**2.2. The smart hybrid town concept**

In the process of disaster reconstruction, Shinchi proposed "the smart hybrid town" concept, which benefits the environment, economy, and society (**Figure 3**). The aim of this concept is to reconstruct the area by combining ICT with a social mechanism that supports the community. Specifically, community residents are linked with the municipality, research facilities, and businesses through a bidirectional information network. In this manner, a prototype for a new community information infrastructure, which shares information on the local environment and community lifestyle, is constructed. With this local information infrastructure, energy consumption monitoring systems are installed in homes, public facilities, and commercial facilities. The aim is to create a "community energy support network" that promotes energy conservation on the energy demand side, an "aging community support network" that accommodates an aging society, and a "community traffic support network" that improves the operation of public transportation, based on vehicle location information from global positioning systems (GPSs) and information supplied by users. With this concept, as a disaster-affected site, Shinchi was selected as a "future city" by Japan's Cabinet Office in December 2011.

terminals. The information from both the supply and demand sides is gathered and managed at the smart hybrid center to improve energy efficiency. For example, messages are generated and sent to the demand side, asking for electricity savings based on the supply and demand situation. The system can "visualize" electricity-saving behavior and provide information

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The next step will be the introduction of an automatic demand response control, which is realized by the combination of dynamic pricing and remote control of electrical appliances. Dynamic pricing continuously varies the price of electricity, which can provide economic benefits to consumers who proactively save electricity during power shortages and use electrical appliances such as washing machines when electricity is in surplus. By adjusting supply and demand with automatic dynamic pricing, it also becomes possible to introduce renewable energy sources on a large scale. For example, solar and wind power generation systems should be proactively introduced, as they have significant potential for reducing CO<sup>2</sup> emissions and can be used as emergency energy sources during natural disasters. However, renewable energy sources have drawbacks. For example, their output depends on factors such as the weather, and long-term energy storage is difficult. We are therefore developing a system to balance energy supply and demand by linking the supply and demand sides with

such as energy-saving rankings within the community.

**Figure 2.** Air temperature variation pattern of Shinchi and Tokyo.

the information network.

Now the focus is on developing an energy management system based on a community energy support network to adjust supply/demand and to increase efficient use of renewable energy. On the supply side, the system forecasts electricity output and CO2 emissions from the combination of thermal power generation, natural energy, and waste heat utilization and utilizes the forecast as control information. On the demand side, smart meters are provided to every household. These smart meters are not only display monitors but also interactive information

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**Figure 2.** Air temperature variation pattern of Shinchi and Tokyo.

**2.2. The smart hybrid town concept**

**Figure 1.** Location of Shinchi.

102 Sustainable Air Conditioning Systems

In the process of disaster reconstruction, Shinchi proposed "the smart hybrid town" concept, which benefits the environment, economy, and society (**Figure 3**). The aim of this concept is to reconstruct the area by combining ICT with a social mechanism that supports the community. Specifically, community residents are linked with the municipality, research facilities, and businesses through a bidirectional information network. In this manner, a prototype for a new community information infrastructure, which shares information on the local environment and community lifestyle, is constructed. With this local information infrastructure, energy consumption monitoring systems are installed in homes, public facilities, and commercial facilities. The aim is to create a "community energy support network" that promotes energy conservation on the energy demand side, an "aging community support network" that accommodates an aging society, and a "community traffic support network" that improves the operation of public transportation, based on vehicle location information from global positioning systems (GPSs) and information supplied by users. With this concept, as a disaster-affected site, Shinchi was selected as a "future city" by Japan's Cabinet Office in December 2011.

Now the focus is on developing an energy management system based on a community energy support network to adjust supply/demand and to increase efficient use of renewable energy.

bination of thermal power generation, natural energy, and waste heat utilization and utilizes the forecast as control information. On the demand side, smart meters are provided to every household. These smart meters are not only display monitors but also interactive information

emissions from the com-

On the supply side, the system forecasts electricity output and CO2

terminals. The information from both the supply and demand sides is gathered and managed at the smart hybrid center to improve energy efficiency. For example, messages are generated and sent to the demand side, asking for electricity savings based on the supply and demand situation. The system can "visualize" electricity-saving behavior and provide information such as energy-saving rankings within the community.

The next step will be the introduction of an automatic demand response control, which is realized by the combination of dynamic pricing and remote control of electrical appliances. Dynamic pricing continuously varies the price of electricity, which can provide economic benefits to consumers who proactively save electricity during power shortages and use electrical appliances such as washing machines when electricity is in surplus. By adjusting supply and demand with automatic dynamic pricing, it also becomes possible to introduce renewable energy sources on a large scale. For example, solar and wind power generation systems should be proactively introduced, as they have significant potential for reducing CO<sup>2</sup> emissions and can be used as emergency energy sources during natural disasters. However, renewable energy sources have drawbacks. For example, their output depends on factors such as the weather, and long-term energy storage is difficult. We are therefore developing a system to balance energy supply and demand by linking the supply and demand sides with the information network.

conduits, a community power grid, and CO2

**3.2. Estimating facility energy demand**

tions are shown in **Figure 4** and **Table 1**.

**Facility Use Total floor** 

Sports facility Futsal court 3000 Electricity

CEMS will be utilized.

Agricultural production

plant

reference [23]).

supply pipes. In addition, solar power facili-

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**Supplied energy**

)

Agricultural facility 9000 Electricity, heat (heating/hot water) (CO2

ties and batteries will be introduced to public facilities. To manage these facilities integrally,

**Figure 4.** Locations of energy demand facilities in the area surrounding Shinchi Station (revised by authors based on

Introduction of Low-Carbon Community Energy Systems by Combining Information Networks…

In this investigation, projections were made regarding the energy demands of facilities in the Shinchi Station area to be served by the distributed energy system. These estimates were based on two sources of data. The first source is an existing study, the 2016 smart community adoption promotion project titled "Master Plan Formulation Project for Revitalization Community Building Centered Around the Use of Energy Produced and Consumed in Shinchi City." The second source is responses obtained during a consultation with people in Shinchi's hotel industry regarding the progress of community reconstruction. These projec-

> **area [m2 ]**

Hotel Hotel 4770 Electricity, heat (cooling/heating/hot water) Bath facility Welfare facility 1400 Electricity, heat (cooling/heating/hot water)

Tourist farm Office 1200 Electricity, heat (cooling/heating)

Community center Cultural facility 1800 Electricity, heat (cooling/heating) Incubation square Office 610 Electricity, heat (cooling/heating)

**Table 1.** Demand facilities in the area surrounding Shinchi Station that are considered in this investigation.

**Figure 3.** Schematic diagram of the smart hybrid town concept in Shinchi.

With Shinchi's selection as a "future city," discussion regarding reconstruction began, and in March 2013, a Basic Cooperation Agreement was drawn up between Shinchi and the National Institute for Environmental Studies. The National Institute for Environmental Studies has been supporting construction of future visions, maintenance of the ICT base, and comprehensive town reconstruction, based on academic knowledge such as social communication [20, 21].
