Tsukuba3E Forum

Tsukuba Environment-Energy-Economy Forum
Reduce CO2 emissions by 50% in Tsukuba by 2030

What is the Tsukuba 3E Forum?
It was collaboratively organized by universities, research institutes, and municipalities in 2007 with the aim oftackling researches that establish Tsukuba as an energy-saving, low-carbon city of science, based on theTsukuba Eco City Concept. It operates on a forum of open discussion.
The goal is to “reduce CO2 emissions by 50% in Tsukuba by 2030 (Tsukuba 3E Declaration 2007)” whilebalancing the “3Es” of environment, energy, and economy. Task forces organized within the forum propose
technologies and systems to the city to achieve an eco city through demonstration.
A committee has been created within the Tsukuba Science City Network (TSCN) that discusses objectives forthe entire forum and draws up proposals for the city. This network also contributes to build an ideal,cosmopolitan and mature city. The occurrence of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 led to a call forthe need to reassess energy policies, and investigations are being conducted that include the ideal vision for
a new environmental city of the future that focuses on restoration.

What is the Tsukuba Eco City Concept?
The University of Tsukuba proposed the “Tsukuba Eco City Initiative” as a collaborative, joint R&D project for
Tsukuba Science City. It is the foundation for the establishment of the “Tsukuba 3E Forum.”The basic concept of the Tsukuba Eco City Initiative (as of 2007)
１．Themes that involve Tsukuba Science City as a whole
２．The ability of numerous institutes to be involved through their areas of expertise
３．A school-wide initiative for the University of Tsukuba
４．Agreement with the demands and intents of the 3 rd Science and Technology Basic Plan
５．Agreement with the directionality of “Innovation 25”
６．Conformity to the aims of Tsukuba City 3 rd Stage

Tsukuba Eco City Initiative■Tsukuba 3E (Environment, Energy, Economy) Program
Developing energy conservation, green energy
technologies, and systems that are integral toenergy-saving urban design■Model Program for Environmental Preservation

Developing environmental technologies and systems
that become the foundation of community formationthat underpins recycling and symbiosis■Model Program for Education, Culture, and Health

Developing model neighborhoods that people wantto live in that value health, education, culture, andcultural assets■Model Program for Fundamental Urban Rejuvenation
Creating secure, comfortable urban design that
includes safe, low-pollution, energy-savingtransportation systems and disaster prevention
information systems

Tsukuba Eco City is a ...
・ Environmental Model City・ Science City・ International City of Technology
and Education

The goal of this concept is to rebuild Tsukuba Science city
as an environmental model city, and city of technogy andscience education throgh the implementation of these
programs. Out of the 4 programs, the Tsukuba 3E Program
was given priority and launched ﬁrst to tackle the urgent
issue of global warming. As the 3E Programs is being
explored, the remaining 3 Eco City Initiative programs will
be launched in turn and developed while sharing researchoutcomes from each program with an eye toward building
a “ʻTsukuba Eco Cityʼ that is a safe, secure, healthy, andcultured community thatpeople want to live in”.

Task forces for the Tsukuba Eco City Construction

The Tsukuba 3E Forum organizes four task forces to reduce the CO2 emission form Tsukuba city, which arecomposed from specialists for each ﬁelds. They are from the university, research institutes, private companies
and administrative oﬃcers of Tsukuba city and Ibaraki prefecture.

Solar Energy Task Force
A variety of endeavors, both tangible and intangible, are necessary to reach the 3E
Forum aim of halving CO2 emissions by 2030 and achieving a low-carbon society.
It goes without saying that the large-scale introduction of carbon-free, renewableenergy is especially essential in terms of having a direct eﬀect on the reduction ofcarbon emissions. The direct utilization of solar energy is the one type of ecoenergy that is the most anticipated because it possesses the greatest potential for
aggregate amounts.
To assist in achieving the goal of reducing CO2, this task force utilizes solar energy
with this type of potential as an energy source for Tsukuba and examines thepossibility of introducing such energy.
Vast Solar Energy
It also creates and discovers new places
and ways to introduce the energy. In
particular, the task force creates variousSun
ideas not only from the perspective ofTotal Radiant Energy:
3.8×1023kW
energy suppliers, but also from the(Photo: Japan Meteorological Agency)
perspective of uses with the goal of• Solar Energy Humans Can Harvest on Earth:14
submitting the ideas to the 3E ForumApprox. 1×10 kWCommittee.
(several times more than the worldʼs energy demand)
23

12(B.Sorensen,Energy Policy(1991)386-391.)
14• Energy Consumed by All Humans: Approx. 1.3×10 10 kW

Issues being addressed• Solar power• Solar thermal application• Creation of frameworks for large-scale introduction(the year 2000)
12(Hamakawa, Kuwano. "Solar Energy Engineering,"Baifukan)
10Urban Structure and Transportation System Task ForceThe Tsukuba region is typical in that it relies on cars. The possibilities of global warming mitigation measures
in Japan must be explored to determine the extent to which CO2 emissions can be reduced in the future
through the reorganization of urban structure and the transportation system. A leading role could beundertaken through the accumulation of technologies, ideas, and knowhow that exist in research institutes
in the Tsukuba region.
This task force examines the potential and outcomes ofshort-term and mid-to-long-term measures that can be
implemented in the transportation and urban planningsectors, draws a roadmap for research, and clariﬁes theissues that should be tackled by the target year.
Issues being addressed• A transportation system beneﬁcial to humans and the environment• Construction of an energy-saving urban infrastructure through IT
technologies, etc.
• Realization of a way to live “Tsukuba Environmental Style”

Mobility
management

Experimental
town

Planningand design

Low-carbon
Urban structure
Transportationsystem

Infrastructure
construction

Reorganization
造都市構of urbanstructureUrbandevelopment

Energy Systems and Assessment Task Force
Until now, the promotion of energy conservation and popularization of new energies centered on thegovernment, which set forth various policies and implemented them accordingly. Separate goals wereput forth by sector for cutting greenhouse gases and assistance policies were executed for each.
However, they were not always eﬀective in terms of achieving goals. One reason is because the policies
touted by the government were not implemented based on regional circumstances.
This task force develops a support system necessary to build a low-carbon society that takes into accountthe circumstances that local municipalities face, with the objective of leveraging it in the construction of alow-carbon society in Tsukuba. The support system is based on individual activities carried out by companies
and residents, and clariﬁes the manner in which relevant organlzations such as regional municipalities,universities, research institutes, NPOs, and consumer groups should collaborate to enable signiﬁcantreduction of greenhouse gases..
Collaboration Between Central and Regional Government

Issues being addressed• The prospect of a low-carbon regionalsociety through regional 3E models• Assessment of the possible utilizationof solar power and biomass• Assessment of technologies and regionalenergy systems that expand the useof hydrogen• Assessment of the environmental life
cycle of products

Industrial Sector
Environmentally balanced
infrastructure improvement

Low-carbon
energyconsumption
Energy-saving
environmental
improvements
High-eﬃciency products,
lifestyle changes
Transportation/Private Sector

Centralized, Large-scaleTechnologies

National Level: Macro model(government energy/environmental
policies, economic models,inter-industry analysis)

Low-carbon Regional Society
3E modelPursuit of economies ofscale

Low-carbon
energy supply
Utilization ofelectricity,hydrogen

Regional Level: Micro model(regional inter-industry analysis,multilayered energy chain assessment
model, GIS local energy model, carbon
footprint)

Fossil fuels
Nuclear energy
Renewable energy

Utilization of local energy

Distributed, Small-scaleTechnologies

Stakeholder Decision-making Support

Biomass Task Force
Members participating in the task force promote the utilization of biomass in Tsukuba by contributing
experiences and technologies of their own or that belong to their organization in order to aid environmental
preservation that includes the formation of a recycling-oriented society, vitalization of rural regions,creation of human networks, and the prevention of global warming. Of the initiatives in the Tsukuba
Environmental Style Action Plan, the task force principally supports those related to biomass research.
Issues being addressed• Support for the creation of a plan promoting
the utilization of a biomass town in Tsukuba• Preservation policies for forests andundeveloped woodland near populated areas• An energy utilization system for algae• Cultivation of resources in fallow ﬁelds anddeserted, cultivated land

Industry

Agriculture

A recycling system will be built that absorbs CO2 and treats
wastewater with a hybrid of Botryococcus braunii andAurantiochytrium, and uses the generated carbohydrate as a fuel.
Regional resources will be maximally
untilized with the cooperationof administrarions, companies,residents, and NPOs, etc.
Organic
wastewater
Aurantiochytrium

Secondaryeﬄuent
Botryococcus braunii

CO2Busesabsorption

Tractors

Use in samples/methane gas

Botryococcus braunii
Lifestyle

ReuseShips

“Tsukuba 3E Forum” Conference
Once a year the Tsukuba 3E Forum holds a conference
to introduce 3E Forum activities, shares information
on reducing greenhouse gases, and calls on members
to interact and cooperate with Tsukuba residents andindustrial circles.
For details, see the reports and website for this forum[Japanese]
http://eeeforum.sec.tsukuba.ac.jp/

3E Café Project Team
Students are achieving the “Tsukuba Eco City” concept
Students from the University of Tsukuba voluntarily created the “3E Café Project Team” in accordance withactions taken by the Tsukuba 3E Forum. They are utilizing their status as students
and challenging themselves to execute community development that brings
local residents together.
The Underlying Principle

Contribute to the formation of an eco city by leveraging
our status as students and residents.
Our Vision of “Tsukuba Eco City”“Tsukuba Eco City” is not simply a community of environmental sustainability.
We believe that it should also possess the following characteristics.
Approach:

Be a community that focuses on the next generation as well as thenear future, and continuously makes improvements.

Style & System:

Be a community that naturally achieves the reduction of greenhousegas emissions and suitable 3R within normal daily activities.

People:Be a community where all people and organizations involved in
Tsukuba earnestly consider Tsukuba and environmental issues, and take uniﬁed action.

Tsukuba Identity: Be a community that maximizes utilization of the various organizations andhuman resources in the city, and is a leading example of collaboration amongindustry, academia,government, and residents.

3E Café

3E Café is an interactive project based on the concept of providing a place to which guests
active in 3E-related ﬁelds can be invited so that a variety of participants, including students,ordinary residents, and researchers, can easily talk about the ideal world of the future andshare information. 3E Café Project Team hopes to contribute to community and university
development in Tsukuba by providing a venue for free exchange of ideas, with the aim ofcreating a low-carbon society in the future.

Presentation & Event Participation

Based on ideas that grow from exchanges at the 3E Café and member reports on overseas
tours, the café oﬀers support for proposals and execution of ideas for the purpose ofcreating an eco city in Tsukuba city and the University of Tsukuba. Presentations of activities
are also given at events on the regional and national level.

Inquiries about the 3E Café Project Team
Website: http://www.stb.tsukuba.ac.jp/~t3ecafe/
Email:

3ecafe@gmail.com

Organization

Tsukuba 3E Forum

Tsukuba 3E Forum is an open discussion
forum.
A committee has been formed for thepurpose of running the forum, holding
discussions regarding overall policy,and drawing up proposals. There are
8 organizations currently participatingin the committee, and many research
institutes have joined the task force.

TSCN*
Tsukuba 3E Forum Committee

Task ForceUrban structure/transportation
systemEnergyassessment
systemBiomass

Cooperation
Organizations participating in the“Tsukuba 3E Forum Committee”
and/or Task forces (as of July 2012)

Secretariat

Solar energy*Tsukuba Science
City Network

Tsukuba Environmental City Promotion Committee

Ibaraki Prefecture/Institute for Applied Optics/
City of Tsukuba/University of Tsukuba/
National Institute for Environmental Studies/
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology/
National Agriculture and Food Research Organization/National Institute for Materials Science
Ibaraki University/Kumagai Gumi/Building Research Institute/National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management/Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute/Tsukuba Gakuen Gas/Tokyo Electric Power Company/
Urban Renaissance Agency/Public Works Research Institute/Toda Corporation

Reduce CO2 emissions by 50% in Tsukuba by 2030
(Tsukuba 3E Declaration 2007)

Tsukuba 3E Forum Secretariat (c/o University of Tsukuba)
1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan 305-8577
TEL: +81-29-853-8052
eeeforum@ml.cc.tsukuba.ac.jp

http://eeeforum.sec.tsukuba.ac.jp/