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Japanese Smart Communities as Industrial Policy Chapter j 21 427

HIGASHI MATSUSHIMA CITY SMART DISASTER
PREVENTION ECO TOWN

As noted earlier, one example of Japan’s approach is the Higashi Matsushima
City Smart Disaster Prevention Eco Town. Fig. 21.2 locates Higashi Mat-
sushima City on the northeast coast of Japan’s main island, Honshu, the focal
point of 3-11. The figure also notes that the population prior to 3-11 was
43,142. Over 1130 residents died in the disaster, which saw 65% of the city
inundated by the sea. The disaster led to the official opening of a microgrid-
based smart community on June 12, 2016. The microgrid allows the com-
munity’s power system to “island” from the regional power grid in the event of
a disaster.
Fig. 21.3 illustrates how the Higashi Matsushima Eco Town’s renewable
generation, complete with battery storage, is linked through the microgrid.
Smart meters on all local facilities provide real-time tracking of energy gen-
eration, storage, and consumption. The project has 460 kW of solar capacity,
of which 400 kW is an array that overtops a regulating pond. This regulating
pond is itself part of disaster resilience, as it was built to accumulate rainwater
and thus alleviate flood risks. In addition to the solar capacity, there is

FIGURE 21.2 Overview of Higashi Matsushima city. Adapted from Japan Future City Initiative,
2015. Higashi Matsushima City. http://doc.future-city.jp/pdf/forum/2015_malaysia/Case_Studies_
of_Japan_01_04_01_Ctiy_of_Higashi-matsushima.pdf.