About
128
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Introduction
I work at the International Institute for Carbon Neutral Energy Research (I2CNER). My research focuses on energy policy and the social aspects of energy systems, technology and sustainability.
Current institution
Additional affiliations
January 2019 - present
International Institute for Carbon Neutral Energy Research, Kyushu University
Position
- Professor (Associate)
September 2016 - December 2018
International Institute for Carbon Neutral Research, Kyushu University
Position
- Professor (Assistant)
Education
October 2013 - October 2016
July 2010 - July 2012
January 2004 - January 2007
Publications
Publications (128)
This review paper explores the diverse strategies chemical companies are employing to achieve carbon neutrality amid escalating environmental regulations and societal demands for sustainability. The analysis focuses on the integration of advanced technologies, process optimization, and the transition to sustainable raw materials, with a special emp...
We explored the intricate quantitative structure of household food waste and their corresponding life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from raw materials to retail utilizing a combination of household- and food-related economic statistics and life cycle assessment in Japan. Given Japan’s status as a nation heavily impacted by an aging population, thi...
The growing discourse surrounding biomass energy’s environmental ramifications has ignited debate among policymakers. While biomass remains a primary and readily accessible energy source, various studies have extensively examined its implications for health and the economy. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding its role in mitigating clima...
![Emission reduction scenarios in Japan [1]](publication/380128626/figure/fig1/AS:11431281241614837@1715162246136/Emission-reduction-scenarios-in-Japan-1_Q320.jpg)
![Markal-Times’ code generation framework [30]](publication/380128626/figure/fig2/AS:11431281241557377@1715162246371/Markal-Times-code-generation-framework-30_Q320.jpg)
![Reference energy system in the Japanese energy model [42]](publication/380128626/figure/fig3/AS:11431281241557378@1715162246658/Reference-energy-system-in-the-Japanese-energy-model-42_Q320.jpg)
![Hydrogen flow in Japan energy model [42]](publication/380128626/figure/fig4/AS:11431281241632704@1715162247002/Hydrogen-flow-in-Japan-energy-model-42_Q320.jpg)
One of the impacts of the Fukushima disaster was the shutdown of all nuclear power plants in Japan, reaching zero production in 2015. In response, the country started importing more fossil energy including coal, oil, and natural gas to fill the energy gap. However, this led to a significant increase in carbon emissions, hindering the efforts to red...
Public investments in research, development, demonstration, and deployment in energy systems are crucial for accelerating the adoption of new energy technologies that can support a low-carbon just energy transition and promote the fair and equitable distribution of benefits and costs, improving social equity. However, the impact of energy innovatio...
Deploying negative emission technologies has become crucial for limiting the global temperature rise to approximately 1.5 °C above preindustrial levels. DAC technologies are being explored as one of the prospective options. These technologies have been thoroughly investigated as a potential project to capture CO2 emissions and provide purified air,...
Japan aims to contribute to an 80% reduction of global emissions by 2050 and has accordingly set policies to promote the acceleration of technological development for Carbon Capture and Storage. The first pilot project began operation in 2016 to demonstrate the viability and reliability of Carbon Capture and Storage. However, there are challenges f...
Reducing the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in the atmosphere to combat climate change is a global challenge. Direct air capture (DAC) is a new set of technologies that directly removes CO 2 from the air; therefore, DAC can address emissions from any source. This paper begins by reviewing the literature on negative emission technologies to...
![An extract of the roots of competitive advantage, adapted from [7].](publication/375881063/figure/fig2/AS:11431281390665641@1745281381141/An-extract-of-the-roots-of-competitive-advantage-adapted-from-7_Q320.jpg)
![Flowchart illustrating a systematic review, adapted from [21].](publication/375881063/figure/fig5/AS:11431281390580211@1745281383830/Flowchart-illustrating-a-systematic-review-adapted-from-21_Q320.jpg)
This paper addresses the global imperative of tackling environmental challenges, particularly in the context of the carbon-intensive oil and gas (O&G) industry, which is one of the heaviest carbon-emitting industries. Competitive advantages in this industry often stem from external connections rather than internal capabilities. How companies assess...
Building on the carbon reduction targets agreed in the Paris Agreements, many nations have renewed their efforts toward achieving carbon neutrality by the year 2050. In line with this ambitious goal, nations are seeking to understand the appropriate combination of technologies which will enable the required reductions in such a way that they are ap...
As nations around the world strive to achieve carbon neutrality, many policies have been implemented at varying costs and levels of efficacy. Although carbon emissions are dominated by the power, industry, transport, and building sectors, the plastics sector is responsible for a significant 4.5% of global emissions and is the fastest-growing materi...
The role of financial development and technological innovation on environmental quality is insufficiently examined by researchers for emerging Asian nations. Thus, this paper scrutinizes the impact of financial progress and technological innovation on the ecological footprint (EF) in the context of emerging Asian countries considering data for the...
The global Sustainable Development Goals require meeting multiple objectives on energy, population, economics, and ecosystems. Development and economic growth as defined by current metrics requires energy inputs, yet energy growth can also increase negative impacts on natural systems. To achieve sustainable development goals, policymakers and techn...
The design of a desirable, sustainable energy system needs to consider a broad range of technologies, the market landscape, and the preferences of the population. In order to elicit these preferences, both toward lifestyle factors and energy system design, stakeholder engagement is critical. One popular method of stakeholder engagement is the deplo...
This study investigates the impact of people’s demographics, preferred working arrangements and utilization of their free time on environmental consciousness. Such an investigation is timely because of the changing expectations around working, and the rising popularity of work-from-home arrangements leading to increased flexibility. Although the li...
Building on the carbon reduction targets agreed in the Paris Agreements, many nations have renewed their efforts toward achieving carbon neutrality by the year 2050. In line with this ambitious goal, nations are seeking to understand the appropriate combination of technologies which will enable the required reductions in such a way that they are ap...
Resource-based cities (RBCs) are not only important for ensuring national resource and energy security, but they also face serious ecological and environmental problems. To achieve China’s carbon peaking and neutrality goals in the coming years, RBCs’ achievement of a low-carbon transformation has become increasingly significant. The core of this s...
When countries transition to renewable energy, why do some countries benefit in terms of social equity outcomes more than others? This study examines the effects of technology, policy toolkits and path dependence on countries' changing social equity outcomes, against alternative explanations including development, quality of governance, and demogra...
![Global hydrogen production breakdown by source in 2019 [13].](publication/366687321/figure/fig2/AS:11431281388680061@1745191602028/Global-hydrogen-production-breakdown-by-source-in-2019-13_Q320.jpg)
Fossil fuel consumption has triggered worries about energy security and climate change; this has promoted hydrogen as a viable option to aid in decarbonizing global energy systems. Hydrogen could substitute for fossil fuels in the future due to the economic, political, and environmental concerns related to energy production using fossil fuels. Howe...
An energy transition is in progress around the globe, notably led by an increase in the deployment of renewable energy and a shift toward less emissions-intense options, notably in the transportation sector. This research investigates the potential role that new transportation options, namely flying vehicles, may play toward progressing the energy...
Compact cities, characterized by high density and accessibility with fully developed inner-city public transport, are widely discussed and practiced around the world in response to the challenges of sustainable development and global warming. On this basis, we are committed to answering the question of how cities with varying urban growth rates ado...
In this research, a case study of International Energy Agency Technology Collaboration Programmes, one of the longest operating global energy technology cooperation approaches, is undertaken. Based on logical framework approach, critical factors were identified leading to positive outcomes in energy research and innovation across nations, in line w...
This editorial was designed to summarize the contents and key aspects highlighted in this special issue on “Economic Analysis Underpinning Achievement of the SDGs.” The collection of twenty-one papers was partly drawn from the (1) Annual Conference of the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, (2) the Kyushu University Platf...
This paper explores the impact of remittance on multidimensional energy poverty in Bangladesh by employing a nationally representative Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES)-2016 with a sample size of 46,080 households. Remittance is one of the sources of household income that can be utilized for energy services. Energy poverty is generally...
During the past two decades, the world has seen exponential growth in the number of companies reporting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data, and various ESG metrics have been proposed and are now in use. ESG metrics play a crucial role as an enabler of investment strategies that consider ESG factors, which are often referred to as “ESG...
Fossil fuels continue to exacerbate climate change due to large carbon emissions resulting from their use across a number of sectors. An energy transition away from fossil fuels seems inevitable, and energy sources such as renewables and hydrogen may provide a low carbon alternative for the future energy system, particularly in large emitting natio...
This research investigates the differences in awareness and preference of racial groups toward the types of energy that they would like to see incorporated into the future energy system. Based on a national survey of 3000 respondents conducted in 2020, we analyze the differences in awareness, preferences and attitudes among racial groups in the US,...
The energy transition from fossil-based to renewable energy sources is one method of tackling climate change. In Japan and nations with similar, centralized energy supply systems, the challenge to shift from top-down energy planning to bottom-up, citizen-driven change remains a challenge. Thus, it is critical to understand householder preferences a...
This study proposes a novel objective and quantitative evaluation framework for energy-related social equity (ESE) based on data envelopment analysis. Specifically, we integrated five social indicators of 99 countries into a single composite indicator to investigate the international distribution and change of ESE, and the progress in the energy tr...
Current greenhouse gas emissions suggest that keeping global temperature increase below 1.5 degrees, as espoused in the Paris Agreements will be challenging, and to do so, the achievement of carbon neutrality is of utmost importance. It is also clear that no single solution can meet the carbon neutral challenge, so it is essential for scientific re...
Children are considered to be especially vulnerable to energy poverty; however, there has been little empirical research on how energy poverty affects early childhood development in energy-poor countries. To overcome this, here we measure energy poverty and early child development using a multidimensional approach based on data from national multip...
Using Japan as a proxy for a developed nation, we investigated the role of existing and nascent technologies in curbing carbon emissions. We simulated possible pathways to meeting 2030 and 2050 emission targets within the Japanese electricity supply sector using a single-region model in The Integrated MARKAL-EFOM System (TIMES). Critically, our sim...
There is a need to derive hydrogen from renewable sources, and the innovative stewardship of two natural resources, namely the Sun and forest, could provide a new pathway. This paper provides the first comparative analysis of solar-driven hydrogen production from environmental angles. A novel hydrogen production process proposed in this paper, name...
This study investigates how sustainable economic development in emerging nations could be enhanced by realizing opportunities presented by the demographic dividend, the digital economy, and ensuring energy efficiency. To date, the linkage between demographic dividend, digital innovation, energy intensity, and sustainable economic growth has not bee...
Different wireless power transfer (WPT) technologies using inductive, capacitive, or optical coupling, and microwaves have been theoretically investigated and many have been employed in commercial products. WPT technologies have their own advantages and drawbacks and have been individually studied. This article envisions a concept of universal and...
This research considered changes in monthly electricity generation and demand in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Observed network electricity demand and generation type for the January–June 2020 period were compared to forecast values (using a triple exponential smoothing method) based on trends established from 2016 to 2019. Regional level ele...
This research examines the societal impacts of varying energy policy approaches and the progress of the energy transition toward a low carbon energy-based regime internationally. Using indicators relevant to energy policy and the energy transition, five critical social equity impacts of environmental improvement, health, employment, participation,...
Cultural diversity is increasing in the US, which is likely to have an impact on preferences toward future energy policy.
This research investigates people’s lived experience and preferences through a nationally representative survey (n = 3000) regarding the energy system, and how these relate to cultural group and other demographics.
Our study hig...
Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) provide efficient technology to meet the heating and cooling demands of buildings. However, their deployment is limited in Japan, mainly due to high drilling costs. Application of GSHP systems in Japanese residential buildings as substitutes for kerosene heaters and even air source heat pump (ASHP) systems, especial...
CALL FOR PAPERS
Governance strategies and insights to accelerate the production and diffusion of hydrogen and fuel-cell technologies
Convenors: Gregory Trencher, Araz Taeihagh, Andrew Chapman, Tohoku University, National University of Singapore, and International Institute for Carbon Neutral Energy
As the energy transition to a post-carbon soci...
Several studies have investigated the effect of environmental taxes on economic growth and carbon emissions. However, limited studies have quantitatively identified the connection between environmental taxes and technological innovations. The main focus of this study is to investigate the causal relations between environmental taxes and environment...
This research aims to develop a social equity conscious policy making framework, cognizant of lifestyle, consumption, demographics, proactiveness and the distribution of costs and benefits across society. The proposed framework is applicable in multiple jurisdictions, wherever consumption, environmental footprint intensity, and basic societal demog...
This paper proposes and analyses an innovative sustainable energy option; a concentrated solar and biomass hybrid carbon capture and sequestration plant. This conceptual plant utilizes concentrated solar as the heat source for the biomass gasification process. The produced synthetic gas will then be used for electricity generation and carbon dioxid...
This paper examines the effect of remittance income on energy consumption and the economy between 1976 and 2019 in the four highest remittance recipient nations of South Asia. The detailed analysis explores long-run and directional relationships utilizing stationary tests, the panel cointegration test, dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS), fully mo...
This research details outcomes from a global model which estimates future hydrogen penetration into a carbon constrained energy system to the year 2050. Focusing on minimum and maximum penetration scenarios, an investigation of global fuel cell vehicle (FCV) deployment is undertaken, cognizant of optimal economic deployment at the global level and...
Short term outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic have included improved air quality and reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas emissions, while long term repercussions may include a disruption to joint international research efforts, the creation of silos, and the potential for internalizing efforts toward national rather than global goa...
This research qualitatively reviews literature regarding energy system modeling in Japan specific to the future hydrogen economy, leveraging quantitative model outcomes to establish the potential future deployment of hydrogen in Japan. The analysis focuses on the four key sectors of storage, supplementing the gas grid, power generation, and transpo...
The sustainability of urban energy generates a very big challenge for the countries, since it is necessary to ensure that the energy remains available for the activities of each city and at the same time it is necessary to invest in obtaining sustainable energy resources and the construction of the infrastructure corresponding for the use of this s...
As more and more people make cities their home, the issue of social sustainability in these cities is being brought to the fore. Although a key component of sustainability, social aspects are rarely addressed in a quantitative manner, leading to an evaluation of sustainability which is not comprehensive. This chapter outlines the concept of social...
This research details outcomes from a global model which estimates future hydrogen penetration into a carbon constrained energy system to the year 2050. Focusing on minimum and maximum penetration scenarios, an investigation of global fuel cell vehicle (FCV) deployment is undertaken, cognizant of optimal economic deployment at the global level and...
This article proposes a novel system concept named universal wireless power transfer, in which power can be wirelessly transferred between different entities (e.g. vehicles, robots, homes, grid facilities, consumer electronic devices, etc.) equipped with proper energy transmitters and receivers, whether stationary or in motion. This concept general...
The aim of this research is to address the challenge of achieving more equitable social outcomes through a reduction and fairer allocation of environmental burdens, and in doing so, contributing to national sustainable development policy. This novel study demonstrates the nature of societal outcomes through the lens of inequity with respect to life...
The Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011 drastically changed the energy consumption pattern of Japan. Not being able to rely on nuclear energy, the country turned to fossil fuels and attempted to increase the share of renewable energy in its electricity generation mix. This paper will explore why geothermal energy is stagnating in Japan, despit...
This study develops a framework to facilitate the participation of scientists to policy design towards energy transition, building upon existing literatures on science policy nexus, policy process, and energy system modelling. The framework assumes that policy design is embedded within systems and influenced by other actors, which is represented by...
Sustainability concerns have been placing public policy in the power sector under pressure to realize a radical change. However, energy policy is often subject to strong path dependency and inertia that make such change difficult. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of the conditions under which radical policy changes happen in...
Recent research has allowed us to quantify the costs and benefits of adopting renewable energy in specific municipalities, but how do these outcomes vary among communities at the national scale? This study uses survey responses from 47 Japanese municipalities to model these impacts and identifies key technological, social, and demographic factors t...
Decarbonization of the energy system is a key goal of the Paris Agreements, in order to limit temperature rises to under 2° Celsius. Hydrogen has the potential to play a key role through its versatile production methods, end uses and as a storage medium for renewable energy, engendering the future low-carbon energy system. This research uses a glob...
This research details a global model for the estimation of future hydrogen penetration into the carbon constrained energy system out to 2050. Results show that approximately 2.2% of global energy consumption needs can be met by 2050, with significant contributions in the city gas network and transportation sector. Notably, passenger FCVs dominate t...
Modern lifestyles demand a number of products derived from petroleum-based sources that eventually cause carbon emissions. The quantification of lifestyle and household consumption impacts upon carbon emissions from both the embodied CO2 (EC) and materially retained carbon (MRC) viewpoints is critical to deriving amelioration policies and meeting e...
Engendering a low-carbon energy transition is necessary to limit climate change impacts and temperature rises. Ideally, this transition would be inclusive, incorporating all stakeholders, however, the issue of energy or fuel poverty is a major obstacle to this goal. This research investigates energy poverty in Japan using a subjective, multidimensi...
The issue of climate change and the development of international agreements around carbon targets such as the Paris agreement have engendered the prospect of a carbon constrained future. As a result, individual nations who are signatory to the Paris Agreement have developed ambitious carbon reduction targets in order to restrict temperature rises t...
The approximate number of people without access to clean cooking facilities is 2.8 billion, primarily in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Among those, 2.5 billion people cook with biomass in inefficient and polluting stoves. The health impacts are severe: it is estimated that household air pollution from solid fuel use results in more than a million pr...
Japan is a nation which is highly dependent on the import of raw materials to supply its manufacturing industry, notable among them copper. When extracting copper from ore, a large amount of energy is required, typically leading to high levels of CO2 emissions due to the fossil fuel-dominated energy mix. Moreover, maintaining security of raw materi...
We analyse subjective experiences of energy poverty to address the limitations of existing observable indicators as evidence for policy. We investigate the linkage between self-reported energy affordability and life satisfaction, health and economic inequality. A large-scale survey of 100,956 respondents across 37 nations shows that energy affordab...
One of the greatest challenges for the global energy system is the need to decarbonize while maintaining a stable energy supply. A successful energy transition to a high share of renewable energy will require enabler technologies such as storage, which include hydrogen as one such option. This research investigates the societal penetration of hydro...
Just over twenty years ago, the Kyoto Protocol brought nations together to address the emergent issue of climate change. To support the development of energy policy, a number of academic fields were strengthened, particularly surrounding sustainable development and the economic, environmental, and social aspects of sustainability. This research foc...
This research aims to quantitatively identify the variation in equity and burden distribution associated with mega-solar siting at the local level in Japan, and to identify mega-solar siting outcomes in each region and prefecture, in terms of social equity and burden distribution outcomes relative to stated preferences. Methodologies employed inclu...
Hydrogen as an energy carrier allows the decarbonization of transport, industry, and space heating as well as storage for intermittent renewable energy. The objective of this paper is to assess the future engineering potential for hydrogen and provide insight to areas of research to help lower economic barriers for hydrogen adoption. This assessmen...
Considerable amount of energy is being consumed in the buildings worldwide. Space and water heating have big share in building energy consumption, account for 53.2% and 28.1% in Japanese residential and commercial buildings at 2015, respectively. Solar heating is a reliable and mature technology that experienced its remarkable success in Japan duri...
Ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems are energy-efficient technologies to provide low-carbon heating and cooling demands for the buildings. However, deployment of the GSHP systems in Japan is limited mainly due to the relatively high drilling costs for placement of the ground heat exchangers (GHEs), in comparison with EU and North American countr...
This research explores energy system design—assessing probable and desirable energy scenarios based on user choice and future system participation preferences as identified in a recent survey across Japan. Scenarios are assessed from a sustainability viewpoint to clarify their economic, environmental, and social effectiveness in a quantitative mann...
By increasing the share of buildings in final energy consumption and CO2 emission, increasing the energy efficiency in the buildings is getting more important. Zero emission buildings (ZEBs) are energy efficient and self-sufficient in producing energy, which can be helpful of achieving the energy security and also controlling global warming issues...
![TABLE 2 ABOUT HERE]](profile/Hidemichi-Fujii/publication/326468939/figure/tbl1/AS:668063917699077@1536290258690/ABOUT-HERE_Q320.jpg)
![TABLE 4 ABOUT HERE]](profile/Hidemichi-Fujii/publication/326468939/figure/tbl2/AS:668063917682696@1536290258763/ABOUT-HERE_Q320.jpg)
Sustainable development is an important United Nations agenda, and the determination of which of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) should be prioritized is left up to each participating nation. Stakeholder engagement including all members of society can engender a nationally representative priority SDG set. This research investigates inclusi...
This paper is investigating the CO2 emission saving of ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems for providing heating comfort condition for the residential buildings in cold climate of Japan. The required energy and equivalent CO2 emission of heating system for a sample building in Sapporo City were calculated in 3 scenarios: GSHP system, air-source...
This study investigates how our lifestyles can cause societal issue including a reduction in social equity due to the consumption of natural resources. Based on a range of household environmental footprints and their application to a quantitative social equity evaluation framework, a methodology is proposed which identifies the creation and origin...
An investigation of the public bads generated from household lifestyle-based consumption. Combining the EEIOA and EPSEF methodologies to identify public bad creation and the allocation of societal burden.
A public survey of energy users across Japan was conducted in March of 2017. It is almost one year since liberalization of the low voltage electricity market for households and small retail premises, for whom we identified an opportunity to play a positive role through their choices and participation in the energy market, which may influence the on...
Japan's energy market has seen the siting and construction of over 2800 new mega-solar power plants since the introduction of the Feed-in Tariff policy in 2012 (Kitamoto, 2017). While scholars have highlighted the potential for community-engaged renewable power development with social benefits for local residents, many major mega-solar projects hav...
Questions
Questions (2)
My current research focuses on making improvements to the policy cycle (in Australia) through the introduction of policy sustainability assessment of RE policies, prior to policy implementation. In order to determine where such an approach might be practicable across the OECD, I am trying to bring together national public policy making processes. I already have the Australian Policy Cycle (Althaus et al), New Zealand (SSC), The US (LAITS) and the UK (HM Treasury). I wonder if anyone could point me towards the policy making process (usually beginning with problem identification and ending with evaluation post implementation) within some of the other OECD nations? Your assistance is appreciated in improving my research outcomes and future applications.
I am looking for policy cycles across the Asian, Americas and European OECD regions.
Many Thanks.
I am seeking to understand preferences toward social equity within Australia, particularly with regard to how people prioritize the factors of social equity - i.e. is access more important than distribution of costs for example, or are spatial concerns (location, affect of local pollutants etc..) more important.
