Japanese Govt Eyes Energy-Saving Public School Buildings
The government is considering a scheme to decarbonize public elementary and junior high school buildings through improvements in heat insulation and generating solar power as part of efforts to achieve its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
The government also intends to strengthen the functions of school buildings as disaster evacuation centers, according to sources.
This initiative is aimed at turning these school buildings into structures called ZEBs (Net Zero Energy Buildings), which are designed to reduce energy consumption to practically net zero by generating electricity through solar power and other means while curbing consumption. The Plan for Global Warming Countermeasures approved by the Cabinet in 2016 has set a goal of making half of all new buildings ZEBs by 2030.
Under the initiative, materials with a high heat insulation properties will be used for roofs and exterior walls and multilayered glass windows will be adopted to increase the efficiency of air conditioning and reduce energy consumption.
The buildings will be designed to maximize access to natural light, and incorporate LED lighting with motion sensors to save more electricity.
According to a survey conducted by the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry in 2018, more than 30% of public elementary and junior high schools nationwide have installed equipment to generate power such as from solar and wind.
On the other hand, there have been only a few school buildings categorized as ZEBs largely due to the high cost of construction, as this type of structure requires a review of construction methods for the entire buildings.
In an effort to increase the number of such energy-saving school buildings, the ministry plans to compile an interim report in July under its study group, which consists of researchers in the field of architecture, school officials and heads of municipalities, according to the sources.
School buildings categorized as ZEBs also have the advantage of serving as evacuation centers in the event of a disaster.
In the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, a heating system using solar power worked well during a power outage at a municipal junior high school in Yamamoto, Miyagi Prefecture.
A municipal elementary school in Kyonan, Chiba Prefecture, secured its power supply with storage batteries that can be recharged with solar power.
Efforts to conserve energy at school buildings are likely to be instrumental in environmental education for students in a practical manner. Students likely will think about energy issues and learn about a mechanism of environmental technology through such efforts as displaying the status of energy consumption and power generation in their school buildings.
There are currently about 28,500 public elementary and junior high schools across the nation. If energy-saving school buildings spread throughout the country, this initiative is also expected to have the effect of “raising awareness of environmental issues among local residents,” a person close to the government said.
Source: the-japan-news
