A Dream of Small Power Development Spun by Citizens and Temples - Juko-in Temple, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo (April 1999)

A Dream of Small Power Development Spun by Citizens and Temples - Juko-in Temple, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo (April 1999)

In the late 1990s, renewable energy was beginning to attract attention in Japan following the commitments made at the Kyoto Conference on Global Warming Prevention. Amidst the high cost of renewable energy, a citizens' group in Edogawa Ward, "Citizens' Net Edogawa", began planning to construct a solar power plant at a local temple, Juko-in Temple. The temple's 5kw output facility was advanced at the time, and the chief priest explained that the power would be used to power the guest rooms and the surplus would be sold to an electric power company. The majority of the total construction cost of approximately 6 million yen was covered by subsidies and donations, and the system of local cooperation to realize the power plant became a model case of cooperation. At the time, electric power was supplied exclusively by major companies, but the sale of surplus power was a symbol of citizen-led power development. In addition, the maturation of the citizens' movement was also in the ba
ckground, and people were becoming increasingly aware of the need to address environmental issues on their own. The fusion of local communities, religious facilities, and civic activities based at temples in urban areas has more significance than the mere introduction of facilities, and can be seen as the germ of energy democratization in the 21st century.