How Tokyo Uses Solar Energy As Part of The First-Ever Carbon Negative Olympics
July 30th, 2021
The world eye is on Tokyo as one of the most awaited Olympics ever since the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. It's been fifty-seven years since Tokyo last hosted the Olympics in 1964, and the country came prepared to show how resilient they can be. Using recycled materials, carbon credits, repurposing old venues, and more may mean a new standard in eco-friendly athletics. Possibly the most impressive is the resilience of the nation's people of Fukushima and their help towards providing solar energy in the 2020 Olympics.
So how do you become "carbon negative", especially on such a large scale?
Typically the host city experiences massive amounts of foot traffic due to athletes and spectators during the games. As a result, this can be great for the local economy but detrimental to the environment. 2.73 million tons of carbon dioxide are estimated to be emitted during the games, this number is expected to be even lower with the pandemic's restriction of overseas spectators.
Japan plans to offset this with its carbon cap-and-trade program. This program sets limitations on high pollutant businesses by giving them a "credit" limit. Each credit is equal to one ton of carbon. If a business does not need or use its allotted credits, they are able to sell these to other companies. By using the cap-and-trade program, Japan will be able to cover all direct and indirect carbon emissions.
What make Japans solar production so unique?
After the 2011 nuclear disaster of Fukushima, its people now look to the future by using the prefecture's solar panels to provide power for the Olympics.
"[...] Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster, in which a massive earthquake and tsunami damaged the Daiichi plant." wrote Kat Lonsdorf of NPR, "Nuclear power, which once produced nearly a third of Japan's energy, ground to a halt when all 54 of the country's nuclear reactors were taken offline as new safety regulations were imposed."
Fukushima is the leader of the country's solar energy output due to many of its people owning solar farms. They hope the rest of the country will quickly take heed to their progress.
The Ariake Urban Sports Park is the home to the BMX freestyle, BMX racing, and skateboarding events. Many of these sports are relatively new to the world eye of the Olympic Games. Quite uniquely, both urban sports and solar energy are ready to prove their value on a global scale in 2020.
How can we learn from Japan's example?
Japan has set the bar high on using renewable energy on a massive scale, but you can use the same tactics on your home as well. By implementing solar panels on your property you can harness the planet's largest source of unlimited energy.
Did you know that more energy falls on the earth from the sun — in one hour — than the world uses in one year?
ION Solar has teams in eight different states ready to go over your potential savings by implementing solar panels. Depending on the state, an average home can use anywhere between 515 kWh – 1,273 kWh per month of energy. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average U.S. residential customer uses approximately 909 kWh per month of energy or around 10,909 kWh per year!
Contact an ION Solar professional today to get an estimate on what you can do to follow the example of Tokyo's use of solar energy in the 2020 Olympics and join the fight towards cleaner earth.
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