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Smart Community
A smart community is a system for next-generation communities that integrates management and optimizes control over all infrastructure, including power, water, transportation, logistics, medical care as well as information networks. Smart communities use the power supply network to connect multiple distributed power sources, such as photovoltaic and wind power generation facilities with rechargeable batteries which store electricity, and collect information on energy consumption in homes, offices, factories and commercial facilities via the telecommunications network. These networks enable real-time analysis and predictions on energy demand, thereby empowering consumers to make efficient use of their electricity as well as allowing the network operators to provide them with various services. By networking the water supply, transportation and logistics, the smart community system controls the balance of supply and demand, thereby creating new services and promoting the effective use of energy and resources, resulting in comfort and convenience. To contribute to the realization of a low-carbon society, Toshiba Group aims to create next-generation smart communities.
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- BEMS: Building Energy Management System
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- HEMS: Home Energy Management System
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- FEMS: Factory Energy Management System
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- CEMS: Community Energy Management System
TOSHIBA Smart Community (A separate window will open.)
Participation in Smart Community Verification Test Projects
Smart communities are being designed in countries around the world in accordance with differing local conditions and needs. Toshiba Group is participating in various types of verification test projects.
Verification Test in the City of Yokohama, Japan
The Yokohama Smart City Project: The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's (METI's) next-generation energy and social system verification test project
The purpose of the City of Yokohama Project is to prevent global warming and break away from dependence on fossil fuels to reduce CO2 emissions, a necessity in the 21st century. To this end, the project aims to allow for comfortable and environmentally conscious lifestyles to be established and to create a system that facilitates the effective use of energy by a local community as a whole.
In this project, we are conducting demand-response tests by controlling energy demand while introducing photovoltaic power generation systems, storage batteries and electric vehicles in three districts with different characteristics (Minatomirai 21, Kohoku New Town and Yokohama Green Valley). Toshiba is responsible for developing energy management systems for the entire local community (CEMS), buildings (BEMS) and homes (HEMS), as well as conducting verification tests on those systems.
(Programs carried out with the participation of Toshiba are marked with 
and 
in the following diagram.*)
Material provided by the Yokohama Smart City Project
Verification Test in Lyon, France
The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)'s verification test project
Source: SPLA Lyon Confluence
The City of Lyon is often called the second capital of France. In anticipation of energy-saving measures, a massive introduction of renewable energy and the spread of next-generation cars (electric vehicles) in the future, this smart community verification test project is to be conducted in the 150-hectare Confluence redevelopment area that expands from the confluence of the Rhone and Saone Rivers to the Perrache TGV railway station in Lyon.
Toshiba is participating in the preliminary survey for this verification test project by operating buildings that use renewable energy and implement energy-saving control systems; introducing a carsharing system designed to maximize the use of electric vehicles; managing electric charging stations and constructing a system for monitoring energy consumption in homes and buildings.
Verification Test on Miyako Island, Japan
Contract with the Okinawa Electric Power Company for a microgrid system for remote islands
Toshiba Group has concluded a contract for the bulk delivery of facilities required for the verification test of a microgrid system for remote islands, which will be conducted on Miyako Island by the Okinawa Electric Power Company starting in the fall of 2010.
This verification test is conducted to analyze how Miyako Island's independent electricity network will be affected if renewable energy like solar energy, which is highly variable in output, is introduced in large amounts and connected to the network and to examine measures to stabilize the electricity network. In addition to our power conditioners, which have the world's highest level of AC-DC conversion efficiency (97.5%), a next-generation monitoring and control system equipped with the µEMS that serves to maintain the balance between electricity supply and demand is used for the contracted project. Our SCiB™ rechargeable batteries are also used along with other batteries.
Miyako Island Microgrid Verification Test Facility Data provided by: The Okinawa Electric Power Co., Inc.
Verification Test in New Mexico State, U.S.A
Toshiba Group chosen as a participant in Japan - U.S. joint projects
Toshiba Group is also participating in verification test projects overseas. We were chosen as a participant in verification test projects jointly undertaken by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and the New Mexico State government, U.S.A.
Thirty companies including Toshiba Corp. that were commissioned to conduct project surveys carried out preliminary surveys from January 2010. Based on the evaluation of these surveys, proposals of 21 companies were accepted for verification tests, and 19 companies were finally chosen as project participants. Of the demonstration projects conducted in five places in New Mexico State, Toshiba Group was chosen as a participant in Japan - U.S. joint projects undertaken in Los Alamos County and in Albuquerque City.
