Solar Power Systems and Home Storage Batteries as Standard Equipment

The "Fujisawa SST" project is a smart town initiative planned by Panasonic on the 19-hectare site of its former Fujisawa factory. It is a new town development project for 1,000 households, planned for a low-carbon society, which will be the first in the world to standardize solar power generation systems and home storage batteries for the entire town, including all residences, facilities, and public zones, as well as introducing home fuel cells. The town, which will include residences, commercial facilities, and public facilities, is scheduled to open in fiscal year 2013.

Participating are nine companies: Panasonic, Accenture, ORIX, Nihon Sekkei, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Tokyo Gas, PanaHome, Mitsui Fudosan and Mitsui Fudosan Residential, and Mitsui & Co., along with the city of Fujisawa. Town development will be carried out with a view from the master planning stage through to post-development operation.

The master plan aims to achieve both comfort and high environmental performance by controlling "energy generation" from household solar power and home fuel cells, "energy storage" using storage batteries and heat pump water heaters, and "energy saving" for air conditioning and lighting through proprietary integrated technology, thereby realizing optimal energy management that matches residents' usage patterns. Furthermore, infrastructure and facilities will be optimally designed for the entire town, including the introduction of EVs (electric vehicles) and the installation of dedicated parking spaces to promote the spread of car sharing.

In addition, models for next-generation living unique to a smart town are incorporated, such as security services that monitor the entire town by optimally controlling lighting, sensors, and surveillance cameras, and healthcare services that provide facilities and equipment for the elderly to live comfortably.

The "Fujisawa SST" project aims to create a safe, secure, and sustainable town that maximizes the benefits of nature through local production for local consumption, and a smart town where the power and information networks are connected from the outset, enabling optimal control without burdening residents. This initiative has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions by 70% compared to 1990 levels across the entire town, and the project plans to spread its business model globally in the future.