Efforts for Realizing a Low Carbon Society

Taikisha is helping to reduce GHG emissions at the operation phase of the air-conditioning and sanitary facilities it provides to clients.

The Green Technology System Division, as part of promoting eco-friendly designs, makes proposals for improving the energy efficiency (reducing environmental impacts) of facilities owned by clients. In energy-saving proposal activities, the Division repeats the cycle of energy-saving diagnosis to grasp the current status, make detailed proposals based on clients’ future visions, design and installation based on energy-saving proposals, and verify the effects in the operation phase.

To contribute to the target reduction in energy-originated CO₂ emissions by FY2030 (45.0% reduction compared with FY2013) under the Plan for Global Warming Countermeasures, an additional Cabinet decision made in October 2021, Taikisha has developed a proprietary simulation-based Energy Plant Optimal Control System, which maximizes the amount of energy saved by heat source systems through optimal operation control according to external conditions that change from hour to hour and thus helps reduce CO₂ emissions and running costs. Taikisha is also working on the development of energy-saving technologies of clean room systems that control the air conditioning by tracking the operation status of production equipment, staffing and indoor environment as well as room pressure control systems and dehumidification (dry room) systems, by incorporating the advanced technologies such as AI and IoT into air-conditioning systems for factories and buildings. In overseas projects, which are our specialty, the scope of design and installation often includes electrical equipment, and we proactively propose energy-creating solutions such as photovoltaic power generation.

Taikisha defines the rate of CO₂ emissions reduced from facilities owned by clients due to Taikisha’s proposals as the rate of CO₂ reductions. The transition in the rate of CO₂ reductions for the past 9 years is shown in the figure on the right. In FY2022, we set a CO₂ reduction rate target of 25.0% or more on a weighted average for in-house design projects and achieved 23.2% (for CO₂ reduction rates by each fiscal year, the most recent results of the proposals are used as a basis for comparison.). In FY2022, both the number of proposals and the amount of proposed CO₂ emission reductions were the highest in the past 9 years. The amount of proposed CO₂ emission reductions that corresponds to Category 11 under Scope 3 was about 1,020,000t-CO₂ (the effect of 15 years of operation). (Including consolidated companies in Japan and overseas affiliates)

In order to achieve the Medium-Term plan target for 2030, Taikisha will utilize a variety of energy-saving technologies as well as new energy-saving technologies currently being developed.
From 2030 onward, drastic measures will be required to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Accordingly, Taikisha will work not only to reduce the air-conditioning load and introduce energy-saving technologies, but also to use electricity derived from renewable energy sources and/or to switch from combustion energy sources.
In February 2022, the reconstruction of a research building was started at our Research and Development Center. Once completed, the facility will be a research facility that will allow us to verify experiments as well as utilize simulation technology to achieve more efficient development.
Additionally, the facility building itself aims to be a ZEB (Net Zero Energy Building), as well as obtain certifications as ☆☆☆☆☆ of BELS (Building-Housing Energy-efficiency Labelling System) and Rank S of Wellness Office.

Taikisha will develop a new room pressure control system that enables reduction of air-conditioning conveyance power in pharmaceutical manufacturing plants, contributing to reduction of air-conditioning energy and running costs during non-work mode operation along with reduction of CO₂ emissions.

While we are working to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 through such means as energy saving and the use of facilities with low environmental impact, it is essential to introduce CCU (Carbon dioxide Capture and Utilization), a technology for CO₂ separation and utilization, for areas where decarbonization is not viable. As such, Taikisha is developing DAC (Direct Air Capture) targeting CO₂ in the atmosphere, utilizing adsorption and desorption technology to develop a CO₂ concentration capture and supply system.

Taikisha is helping to reduce GHG emissions in the paint finishing process for automobiles, etc.

In alignment with high environmental targets set by automobile manufacturers around the world, the Company started examining and deploying technologies to reduce CO₂ emissions early on. We are in a position to take great advantage of being able to receive direct input from customers from diverse automobile manufacturers regarding their technological needs and points for improvement and, when necessary, even engage in collaborative development while developing and proposing CO₂ reduction technology.
As for our future carbon neutrality strategy, we are going to keep in step with the basic strategies of automobile manufactures. We plan to refine our current low CO₂ production technologies until 2030, and then reduce emissions by using renewable energy and hydrogen energy by 2050. At the same time, we will work to develop technological innovations such as changing production technologies. Specifically, we have established the following three pillars.

In order to visualize the effects of the CO₂ emission reduction technologies that we have proposed, we have been calculating CO₂ emissions in automobile paint per unit since 2000, based on the energy estimation model for automobile paint finishing lines, and have been objectively evaluating and proposing CO₂ emission reduction technologies.

CO₂ emissions were estimated in 2005 at 160.1 kg-CO₂ / unit. By 2020, however, we began introducing heat pump technology and high-efficiency equipment as well as proposing dry-type paint booths and other CO₂ reduction technologies. Since 2020, we have proposed our products based on improvement through the upgrade of our technologies, which is the first pillar of our carbon neutrality policy, such as i-LAVB (low air volume booth) and i-VACH (indirect furnace with VOC treatment function), resulting in 64.9kg-CO₂ / unit of CO₂ emissions in 2021.

In FY2022, we further reviewed our existing technologies and succeeded in making technological proposals to reduce CO₂ emissions for the entire painting plant to 63 kg-CO₂ / unit by measures such as improving the thermal insulation performance of drying furnaces in the painting process, improving exhaust air recycling for workplace air conditioning, and proposing a cascade system for drying furnace cooling equipment.

We will promote our technological proposals to reduce CO₂ emissions in line with the three pillars of our carbon neutrality policy, including the use of electricity from renewable energy sources for painting facilities (allelectric facilities), the use of hydrogen energy, and proposals for film decorating systems. As for emission targets, we will strive to achieve 50kg-CO₂ / unit by 2025, 40kg-CO₂ / unit by 2030, and ultimately net zero CO₂ emissions sooner than the targeted year of 2050.