NEWS

AWARD

2023.09.26

Takasago Thermal Innovation Center achieves carbon neutrality through the use of renewable energy

Winner of Asia's Best Award at Global Environmental Building Technology Awards

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Left: Exterior of the Takasago Thermal Innovation Center office building. Right: Award ceremony held in Taichung, Taiwan on August 19th.

高砂熱学工業株式会社、株式会社三菱地所設計は、田辺新一教授（早稲田大学）、赤司泰義教授（東京大学）とともに、「高砂熱学イノベーションセンター」（茨城県つくばみらい市／以下、本施設。本賞への応募対象はオフィス棟）にて、空気調和・冷暖房に関する世界最大の国際学会 米国暖房冷凍空調学会（ASHRAE）が開催する「ASHRAE Technology awards 2024」の地域カンファレンスASHRAE Region XIII 26th Chapters Regional Conferenceで最高得点を獲得し、アジア地域最優秀賞を受賞したことをお知らせします（賞発表：2023年8月19日）。
本施設では、地域の特性を生かした再生可能エネルギーを積極的に活用。地下水熱・バイオマスCHP（熱電併給／次頁参照）・太陽光発電を、大規模蓄電システムと組み合わせることでオフグリッド化（電力の自給自足が成立している状態）を実現しています。本成果は、自然災害に対するレジリエンスの強靭化が要求される日本において、特に有用なシステムであると考えます。



  • The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is the world's largest international academic society for air conditioning and heating and cooling, with more than 50,000 members from 132 countries. Founded in 1894, the organization's headquarters are in Atlanta, USA. https://www.ashrae.org/

ASHRAE Technology awards: Global environmentally friendly building technology awards

The ASHRAE Technology Awards (held annually since 1999) is the world's largest technology award for innovative environmentally friendly buildings that combine energy conservation, comfort, and user health. The judging process requires not only design performance but also backing up with actual operation data, so the awards have earned the trust of people in the construction and facility industries. This year's awards are awarded to the best buildings in 15 regions around the world, and we were recognized as the "First Place" in Region XIII (Asia), which includes Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. As a result, we have been selected as the regional representative for the best buildings in the world. We will be competing for the "world's best environmental building" as a representative of Japan and Asia.

ASHRAE Technology awards 2024 selection process

Key points of the award evaluation: Takasago Thermal Innovation Center
Technical novelty

① [Newly developed technology] Energy management system for large-capacity storage batteries

This facility has developed and introduced a new energy management system (EMS) that provides optimal control of large-capacity storage batteries.
This EMS predicts the on-site power load and solar radiation for several days in advance, and optimally controls the storage battery charge/discharge based on the predicted power generation from solar power generation and biomass CHP *, making it possible to off-grid the power of the office building and operate the facility without relying on an external power grid.

Biomass CHP (Combined Heat and Power): An energy-saving method that utilizes waste heat generated during power generation. In the power generation process at this facility, the biomass CHP uses the waste heat obtained from cooling the cooler and engine during the process (heating and pyrolysis of wood chips to generate high-temperature combustible gas, which is then fed into a gas engine to generate power), and supplies the facility with hot water via a heat exchanger.

② [Newly developed technology] Direct use of groundwater heat, which is effective in saving energy in heating and cooling
Two air conditioning systems

We developed two technologies to realize air conditioning using groundwater heat and introduced them in the office space.

(1) Radiant panels for system ceilings
Conventionally, ceiling radiant panels have generally been controlled uniformly within a room, but here we developed a system that provides fine control according to the load distribution, reducing the power required to transport hot and cold water. Twelve 600mm square panels are used as one unit, and water supply is controlled according to the panel surface temperature.

(2) Three types of personal air conditioners
We developed a personal air conditioner that can adjust heating and cooling to suit the individual's sense of temperature. A survey of workers who use personal air conditioners in their office spaces to gauge their satisfaction with the thermal environment confirmed that they received high marks.

Office floor. Equipped with a radiant panel that is compatible with the system ceiling. The light is reflected onto the smooth surface, which contributes to improving the sense of brightness in the room.
Three types of personal air conditioning have been developed. All three can be controlled from a smartphone.
❶ "Partition type" that is installed between facing desks, ❷ "Desk type" that can be installed under the top of a table etc., and ❸ "Ceiling-mounted type" that is installed between radiant air conditioning panels.

3) Minimize the environmental impact by achieving highly efficient operation of heat sources that use renewable energy.

At this facility, by using a cloud-based central monitoring system, all equipment can be managed in an integrated manner without the need for a specialized equipment manager to be on-site, contributing to the efficient operation and rapid improvement of the following systems.

(1) Utilization of groundwater heat
Monitoring the groundwater temperature throughout the year has revealed that it has a stable average temperature (16.6°C). This utilization has achieved an average energy consumption efficiency (COP) of 7.8 in the summer, which is extremely efficient compared to the air-cooled HP chiller (4.1). This groundwater heat covers 63% of the facility's cooling demand.

By proactively using renewable energy and making improvements to the system's efficiency, the office building's annual CO2 emissions during operation, including the amount of power generated, have been reduced by 159 tons, achieving zero CO2 emissions. In addition, the heat source system that uses groundwater heat and biomass CHP has reduced not only CO2 emissions but also the use of fluorocarbon gases, minimizing the burden on the environment.
Furthermore, the entire facility site is carbon neutral through the purchase of green electricity generated by hydroelectric power.

Source: Evaluation of the Takasago Thermal Innovation Center in Japan

To date, the facility has received the following awards:

June 202233rd Institute of Electrical Installation Engineers of Japan Awards, Technology Division, Excellent Facilities Award (Sponsored by the Institute of Electrical Installation Engineers of Japan)
"Takasago Thermal Innovation Center's Electrical Equipment Aiming for a 'ZEB'"
June 2022FY2022 Demand Side Management Awards, Integrated Systems Category
Heat Pump & Thermal Storage Technology Center Promotion Award (Sponsor: Heat Pump & Thermal Storage Technology Center)
"Takasago Thermal Innovation Center - A sustainable research facility that balances reducing environmental impact and improving intellectual productivity"
May 202361st Society Award Technology Award, Building Equipment Division (Sponsor: Society of Heating, Air-Conditioning and Sanitary Engineers of Japan) "Environmental and Equipment Planning and Implementation at Takasago Thermal Innovation Center"
May 202321st Environmental and Equipment Design Awards, Category II: Architecture and Equipment Integrated Design Category, Excellence Award (Sponsor: Building Equipment Integrated Association)
"Takasago Thermal Innovation Center"
June 202311th Carbon Neutral Awards (Sponsor: Japan Association of Building and Mechanical Engineers)
"Takasago Thermal Innovation Center: A research facility that combines reduced environmental impact with improved intellectual productivity"

Architecture

Data

Building Name

Takasago Thermal Innovation Center
location

2-19 Fujimigaoka, Tsukubamirai City, Ibaraki Prefecture
Applications

Research Facilities
Site area

22,746.18㎡
Building area

7,129.74㎡
Total floor area

11,763.97㎡
Floor number

2 floors above ground, 1 floor in the penthouse Maximum height: 15.455m
Construction type

Ground floor steel construction, partly reinforced concrete construction
Certifications

CASBEE Wellness Office (2020 edition): S rank
BELS: Five Star, 91% reduction in design primary energy consumption, Nearly ZEB
LEED V4 BD+C(NC):GOLD
Planning, development, verification and evaluation

Takasago Thermal Engineering Co., Ltd.
Design (※1), Construction Supervision, verification and evaluation

Mitsubishi Jisho Design Inc.
Design (※2) and construction

Takenaka Corporation
Construction

Kandenko Corporation, Yamato Corporation, Takasago Thermal Engineering Co., Ltd. Kan-Shinetsu Branch
Verification and Evaluation

Shinichi Tanabe (Professor, Waseda University), Yasuyoshi Akashi (Professor, The University of Tokyo), Masanari Ukai (Lecturer, Waseda University), Shohei Miyata (Assistant Professor, The University of Tokyo)
　

*1: schematic design, design development (air conditioning, sanitation, electricity)
*2: design development (architecture and structure)
Left: Overall view of the facility. On the left is the office building, and on the right is the laboratory building that houses the research laboratories.
Right: The atrium in the center of the office building.

that's all

Contact for inquiries regarding this matter

高砂熱学工業株式会社 コーポレート・コミュニケーション室
TEL 03 -6369-8215

株式会社三菱地所設計 経営企画部広報室
TEL 03-3287-5001

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