Sharp Corp., a provider of electronics and LCD technology, has recently opened its Kameyama Plant No. 2 in Japan, which features a renewable energy supply system independent of the utility power grid. These power sources include a PV power system and one of Japan's largest fuel cell and co-generation systems, the company says.
The LCD-TV manufacturing facility covers about one-third of the total electric power requirements for the entire Kameyama Plant and reduces CO2 emissions from the plant by approximately 40%, the company says. Newly developed thin-film solar cells have been installed on the curtain walls, which reduces carbon dioxide emissions by about 3,400 tons per year. These cells have a structure in which a crystalline thin-film silicon solar cell is stacked on top of an amorphous silicon solar cell on the same glass substrate.
In addition, all wastewater from manufacturing processes is recycled using a cogeneration system. The system uses clean city gas to generate electrical power, while the waste heat created in the process is captured and used as a source of energy for heating and air conditioning, as well as used to supply hot water for a more efficient use of energy, Sharp. Corp. adds.
