HomeJapan set a high target for greenhouse gas reduction as a countermeasure against global warming: 26% reduction compared to 2013 greenhouse gas emission rates by 2030, and 80% reduction by 2050. Japan must develop interdisciplinary technology, such as CO2 capture and storage, energy conservation, and the use of renewable energy sources, to achieve this target. Setting these major tasks as our final goal, HU-ACE is undertaking the following projects: 1) Development of advanced technology to improve the energy efficiency of each step of energy flow, from energy supply, transportation, storage, to energy consumption, 2) Designing a roadmap to integrate improved energy consumption technologies now and in the future to the year 2050, 3) Developing personnel skills to contribute to major greenhouse gas reductions through interdisciplinary research and education, 4) Publication of research outcomes to share the results with researchers and industries worldwide.
Main Research
This advanced core carries out research and development for realization of high-efficiency, sustainable, and clean energy systems. Currently, in order to prevent global warming, we are shifting from conventional fossil-fuel energy systems to renewable energy systems where solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass energy are employed. What is important for this is high-efficiency final energy consumption and high-efficiency technology for conversion to secondary energy. Renewable energy has a large potential, but it also has limitations in availability in terms of economic constraint. Making the best of energy with high efficiency is desirable. In addition, electricity directly obtained from solar or wind energy is not easy to store, but transportable and storable “fuel” is needed. Further, energy distribution and transportation are also important. Thus, the following 4 themes are set, along with which research activities are conducted.
- High efficiency internal combustion engine
Improvement of present efficiency of combustion technology for renewable fuel utilization through fluid dynamic analysis and laser ignition. - High efficiency renewable fuel production
High-efficiency production of biofuel that can replace fossil fuel. - High efficiency hydrogen fuel system
Development of technology for production, transportation, storage, and utilization of hydrogen that does not emit carbon dioxide when burning. - Fundamental study on artificial solar energy
Looking ahead to the future, fundamental study on nuclear fusion to create an artificial sun which is the ultimate energy
International and Domestic Network Development
World top advanced center of energetics will be realized through collaboration with companies and foreign countries by actively developing collaborative research and personnel exchanges with universities, research institutes and companies in Japan and overseas.
