Edogawa Ward Citizens' Solar Power Plant Project - Budding Renewable Energy Initiated by Citizens (1999, Edogawa Ward, Tokyo)

Edogawa Ward Citizens' Solar Power Plant Project - Budding Renewable Energy Initiated by Citizens (1999, Edogawa Ward, Tokyo)

In the late 1990s, the issue of global warming began to be rapidly recognized as a social issue in Japan, and momentum for the introduction of renewable energy increased following the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. Against this backdrop, a citizens' group in Edogawa Ward called "Citizens' Net Edogawa" installed a 5kW solar power plant at a local temple, Juko-in Temple. The power generated is used to supply electricity to the Kyakuden, and the surplus is sold to an electric power company. Citizens themselves invested in the project and were involved in its operation, making it a pioneer of "citizen power" that is closely connected to the community. The project was funded mainly by subsidies and donations, and is unique in that it presented a citizen-led approach to the diffusion of renewable energy, which is different from the conventional public-led approach. Furthermore, the way the residents and citizens talked about their dreams of "second and third power plants a
fter depreciation" was not limited to mere energy conservation and CO₂ reduction, but also portrayed a new vision of the future for the local community. At a time when large-scale, centralized power supply was the dominant method, this attempt was an epoch-making example of the potential for local communities to take charge of energy, and can be evaluated as an advanced initiative that anticipates the trend toward the spread of renewable energy in the 2000s and beyond.