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January 22, 2021

Hitachi Develops System That Visualizes
Equipment or Services Usage of Renewable Energy
with an Eye toward Realization of Decarbonized Society

Began operations in harmony with "Powered by Renewable Energy"
system of certifying 100% use of renewable energy

Tokyo, January 22, 2021 - Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501; "Hitachi") today announced that it has developed a system that visualizes operations based on electric power generated from renewable energy by building, equipment or service, through the application of digital technologies. Hitachi will install the system at the Central Research Laboratory (Kokubunji-shi, Tokyo) and begin to implement its system of certifying the use of electric power generated from 100% renewable energy as "Powered by Renewable Energy" on February 1, 2021.

Recently, against the backdrop of global warming, governments in many countries have declared themselves to go carbon-neutral, and organizations and companies have begun undertaking a range of efforts such as RE100, a collaborative initiative which companies commit to ensuring that the electricity they use in their businesses is generated from 100% renewable energy, with an eye toward the creation of a decarbonized society. Under these circumstances, Hitachi's Future Investment Division, which is responsible for creating businesses from a medium- to long-term perspective by keeping abreast of trends in next-generation technologies and changes in the world, has been studying systems and concepts to help companies raise their environmental awareness and provide products and services with environmental value by visualizing the results of their medium- to long-term efforts to decarbonize through the use of renewable energy.

The system developed by Hitachi leverages smart meters and blockchain technology to visualize how much renewable energy is used at individual buildings, equipment, etc. Even when companies face difficulties achieving 100% renewable energy-based operations early as a whole company, this system enables them to visually confirm in detail, on a building-by-building or manufacturing line-by-manufacturing line basis, that the electricity they use is 100% generated from renewable energy, which helps companies raise environmental awareness and promote the use of renewable energy. Installing the system at the Central Research Laboratory, Hitachi will apply its "Powered by Renewable Energy" system to certify 100% use of electricity generated from renewable energy sources in operations to the Kyoso-to research building and other specific equipment, including elevators.

In the future, the utilization of this system will enable companies to provide high value-added services featuring 100% renewable energy-based operations for their own products and services. For example, taxi operators may emphasize their services with environmental value by affixing the "Powered by Renewable Energy" mark to vehicles that were charged with not fossil fuel-based electricity but electricity generated from 100% renewable energy. By promoting applications such as this, Hitachi seeks to support businesses' adoption of renewable energy and facilitate corporate decarbonization.

Hitachi will collaborate with diverse industries and partner companies to explore the possibility of providing this system and the "Powered by Renewable Energy" concept, and contribute to the realization of a decarbonized society.

[image]Examples of the recently developed system's understanding and visualization of the usage of renewable energy
Examples of the recently developed system's understanding and visualization of the usage of renewable energy

[image](left)Checking the status of electricity usage态(right)"Powered by Renewable Energy" mark

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is focused on its Social Innovation Business that combines information technology (IT), operational technology (OT) and products. The company's consolidated revenues for fiscal year 2019 (ended March 31, 2020) totaled 8,767.2 billion yen ($80.4 billion), and it employed approximately 301,000 people worldwide. Hitachi drives digital innovation across five sectors - Mobility, Smart Life, Industry, Energy and IT - through Lumada, Hitachi's advanced digital solutions, services, and technologies for turning data into insights to drive digital innovation. Its purpose is to deliver solutions that increase social, environmental and economic value for its customers. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at https://www.hitachi.com.

Contacts

Digital Grid Project, Future Investment Division of Hitachi, Ltd.

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