Fuji Electric is promoting a new type of business management based on the keywords of“ energy and the environment” and has adopted the following approaches to the creation of green energy. For geothermal power generation, Fuji is focused on developing technology for improving the corrosion resistance of turbines and on binary power generation. In the nuclear power fi eld, Fuji is researching and developing a next-generation high-temperature gas cooled reactor that can be used for power generation, hydrogen production and the like. For solar cells, Fuji has begun full-scale mass-production aiming to popularize lightweight, fl exible, fi lm-type cells capable of being installed at a wider range of sites. Fuji has also commercialized a 100 kW phosphoric acid fuel cell named the FP-100i, and is expanding its range of applications to include disaster prevention, digestion gas use, hydrogen stations, etc.

Fuji Electric has been involved in geothermal power generation since the 1980s, and is now recognized as a leading company for supplying geothermal power plants. This paper introduces two recently completed geothermal power plants, Wayang Windu in Indonesia and Kawerau in New Zealand. The world’s first practical application of a steam purity automatic analyzing device equipped with a fault diagnosis function and an operation support function helps to improve the utilization rate of the plant. A binary power generating system, developed so that low-temperature geothermal resources can be utilized, has successfully completed a 200 kW pilot unit operation, and is slated to be introduced to the market during 2010.

In response to global environmental issues, higher efficiency and improved operational reliability are increasingly being requested for steam turbines, essential equipment for thermal power generation. By increasing the temperature and pressure of the steam turbine operating conditions, more efficient power generation is realized, and in order to realize a turbine applied with the higher temperature conditions of 700 ˚C for the future, Fuji Electric is participating in the METI-sponsored development of advanced ultra-supercritical power generation, and is evaluating and verifying the reliability of materials used for high-temperature valves. In addition, for geothermal steam turbines, Fuji has developed surface coatings and other technology for enhancing corrosion resistance in order to improve reliability. Fuji is also moving ahead with the development of geothermal binary power-generating turbines that utilize a low boiling point medium.

For mid-sized thermal power plants, Fuji Electric has completely developed and shipped 300 MVA type rating air-cooled turbine generators, which are the world’s largest capacity class. In order to realize a large-capacity air-cooled generator, the ventilation behavior inside the generator must be understood in detail. Therefore, computational fluid calculations of ventilation flow analysis were performed for important regions, and the cooling effect was sufficiently improved with the optimized entire ventilation based on ventilation network calculations that reflected those results. Also, for the 3,000 kW-class of direct-drive permanent magnet generators for wind power generation, the method for cooling the interior of the generator at locations closer to heat-generating parts and the arrangement of magnets on the rotor to reduce cogging torque were designed.

Hydropower is a clean renewable energy, and promoting the usage and improving the performance of hydropower can help contribute to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as well as enhance the stability of electrical power grids. The application of CFD (computational fluid dynamics) is an effective technique for improving the efficiency of turbines, mediating cavitation-related issues, and also for expanding the stable operation of turbines. The renovation of existing hydropower stations has become a major topic. In particular, in this renovation, CFD is used based on the results of analysis of the operation history, which includes the ranges and frequencies of the head and the discharge of water, to design new turbines that can contribute to improving the efficiency and increasing the annual power generation while maintaining the dimensional constraints of the existing turbines.

The modular High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) is a new generation type of the reactor with the inherent safety. The HTGR can supply heat of very high temperature of approximately 950 degrees C compared to that of the Light Water Reactor. Its development has started in many countries as it has a potential to expand the nuclear heat utilization to reduce CO2 emission. Fuji Electric is focusing on the R&D towards the practical use of the modular HTGR based on the technologies gained during the development of Japan’s fi rst HTGR, HTTR. Major activities of our R&D work are development of the heat resistant core restraint mechanism to maximize the eff ective core coolant fl ow rate fraction, development of the fl attened power profi le core to improve its safety characteristics during an accident, and improvement of the evaluation accuracy of the heat removal capability from the core by the natural convection, core conduction and radiation.

Since 1998, Fuji Electric has delivered twenty-five 100 kW phosphoric acid fuel cell units. The cumulative operation time of these fuel cells has exceeded the lifespan targeted by the original development (40,000 hours), and their reliability and durability have been proven. In 2009, Fuji Electric began selling the “FP-100i,” a newly developed low-cost phosphoric acid fuel cell. Integrated with peripheral devices, the FP-100i features improved ease-of-use and is able to support installation in a wider range of environments. As part of future efforts to popularize and expand usage of the FP-100i, application development will be promoted for fuel cells equipped with disaster response capability, fuel cells that use pure hydrogen or by-product hydrogen, fuel cells equipped with hydrogen supply capability for supplying hydrogen stations for electric vehicles, and so on.

Fuji Electric has delivered a total of six 100 kW phosphoric acid fuel cell units that utilize sewage sludge digestion gas as fuel, and has achieved a good operating track record and introduction effect. At the Yamagata Purification Center, the cumulative operating time has exceeded the initial development target lifetime of 40,000 hours and the long-term reliability, durability and introduction effect of phosphoric acid fuel cells in sewage sludge digestion gas has been verified. At the Kumamoto Hokubu Purification Center, the sale, as tradable green certificates, of the power value of the renewable energy source of sewage sludge digestion gas is attracting attention. To expand sales both in Japan and overseas, Fuji plans to enhance the marketability of this fuel cell by moving ahead with efforts to standardize designs, improve efficiency and acquire overseas certifications.

Production of Fuji Electric’s new model of film substrate solar cell began in January 2010 at Fuji Electric’s Kumamoto factory. This cell is improved in output power by about 20 percent compared to the existing model. To increase the output power, Fuji reviewed the manufacturing equipment and manufacturing conditions to enlarge the cell area, reduce the size of the ineffective area, and enlarge the power generating area. Additionally, Fuji optimized electrode and other patterns to improve the current collecting performance. By decreasing the output voltage to 157 V, which is approximately half of that of existing models, the adaptability to various power conditioners is improved. Also, the solar cells produced at the Kumamoto factory were installed on a building roof at the factory. Over the past 8 months, good power generating performance has been realized, and the normalized generating efficiency of 0.98 indicates a high record of accomplishment.

Fuji Electric’s photovoltaic modules are formed by encapsulating solar cells fabricated on a plastic substrate without using glass. These modules are lightweight, flexible, thin and unbreakable, and can be installed on a building without requiring that the building structure be reinforced. Laminating these modules to various materials such as a curved steel plate enables the modules to be integrally formed with advanced building materials such as roofing materials or wall materials. Also, integrating with non-building materials, such as a waterproof sheet, and improving the installation method will expand the range of possible installation sites and usage methods as well as increase the added value. The cells are formed with a series-connection structure that enables modularization of the cells with only simple wiring and facilitates the fabrication of larger cells areas.