We provide products and services designed to help reduce CO2 emissions. By doing so, we contribute to the CO2 emissions reduction efforts of not only Idemitsu Group entities but those of other companies.
Solar Frontier K.K. is a Group company specializing in solar panel production and sales. As of the end of FY2019, its cumulative production and shipments of panels hit a milestone of 6GW. This accomplishment is proof of solid customer trust, which Solar Frontier has earned by supplying panels that, thanks to CIS thin-film solar cell technologies, deliver superior energy yield in actual operational settings that extend to environment with high-temperature or limited sun exposure. Other factors contributing to this record include stable product quality supported by the company’s fully domestic production process and robust after-sales services, including a 20-year product guarantee.
We developed the ULTY-V plusTM coal boiler control optimization system in tandem with the NYK Group. Once introduced, this system enables our customers to reduce coal consumption approximately 1%, thus helping them improve economic efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. In March 2019, we also established NYK IDEMITSU Green Solutions Co., Ltd., a fifty-fifty joint venture, in tandem with the NYK Group. The new company will work to step up solution proposals aimed at marketing the system. In FY2020, we signed a supply contract with Formosa Plastics Corporation headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, with the aim of delivering six ULTY-V plusTM units. Although approximately 100 units are already in operation in Japan, the aforementioned contract is the first deal of its kind with an overseas customer.
We also promote the development of environmentally friendly products in growth business fields, including those listed below.
Solar Frontier and Hayamizu Denki Kogyo Co., Ltd. installed pavement type solar panels (solar pavement) at Tokyo Big Sight as part of the “Renewable Energy Visualization Model Project” in Tokyo, and is ready to be used since March 26. The solar pavement can store the electricity generated during the day and use it at night to display messages on the floor. CIS* solar cell made by Solar Frontier, which is strong against partial shadows and has a large actual power, and a light guide plate technology of Hayamizu Denki Kogyo are combined to realize a highly visible glowing sidewalk. The total length is about 16.5m, and the expected annual power generation is about 750kWh. The solar panels will be installed until March 31, 2021.
The asphalt, known to be able to lower the road surface temperature by 10°C is adopted in Shirahama Park located along the bank of Yahagi River next to Toyota Stadium, one of the venues for the Rugby World Cup, in Aichi Prefecture. It is light in color, therefore colorable, and produced by using natural gravel in the area. The asphalt paving itself was completed in July. Maybright A, which is effective in lowering the road surface temperature by around 10 degrees compared to the conventional methods of pavement, is expected to be able in reducing ‘heat island’ effect.
