JAUE2020-094: Investigation of measures for power outages in buildings in DHC

Abstract

In recent years, large-scale natural disasters have caused power outages and other damage in the centers of Japan's major cities. Investigations have reported that some of the heat facilities have been shut down due to the power outage, leaving the air conditioning out of service. On the other hand, after the earthquake in Hokkaido, some buildings in Hokkaido were able to continue supplying heat to customers even during power outages that occurred in the district heating & cooling supply area, allowing them to use air conditioning and accepting people who could not return home. Therefore, this study investigates the response to power outages in Momochi district, a typical district heating and cooling area in Fukuoka, to understand the level of demand for electricity and heat supply during disasters. Based on the results, we calculated the value of continuing to accept heat during a disaster and assessed its economic value. An economic assessment of the effect of implementing lifeline disruption measures to improve the resilience of consumer buildings in the heat supply area showed that implementing more disaster mitigation measures had a significant economic impact, generating approximately $23 million in annual monetary value.