Harima Institute
Nobuo FUJISHIMA, Director
Environmental policy of Harima Institute
Panorama of Harima Institute
The Harima Institute, with its beautiful, mountainous natural surroundings, houses SPring-8, a large synchrotron radiation facility which delivers the most powerful synchrotron radiation currently available in the world. While offering a cutting-edge research environment, the institute also boasts a design that is in harmony with its natural surroundings, based on the urban design of Harima Science Park City, whose slogan is ‘a forest city which grows as the woods grow’. This consideration for the natural environment is likewise a priority in the ongoing construction of the XFEL facility, where we are installing a photo-voltaic electricity generation system and energy efficient equipment.
We hold an annual meeting with the three local administrative bodies, Tatsuno city, Kamigori town and Sayo town, to discuss our efforts toward environmental conservation, as well as to introduce the latest research results we have achieved using SPring-8.
Research and environmental c ontribution
Photovoltaic panels
The synchrotron radiation delivered by SPring-8 enables us to observe a level of microscopic structure and instantaneous change that goes well beyond what can be seen with conventional light, making possible extremely fine-grained material analysis. Such synchrotron radiation can be used for a wide range of research, in fields such as environmental science, life science, physics, material science and geoscience, and ranging from basic to applied research, as well as research into industrial uses.
Contributions of such research to the environment include, for example, the development of high performance exhaust gas catalysts and batteries, and solar batteries based on the principle of the biomembrane. In opening Spring-8 to researchers from various disciplines and countries, it is our goal to further contribute to development in environmental science studies through the exploitation of new forms of light, such as the X-ray laser light provided by the XFEL facility, and through improvements in applied technologies and systems.
Environmental problems are problems of a global scale, which all of humanity shares, and it is important that researchers and research institutions constantly seek to find ways to contribute to solving these problems. There are also small steps that can only be taken at the individual level, by changing individual awareness and value systems, steps such as turning off the light or computer when not in use, or adjusting the room temperature. These small steps are ones that I think everybody should start taking now.