Self-sufficient in electricity and water, demonstrating "complete off-grid life" that does not depend on infrastructure
Image of "Off-grid Living Lab Yatsugatake" Source: LIFULL
LIFULL and U3 Innovations announced on March 1, 2022 that they have started a life demonstration aimed at realizing a completely off-grid living environment that does not rely on existing infrastructure such as electricity and water. Appearance of "Off-grid Living Lab Yatsugatake" Source: LIFULL This demonstration is a total of five instant houses developed by LIFULL ArchiTech within the community facility "Living Anywhere Commons Yatsugatake Hokuto" in Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture, which is operated by LIFULL. As "Off-grid Living Lab Yatsugatake", we built an off-grid living environment where up to two households can live by implementing off-grid solar and small desalination equipment. Of the five buildings constructed, one is an LDK building with a kitchen unit and dining table, two are residential buildings with beds and desks, and one is a plumbing building with showers, washing machines, It has a sink and a toilet. The final building is an infrastructure building with power supply equipment such as storage batteries, water treatment equipment, and hot water supply equipment. Two solar carports will be installed adjacent to the building, and the electricity generated will charge the large-capacity storage batteries in the infrastructure building and supply the home appliances and equipment in the building. In addition, domestic wastewater used in the building will be purified by the water treatment facility in the infrastructure building and recycled for use in showers, kitchens, etc. The installed off-grid solar consists of Next Energy and Resources' solar carport "Dulight" and an off-grid system. Solar carports have solar cell modules on their roofs, which act as shades against rain and sun, so the land can be used effectively as a parking lot or as a site for overnight stays while generating the necessary electricity within the facility. The solar power installed in the solar carport is 5.1 kW, and the total output of the two units is 10.2 kW. The off-grid system also incorporates a large-capacity storage battery (capacity 32 kWh), and by charging the electricity generated by sunlight, it is possible to use electricity without relying on the power grid even at night or on rainy days. The demonstration will start on March 1, 2022, and after accumulating further knowledge through commercial trials based on the obtained results, we plan to start providing it as an off-grid service in the first half of 2023. In addition, regarding this initiative, we are also looking for technology partners with autonomous decentralized infrastructure technology, major corporate partners such as infrastructure companies aiming to commercialize the results of the demonstration, and leisure operators and local governments who are willing to use off-grid services. are doing.
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