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![[Highlights 2006] A Multi-faceted Approach to Preventing Global Warming -Corporate Environmental Officer's Perspective Corporate Senior Executive Vice President Toshiba Corporation Toshio Yonezawa](img/backnumber/2006/h1-highlight-01.jpg)
Featured in CSR Report 2006
Note) Contents and Titles as of June 2006
Our slogan, "Committed to People. Committed to the Future," goes to the heart of everything we are doing at Toshiba Group to protect and improve the environment. Above all, we are striving to prevent global warming by reducing CO2 emissions.
When we consider the phenomenon of global warming, a substantial body of evidence points to CO2 as the villain of the piece. Given the scale of CO2 emissions worldwide, it's no wonder that CO2 is constantly in the spotlight. In accordance with the Kyoto Protocol, Japan has undertaken to achieve a 6% reduction in CO2 emissions in the 2008-2012 timeframe. But the sobering fact is that emissions have been on the rise in every sector other than industry.
Our commitment to preventing global warming is crystal clear. A key target of the new Environmental Vision that we announced in March 2005 is a 25% reduction in Toshiba Group's CO2 emissions. We intend to accomplish this by doubling the Group's overall eco efficiency by fiscal 2010, with fiscal 2000 as our benchmark. We are involved in a host of activities, which are moving us forward, step by step, toward the achievement of our target.
For the general public, Toshiba is probably best known as a producer of TVs, air conditioners, notebook PCs and other items used every day by millions people. But that is only one aspect of Toshiba Group. Drawing on our broad and deep capabilities, we develop and provide products and systems designed to reduce CO2 emissions from the perspective of both energy demand and energy supply, since we are also a leading source of power generation systems. Moreover, in terms of manufacturing, we have set tough energy-saving targets for our semiconductor plants as a top priority, because such plants tend to have a tremendous appetite for energy. The measures we are implementing have already produced substantial progress.
As a developer and manufacturer of thermal power, hydro power and nuclear power generating equipment, Toshiba Group is active across the entire power engineering field. By providing high-performance systems for power stations in Japan and around the world, we have been underpinning the stable supply of electricity for several decades.
Since energy demand keeps on rising, it's only natural that nuclear power generation, a source of clean energy free of the drawback of CO2 emissions, seems certain to play a greater role in the future. All around the world, nuclear power plant construction plans are being dusted off for review. In light of the soaring global demand for electricity and the evolving energy policies of numerous countries, we are working to enhance our international presence by offering nuclear power generation systems that achieve both reliability and economic operation. Also, while contributing to stable power supply, we are also stepping up our efforts to prevent global warming.
Likewise, in the thermal power and hydro power generation fields, we are striving to reduce CO2 emissions by raising power generation efficiency. For thermal power generation systems, the greatest advance in recent years has been the enhancement of thermal efficiency by increasing gas turbine temperatures. In addition to technology that raises gas temperature to 1,500 deg C while maintaining stability by cooling the high-temperature portion of the turbine with steam, Toshiba has developed technology for thermal recovery of cooling steam, resulting in a great reduction of CO2 emissions. We are looking to achieve even higher efficiency through development of an advanced ultra-high-temperature steam turbine system.
Meanwhile, we are also working on virtually every type of renewable-energy system you can think of - fuel cells for applications in factories, hospitals and homes, ultra-compact fuel cells for mobile devices, and facilities for producing hydrogen, which is a promising source of clean energy.
High-temperature steam turbine for thermal power generation plants
CO2 emissions drastically reduced by raising the turbine's combustion gas temperature to 1,500 deg C
We already have a great deal of experience in developing and commercializing environmentally conscious products. Since 1996 we have set energy saving targets for our refrigerators, air conditioners and other home appliances. And I'm pleased to be able to tell you that our achievements to date have greatly surpassed our targets.
For example, the Daiseikai GDR series of room air conditioners that we introduced in 2006 automatically cleans filters and suppresses mold generation. As a result, power consumption resulting from clogged filters and a build-up of dirt and mold can be cut by about 25%. Combine that with the various benefits of energy-saving technology, notably much more efficient inverters and compressors, and the result is a 2006 model whose total power consumption is 40% less than the 1995 model.
Daiseikai GDR series air conditioner
40% reduction in power consumption compared with the 1995 model, thanks to superior energy-saving technologies for inverters and compressors
In order to reduce CO2 emissions by society as a whole, we must promote energy management and energy saving for our industrial and social infrastructure, including high-rise buildings, department stores and factories, all of which consume a lot of energy.
One of the outstanding achievements within Toshiba Group concerns Yokkaichi Operations, Japan. Since semiconductor manufacturing requires ultra-clean air, energy consumption related to air conditioning is a major item. At Yokkaichi Operations' new plant, which came on stream in 2005, we make maximum use of waste heat in the clean room. That approach allowed us , to dispense with boilers, resulting in a 33% reduction in CO2 emissions compared with a conventional clean room. Great progress has also been made at Ishikawa Operations, Japan an LCD production facility operated by Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., Ltd., CO2 emissions from the production line, which started operation in 2006, are 53% less than those of a conventional LCD line (see Reducing Emission of Greenhouse Gases other than CO2).
Yokkaichi Operations flagship fab for NAND flash memories
The new clean room, which started operation in 2005, reduces CO2 emissions by 33% compared with a conventional clean room
Toshiba Group already provides diverse eco-products ranging from power generation systems to home appliances. So we are determined to take every opportunity to defend the planet from the perspectives of both energy supply and energy demand. Our mission as a global enterprise is to release a stream of eco-products developed through innovative R&D that are a source of new values and achieve symbiosis with the Earth. Clearly, preventing global warming is central to that mission.
Wide-Ranging Eco-Products for Prevention of Global Warming
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