Only a few more days left to go in 2010, but the Cyber Showcase Blog is heating up and getting ready for the next exhibition. mino-san, CES is just around the corner. I am looking forward to reading your real-time entries from Las Vegas, U.S., from the beginning of the year!

Video reports for Eco-Products 2010 are now available. You can see that the Panasonic is using the group's collective efforts to propose energy solutions for entire towns.

Click on the image to watch the video.

Eco-Products 2010 Vol.2 - Energy Solutions for Entire Towns from Panasonic

The Panasonic booth at Eco-Products 2010 presented with numerous experiential exhibits various ideas that reduce CO2 in entire towns and eco activities Panasonic implements under 2 categories, 'eco ideas' for Lifestyles and 'eco ideas' for Business-styles. Please take a look at the 'eco ideas' Panasonic, who aims to become the "No.1 Green Innovation Company in the Electronics Industry," introduced at Eco-Products 2010.

Click on the image to watch the video.

Eco Products 2010 Vol.3 - Energy Solutions for Entire Towns - Home

Panasonic, who aims to become the "No.1 Green Innovation Company in the Electronics Industry," is making efforts to realize this vision by proposing various 'eco ideas' that help reduce CO2 emissions of entire towns. In particular, Panasonic proposes "Energy Solutions for Entire Towns." Panasonic offers energy solutions for homes, stores, buildings/offices, factories and more. Please first take a look at energy solutions for the "home."

Click on the image to watch the video.

Eco Products 2010 Vol.4 - Energy Solutions for Entire Towns - Store, building/office, factory

"Energy Solutions for Entire Towns" the Panasonic Group proposes with its concerted efforts. Panasonic has pushed the "lifestyle with virtually zero CO2 emissions throughout the entire home" it has developed thus far to a new level, and now proposes 'eco ideas' that reduce CO2 emissions in entire towns. Vol.3 introduced energy solutions for the "home," and now, please take look at the energy solutions that has expanded to the "store," "building/office," and "factory."

Click on the image to watch the video.

Eco Products 2010 Vol.5 - Expanding Energy Solutions for Entire Towns

Panasonic proposed a wide range of "Energy Solutions for Entire Towns" at Eco-Products 2010. Lastly, let us introduce 'eco ideas' for public areas that will help bring about a low carbon society. Please take a look at the next generation 'eco ideas' exhibited at the Panasonic booth such as the "Solalib," which stores energy created by photovoltaic modules and uses the energy to charge electric vehicles.

As many of you may know, 2010 is the "International Year of Biodiversity." In Nagoya, the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP), which is the governing body of the Convention on Biological Diversity that helps implement this convention, was held. Panasonic, too, is undertaking various activities to help protect biodiversity.

Conifers (wood materials) are often used as the diaphragm of speakers. But Panasonic has developed diaphragms made of 100% bamboo with its unique technologies, which have also been embedded on the VIERA (the green thing in the picture). Not only do bamboos grow fast, they also have very strong reproductive power, so they encroach on and obstruct the growth of other plants. That is why periodically cutting them down and putting them to use help protect the neighboring plants and birds and insects that inhabit the area.

I compared the durability of the diaphragms made of bamboo fibers and traditional wood materials by tearing them, but the bamboo diaphragms were just as strong as the traditional ones. The technology required to dissolve the bamboo, entwine the fibers, and mold the diaphragms is very difficult, and is unique to Panasonic. On the wall near where the bamboo diaphragm is on display, there is an exhibit, which lets you compare the audio quality of traditional speakers and speakers with bamboo diaphragms. I also listened to the quality of the bamboo diaphragm speakers, but they reproduced sound clearer and in particular, the high ranges stretched very well.

Panasonic has also begun the Ecological Network concept, which takes biodiversity into consideration during land use. This concept is being launched in the Kadoma region in Moriguchi, Osaka. This region, sandwiched between the Yodogawa River and Tsurumi-ryokuchi Park, is home to a wide range of organisms. That is why the Panasonic group has created biotopes and rooftop gardens in the region to try to help support animal traffic and reproduction. This concept cannot be realized without a very large property and high awareness for contributing to the environment. Many visitors have said, "It's a very difficult undertaking, but I wish you luck"; "I hope Panasonic will lead the way in making this a reality."

• Bamboo-fiber Speaker
• Biodiversity Conservation

In the "recycling-oriented manufacturing" corner in the "'eco ideas' for Business Style" zone, there is an exhibit that would be very interesting for those of you who like to visit factories or like to watch how things are made. You can see here how Panasonic reduces the use of resource in its manufacturing processes, recovers recyclable resources from end-of-life products, and develops ways to reuse resources recovered.

This is a conceptual diagram, which expresses how Panasonic dismantles end-of-life refrigerators and recovers various recyclable resources. Refrigerators are made of 40% plastic. Resins mixed plastic, which you get after the plastic is pulverized, contain may be divided largely into 3 categories but it was difficult to sort these resin out. But by developing a new technology, which allows high-precision sorting by detecting the difference in the light absorption rate of the various resin using near-infrared rays, Panasonic can now sort and recover resin.

The mixed plastic you see in front can be sorted into PP (polypropylene), PS (polystyrene), and ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) resin. Sorting between PS and ABS resin is particularly difficult, but the strong desire to find a way to sort and use recyclable resources gave way to the development of this high-precision resin sorting system.

The plastic dismantled by hand can now be recycled for external parts (parts the users can see on the outside). In the photograph you can see the bottom part of the drum type washer-dryer made out of recycled materials. When you touch it, it feels very smooth. If no one had told me that it was made out of recycled materials, I would have never known.

As flat screen TVs are become more and more widespread, greater numbers of cathode-ray tube TVs are being collected. The glass from these TVs can be transformed into the products depicted in the photograph. On the left are tiles for housing, in the center eco pumice that can be used instead of soil for plants in the home, and on the right you can see paving tiles for roads. The glass can also be used to create paving tiles for roads with high water permeability, which may also be great for the guerilla rainstorms we experience quite frequently nowadays.

• Panasonic Eco Technology Center

Panasonic will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2018. As it heads towards that landmark year, Panasonic aims to become the "No.1 Green Innovation Company in the Electronics Industry." In the "Green Plan 2018" it announced in October this year, Panasonic pledged that it will continue to innovate while placing the "environment" at the heart of all its business activities. The GP (Green Plan) 2018 stage presentation communicates how Panasonic will make use of its eco technologies and how it aims to contribute to the global society in a way that is easy to understand even for children.

The GP 2018 stage presentation introduces the difference in the lifestyles in Japan and around the world, to encourage children to think about whether there is any waste in their own lives. For example, people in India use home electronics just like people in Japan do, but because there are blackouts for about 2 hours every day, they need a storage battery. They also get their water from water trucks, so they use water very very carefully.

Next, the presentation introduces the lifestyle in Zambia, where people don't have electricity or water. People there use gas lamps and candles, so they are often worried about safety. It is the women and children's job to go to the well located far away to get water. The water necessary to support their humble lifestyle is quite heavy, so carrying them back home is of course quite laborious. I can't help but wonder how great it would be if they had safe drinking water nearby and these people could be liberated from this laborious chore.

With these various lifestyles in mind, Panasonic offers eco technologies cultivated in Japan to people all around the world. In India they sell home electronics that suits the way of life there, and in regions where there is no electricity Panasonic is planning to offer a Life Innovation Container packed full with photovoltaic modules, storage batteries, TVs and PCs. The photograph is of a miniature model of the Life Innovation Container. You can see how there is a clinic and school inside, and the PCs and refrigerators are running on the electricity created with photovoltaic module.

But it's not only about India and Zambia. With the "Green Plan 2018," Panasonic has also declared that all its employees will work hard to reach targets in 8 areas including "reduction of CO2," "recycling resources," "minimizing water consumption," "minimizing hazardous chemical substances." You can feel how committed Panasonic is about tackling the various environmental issues.

• Environmental Activities
• Vision and Strategy
• Environmental Action Plan "Green Plan 2018"

The Solalib you find in the middle of the Panasonic Group booth is one-half the size of those found in Kasai Green Energy Park. The Solalib has a clean design and exudes innovation. I can understand why it has become a symbolic presence of the factory.

This is the side view of Solalib. The real Solalib has a Battery Management System (BMS) and 3 types of charging system for EVs (electric vehicles) – rapid, medium speed, and slow speed – in its "trunk." According to the staff, the rapid charging system will charge the battery of a commercially available car to approximately 80% in about half an hour.

This solar bicycle parking lot also supplies energy created from the sun's rays. To take advantage of the "HIT(R) Double" panel's ability to absorb sunlight and generate energy with both sides, the panels have been used as the roof of the bicycle parking lot. This has a Standard Battery System for Power Storage so that you can charge bicycles even during the nighttime.

Like the Solalib, the solar bicycle parking lot is being tested at the Kasai Green Energy Park. Perhaps we will see such "Solar Charging Stations," where we can charge EVs and Electric Assisted Bicycles, all around town in the near future.

• Solar Charging Station "Solalib"
• Solar Parking Lot

In the "Entire Factory Zone," a presentation incorporating demonstrations introduces the wide range of activities undertaken at Sanyo Electric's Kasai Green Energy Park, which was built in the city of Kasai in Hyogo prefecture this October.

You will find about 1 MW (mega watt) of photovoltaic modules on the rooftop and walls of the buildings. These modules "create" 1MW of energy, which is equivalent to the energy consumed by 330 households. In particular, there are HIT(R) Double Facade photovoltaic modules on the external walls. Sanyo developed a unique construction method to install these bifacial photovoltaic modules that can even absorb reflected light as part of the external walls to enhance energy generation.

A diorama of the Kasai Green Energy Park. The blue parts you see on the roof and walls are the photovoltaic modules. You can also see a model of the Solalib on the lower left.

On the right you will see the "HIT(R) Double," and on the left is a conventional photovoltaic module using polycrystalline silicon. If you shine light on these 2 modules from both sides of the modules, you can see that the amount of energy "HIT(R) Double" creates increases significantly (you can't see in this photograph, but light is being shone from both sides).

The energy created is "stored" in the 1.5MWh Lithium-ion Mega Battery System with one of the world's largest capacities. I can't really imagine what 1.5MWh would be like, but there are approximately 1,000 units of the Standard Battery Systems for Power Storage you can see in the center of the photograph (the black box like things. There are 312 cylindrical lithium-ion battery cells, exhibited on the left, inside each unit), so it seems like it's quite a lot. Sanyo has developed a Battery Management System (BMS) using the charge and discharge control technologies cultivated over the years. The BMS allows it to control the great number of batteries as though they were a single battery.

The Energy Management System (EMS) place all around the factory helps realize the efficient use of the energy generated. Using the network cameras, the system detects whether there are people in the room and turns ON/OFF the air conditioning and lighting accordingly. It can also detect the level of natural light available in the room to adjust the lighting necessary.

These systems that "create," "store," and "save" energy are optimally controlled by the Smart Energy System (SES). The system monitors in real time the amount of energy created, stored, and used to control each device so that the energy may be used efficiently without waste. The Kasai Green Energy Park is also home to various test demonstrations, so it really does seem like a one-of-a-kind undertaking. I can't tell you everything about this park in my entries, so please also visit the website!

• Kasai Green Energy Park

Click on the image to watch the video.

A video report, which gives you an overview of the Panasonic booth is now available. The camera travels from one corner to another to introduce the various ideas on exhibit. After having watched it, I felt as though I had taken a walk around the booth. Today is the last day of Eco-Products 2010. If you saw something in the video report that you were intrigued by, hurry and make your way over to the Panasonic Group booth!

What consumes the most electricity in buildings and offices is air conditioning, second is lighting. These make up 80% of the total energy consumption. So operating and management systems for building facilities such as EMIT building controller, WeLBA, may be particularly effective for medium sized office buildings.

WeLBA can monitor and control numerous facilities such as lighting, air conditioning, power, and meters, and you can do this centrally from your PC. For example, if air conditioning or lighting was left on in an office with no one in it, you can just turn these facilities off from the PC. You can also change the temperature settings of the air conditioning to practice Cool Biz and Warm Biz. The benefit is that you can control the facilities from a normal computer. You don't need special gauging monitors or a central monitoring room or specialized staff, so the system is easy to implement.

The panel introduces various devices that can be connected to the WeLBA. If you connect it to the light dimmer control with sensors, you can dim the lights to a pre-set brightness during the daytime, which can save approximately 1/3 of the power consumed by lighting.

Moreover, you can also have the WeLBA and the integrated security system, "eX-SG light," which monitors the access to the building, working together. When the last person leaves the office and swipes the IC card reader on the way out, the systems will automatically be set on alert status. The electric locks will kick into place, the alarm sensors will go into operation, and the lighting and air conditioning will also be turned off. If something goes wrong, a red light will light up on the LCD panel of the WeLBA. All of this can be put into motion just by touching the card to the reader when you exit the room last, so it is very convenient.

According to the staff, there are many building owners who not only want high security, but also energy saving performance from building facility maintenance systems after the Lehman shock. As a writer, I often write up interviews of small and medium-sized company's business managers, but there seems to be many companies who are moving to low cost buildings with high spec facilities. Perhaps this is because there are more office buildings with empty rooms nowadays, but I believe that in such times, WeLBA, which offers one-stop support for operating and managing building facilities, will play an increasingly important role.

Panasonic's HD Visual Communications System made a clear departure from traditional TV conferencing systems with high-resolution imagery and high quality audio. I have introduced in the past Eco-Products entry how this beautiful video and audio quality is amazingly realized via the Internet. In the "Entire Building/Office Zone," a demonstration inviting children to take part in a conference is taking place. It is fun watching the demonstration and the children's reactions.

Three children are selected to act as the "president," "chairman," and the "managing director," and they take part in a pretend emergency board meeting. They watch the eco factory manager's presentation on the HD Visual Communications System. As a side note, the role of the eco factory manager is played by a real actor. There is hardly any time lag, so it is as though they are talking to each other in the same room, but the eco factory manager is actually in an office located in a different part of Tokyo.

The MC is showing the children a real circuit board. As you can see on the plasma TV screen, a clear, close up image of this small circuit board can be sent and shared.

The demonstration proved that the HD Visual Communications System realizes high picture quality by also showing the very tiny hidden letters on the 1000-yen note. In the center of the cherry blossom pattern the MC is pointing at, you can see small letters, which spell "Japan" (in Japanese). You can barely see these letters with the naked eye.

It is difficult to communicate with only photographs, but the smooth and consistent, high audio quality is another feature of the HD Visual Communications System. Maybe it was because the communication was so natural, but the little boy who played the role of the "president" said in a low voice at the end that he had "a lot of fun." The small microphone (which was placed in the center of the desk) picked up his voice even though he almost said it under his breath, and the eco factory manager heard it clearly. This was also impressive. If you could have such a real TV conference, you can truly reduce the number of business trips and thereby reduce CO2 emissions and costs.

• HD Visual Communications System

In the "Entire Store Zone," an ecological store has been recreated. What is playing a key role here is Sanyo Electric's refrigerated showcase.

This refrigerated showcase is equipped with an inverter compressor rather than a traditional compressor. It also creates a cold air curtain in front of showcase to better trap cold air inside. When you actually place your hand inside the showcase, you can feel your hand go through a wall of cold air. You can't see it, but you know that the cold air curtain is there. To consistently keep this air curtain going requires sophisticated technology.

The walk-in refrigerated showcase is a sales showcase and walk-in refrigerator in one. Can you see that there is a person on the other side of the showcase? The front side is the showcase and the other side is the walk-in refrigerator. To curtail energy consumption, the showcase uses panels with high insulation properties and double-layered glass on the doors to enhance thermal insulation. But the greatest eco benefit the walk-in refrigerator offers is that staff can walk in and close the door behind them before they start working, so you can minimize energy waste.

Another benefit the showcase offers is that you can restock the showcase from the walk-in refrigerator without hauling products. The shelves are also slightly angled to make it easier to restock.

According to the staff in the booth, an ordinary super market spends 60% of its electricity bill on refrigeration facilities and air conditioning. When I go to the fresh foods section of a super market I sometimes shudder from the cold even in the summer, so making efforts to trap the cold air within the showcase as much as possible contributes to eco conservation.

• Open Showcase

ECONAVI is key to the energy saving solutions found in the "Entire Home Zone." Perhaps many people in Japan may have heard of the term, "ECONAVI," in the TV commercials featuring famous Japanese celebrities. Home electronics equipped with ECONAVI use Panasonic's unique sensor technologies to self-detect wasteful energy use and realize energy efficient operation. ECONAVI has been applied to a wide range of home electronics. Now, there are 15 categories of products available including not only white goods, but also TV, Blu-ray Disc(TM) recorders, mobile phones, etc.

The second day of Eco-Products 2010 has begun. There are already groups of junior high school students who have come to the Panasonic Group booth as part of their field trip. As you can see, 2 walls have been dedicated to ECONAVI home electronics. It is truly a splendid sight.

In the "Entire Home Zone," "ECONAVI Sensor Workshops" are held 4 times an hour. As I introduced in yesterday's entry, an MC dressed as a mother is conducting the demonstration on various sensor technologies, while also offering children opportunities to experience them. The children are very earnestly taking notes as they take part.

When the children touch the device used to explain the principle behind the sensors that detect "people and objects," the line, which was straight before, changes into a wave. You can see how it is detecting people's movement.

The next device is a miniature of a room, which shows you how the sensors that detect "people and objects" equipped on air conditioners function. The red lights show how the sensors behave. First the heat sensor and then the people sensor sweep the entire room and sends warm air only to the place where there are people.

After the workshop you could see the words, "ECONAVI," "sensors that detect people and objects," and "heat sensor" written on the children's notebooks. Perhaps they already come in contact with sensor technologies in their daily lives, but they understood the principle very quickly and they were very good at jotting down the essentials.

I have introduced Panasonic’s ideas to reduce CO2 emissions in the “entire home” in my entries for Eco-Products 2008 and 2009. But these ideas have evolved extending the area the energy solutions cover to “entire towns.” What forms the foundations of the solutions are ideas that “create energy” needed, “store energy” created, “save energy” as much as possible, and ideas for “energy management,” which connects various equipment together and controls them intelligently. The ideas for the “entire home” that Panasonic proposed in the past have now been amplified and applied to “entire towns.”

“Panasonic,” who offers a wide range of products we use day to day, and “Panasonic Electric Works,” who offers robust housing equipment and energy management solutions, and “Sanyo Electric,” who has great competence in photovoltaic modules, storage batteries, and commercial equipment – because the Panasonic Group has the ability to offer products and solutions drawing from the competence of the entire group, it can propose ideas for reducing CO2 and energy solutions not only for homes, but also for “entire towns.”

On the concept stage, the staff in charge of the “home,” “building/office,” “store,” “public area,” and the “factory” appear on the screen placed vertically on the right side of the stage to introduce the concept, “Energy Solutions for Entire Towns,” in a very easy to understand way by carrying out a dialogue with the MC. The stage presentation is short, so not all of the products and services exhibited in the booth are introduced, but it successfully conveys that Panasonic is seriously committed to proposing “Energy Solutions for Entire Towns” through its eco activities.

• Energy Creation "Fuel Cells"
• Energy Creation "Solar Power Generation"
• Energy Storage "Lithium Ion Batteries"
• Energy Saving
• Energy Management
• Comprehensive Energy Solutions

You will see an image of the Tokyo Sky Tree(R), which is still under construction, on the gigantic plasma display located at the entrance of the main street. Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd. is attempting to light up the Tokyo Sky Tree(R) with only “EVERLEDS,” Panasonic’s LED lamps. I took a picture of the Tokyo Sky Tree(R) lit up in “Miyabi,” a shade of edo purple said to be difficult to reproduce. The Tokyo Sky Tree(R) can also be lit up in “Iki,” a shade of a cool, aqua blue.

What is being introduced using an entire exterior portion of the booth are ‘eco ideas’ for Business-styles. The exhibits you will find here, starting with the section you can see closest in the photograph are “Green Plan 2018,” “Recycling-oriented manufacturing,” “Corporate citizenship activities,” and “Biodiversity.” There is a lot to cover in each of these sections, so I would like to introduce them in detail in my entries to follow.

There is a hands-on solar cell classroom that is being held in one area of the “Corporate citizenship activities” section. Many children are taking part in the class, and they listen even more intently when they see a staff move a miniature solar car by shining it with an incandescent lamp, which represents the sun’s rays in this demonstration.

• Environmental Activities
• Environmental Action Plan "Green Plan 2018"

On the cross road of the main street you will find the “Solalib.” It is half the size of the ones you find at the Kasai Green Energy Park, but it is still very impressive. In the Public Area Zone, you will also find a solar bicycle parking lot and a LED lamp energy saving experiential corner. Perhaps it is because the “Solalib” is located on the junction, but it seems as though there is a constant flow of people here and it always seems very crowded.

• Solar Charging Station "Solalib"
• Solar Parking Lot

This corner introduces eco measures for “entire factories.” You will find a very elaborate diorama of a green factory Panasonic Group proposes and exhibits introducing ways to make energy use within the factory “visible,” thereby making it possible to save energy in areas that were overlooked in the past. The large illustration in the center is a before-after image demonstrating how much change ‘eco ideas’ can bring about. What the children are intently looking at is a smaller copy of the illustration. They are concentrating very hard on this game of finding what improvements have been made by comparing the illustration on the left (before) to the one on the right (after).

In the “Entire Factory Zone,” you will find a miniature model of Sanyo Electric’s most advanced eco factory, the Kasai Green Energy Park, and various green efforts are being introduced here. A demonstration is conducted by staff wearing factory uniforms thrice every 2 hours.

• Kasai Green Energy Park

This is the “Entire Building/Office Zone.” You will find the WeLBA security system, which manages the energy savings of entire buildings and base lights using the cylinder-shaped LED lamps that save energy but are as bright as fluorescent lamps on exhibit here. A presentation demonstrating the remote conferencing system using the HD Visual Communications System has just begun. Can you see that the presenter on stage is waving to the staff you see on the screen? I will talk more about this experiential stage presentation and the WeLBA security system in detail in tomorrow’s entries.

• HD Visual Communications System

On the exterior wall of the “Entire Home Zone” you will find a rental solution using Electric Assisted Bicycles. I have introduced Panasonic’s Electric Assisted Bicycles at every Eco-Products, but what is unique about this year’s exhibit is the check out post for renting out bicycles. If a customer wants to rent a bicycle, they only have to operate the screen on the post and go through the following processes – register, rent, pay, and return. In comparison to cars, bicycles are of course more ecological, but with the Electric Assisted Bicycles, you can get about easily even in areas with many hills; they are also great for people who do not have the physical confidence. Such a proposal has the potential to not only change stores, but also the entire region.

In the “Entire Store Zone” you will find a showcase much like the one you would find in a Japanese convenience store that many children here love. This is an introduction of the eco experiment, which started in October this year in the city of Okegawa in Saitama prefecture. The “entire” store - from store systems to fixtures - was created with ideas from the Panasonic Group, including Sanyo Electric. An eco quiz rally is also taking place here. If you answer all the questions to the quiz right, the eco store manager gives you a stamp. Many children were already excitedly taking part in the quiz.

This corner showcases EV (Electric Vehicles) we often hear about nowadays. What is interesting about electric vehicles is that they can be connected to homes via the Home Energy Management System (HEMS) to become a “mobile environment” that goes beyond traditional thinking. Not only will you be able to charge your car with the energy created at home, you can share “information,” so you will be able to very easily take the video content you have in the living room with you in your car. The ‘eco ideas’ House introduced in the CEATEC JAPAN 2010 video report demonstrated how EV, which hardly emits any CO2, can be charged in the home, and increasingly, I feel as though the boundaries between homes and automobiles are getting less and less clear cut.

• Comprehensive Energy Solutions

Energy solutions for homes are on showcase next to the home appliances equipped with ‘ECONAVI’ that saves energy. The HIT(R) photovoltaic module and the household fuel cell cogeneration system create energy. The energy created is stored in the household lithium-ion battery module. Finally, the Home Energy Management System (HEMS) efficiently connects home appliances equipped with ‘ECONAVI’ I introduced earlier to obtain an even greater energy saving effect.

• Household Fuel Cell Cogeneration System
• Energy Management

Let me introduce the various areas of the Panasonic Group booth with a series of photographs. First, let us start in the “Energy Solutions for the Entire Home” zone, which is located on the left hand side of the main street. There are already many visitors here in the booth, so it may be difficult to tell, but there are 15 categories of home appliances on exhibit that are equipped with ‘ECONAVI .’

What is different about this year’s Panasonic Group booth? One of the differences is the staff uniforms for each corner. To propose “Energy Solutions for Entire Towns,” the booth has been designed to resemble a town, and there are staff in each zone of the booth – “Entire Home,” “Entire Store,” “Entire Building/Office,” “Entire Factory,” “Entire Public Area” – dressed as residents of the town. Let me introduce the fun costumes one by one. From the left, a staff working in the “factory,” a “store,” a mother at “home,” a business woman working in the “office” and a jogger who enjoys her jogs in the “public area.” It adds lighthearted fun to the whole booth, don’t you think?

At 10:00a.m. on December 9th Eco-Products 2010 has begun. The skies in Tokyo are clear. The sun’s rays are almost too bright.

The Panasonic Group booth this year is located in the East Hall 4 of the Tokyo Big Sight. When you come in through the entrance of the hall, you will see the blue Panasonic sign on your right. It is quite a big booth, so I am sure you will find it without any difficulties. The entire booth has been designed to resemble a town. When you walk down the main street you will find a home, store, office and a factory on both sides of the street, and the large solar tree, “Solalib,” in the center welcomes you to the booth.

This is the overall image of the booth seen from the concept stage. The main street is located between the concept stage and the Tokyo Sky Tree(R) and it stretches back into the booth.

On the panels found in the Panasonic Group booth this year, there are phonetic guides on the titles and products names in Chinese characters to help children read the panels. There are many children who come to exhibitions on school field trips, who take notes on the content of the panels, so it will come in handy for those children who are keen to learn about ecology.

I am here at the venue where Eco-Products 2010 will kick off tomorrow. This year, Panasonic created a Panasonic Group booth jointly with Panasonic Electric Works and Sanyo Electric. It is quite an expansive booth (450m2). The Panasonic booth at last year’s Eco-Products was 270m2, so as you can see, this year’s booth is much bigger. Although preparations were still underway, I took a look around the booth. It felt really big in comparison to the other booths nearby. And it is packed full of interesting exhibits, so I am looking forward to taking a closer look at the environmental technologies and ‘eco ideas’ Panasonic will showcase.

According to the press release from today, this year’s theme for the Panasonic Group booth is – “Energy Solutions for Entire Towns.” Because Panasonic offers solutions for “entire towns,” there are services and technologies on exhibit that extend beyond the “entire home,” to “entire stores,” “entire buildings/offices,” “entire factories,” and “entire public areas.” There are many experiential exhibits as well, so children can come and learn while they have fun. I will talk about this in more detail in my entries starting tomorrow, so stay tuned!

I arrived at the venue around 15:00. There were rehearsals taking place here and there already. The concept stage presentation, which introduces the concept, “Energy Solutions for Entire Towns,” will take place under the blue “Panasonic” brand logo and the green ‘eco ideas’ mark. So if you are planning to head down to the booth during the exhibition, please look for these marks.

One of the features of this year’s booth is how different color themes have been applied to the various zones – “Entire Home Zone,” “Entire Store Zone,” “Entire Building/Office Zone,” “Entire Factory Zone,” and “Entire Public Area Zone.” You can see in the photograph the pink section, which is the “Entire Home Zone,” and the orange section, which is the “Entire Store Zone.” All the lighting used are LED lamps!

hiroyuki-san, job well done on covering the Inter BEE 2010! This is mako, one of the writers for this blog. Only 1 month left to go in 2010, and it is once again the season for Eco-Products.

Eco-Products 2010 will be held for 3 days from December 9 at the Tokyo Big Sight. The number of exhibitors has increased from last year to 745 companies and organizations and 185,000 visitors are expected during the 3 days. This year, COP10 (the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties) was held in Nagoya in October, and there seemed to have been a surge in awareness in environmental issues. Eco-Products 2010, an exhibition where the most advanced eco products and environmental technologies are showcased, will certainly also draw attention and the interest of society. I am looking very much forward to the exhibition already.

It just so happens that a special website for the Panasonic booth at Eco-Products 2010 opened today. I took a look earlier, and discovered that this year we will see a joint Panasonic-Sanyo booth, which will feature Panasonic Group's proposal for "Energy Solutions for Entire Towns." In addition to "homes" and "buildings/offices," Panasonic proposed at the Eco-Products in the past, you will see areas such as "stores," "factories," and "public areas" where a wide range of products and services will be on exhibit. There is also a Green Business Style zone where you can learn about the eco activities Panasonic undertakes.

The special website for the Panasonic booth at Eco-Products 2010 not only gives you an overview of the Panasonic booth, you will also find links to various eco related content. For example, if you go to the Panasonic Kids School, you will find contents children would love, such as games and experiments you can try at home.

Eco-Products 2010

Period: December 9 (Thurs) – December 11 (Sat), 2010
Venue: Tokyo Big Sight (Tokyo, Japan)
Organizers: Japan Environmental Management Association for Industry (JEMAI), Nikkei Inc.
Official site: http://www.eco-pro.com/eco2010/english/