SUSTAINABILITY

JAPAN’SGREEN
INNOVATIONSFOR ACHIEVING CARBON NEUTRALITY
Japan will forge ahead with innovative research and development tosolve global environmental problems.
Dr. YOSHINO Akira, director of the Global Zero
Emission Research Center (GZR), is driving innovation
toward solutions to global problems.

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In an October 2020 policy
speech, Prime Minister SUGA
Yoshihide declared that Japan
will aim to reduce nationwide
greenhouse gas emissions to netzero to realize a carbon-neutral
society. He further stated that
addressing climate change is nota constraint on economic growthand that proactive climate change
measures will lead to major
economic growth for the country.
Based on this conception, whichbrings a paradigm shift at themindset level, Japan will do its
utmost to realize a green society.
The key to achieving thisambitious goal is to further rollout innovative technologies, soJapan will encourage accelerated
researchanddevelopment
toward realizing the utilizationof such technologies. The Global
Zero Emission Research Center(GZR), established by theNational Institute of Advanced
Industrial Science and Technology
in January 2020, will play aThe GZR’s new research facilities, slated for completion in
March 2021, will become a center of Japanese innovation in thefield of the environment and energy technologies.

central role in that effort. TheGZR brings together numerous
research projects related tothe environment and energy
technologies to enhance themby generating synergies among
them, while leading cutting-edge
research in cooperation withlaboratories around the world.
The director of the GZR isDr. YOSHINO Akira, the 2019
winner of the Nobel Prize in
Chemistry, who has been hailedfor his many accomplishments,
particularly hispioneeringresearchintolithium-ionbatteries. Dr. Yoshino expresses
his enthusiasm when saying,“Japan has long made progresswith many research projects on
zero-emission technology. I want
to bring these research topics
together at the GZR to turnthe institute into a national andinternational hub for research on
zero-emission technology.”
One of the most important

Multi-junction solar cells, which can generate power more efficiently, are expected to beapplied in vehicles and elsewhere.

research topics at the GZR isnext-generation solar cells, thetechnology for which Japan has
been a leader in terms of researchand development. For example,
Japan has enabled the productionof ultra-lightweight solar panels
by using a thin film made fromperovskite, a new material.
In addition, the GZR has
been developing multi-junction(tandem) solar cells consistingof layered materials, which boast
vastly better conversion efficiency
than conventional cells, allowing
for more power generation in asmaller space. If those technologies
are made feasible, they would
facilitate installation in locations
where placing conventional

The GZR is also conducting research on solar cells with organic thin films using materials other than perovskite.
Since that could enable a solar cell to be produced by simply applying a layer of coating on flexible film, it would
allow for power generation on curved surfaces.

solar cells has traditionallyposed a challenge, such as thewalls of buildings or the roofsof factories or warehouses thatcannot support heavy loads.
Furthermore, the cells areexpected to have an even wider
range of usage, including being
installed in vehicles and used as
power sources for IoT devices
such as stand-alone sensors. By
developing various technologies,
the GZR is exploring further
possibilities for solar cells andworking to expand their adoption.
Dr. Yoshino says, “Addressing
global environmental problems
presents a golden business
opportunity for creating major
brand-new industries. Leading theworld in that field and spurringinnovation will make a major
contribution to Japan’s nationalinterests as well.” Following the
new government’s bold policy of
advocating a virtuous cycle of theeconomy and the environment asa pillar of the country’s growthstrategy, Japan will contribute tothe future of humanity and theEarth.

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