The award was presented for measures relating to energy savings from a factory heating and cooling system utilising an aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system. The use of underground water stored in aquifers as a source of heat for heating and cooling systems is highly regarded for its energy conservation potential, environmental performance, and other benefits. This is the first time MHI Thermal Systems has received an award in Best Practices Category.
The initiative recognised with this reward is the introduction of an ATES system that takes advantage of the unutilised energy of 700kw in geothermal heat for the heating and cooling system at the MHI Thermal Systems Kobe Works, located on the grounds of the MHI Kobe Shipyard & Machinery Works in Hyogo Prefecture.
The system provides efficient use of energy by allowing for the cyclical use of heat across seasons, utilising the cold exhaust from heating during the wintertime for air conditioning during the summer, and warm exhaust from air conditioning during the summertime for heating during the winter. In addition, the reduction in heat emissions into the atmosphere, an underground heat balance of zero for the full-year period and other benefits contribute to cutting CO2 emissions, alleviating the heat island effect and preventing global warming.
Additional energy‐saving measures adopted for the ATES system include the use of a high-performance inverter centrifugal heat pump with low-GWP refrigerant, adoption of an optimal control system, introduction of visualisation systems to assess energy usage and heat source well performance, and utilisation of initial year operating data for long-term operation from the second year and beyond. As a result, compared to a gas absorption cold/hot water heater with similar capacity, this system provides a reduction in annual primary energy consumption equivalent to 46.5kL in crude oil per annum (reduction rate of 49.9 per cent) and CO2 reductions of 109.1t per annum (reduction rate of 65.3 per cent).
The ECCJ Energy Conservation Grand Prize was established to raise awareness of energy conservation, promote related activities and initiatives, and contribute to the widespread adoption of energy-efficient products and practices. The annual awards programme recognises outstanding energy-saving initiatives at businesses or workplaces that serve as examples for other companies, or outstanding energy-saving products and business models.
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