The grand opening of a “smart town” in Fujisawa City, Japan that will support 1,000 solar powered households occurred last week.
Covering 19 hectares and located on the outskirts of Tokyo, Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town (Fujisawa SST) is being built on the concept of a smart community lifestyle taking into account such aspects as energy, security, mobility, and healthcare.
Aiming for over 30% renewable energy usage, the town will also be water-friendly; with a 30% reduction in water usage compared with facilities and equipment used in small communities in 2006. The goal is to create a community with 70% less carbon impact compared to 1990.
In addition to solar panels being a common sight across the town, energy storage systems will also be used in each semi-detached house. In the south of the town, a community solar farm has been constructed and modules also line approximately 400m of the prefectural highway.
Japan is no stranger to natural disasters and Fujisawa SST is being built with this in mind. In the event of mains grid interruption, the town will not only have enough power through its own grid to keep functioning, but will be able to supply some surrounding areas.
Fujisawa SST consists of several zones and incorporates residential, community, commercial and health facilities.
Homes in the town are being constructed by PanaHome, Panasonic Group’s house builder, which is developing eco-friendly towns across Japan.
The town’s transport system includes eco-car sharing and rent-a-car services, freeing residents of the burden of owning a car.
The town is expected to be completed by 2018, at a total project cost of 60 billion yen.
Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town is a project promoted by the Fujisawa SST Council and involves 18 companies; led by Panasonic Corporation. The Council hopes Fujisawa SST will act as a model for similar communities around the world.
