Volume 58

Development of Area Energy Management System for Business District of Small and Medium Enterprises Shinji Yamamura, Reika Iida, Yoshiki Yamagata, Hideo Takahashi, Yoshiyuki Kimura

Abstract

To achieve carbon neutrality in the building sector, advanced low-carbon designs such as Zero Energy Buildings (ZEBs) are increasingly being adopted globally. However, ZEBs often requires significantly higher investment compared to general low-carbon methodologies in buildings. In urban settings, these advanced solutions tend to be implemented primarily by large corporations with sufficient capital, technical expertise, and human resources. In Japan, over 98% of enterprises are classified as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), SMEs often face significant challenges in adopting similar approaches.
Aiming whole carbon neutrality, there is a growing need to develop cost-effective and operationally feasible low-carbon methodologies tailored specifically for SMEs. Such strategies must accommodate both limited financial and ease of daily operation, especially in urban business districts predominantly occupied by SMEs.
This study explores the feasibility of developing an Area Energy Management System (AEMS) to support carbon neutral transitions among SMEs in a test site of “Kanda and Nihonbashi” area in central Tokyo where is known business district for its traditional character and concentration of long-established SMEs.
The methodology includes the following steps;1) Characterization of the Urban Context by GIS, 2) Estimation of Energy Consumption, 3) Development of tailored low-carbon strategies.
This research demonstrates the potential for a localized, collaborative approach to carbon neutrality, emphasizing the development of pragmatic and scalable solutions for SMEs.

Keywords Carbon neutral, Urban business district, Small and medium enterprises, Area energy management