, and eventually become saturated. From
now on, in order to build a new building in Tokyo, we have to destroy the existing
building. That is, existing man-made objects are always discarded when newly
introducing man-made objects. Recycling this waste is more energy efficient than
digging and processing new natural resources. In the sense that waste from the city
becomes a resource of new man-made objects, it is called an urban mine. It is also
a word that has drawn attention in connection with rare metals, etc. in mobile
phones. Monozukuri depends on whether it is possible to build a highly efficient
material circulation system premised on the saturation of man-made objects and
utilization of urban mines.
In this way, energy conservation that reduces energy consumption in individual
sectors and expanding the use of renewable energy are two pillars for realizing a
low-carbon society.
The IEA predicts that renewable energy will rank at the top of power generation
by power source along with coal in 2030 and further increase in the future, with
60% of the investment in power directed at renewable energy by 2040. Meanwhile,
60% of investment in power in 2015 has already been directed at renewable energy,
and this ratio reached 70% in 2016. Taking this into consideration, it should be all
right to think that the introduction of renewable energy will probably progress at a
faster pace than predicted by the IEA.
In this chapter, from the above viewpoint, we will consider technologies that
support low carbonization.
3.2 Low Carbon Technologies in the Transportation Sector
3.2.1 Shipment Does Not Consume Energy?
Gasoline and electricity are necessary to move a car. Even when you ride a bicycle,
you need a reasonable leg strength. Therefore, you tend to believe that energy is
always consumed when you move something, but that is not accurate.
Actually, the theoretical limit of horizontal transportation energy is zero.
Imagine speed skating. When a skater starts skating on a skating rink, he/she
kicks his/her skates powerfully with his/her legs. In order to generate kinetic energy,
“work” is necessary, and a lot of energy is used here. However, when the speed
3 Technology to Support Low-Carbon Society (Using Energy)
the electricity bill they saved from equipment renewal toward repayment, it would
become easier for them to undertake renovations.
Meanwhile, in the case of monozukuri, the majority of energy consumption goes
toward manufacturing materials. The industry with the largest energy consumption
is the steel industry, followed by such industries as the chemical and ceramic, stone,
and clay (cement) industries. When thinking about low carbonization of the manufacturing sector, it must not be forgotten that man-made objects such as iron and
cement will eventually become saturated.
All man-made objects, whether it be an automobile or a building, are continuously introduced into the city, accumulated, and eventually become saturated. From
now on, in order to build a new building in Tokyo, we have to destroy the existing
building. That is, existing man-made objects are always discarded when newly
introducing man-made objects. Recycling this waste is more energy efficient than
digging and processing new natural resources. In the sense that waste from the city
becomes a resource of new man-made objects, it is called an urban mine. It is also
a word that has drawn attention in connection with rare metals, etc. in mobile
phones. Monozukuri depends on whether it is possible to build a highly efficient
material circulation system premised on the saturation of man-made objects and
utilization of urban mines.
In this way, energy conservation that reduces energy consumption in individual
sectors and expanding the use of renewable energy are two pillars for realizing a
low-carbon society.
The IEA predicts that renewable energy will rank at the top of power generation
by power source along with coal in 2030 and further increase in the future, with
60% of the investment in power directed at renewable energy by 2040. Meanwhile,
60% of investment in power in 2015 has already been directed at renewable energy,
and this ratio reached 70% in 2016. Taking this into consideration, it should be all
right to think that the introduction of renewable energy will probably progress at a
faster pace than predicted by the IEA.
In this chapter, from the above viewpoint, we will consider technologies that
support low carbonization.
3.2 Low Carbon Technologies in the Transportation Sector
3.2.1 Shipment Does Not Consume Energy?
Gasoline and electricity are necessary to move a car. Even when you ride a bicycle,
you need a reasonable leg strength. Therefore, you tend to believe that energy is
always consumed when you move something, but that is not accurate.
Actually, the theoretical limit of horizontal transportation energy is zero.
Imagine speed skating. When a skater starts skating on a skating rink, he/she
kicks his/her skates powerfully with his/her legs. In order to generate kinetic energy,
“work” is necessary, and a lot of energy is used here. However, when the speed
3 Technology to Support Low-Carbon Society (Using Energy)