Tokyo office complex installs rooftop hydrogen and solar network

Nippon Steel Kowa Real Estate Co., Ltd. has launched a carbon neutrality initiative featuring a hydrogen power system and a physical corporate power purchase agreement at the Shinagawa Intercity complex in Tokyo.

The real estate developer is working with Sumitomo Life Insurance Company and Obayashi Corporation on the project, which is the first to receive funding under the Tokyo Metropolitan Government subsidy for green hydrogen implementation. The system uses electricity from rooftop solar panels to produce hydrogen, which is then stored in hydrogen absorbing alloys.

When power is required, fuel cells convert the stored hydrogen into electricity to light communal areas within the facility. An integrated energy management system controls the solar panels, storage batteries, hydrogen production units, hydrogen storage equipment and fuel cells. This setup overcomes the time gap between daylight solar generation and actual power demand.

Alongside the hydrogen system, the facility has started receiving power through an offsite physical power purchase agreement. The building draws solar power from an external provider via the electricity grid to replace a portion of its standard energy use with renewable energy that carries additionality.

The power purchase agreement will supply about 3 million kWh of renewable electricity annually, cutting carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 1,200 tonnes a year. The operators will use the integrated hydrogen and solar setup to gather operational data, testing its viability as an autonomous, decentralised energy model for urban business facilities.