Industrial Giants Creating Green Power for Homes!

TOKYO —A new era in the use of sustainable green electric power for private homes has been inaugurated in Japan—a development that could have far-reaching effects on other countries as well.      In June of 2008, Matsushita Home Appliance Company, an in-house unit of giant Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., known around the world for its Panasonic brand, opened a factory in Shiga Prefecture that is now producing super efficient fuel-cell systems for homes that makes them totally independent of traditional electric power companies.      The home fuel-cell power systems manufactured at Matsushita’s [now Panasonic Corp.] Shiga plant are based on new technology developed by the company over the past several years as part of its program to improve upon solar-power systems that have dominated the market since the 1990s.     The new Panasonic system achieves a power generation efficiency of 39 percent, the highest in the world—and works at a significantly lower temperature than other fuel-cell systems, making it easier and more practical to use. The Shiga factory is designed to produce 100,000 of the super fuel-cell units annually and is expected to achieve this production volume over the next five years.      This volume will make it possible for Panasonic to reduce the cost of individual fuel-cell systems from around one million yen to six hundred thousand yen—making them affordable to the average Japanese household. [The units are about the size of a medium-sized refrigerator.]      While Panasonic is the newest big name to enter the “green” household power industry in Japan, it is following a path already pioneered by powerhouses Toshiba and Ebara, both of which began mass-producing   fuel-cell home systems in 2008. The fuel-cell systems unit of Sanyo Electric, recently acquired by Nippon Oil Corporation, is also ramping up production.      And then there is Toto Ltd., the internationally known maker of toilet equipment, which is gearing up to introduce a low-priced home fuel-cell system in 2011 that is expected to dramatically increase their sales.      Industry analysts say that the cost of fuel-cell power systems for homes will match that of solar-powered systems within the next two years, and become cheaper still as the production volume goes up.      Another advantage of home fuel-cell systems is that the power they generate is totally independent of the sun or the weather in general—making them ideal for areas that have limited sunshine and cold temperatures.      Matsushita/Panasonic spent some ten years developing the technology used in its fuel-cell systems—technology based on a polymer electrolyte and an improved system for extracting hydrogen from city gas and reducing power-loss within the system.      Research scientists at Panasonic say they also expect to reduce the amount of expensive platinum now used in their fuel-cell systems, further cutting the cost.      Competition between the home fuel-cell systems and the manufacturers of solar-power home systems [also located in the Kansai region and led by Sharp, Sanyo and Kyocera] is expected to result in increased technological and production efficiencies, further benefiting consumers.      Given the export record of Panasonic in particular, it is a foregone conclusion that the company will be tailoring its production of home fuel-cell systems for sales around the world, with factories in such countries as China, India and Indonesia, as well as in the United States, Europe and Africa.      This is the kind of forward thinking and commitment that has distinguished the Japanese business community since the early 1950s, and will no doubt continue to sustain it in the foreseeable future.      It will certainly contribute to Japan’s efforts to contend with the rising price of oil and power in general, and to maintain the high standard that has become an integral part of life in the country.      Since electric power generating fuel-cell systems for homes does not present nearly as many problems as fuel cells for cars, they are likely to revolutionize the delivery of power to residences and smaller businesses.   Copyright © 2009 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente   ___________________________________________ Boyé Lafayette De Mente is the author of more than 30 books on Japan’s corporate culture, social behavior, language, arts and crafts, and its visual and sensual attractions as a travel destination…including JAPAN MADE EASY – All You Need to Know to Enjoy Japan.   To see a full list and synopses of his books, go to: www.BoyeDeMente.com , or go to Amazon.com.  

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