Measures for Nuclear Power Substitution in the Electricity Supply to Kyoto City

Abstract

The earthquake disaster of March 2011 in the Tohoku region has led to concerns on the safety of nuclear power generation in Japan as well as all over the world. Currently, the desire to reduce the dependence on nuclear programs and the will for its substitution seems ubiquitous. The path for substitution of nuclear power, however, is far from being clear, particularly from the standpoint of high energy demand led by our current lifestyles and constraints associated to other power generation technologies. Therefore, we have initiated an evaluation on the reduction of nuclear power in the energy mix to Kyoto city from particular changes in lifestyle (working time and habits) and from the introduction of photovoltaic (PV) systems to local businesses and households. The analysis begins providing a breakdown of electricity consumption in Kyoto city from the demand side followed by estimations for the total number and average area of buildings within the city. Based on these analyses, further estimations on energy reduction from changes in lifestyle, energy production from the introduction of PV systems, and aggregated costs associated to the acquisition of these technologies is done. This study concludes with a brief discussion on the required sources for institutional and financial support to typify a carbon-free, self-reliant, safe urban centre suitable for localities with similar socio-economic profiles in the future.