Green Technologies

In the design department, in addition to considering whether the design work meets the needs of society, including customers, and whether it can be provided at the minimum cost, the design department also considers whether it is possible to create a design that is environmentally friendly. We are considering this from this perspective.
In the civil engineering department, in the design of 30 properties, we focused on "Technologies related to the global environment/ natural resources and energy," "Water pollution remediation/related technologies," "Air pollution-related technologies," "Noise and vibration related technologies," and "Landscape-related technologies." We made 138 environmentally friendly design proposals.
The architecture department proposed a total of 393 environmentally friendly design items in the design of 15 properties. Looking at the proposal content by field, the proportions of “Technologies related to the global environment/ natural resources and energy” and “Landscape-related technologies” remained unchanged from last year, accounting for approximately 60% of the total. There were no significant changes in the proportions of other fields.

Zero Energy Buildings (ZEB)

In light of the target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, the clients' awareness of energy conservation and the use of renewable energy is continuously rising. In this context, we are proposing the application of Zero Energy Building(ZEB) technologies.
Our target for FY 3/26 is increasing the percentage of ZEB buildings to 50% or higher of all design/consulting projects undertaken by POC.

<ZEB construction in FY 3/23>
[ZEB]: 3 cases

[ZEB Ready]: 3 cases

<Obtained ZEB Planner certification>
The certifier, Sustainable Open Innovation Initiative, registers corporations that provide consultation services and business support for designing ZEB and other energy-efficient buildings. We will continuously make ZEB conversion proposals, subsidy applications, etc. to our clients.
In addition, we introduced a ZEB Planner evaluation system in propotion to annouced orders received during FY 3/23 and report of orders received, to evaluate the achievement with a maximum 5-star rating for each building size (TFA).

Calculation method of ZEB conversion rate
·For middle-scale (between 300m2 and 2,000 m2) & small-scale (up to 300m2) buildings :
ZEB conversion rate = (Number of ZEB projects designed in a single year)/ (Number of all projects designed in a single year)

·For large-scale (2,000 m2 and larger) buildings :
ZEB conversion rate = (TFA of ZEB sections designed in a single year) / (TFA of all buildings designed in a single year)

ZEB Conversion of a Factory and Hydrogen Energy Demonstration

We are conducting verifications at our own facilities to promote the use of renewable energy and the creation of highly energy-efficient buildings in order to achieve carbon neutrality.

Currently, we are constructing a new Muroran Factory, which mainly manufactures temporary steel structures for offshore wind farm construction, and plan to convert the entire factory to net zero energy (ZEB), including the attached offices. In addition, we will apply the hydrogen energy both for actual use and verification purposes, as a renewable energy source.

Considering the cold climate of the site, we will improve the energy efficiency of the factory office by adopting plastic sashes for better heat insulation, reduce lighting during daytime by diffusing daylight with special film, and introduce high-efficiency air-conditioning equipment designed for cold climates, as well as sensor control of these apparatus. Energy reduction rate in the office as a result of these energy conservation measures is expected to be 62%.

As for energy creation, we will install photovoltaic power generation (670kW output) and hydrogen fuel cells (30kW output) on the roof of the factory to provide green power for not only the office but also all the electricity and power needs of the factory, thus making the entire plant ZEB.

For the use and demonstration of hydrogen energy, we will make use of (1) hydrogen byproduct and (2) green hydrogen produced from surplus electricity generated by solar power generation. By-product hydrogen will be stored in tanks (storage capacity: 900 Nm3 x 2 units), and electricity generated by fuel cells will be used constantly in a part of the office. Green hydrogen is produced by a water electrolyzer (production volume: 3Nm3/h) using surplus electricity from solar power generation, stored in hydrogen storage alloys (storage volume: 300Nm3), and used to generate electricity by fuel cells for daily use when necessary, or during BCP measures.

Through these efforts, we will accumulate expertise on the ZEB conversion of buildings and factories, as well as the use of hydrogen energy. In order to achieve carbon neutrality, we will take on the challenge of green energy fields, such as the construction of offshore wind power farms and the ZEB conversion of buildings.

News Release: Completion of the New Muroran Factory