Light of the Future in Nishitenma, Osaka, April 2003

Light of the Future in Nishitenma, Osaka, April 2003

Around 2003, renewable energy was just beginning to penetrate society in Japan, with solar power penetration lower than it is today and small wind turbines being introduced mainly on an experimental basis. Immediately after the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, efforts to reduce CO2 emissions were in full swing, and how to integrate renewable energy into cities was a new challenge.

Against this backdrop, a neon billboard on the roof of a building at 2-5-3 Nishitenma, Kita-ku, Osaka City, that was 100% powered by natural energy, attracted attention as a progressive experiment. The system of lighting the tower using only stored electricity from a combination of 26 small wind turbines and 39 solar panels was groundbreaking in an urban area at the time. The wind turbines were manufactured by Zephyr, and the company that installed them was Ricoh, which is actively involved in environmental management.

The lights were turned on on April 16, 2003. Visible from the Hanshin Expressway and Osaka City Hall, it functioned as a device to visualize the presence of natural energy in the urban landscape. Although there were days when the lights were not turned on due to weather conditions, this capricious lighting played a role in communicating the characteristics of natural energy to the public.

The fact that the billboard went beyond corporate advertising and became a demonstration field for environmental technology in the city was symbolic of the changing environmental consciousness in Japan at the time.