IT’S not something we need to worry about too much in the UK, but in the Japanese city of Osaka, limiting energy use is a big issue.
Electricity supplies in Japan were severely disrupted by the earthquake and tsunami disasters of March 2011 that knocked out the Fukushima nuclear power plant, and the situation is still causing concern.
Nissan is doing its bit to help. Some 250 all-electric LEAFs, equipped with the ingenious ‘LEAF-to-Home’ energy system, have been supplied to local authorities and members of the public in Osaka, situated in Japan’s Kansai region.
The clever cars will be put to good use, supplying power to homes during the day and charging from the grid at night.
Osaka, with a population of almost nine million, is second only to Tokyo in terms of economic activity in Japan. However, the city’s economy slowed last year because of changed work schedules and emergency conservation measures taken in the wake of the disasters.
Seiji Nakamura, spokesman for the Osaka local government office, said: ‘This year’s demand for energy in Japan is a very difficult situation.
‘The central government has created simulations for national energy demand, and in Kansai we’ve been told we need to reduce consumption by at least 15 per cent.’
Nissan Chief Operating Officer Toshiyuki Shiga has had meetings with Osaka government officials about the ‘LEAF-to-Home’ power plan.
‘With LEAF-to-Home, we can store electricity in the nighttime, and then from the car, we use it in the daytime, especially during peak demand time,’ he explained.
Osaka is a first step for Nissan, which intends to offer ‘LEAF-to-Home’ elsewhere in Japan if further demand emerges.
The video here explains more.
