Actions Toward 100％ Renewable Energy at a University—Case Study of Chiba University of Commerce—

Abstract

As expectations for renewable energy (RE) as a mainstream energy source have been increasing, some multinational corporations have declared their commitment to using electricity generated from 100％ renewable resources. Although discussions over the pathway to 100％ RE are gaining momentum, few universities or businesses in Japan have taken action toward implementing 100％ RE. After conducting preliminary research and internal discussions on its feasibility for three years, Chiba University of Commerce (CUC) officially started a project in 2017 to become a 100％ RE university, aiming to produce more power than it consumes, and achieved this goal in 2019. Selecting which methods to use to reduce energy consumption and generate power required decision-making to solve the dilemma of how to balance financial performance and meeting the 100％ RE goal. Based on their direct involvement in the project, the authors describe the CUC case study to provide an example of a 100％ RE project for other universities and businesses who wish to implement something similar.