Japan is building a Hydrogen Society

(TOKYO)

Japan’s iconic bullet train was one of the legacies to come from hosting the 1964 Olympics. Will a Hydrogen Society be the big legacy of Tokyo 2020?

It is certainly the goal of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG), which wants to develop CO2-free hydrogen for use during the Games and to underpin Japan’s energy transition well into the future.

“In the Tokyo 2020 Games, fuel-cell vehicles are going to be used as official vehicles. In addition, hydrogen energy is going to be actively used by building hydrogen supply systems such as the construction of hydrogen pipelines, and the Olympic Village is going to be used as the model for realising a hydrogen society as one of the legacies of the Games,” the sustainability plans for the 2020 Olympics state. “The TMG is also planning to use hydrogen produced using renewable energies generated in Fukushima in the Tokyo 2020 Games through the cooperation with the prefecture of Fukushima that suffered intensive damage in the Great East Japan Earthquake. Also, hydrogen stations will be installed after the Tokyo 2020 Games to transport hydrogen from there to other areas and districts. Pure hydrogen fuel cells installed in individual areas and districts will then supply electricity and heat to buildings. Through these efforts, Tokyo is going to lead the construction of hydrogen society, strengthen the resilience of the city, and produce legacies such as the construction of new business models for using hydrogen in residential areas. The use of hydrogen energy will be increased using the Tokyo 2020 Games as an opportunity and leave hydrogen society as one of the legacies of the Tokyo 2020 Games.”