About Panasonic > Environmental Activities > Manufacturing > Energy Saving in Factories and Offices
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About Panasonic
Energy Saving in Factories and Offices
Reducing CO2
Emissions
- Reducing the emissions
of greenhouse gases
other than CO2 - Initiatives
in Offices
Maximizing the size of contribution in reducing CO2 emissions
With respect to our CO2 targets, we achieved 0.84 million tons in CO2 emissions reductions in our production activities by fiscal 2010, far exceeding our target of 0.3 million tons from fiscal 2007. By pursuing continuous improvement of our energy management capabilities and lowering our CO2 emissions per basic unit, we aimed to maximize our contribution in reducing CO2 emissions in production activities from fiscal 2011.
As a result, we increased the size of contribution in reducing CO2 emissions through production activities in fiscal 2012 to 2.5 million tons, exceeding our target of 2 million tons.
We will continue to make progress toward achieving our target of the size of contribution in reducing CO2 emissions through production activities, which is 2.55 million tons in fiscal 2013.
- *1 Calculated with the weighted average of the improvement rate for CO2 emissions per basic unit of nominal production for each factory. The amount of CO2 emitted from each factory was used for weighting cases that had no improvements.
- *2 Increase in the CO2 emissions rate per basic unit in fiscal 2012 is due to the decline in production volume.
- *3 The factors related to fuels are based on the Guidelines for Calculation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions (version 2.2) published by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment. The CO2 emission factor for electricity purchased in Japan (kg-CO2/kWh) is fixed at 0.410. If the factors set for each fiscal year are used instead (0.425 for fiscal 2006, 0.373 for fiscal 2009, 0.351 for fiscal 2010, and 0.350 for fiscal 2011 and 2012), total CO2 emissions will be 4.63 million tons for fiscal 2006, 4.08 million tons for fiscal 2009, 3.70 million tons for fiscal 2010, 3.74 million tons for fiscal 2011, and 3.34 million tons for fiscal 2012. The factors above are also used for electricity purchased from power producers and suppliers (PPS). The GHG Protocol factors for each country are used for electricity purchased outside Japan.
Promotion of CO2 ITAKONA*4 initiative
To ensure the reduction of CO2 emissions at our factories, it is important to track the energy consumption of each factory and the effects of specific emissions reduction measures to visualize reduction effects. To date, we have introduced more than 40,000 measurement systems and Factory Energy Management Systems (FEMS) at all of our global manufacturing sites, and we have continued to promote our CO2 METAGEJI*5 initiative.
From fiscal 2011, we promoted our CO2 ITAKONA initiative to further identify energy waste and develop ideas for reduction through the best use of METAGEJI. Through our CO2 ITAKONA initiative, we will be able to use the data and results visualized through METAGEJI to troubleshoot and classify our consumed energy according to its factor and implement measurable reduction activities more efficiently.
In fiscal 2012, we utilized model factories to conduct practical activities and research to document and establish new instructions and methods on energy savings. As a result, we confirmed that energy savings of 20 to 30% higher than expected were possible in these model lines.
For example, in the continuous cleaning process of our Eco Solutions Company’s air conditioner manufacturing factories, visualizing energy flow and analyzing energy consumption per product by time has led us to discover energy loss due to operation of empty or unfilled lines. We have achieved a 23% increase in energy saving by remodeling these facilities.
In the future, we will extend these processes to all our global factories in an effort to realize substantial energy savings.
- *4 ITAKONA is a term unique to Panasonic which refers to a process by which we review stages prior to production to study raw materials to ensure waste is minimized and quality is maintained. We apply a similar review process for our CO2 emissions reduction efforts and call these our CO2 ITAKONA initiatives.
- *5 METAGEJI is a term unique to Panasonic which refers to visualizing energy consumption and implementing measurable reduction initiatives by introducing measurement instruments, such as meters and gauges.
Promotion of Top Runner Factories for saving and creating energy
To further promote energy conservation and reduce CO2 emissions across our company, since fiscal 2011 we have selected Top Runner Factories in each of our domain companies to provide a model for other factories in the domain to follow. Top Runner Factories make investments in energy conservation and create three-year implementation plans that are used to raise the environmental performance of all companies within the domain. This plan provides guidance in six areas: (1) Introducing top-level production process innovations, (2) Maintaining and managing highly efficient manufacturing equipment, (3) Pursuing the top-level rate of CO2 emissions reduction per basic unit, (4) Implementing system for energy consumption visualization, (5) Promoting factory-wide CO2 emissions reduction efforts in production processes, and (6) Introducing photovoltaic power generation system. Selected Top Runner Factories are required to have outstanding and specialized features in energy conservation. Through this initiative, Top Runner Factories achieve the highest level of energy saving in the domain company, as well as develop No. 1 energy-saving technologies for their specialized area. Such cases of advanced factories are rolled out across relating factories worldwide by Top Runner Factories.
Identifying necessary measures through energy conservation diagnoses
We have been promoting energy conservation diagnoses undertaken by internal experts since fiscal 2008. At our business domain companies, managers and skilled engineers who have expertise in manufacturing processes collaborate together to resolve problems to reduce CO2 emissions. Further, we have an expert team to provide technical support to our factories and conduct diagnosis activities to search for themes that can be applied group-wide.
In recent years, in addition to conventional energy conservation ideas such as enhancing insulation efficiency and updating equipment, ideas that also contribute to the innovation of manufacturing processes, including changing the furnace temperature settings and shortening the processing time, have also been proposed, bringing great possibilities for further energy conservation. By fiscal 2012, energy conservation diagnoses were conducted at over 50 of our factories across 10 countries, and a total of over 1,000 energy conservation ideas were proposed. Most of the ideas were then implemented, leading to about an average of 10% reduction in CO2 emissions at factories.
Energy conservation diagnosis
Sharing CO2 reduction examples and training experts
In September 2008, we created a keyword search system on the intranet with a database of CO2 reduction examples called BA Charts.*6 A total of 1,100 examples are registered in the database (as of March 2012) and we are now promoting its use across the company.
We also organized an exchange meeting to share information about advanced energy conservation cases and measures being taken across the company. In the meeting held in fiscal 2012, about 80 employees participated from business domain companies in Japan. We will now expand the target to include our bases outside Japan.
For the promotion of energy conservation initiatives, it is critical to train engineers versed in energy-saving technologies. Accordingly, Panasonic has held 34 training seminars on CO2 reduction since fiscal 2008, developing a total of 820 experts.
In fiscal 2011, we also began holding a competition on practical onsite energy conservation diagnosis skills where participants take a written examination and also watch footage to list the points to be improved. These activities promote the development of human resources who have both theoretical and practical knowledge about onsite energy-saving activities.
- *6 BA Chart: Chart that provides a comparison between before and after the implementation of CO2 reduction measures.
Exchange Meeting on Energy Conservation
- *7 The CO2 emissions factor (kg-CO2 /kWh) for electricity purchased in Japan are fixed at 0.410. If the factors set for each fiscal year are used instead (0.417 for fiscal 1991, 0.425 for fiscal 2006, 0.453 for fiscal 2008, 0.373 for fiscal 2009, 0.350 for fiscal 2010,and 0.350 for fiscal 2011 and 2012), the improvement rate for CO2 emissions per basic unit of actual production (compared with fiscal 1991 level) will be 39% for fiscal 2009, 44% for fiscal 2010, 45% for fiscal 2011, and 46% for fiscal 2012.
- *8 CO2 emissions per basic unit = CO2 emissions/ (Production value /Bank of Japan’s corporate goods price index [electrical machinery and equipment])
Renewable energy (Global)
| Fiscal 2012 | 2.96 million kWh*9 |
|---|
- *9 Figures from photovoltaic and biomass sources. Heat pumps not included.
CO2 emissions per basic unit of consolidated sales*10 for fiscal 2012
| Global | 0.45 tons/million yen |
|---|---|
| (Japan) | (0.46 tons/million yen) |
| (Outside Japan) | (0.44 tons/million yen) |
- *10 CO2 emissions per basic unit of consolidated sales=CO2 emissions/consolidated sales
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About Panasonic > Environmental Activities > Manufacturing > Energy Saving in Factories and Offices