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Smart Community Recovering from the Tsunami-Disaster:Case Study of the Community Energy Supply Projectin Shinchi Town, Fukushima
Yujiro HIRANO1*, Shogo NAKAMURA1, Takuya TOGAWA1, Tsuyoshi FUJITA2
and Kenichi ADACHI 3
Fukushima Branch, National Institute for Environmental Studies
10-2 Fukasaku, Miharu Town, Tamura-gun, Fukushima, 963-7700, Japan
2
Center for Social and Environmental Systems Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies
16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki, 305-8506, Japan
3
Japan Environment Systems Co., Ltd.
5-5-5 Koishikawa, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-0002, Japan*E-mail: yhirano@nies.go.jp
1

Abstract
The present study was aimed at investigating urban reconstruction development in Shinchi Town, which
is located on the northeastern coastal edge of Fukushima Prefecture. Shinchi Town experienced major damage
from the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. Thereafter, an environmentally friendly community energy
supply system was planned and introduced as a core project for reconstruction of the town. The National
Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan, provided academic support for designing and planning of systems,
determining energy conservation and CO2 emission reduction, and feasibility studies. As a part of the project,
a community-based energy organization, named Shinchi Smart Energy, was newly established near the town’s
rebuilt railway station. This organization supplies electric power and heat energy in the area undergoingredevelopment around the station. Shinchi Smart Energy employs a cogeneration system that uses waste heatfrom electricity generation for heating and hot water provision and an absorption chiller (Genelink), whichuses waste heat to chill water for air conditioning, enabling high-efficiency energy management. Evaluationof the project reveals that it is being properly operated at this stage, although the facilities on the demand side
have not been fully completed since the arrival of COVID-19 and the resulting socioeconomic impacts. Futurestudies will focus on furthering the introduction of renewable energy and expanding the area receiving thepower supply in Shinchi Town, as well as spreading the knowledge gained from this town to other areas.
Key words :	CO2 emission reduction, cogeneration, community energy management,
distributed power source, district heating and cooling, reconstruction town development

1. Introduction
The Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE), which
occurred in 2011, was the first major disaster experienced
by Japan since its population began declining. Afterprevious similar disasters, urban reconstruction plans
were made, aimed at extensive urban expansion with thegoal of providing substitutive town functions to thedamaged districts. The GEJE, however, accelerated the
depopulation trend, especially outmigration, fromdisaster areas that were already scarcely populated even
before the GEJE, resulting in further population decline
in the region. It has already been argued that in Japan,
population decline is causing deterioration of central
Global Environmental Research
24/2020: 199-206
printed in Japan

districts and sprawling decentralization of towns andcities, which increases their CO2 emissions per capita
and makes them less carbon efficient; these observations
have been confirmed in the case of municipalities indisaster-prevalent areas. Hence, municipalities undergoingreconstruction focus on developing compact cities
characterized by higher traffic efficiency and higher
housing density, thereby increasing efficiency in terms of
reducing air conditioning load and optimizing the heat
supply. Furthermore, CO2 reduction is also attained via
efficient local energy systems employed for cooling andheating buildings. A number of disaster-affected municipal
governments have created a basis for residential andcommercial activities in the reconstruction process by©2020 AIRES

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Y. HIRANO et al.

redeveloping into compact cities with more efficientenergy supply and demand in the local system (Hayashi,
2014; Kitakaze, 2016).
The situation regarding energy use has changed
significantly since the GEJE (Komiyama & Fujii, 2012;
Benjamin, 2014; Zhang and Mclellan, 2014). Before
the GEJE, reducing CO2 emissions was an important
policy issue for medium-to-long-term global warming
countermeasures. After the event, however, not only haveglobal warming countermeasures been considered, butalso policy issues on energy. The government has
implemented several power-saving measures to mitigate
peak loading of the power system; these include:
addressing issues associated with nuclear power
generation, imposing a renewable energy feed-in tariff,
liberalizing power retailers, and separating power
production from power distribution and transmission.
This is because the large-scale energy supply network,
which previously served the entire nation, was obviously
vulnerable. The supply network for power and gas was
disrupted during the GEJE and the energy supply wasinterrupted in several areas, even in the areas that wererelatively less affected. This led to a keen interest in
renewable energy as an emergency power source during
disasters, in addition to its contribution toward adecarbonized future. The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear
Power Station accident (Hall, 2011; Yamane et al., 2013;
Suzuki, 2014) further complicated the perspective. To
mitigate peak loading of the power system, in a situation
where a nuclear power plant lost function, it was foundthat rolling blackouts and legally binding power usage
restrictions needed to be implemented. Radioactive
contamination led to a large-scale evacuation order forresidents in various localities that had social andeconomic impacts, leading a large number of citizens toreconsider their perceptions regarding energy supply
issues. From the perspective of both disaster prevention
and environmental re-creation, coordinated managementof energy supply and demand has become more efficientat the local scale through the introduction of distributed
power supplies and construction of autonomous energy
networks (Iwamura, 2015).
Against this backdrop, efforts to develop towns inwhich distributed community energy management was
introduced have been promoted in the process of disasterrecovery in Shinchi Town, Fukushima Prefecture. In the
districts around the JR Shinchi Station, reconstruction
from severe damage by the tsunami following the
GEJE has been progressing, and various facilities havebeen constructed thus far (Fig. 1). A high-efficiency
community energy system has started to supply electricity
and heat energy to facilities built in the vicinity of JR
Shinchi Station.
In this study, the planning and evaluation process ofthe community energy supply project were evaluated via
collaboration among the local government of the town of

26 January 2016

9 April 2019

Fig. 1 Reconstruction around JR Shinchi Station.
(photograph taken from Shinchi Town Hall)

Shinchi, private companies and research professionals.
This paper is organized as follows: Chapter 2 gives an
overview of Shinchi Town, and the process ofreconstruction after the GEJE in conjunction withcooperation from the National Institute for Environmental
Studies (NIES). Chapter 3 outlines the community energy
supply project. As this community energy supply project
cannot be evaluated using full-year data, Chapter 4
introduces the results of evaluating environmental
performance at the planning stage. Chapter 5 reports theresults of an evaluation using the actual data currently
available. Lastly, Chapter 6 provides a summary of thefindings and introduces future perspectives.

2. Post-Disaster Reconstruction Process in
Shinchi Town
Shinchi Town is a small municipality with apopulation of about 8,000 and a total area of 46.53 km2,
located near the border between Miyagi and Fukushima
Prefectures, at the northern end of Fukushima Prefectureon the Pacific Ocean side (Fig. 2). It is approximately
300 km north of Tokyo. The temperature is low ascompared to that in Tokyo, and the winters are especiallycold (Fig. 3). The population of this town peaked in 1995
and has declined since, owing to reduced birthrate andageing of the remaining population; this is the case formost Fukushima localities.
In Shinchi Town, the number of casualties wasapproximately 120 in the GEJE and subsequent tsunami.
The tsunami inundated a large land area below theelevation of 10 m, with the flooded area encompassing

Smart community recovering from the tsunami-disaster
about 20% of the town. As a result of the tsunami,
516 houses were damaged, and JR Joban Line Shinchi
Station was destroyed, while 40% of the agricultural land(420 ha) was inundated.
For the post-disaster reconstruction of Shinchi Town,
the town’s government presented “a smart hybrid town
concept” to increase the values of the environment,
economy and society. The aim of this concept was toreconstruct the area by combining information andcommunication technology (ICT) with the social
mechanisms that support the community. This concept
proposes a new community information infrastructure for
local residents networked with the municipal government,
research facilities and business sectors and involves abidirectional information system of sharing informationon the local environment and lifestyle. Based on thisconcept, Shinchi Town, as a disaster-affected site, wasselected as a “future city” by the Prime Minister’s
Cabinet Office in December 2011. With its selection as a“future city”, discussion on cooperation with NIES
toward the reconstruction of the town started, and in
March 2013, a basic agreement on cooperation was

drawn up between the Shinchi Town government and
NIES. Based on research knowledge resources such associal communication, NIES has supported the planningof future visions of the town, and aided in investigations
and formulation of the local comprehensive plan andlocal reconstruction plan (Fujita & Hirano, 2016; Hirano
et al., 2017a). We developed an information system thatserves as a residential interface for the information
infrastructure, and it is presently in the phase of social
demonstration experiments (Hirano et al., 2018). Various
functions of this information system such as visualizationof energy use on the demand side are already available.
Community energy conservation campaigns have alreadybeen implemented using this information system,
contributing to improved awareness regarding energy
conservation and a more active community (Otsuka et al.,2019). The energy-saving campaign was a demonstration
experiment, involving implementation of energy
conservation activities; meaningful results were obtainedon provision of energy conservation information andadded economic incentives for residents.
As part of this reconstruction and community
development support, we have put forth proposals andplanning support for regional energy management linked
to community development (Togawa et al., 2013; Togawa
et al., 2014). This effort has progressed, and the social
implementation of the regional energy supply in thereconstructed community has been achieved. As a core
project of the urban reconstruction project around JR
Shinchi Station, a community energy center, i.e., Shinchi
Energy Center, was constructed, with local heat conduits,
a community power grid, and CO2 supply pipes being
installed (Fig. 4). Details on the project are provided in
the next chapter.

N
Shinchi-Town

Fukushima
prefecture

Tokyo

Fig. 2 Location of Shinchi Town.
(a) January

30

Air temperature [˚C]

Air temperature [˚C]

10
8
6
4
2

201

(b) July

28
26

Shinchi

24

Tokyo

22
20

0
3

6

9

12

15

Hour

18

21

24

3

6

9

12

Hour

15

18

21

24

Fig 3 Variations in air temperature in Shinchi and Tokyo in January and July.

Shinchi Energy Center: Main building

Heat supply conduits on the north side of the building

Site area: 7,606.36 m2 / Building area: 714.48 m2 / Total floor area: 687.96 m2 / Structure: Steel frame (1 story) / Completion: November 2018

Fig. 4 Shinchi Energy Center.

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Y. HIRANO et al.

3. Outline of the Community Energy Project
In February 2018, a community-based energyorganization, named Shinchi Smart Energy, was newly
established by 12 entities comprising the local
government of Shinchi Town and multiple companies andorganizations. In November 2018, the Shinchi Energy
Center, which provides a highly efficient energy supply,
was completed. The Shinchi Energy Center is acommunity energy supply facility that supplies electricity
and heat to facilities around JR Shinchi Station by
utilizing cogeneration systems, solar panels, storage
batteries and a heat source equipment system. Figure 5
shows an energy flow chart of the system, and Fig. 6
shows photographs of the main equipment. The Shinchi
Energy Center has five gas engine cogeneration systems
with a power output of 35 kW (175 kW in total) thatutilize liquefied natural gas (LNG); the systems are
regulated by the number of units in operation depending
on energy demand. The cogeneration system utilizes
waste heat from power generation to increase the totalenergy efficiency. LNG, an energy source, is supplied tothe center via an LNG pipeline that branches off from theSoma LNG terminal. In addition to utilizing LNG, thecenter also has solar panels with a rated output of 50 kW
installed, providing effective use of renewable energy.
Electricity and heat are supplied from the Shinchi Energy
Center to facilities in the area through private lines andheat supply conduits. In the energy supply area (the area
supplied with electricity and heat), a hotel and hot bathfacility with relatively high heat demand have been
constructed for commercial use, and hot water suppliedby the cogeneration systems is effectively utilized inthese facilities. In addition, cooling during summers by
operating the cogeneration system is also a feature of thisproject. In Japan, power peaks occur during summer

when air conditioners are in use; thus, to reduce peakloads, cooling technology using gas with absorption
chiller heaters has come into widespread use. What iscalled “Genelink,” is a set of waste heat recovery
absorption chiller heaters that produce cold and hot waterusing waste heat from power generation, such as fromgas engines. Some cogeneration systems obtain steam
using gas turbines. Because the scale of this project issmall, however, it uses gas engines, and the waste heatprovides only hot water. Therefore, in the Shinchi Energy
Center, cooling and heating are performed with hotwastewater from power generation using Genelink.
Energy began being supplied to consumers in March
2019 (Fig. 7). All the facilities in the supply area shownin Fig. 7 were newly constructed after the tsunami
disaster. In addition, the Shinchi Energy Center functions
as a regional base for energy distribution. For example, inthe event of a power outage during a large-scale disaster,
it will be possible to provide an uninterrupted power
supply to the energy supply area of the center.
A community energy management system (CEMS)
provides integral management of these facilities as wellas energy utilization. One of the functions of CEMS is toprovide the information necessary for community energy
center management. Management is required for when
the cogeneration equipment is combined with multiple
auxiliary heat sources and power purchased from existing
power companies (grid power), thus reducing excess heat
while not exceeding the contract power from the grid. In
this case, the prediction of demands and power generation
via solar power, which depends on climate conditions,becomes essential. Under such complex conditions,information necessary for energy management personnel
to make appropriate decisions is provided, contributing tomore efficient operations.

Grid power(backup/aggregated power
supply for region)

Shinchi Energy Center
Storagebattery

Solar power
generation
50 kW

50 kWh, 50 kW

Electricity Demand

Cogeneration system
GE 35 kW × 5

Natural gas

Exhaust heat
918 MJ/h(255 kW)[Within region: 378 kW]Power generation
175 kW

Electric chiller

17RT × 1

GENELINK(exhaust heat input
water chiller)[Within region: 3894 MJ/h]

120RT × 1

Gas absorption
water chiller
Boiler

Cooling Demand

Heating Demand[Within region: 5412 MJ/h]

120RT × 2

Hot Water Demand[Within region: 1729 MJ/h]

581kW × 3

Energy demand assumed in themaster plan

Fig. 5 Electricity/heat supply system and energy flows in the Shinchi Energy Center.

Smart community recovering from the tsunami-disaster

203

Start
Calculation of the monthly-hourly
demand on the building side
(electricity, cooling, heating)Electricity and heat demanddata for building use(electricity, cooling, heating,
hot water)

Hourly calculation

Waste heat recovery
absorption typechiller/heater (Genelink)

Gas engine cogeneration system

Monthly calculation

Calculation of the monthly-hourly
demand for the plant(electricity, cooling, heating)Calculation of thecogeneration system (CGS)
allotment

CGS equipment data

Calculation of exhaust heatuse equipment allotment

Exhaust heat use
equipment data

Calculation of the quantity ofheat load allotment for theheat source equipment

Heat source equipment
data

Calculation of monthly andannual total

End

Fig. 8 Flow chart of stimulation evaluation calculations.
Solar panels

Control room

CO2 emission [t-CO2/year]

Fig. 6 Main equipment at the Shinchi Energy Center.
Shinchi Energy Center

Hotel / Bath Facility(4,584 m2)

Agricultural
production plant(under consideration)

Community Center(1,827 m2)

Commercial
ComplexSports Facility

Energy Supply Area

Heating duct (heating)
Heating duct (cooling)
Electricity(2,084 m2)(807 m2)

Solar
power
generation

1000

LNG

100

Oil

Electricity
500

Electricity
ShinchiEnergyCenterConventional
systemFig. 9 Calculation results of the CO2 emissions.

N
0

LPG

1500

0

JR Shinchi
StationElectricity and heat supply area
covered by the Shinchi Energy Center

Cogeneration
system200m

Fig. 7 E nergy supply area covered by the Shinchi Energy Center in
the JR Shinchi Station Development Area. Floor areas areshown in parentheses.

4. Evaluation of Environmental Performance
We are conducting research on evaluating andimproving the efficiency of community energy supply
and demand management around JR Shinchi Station. We
aim to improve energy efficiency and reduce CO2
emissions in this region and generalize knowledge about
efficient operation methods for applications in otherregions. However, due to delays in the construction ofcommunity centers and agricultural facilities, as well as
the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19, the energy
supply record at Shinchi Energy Center is currently
inadequate, and investigations using available data areincomplete. For this reason, we first present the results ofa study based on the master plan (Shinchi Town et al.,2016). In this case study, although the data andcalculation conditions are primarily based on the master
plan, the capacity of the solar panels has been modified tocorrespond to practical conditions and recalculated
accordingly.
Energy simulations were used to calculate electricity
and gas consumption. In the simulations, input data were
provided, and calculations were conducted for the load
allotment of various heat sources based on input data andoperational priority settings. Subsequently, city gas andelectricity consumption were calculated based on thecoefficient of performance (COP) of the heat source
equipment, efficiency data and other factors. Based onthese results, the energy savings, CO2 reduction, and costsof this system were calculated. The various facilities
shown in Fig. 7 were considered in the energy demand,and the demand pattern was set based on the existingenergy consumption intensity data. (The supply system
for the energy center and the assumed energy demand areshown in Fig. 5.) Then, the operating conditions of each
item of equipment for supply were evaluated, as shown in
Fig. 8.
Based on the above conditions, we calculated thetotal yearly CO2 emissions when all facilities were in
operation (Fig. 9). We also calculated the CO2 emissions

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Y. HIRANO et al.

in the case of a conventional system being installed ineach building for comparison. The results show that a
CO2 reduction of approximately 20% can be expected bymodifying the community energy system based on thehighly efficient community energy supply provided by
the Shinchi Energy Center. In addition, the seasonal andtime-dependent operation patterns of each device werealso comprehensively examined. For example, various
improvements have been made: approximately 10% of
power consumption can be supplied by solar power
generation during daytime peak hours and approximately
30% of cold heat consumption can be supplied by a
Genelink using cogeneration exhaust heat (figuresomitted).

5. Energy Evaluation Based on Available Data
We are conducting energy conservation diagnosis at
the Shinchi Energy Center as part of developing
technology for planning and evaluating community
energy utilization. This is a tentative evaluation result,however, because the expected number of consumers
assumed during the planning stage has not yet beenachieved.
As an example of the midsummer season, Fig. 10shows the recorded electricity, cold heat and warm heat
supplies for August. In August, cold water was supplied
to consumers at 381 GJ and hot water at 222 GJ; althoughmainly cold water was supplied, one-third of the total

demand was for hot water. The number of operationalcogeneration units was reduced during the night, but theoverall cogeneration system operated 24 hours a day. For
the power supply, along with solar power generation,
distributed power sources provided approximately half ofthe local power demand. Energy for cooling was suppliedby Genelink, which used exhaust heat from cogeneration,
for more than 60% of the total demand. Owing to thedemand for hot water in the public bath facilities andhotels, there was some heat demand in summer.
Cogeneration exhaust heat and a boiler were used to meetthis heat demand.
Fig. 11 shows the energy supply in December as an
example of winter conditions. Because there was almost
no demand for cold water in December, this aspect was
not included in Fig. 11. On the other hand, the demandfor hot water increased to 877 GJ owing to its use in bothwater and space heating. Based on the results of ourenergy conservation diagnosis, the operation of thecogeneration system was modified in November, and thecogeneration system was stopped during the midnight
power time zone of the grid power system. This operation
contributed to cost reduction and grid power loadsmoothing. Correspondingly, heat was supplied from thecogeneration exhaust heat and boiler during day and fromthe boiler during night.
Fig. 12 shows the cogeneration operation results
based on the practical supply and demand data for theseven months from June to December 2019. Since the
機器別製造熱量（時刻別）(b) Cold heat
supply

冷水製造熱量発電・ 買電電力量[kW][MJ/h](a) Power発電・買電電力量（時刻別）
supply

機器別製造熱量（時刻別）(c) Heat supply

Abbreviation

温 水製 造 熱量[MJ/h]

GE: Gas engine cogeneration
PV: Solar power
WH-R1: Power reception from the main line
GEN: Genelink
GAR: Gas absorption type chiller/heater
ESC: Electric screw chiller
HB: Heat boiler
HEX: Heat exchanger (utilization of CGS heat)Fig. 10 Hourly energy supply in August.

機器別製造熱量（時刻別）(b) Heat supply[MJ/h]

温水製造 熱量

発電・ 買電電力量[kW ](a) Power 発電・買電電力量（時刻別）
supplyFig. 11 Hourly energy supply in December. The abbreviations in the legends are the same as in Fig. 10.

Smart community recovering from the tsunami-disaster205

6. Summary and Future Perspective

Fig. 12 Operational status of the cogeneration system from June
to December 2019.

impact of COVID-19 is currently unclear, this paper only
presents data for the period before the impact of
COVID-19. However, the community center was still
under construction during this period. In addition, theplanning of agricultural facilities was delayed owing to
the effects of a massive typhoon in 2019. Therefore,
Fig. 12 shows the results under the condition of insufficientenergy consumers as compared to the number assumed at
the planning stage.
For these seven months, Fig. 12(a) shows that thefive cogeneration units generated approximately 80–100
MWh/month during summer. After November, thecogeneration operation method was modified and theamount of power generation shifted to approximately
40 MWh/month, which is approximately half of that insummer. Five cogeneration units were operating at almost
equal operating time. The output was adjusted bycontrolling the number of operating units; hence, they
were not always under simultaneous operation. However,
to match maintenance timings, five units were controlled
to have the same cumulative operating time. Fig. 12(b)shows that the utilization rate of cogeneration exhaust
heat was approximately 80% – 90% each month; thepower generation exhaust heat was confirmed to beeffectively used for heat supply. As shown in Fig. 12(c),the overall efficiency of cogeneration was stable atapproximately 70%. In December, the overall efficiency
was 75%, confirming good operating conditions.

This paper describes a case study on the planningand evaluation of an environmentally friendly energy
supply project that is being developed in the central areaof Shinchi Town. This project is being carried out as partof reconstruction of the town after considerable damage
caused by the tsunami following the GEJE. In thisproject, the Shinchi Energy Center was constructed tosupply energy to the facilities around JR Shinchi Station.
Although the current evaluation is tentative, the overall
efficiency of cogeneration is approximately 70%, and theutilization efficiency of exhaust heat is approximately
80–90%, confirming that it is in good operating condition.
In the future, we plan to evaluate its environmental
performance using practical data as the surrounding
facilities on the demand side are completed and the
supply records are collected.
Our subsequent goal is to apply the knowledge
obtained in Shinchi Town to other regions. Therefore, weare currently working on developing a general-purpose
evaluation system for evaluating the feasibility of acommunity energy supply system in accordance withvarious regional conditions. In this system, in addition to
the data on energy supply and demand management
realized at the current Shinchi Energy Center, various
models for energy demand forecasting and optimal
operation forecasting will be incorporated to evaluate
efficient energy management. For the residential sector,
we have constructed an energy demand forecast modelusing energy monitoring data in Shinchi Town
(Lubashevskiy & Hirano, 2018) and estimated theelectricity demand distribution to calculate the potential
for introducing a community energy supply. For thecommercial sector, because the data available on facilities
in Shinchi Town are insufficient for obtaining generalized
knowledge, we are investigating forecasting methods
based on regional climate conditions using existing
databases (Hirano et al, 2017b). Based on these results,
we aim to conduct data analysis and evaluation forhorizontal expansion in other regions, and study methods
for evaluating renewable energy as well as the potential
for introducing cogeneration by incorporating demand
forecasting.
Acknowledgements
The project introduced in this paper is being carriedout under the smart community adoption promotion
project with NIES acting as the academic advisor, basedon the Basic Cooperation Agreement, for supervising
Shinchi Town with the cooperation of related companies.

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Y. HIRANO et al.

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Yujiro HIRANO
Yujiro Hirano is a senior researcher at theRegional Environmental Renovation Section of
the National Institute for Environmental Studies,
Fukushima Branch. He holds a doctorate ofengineering and has long been engaged in researchon low-carbon lifestyles remote sensing of urban
surfaces, urban heat island countermeasures andurban energy system. His recent research interests are in modeling andanalysis of regional energy use for environmental renovation plans.

Shogo NAKAMURA
Shogo Nakamura is a researcher in the Regional
Environmental Renovation Section of the
National Institute for Environmental Studies,
Fukushima Branch. He holds a Ph.D. inagricultural science. He has played a central rolein developing the energy monitoring systems in
Shinchi as well as many other areas in
Fukushima. Recently his interests have led him to participate in theEnvironment-Economy-Society Integration Research program.

Takuya TOGAWA
Takuya Togawa is a senior researcher at the
National Institute for Environmental Studies,
Fukushima Branch. He received his doctorate inengineering from the Graduate School ofEnvironmental Studies, Nagoya University in2010. He is engaged in research on mechanisms
for realizing disaster recovery and regional
revitalization by effectively utilizing local environmental resources.

Tsuyoshi FUJITA
Tsuyoshi Fujita is a principal researcher at theCenter for Social and Environmental Systems
Research, National Institute for Environmental
Studies. He is concurrently a professor in the
Department of Urban Engineering, University ofTokyo. His main fields of interest are the regional
SDGs, regional circular and ecological systems,
and urban industrial symbiosis. He is also a registered professional engineer
in the field of civil engineering and architecture.

Kenichi ADACHI
Kenichi Adachi is director of Japan Environment
Systems Co., Ltd. He graduated from the Facultyof Engineering, Yokohama National University.
He is currently engaged in research and planning
related to architecture, energy and theenvironment in cities and regions, particularly on
the themes of district heating, low-carbon
community development, smart communities, microgrids and hydrogenutilization supply chains.
(Received 7 September 2020, Accepted 21 December 2020)