Namie aiming to produce, supply its own hydrogen power(浪江町が水素タウン構想)

 
A hydrogen fuel cell system installed at the Namie Michi-no-Eki roadside rest and tourism facility in Namie, Fukushima Prefecture(道の駅なみえに設置された水素供給装置など=20日、浪江町)

 Experiments to produce and supply hydrogen for local use will be carried out across Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, making it the nation's first municipality to engage in such a large trial.
 The Namie municipal government announced in late November an initiative to realize a hydrogen-powered society. It is committed to producing energy for local consumption as a means of reconstructing the areas damaged by the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
 In the large-scale experiment using hydrogen produced in the town, the municipal government aims to utilize the energy in various fields such as commerce, agriculture, transportation and education.

 浪江町は20日、水素社会の実現に向けた「なみえ水素タウン構想」を発表した。町は東京電力福島第1原発事故からの復興に向けてエネルギーの地産地消を掲げている。町内で製造される水素を使った大規模な実証を進めながら商工業や農業、交通、教育などさまざまな分野での水素の利活用を目指す。町単位で大規模な実証が行われるのは全国で初めて。

 While hydrogen is gaining a following as a next-generation source of clean energy, many issues remain before it can be efficiently used. These include technical matters such as production, storage, and transportation, as well as improving the performance of hydrogen fuel cells, reducing costs and reviewing legal regulations.
 The Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field (FH2R), one of the world's largest hydrogen production sites, opened in the town in March. With a stable supply system in place, the town has started working on promoting the use of hydrogen.

 水素は環境に配慮した次世代のクリーンエネルギーとして注目される一方、効率的な導入に当たっては製造や貯蔵、輸送などの技術的な問題に加え、水素燃料電池の性能の向上とコストダウン、法規制の見直しなど課題は多いという。町内で3月、世界最大規模の水素製造拠点「福島水素エネルギー研究フィールド」が開所、水素の安定的な供給体制が整ったことから水素の利活用促進に取り組む。

 In the experiment planned for as early as next fiscal year, ordinary households, commercial facilities and other places will be given fuel cells and partner companies will deliver and supply them with hydrogen using special trucks in the Hamadori area, where the town is located.
 The municipal government plans to complete an industrial area in the town's Tanashio district as early as 2024 and supply all the electricity to be consumed by the companies located there with renewable energy. To cheaply supply hydrogen to the area, the government there will build pipelines using utility poles while ensuring safety.
 It has also installed a hydrogen fuel cell system at the Namie Michi-no-Eki roadside rest and tourism facility in the town, which supplies electricity and hot water to the facility. The government will continue exploring possibilities for practical use while examining costs.

 構想では、浪江町を中心とした浜通りの一般家庭や商業施設などに燃料電池を設置し、パートナー企業が専用のトラックで水素を配送・供給する実証を来年度にもスタートさせる。
 町は2024年にも、立地企業の消費電力を全て再生可能エネルギーでまかなう産業団地を町内の棚塩地区に完成させる計画で、産業団地に低コストで水素を供給するために電柱を活用したパイプラインを整備し安全性などを確認する。
 また、町内の道の駅なみえに燃料電池を設置して電力とお湯を供給する取り組みを開始、運転費用などを検証しながら実用化の可能性を探るという。

 In time for the opening of the FH2R, the municipal government set a goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 and declared itself a "Zero Carbon City." It hopes to achieve the goal through the use of hydrogen.
 "It's precisely because Namie was damaged by the nuclear disaster that we want to reconstruct the town using renewable energy-derived hydrogen," said a town government official. "We want to build a new town that does not rely on nuclear power or fossil fuels."

( Translated by The Japan News )

 町は水素製造拠点の開所に合わせて、50年までに二酸化炭素の排出実質ゼロを目指す「ゼロカーボンシティ」を宣言しており、水素の利活用を通して達成につなげたい考えだ。町の担当者は「原子力被害を受けた浪江町だからこそ、再エネ由来の水素で復興を成し遂げたい。原子力や化石燃料に頼らない新しい町をつくりたい」と話した。

 【 2020年11月21日付・福島民友新聞掲載 】