Japan has announced that it will become carbon neutral by 2050. Also by 2050, Miyako, a small island 2,000 kilometers from Tokyo in Okinawa Prefecture, has pledged to raise its energy self-sufficiency ratio to 48.9%. Local energy production and consumption are the keys to carbon neutrality, and with partners NEXTEMS, Panasonic is helping the island realize this goal.
More than one million tourists visit Miyako Island every year. To meet this demand, the island's energy depends on fossil fuels transported across the sea, and this has had a substantial impact on its environment. NEXTEMS have been implementing renewable energy sources to improve Miyako Island's energy self-sufficiency, but faced difficulties in managing their energy.
NEXTEMS contacted Panasonic for cooperation in realizing their idea of combining solar panels and heat pumps to control optimum solar power output. At the time, Panasonic was considering the same thing, so began working with NEXTEMS.
They created an energy management system that makes it easier to incorporate solar energy into the electric power system and ensures stable energy generation for homes, consisting of solar power generators and heat pumps using a network. These heat pumps are used to optimize the grid when excess solar energy is produced and provide stability by shifting water heating from nighttime to daytime. Panasonic and NEXTEMS have begun installing remote controllable heat pumps and solar panels in homes, along with storage batteries.
For its Environment Vision 2050, Panasonic is undertaking a wide range of initiatives to create more energy than is used. Going forward, Panasonic and its partners will continue to help Japan achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and to preserve Miyako Island's awe-inspiring nature.
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