H-UTokyo Lab. Industry-Academia Collaboration Forum7th Forum: “Toward Realizing Energy Systems to Support Society 5.0”

[Event Summary]
Date: January, 10, 2025 (Friday), 13:30~16:20
Venue: Hybrid event (Main venue: Ito Hall, Ito International Research Center; online via Zoom)
Access: https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/adm/iirc/ja/access.html
Organizer: Hitachi-UTokyo Laboratory

[Executive Summary]

Since 2018, Hitachi-UTokyo Lab. has published six editions of its proposal “Toward Realizing Energy Systems to Support Society 5.0.” The Proposal presents a series of proposals—based on backcasting simulation of energy supply and demand from 2050—on measures to overcome the gap between backcasting and forecasting in the process of achieving carbon neutrality (CN), quantitative calculations of energy cooperation achievable in 2030, and energy-transition scenarios including international cooperation. During the period of activity of Hitachi-UTokyo Lab., the circumstances surrounding Japan have been constantly changing, and Hitachi-UTokyo Lab. has published proposals on resilience responses to disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons, studies on energy supply and demand during fuel-price hikes due to international circumstances, and responses to increased energy demand in the ICT field (including data centers). At the 7th H-UTokyo Lab. Industry-Academia Collaboration Forum, the “integrated transition” proposed by Hitachi-UTokyo Lab.—which aims to promote the development of social systems (including power systems) that are essential for achieving carbon neutrality—will be introduced through concrete examples and considerations and subjected to in-depth discussion.

■Program

Facilitators:
Shinobu Yoshimura (Professor of the University of Tokyo)

Naoki Yoshimoto (Senior Chief Researcher of Hitachi, Ltd.)

1. Opening Remarks
   Teruo Fujii (President of the University of Tokyo)

Toshiaki Higashihara (Executive chairman and CEO of Hitachi, Ltd.)

2. Overview of Hitachi-UTokyo Lab.’s Activities and the 7th Edition of the Proposal (13:40-14:10)
   Naohiro Kusumi (General manager of the Center for Sustainability, Research and Development Group, Hitachi, Ltd.)
   Shinobu Yoshimura (Professor of Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo)
3. Panel Discussion: Initiatives and Growth Strategies for Integrated Transition (14:25 -16:10)

Session 1 Japan in a New Phase of Green Transformation” (14:25-15:15)
Moderators:

Hideaki Shiroyama (Professor of the Graduate Schools for Law and Politics, the University of Tokyo)

Tomoko Suzuki (Corporate Chief Engineer Researcher of the Research and Development Group, Hitachi, Ltd.)

Panelists:
Yojiro Hatakeyama (Deputy Commissioner of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy)

Dr. Tshilidzi Marwala (Rector of the United Nations University)

Takahiro Ueno (Senior Researcher of the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI))

Session 2 “Energy Transition” – Creating an Evolving Carbon-neutral Society Through Use of Digital Technology (15:20-16:10)

Moderator:

Ryoichi Komiyama (Professor of the Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo)

Panelists:
Masahiro Chikushi (Director for Electricity Supply Policy, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy)

Koichiro Ito (Professor of the University of Chicago)

Hiroshi Ohashi (Vice President of the University of Tokyo)

Yumiko Iwafune (Professor of the Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo)

Tatsuya Yamada (Division General Manager, Business Planning & Management Division, Energy Business Administration Division, Hitachi, Ltd.)

4. Closing Remarks (16:10-16:20)
   Itaru Nishizawa (Executive Officer and CTO of Hitachi, Ltd.)

Atsushi Deguchi (Executive Director and Vice President of the University of Tokyo, Professor of the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, the University of Tokyo, Director of H-UTokyo Lab)

■ A place for exchanging research ideas (16:20-17:00; main venue only)
At the end of the 7th Forum, panels showing the results of our research at the Hitachi-UTokyo Lab will be exhibited. We hope that this exhibition will be utilized as a forum for exchange of research ideas.