Japanese construction company Shimizu Corp. announced on February 18 that it will rebuild its Hokuriku branch in Kanazawa City, making it a new three-story 4,100m2 building with the highest level of energy-saving performance in the Hokuriku region. The company will introduce state-of-the-art energy-saving and energy-creating technologies including one of the largest hydrogen storage facilities in Japan. It plans to obtain certifications such as ZEB (Net Zero Energy Building). Completion is due in April 2021.

“The Hydro-Q-BiC,” a building-based hydrogen energy utilization system developed with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology will be applied to the hydrogen-based energy storage equipment. Electricity generated by the photo voltaic power generation will be used in the office on week-days and hydrogen will be stored in fuel cells on weekends and holidays. In the event of a disaster, it can be used as a backup power source for up to three days. The building, which is to become the first small and mid-sized office ZEB in the region, can reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 370 tons per year compared to buildings of the same size. (2020/02/19)