Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 7.10 a
Example of power generation by bicycle.
b
Having fun while producing electricity
and teaching a 'green' lifestyle
Fig. 7.11
Photographs of
the night on March 11, 2011
“Electricity in the earthquake
area and the Sanriku coast
completely stopped”
7.3
Next Generation Energy for Tohoku Recovery (NET)
Project
Following the 2011 disasters, the resilience of local energy supplies became an
important issue (Fig.
7.11
), and Tohoku University worked with a number of lo-
cal authorities to develop R&D projects aimed at a more sustainable and resilient
energy system suited to local needs. Up to this point, renewable energy has custom-
arily been used for businesses or connections to the grid. But the vulnerability of
such large-scale energy delivery systems led to a desire to search for novel next-
generation energy and control systems that could contribute to the Tohoku region's
recovery.
As local authorities took their own recovery actions, Tohoku University, as the
central academic institution of the region, set up its own recovery actions begin-
ning immediately after the disaster. One of those actions is this Tohoku University
Environmental Energy Project. Starting with an initial disaster forum on June 17,
