Everyone asks Hideta Mano, General Manager of the Solutions Division of the Electric Power Business Division, the meaning and impact of "choosing electricity"

Have you ever thought about the other side of the outlet where electricity flows when you insert it?

Otsuka (hereinafter referred to as Otsuka) -Today, everyone came to Hideta Mano, Director of Solution Sales Co., Ltd. Everyone has been developing a business based on the "face -to -face power ™", and last year, the Ministry of the Environment's Good Life Awards was awarded the Best Award for the Environment. This year, the new colon virus infection has become a great interest, but the response to climate change to prevent global warming continues to be inevitable. On the other hand, I think that the interest in aiming for a more mature society, such as SDGs initiatives, is growing. Under these circumstances, I hope that Mano -san will take the opportunity to think about the relationship with our own life or the environment, as a starting point for the use of electricity. Immediately, I would like to ask Mano -san to introduce what kind of company and what kind of business is doing.

Mr. Mano -Our company, all of us are electricity retail operators, but we are the only service in Japan, "Visible Power ™". What this means, we always ask a question, but "Do you see the other side of the outlet?" The outlet, just as water comes out if you twist the water supply, the electricity will flow if you insert it, but it is always connected to some power plant. Have you ever thought about the power plant beyond the outlet? Is the question. We are currently contracting with a power plant of about 150, from Aomori to Kagoshima in the north, Aomori in the north, to Kagoshima in the south. From a wind power plant that has more than 20 large windmills called a so -called wind farm, a citizen -like solar power generation that farmers have invested and set up by some people individuals or some people. All are renewable energy power plants. From there, we procure electricity and sell it to customers. If you look at our homepage, you can see all of these power plants, and we will introduce how each one is making energy. When using electricity, there is a desire to use such electricity that such people are making such electricity, such as such a particular electricity. You don't really think about where you usually come from. Then I don't think you will know what the result is. However, in this way, although it is pseudo, you can think of that kind of thing by participating in the mechanism of choosing electricity and buying it.

When I heard about Otsuka -Mano -san, yeah, it was a good idea, but I was able to think about that, or I was trying to start up as a business more specifically.I would like to ask about that.

Mr. Mano -In fact, it is more interesting to talk about the founder Oishi himself, but I will talk on behalf of it. Originally, Oishi was a printing company, not a person specializing in electricity. At that time, when I happened to be on the subway, a woman sitting in front of her had a key chain with a solar panel on her mobile phone. Just because the battery of Oishi's own mobile phone was charged, he seemed to think, "I want to buy electricity!" From there, Oishi, who is not an electric expert, has a inspiration that electricity can actually be made by anyone, so that everyone creates a society where everyone makes it and shares it. If there was a mechanism to make money there, it was a trigger that everyone could share wealth little by little in Japan. I think that has led to the company name "everyone electricity".

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"List of electric power ™ generations with facial views" on the electric power website.

Electricity was not a "choice" until now

Otsuka -I think that the start of each experience of various people gathered, but from the timing, the system such as electricity liberalization and FIT (fixed price purchase system) in Japan is one.I will do it.Was there anything to do?

Mr. Mano -It seems that it was not directly relevant at the start. The 2011, which happened to be founded, was the timing of the accident in Fukushima, but it was not launched in that year, but it was originally a flash. However, the fact that companies can buy electricity, combined with the fact that society as a whole can make renewable energy, thanks to the electricity liberalization and the FIT system, so we choose electricity. I think that the environment of buying and choosing and using it has been in good shape. I myself was originally in a think tank, later engaged in the power generation business and joined later. When I was involved in renewable energy power generation business, I realized that it was very important that the users still want to use more renewable energy. Then, when I thought about what the business closest to the user was, I thought it was an electric retail business. Everyone who started the only service in Japan to choose electricity and buy it was electricity, and wanted to do business close to consumers, so I joined three years ago.

Otsuka: At that time, was the power already quite large?

Mr. Mano -At that time, individual customers were still the main.There were also corporate customers, but rather, relatively small places such as cafes were purchased from renewable energy and high awareness of the environment.Since the Paris Agreement in 2016, climate change has become a corporate management task.If you do not work on it, there will be a trend that companies will not survive, and at that time, Marui -san, TBS, Toda Construction, and recently Ricoh, such as Ricoh, have a major company in Japan, such as a venture power like our company.The company is still choosing a smaller scale than a major power company.The environmental awareness of the last few years has been increasing.

Otsuka: That's probably because everyone was working from the power side.

Mano -san -That's right.However, the concept of "electric power ™ with a face" and "choosing electricity" has not changed since the beginning.Until now, electricity was not a "choice".Often, the best mix of the power supply is that nuclear power, firepower, coal, and natural energy are all.The best mix was the idea of making it by a power company.Even though small businesses and individuals with high environmental awareness wanted to buy renewable energy as much as possible, they could not be able to buy it before electricity.

Otsuka: Even now, many people still don't think they can choose.

Mano -san -That's right.Unfortunately, there are some people who do not know that they can choose electricity.The big challenge is how to raise awareness of consciousness.

Otsuka: I think there were some places where both power could not be combined well.I think I was looking at a good place in the sense that consumers were in line with the desires of consumers.

Mano -san -That's right.Oishi, the representative, also said that when he started this business, only one in 1093 people could understand.He talked about choosing electricity and buying it, saying, "What does it mean? I can't choose electricity."Recently, choosing a power company has become commonplace.

There is no color, no shape, the ultimate commodity

Otsuka -Everyone was awarded the Best Award for the Minister of Environment at the Good Life Awards last year.As you mentioned many times, the concept of "choosing and buying electricity" has a symbol of a new lifestyle, and we are selected as the Minister of Environment Award.I understand.Everyone may be natural from the side of the power side, and I think it's a matter of thinking about various things about today's society.I would like to introduce what Mano and others are doing and what they have heard from consumers.

Mano -san -That's right. Electric is the ultimate commodity. There is no color and no shape. So, even if everyone replaces electricity, it doesn't mean that something will change from the next day for the buyer. For example, if you buy organic vegetables, you can get it, and you may feel a slightly different taste. But isn't that the case with electricity? In that sense, it is very difficult to feel the meaning of changing electricity and whether you can feel it. We are still trial and error. But I'm making various gimmicks. If you look at the homepage, you will find a list of power plants. So you can choose your favorite power plant. Individuals create a mechanism that allows you to choose your favorite power plant once a month from among power plants nationwide. If you support the power plant, the donation of 100 yen will be given to the power plant as a support for the electricity bill received from the individual. Depending on the power plant, there are benefits, and thank you for being supported. For example, it is also set up that you can create a secondary connection, even if you do not know the difference in electricity itself, or the difference between the electricity itself.

Otsuka: Do you all say the case you mentioned now?Or is it a system that the power plant sends directly to the person who has invested?

Mr. Mano -This is a mechanism to send a thank -you item to the customers who support the target customers from our company to the power generation operators.There is another device that you can realize in various ways.Usually, the statement of electricity rates is only how much you use.Everyone is making "super discrimination" in electricity.Of the electricity bills I paid, how much money would reach the power generator, how much of the power of the power of electricity, how much, how much, such as transmission lines, renewable energy, and non -fossil certificate costs.It is a graph on whether it is paid.This makes it possible to see the destination of the electricity bill you have paid.

Otsuka: I want you to go to a power generation company as much as possible.Nevertheless, this "super discrimination" is important.

Mano -I think that electricity has a very big potential. The power market is said to be 18 trillion yen, and I don't think there are 18 trillion yen. It is very important where 18 trillion yen flows. For example, if you buy electricity for coal and petroleum, you will always escape abroad, and even with nuclear power, you buy uranium fuel from overseas. However, renewable energy is basically all domestic energy, so if you choose renewable energy electricity, the money of 18 trillion yen will be returned in Japan. I think it's very important. Since 18 trillion yen is in the country, and there are many renewable energy generations in the region, the flowing money to the region can solve issues such as depopulation and regional revitalization in Japan. For example, when farmers are doing power generation businesses, they are dualizing energy and agricultural products that grow crops under solar power generation. This will increase the food self -sufficiency rate, another issue in Japan. Therefore, it is very important where the money flows, and I think that you usually pay 5,000 yen or 10,000 yen without worrying, but in fact, 5,000 yen or 10,000 yen. It is a very impactful place to pay and what to choose.

Otsuka -It's a really important point.There are some places where local production for local consumption is not easy to proceed.

Mano -now, renewable energy is increasing steadily thanks to the fixed -price purchase system, but on the other hand, issues are increasing.For example, major capital in Tokyo comes to rural areas and builds a large -scale power plant.As a result, the blurring of renewable energy is becoming stronger.At that time, choosing a power plant that users who are users want to support at such a "face -to -face power plant" will lead to a good power plant.I think the most healthy figure is to increase renewable energy from the perspective of consumers.I think it would be better to increase the renewable energy of Japan as a whole.

Otsuka -I agree at all.

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Everyone is a super -disclosure of electricity

Everyone is looking at the story behind the thing

Otsuka -I will change the topic a little.You can see that the power is the key, but if you think about it a little more, SDGs has recently attracted attention.As I mentioned earlier, I talked about the food self -sufficiency rate, but even if it is not well established, especially for young people, even if it is not well established, even if the environment is really close to the human life itself, such as health and food.I feel like I'm starting to penetrate.Everyone may be away from the electric power business, but how do you feel as you have been working so far?

Mano -I think the values ​​are changing a lot. As with myself, in this era full of things, what the consumers want to spend on is the background behind the object. What kind of story is there when making things. For example, smartphones have made their life very convenient. Now the price is cheaper, and various models are coming out. At that time, as one of the selection criteria to choose, the eyes are coming to the place where people are involved and how many resources are used in creating that model. And I think you are. I guess everyone is looking at the story behind the object, so that they want to choose things that do not put as much load on the environment and do not have child labor. Because the thing itself is cheap but good quality, but there are as many as the world today. Then, what you want to pay for, young people look at the story of that thing or what you are supporting by buying that thing. I wonder if it is becoming like this.

Otsuka: Rather, it may be more among young people.

Mano -san -That's right. But the same is true for companies. I think that the company was only the price and performance when it was a while ago when making something and selling something. Of course quality is important. Now, what kind of products supported by consumers are not only products that are cheap or good, but the story of the product or the cause is important. increase. For example, Apple products are still a bit expensive, but why still buy this, everyone is supporting corporate attitudes. Buying a product is not only the performance and cost of the product, but also how to evaluate the company is quite meaningful. As a result, I think that company will survive.

Otsuka: Everyone was trying to see what was in the background from the time of the start, like electricity, so the story is very easy to understand.I think it would be better to increase corporate expansion with similar ideas for other things other than electricity.

Mr. Mano -Actually, we are trying to expand more and more in areas other than electricity in the form of social update companies, so I would like to talk again on the next opportunity.

Otsuka -That's right.I would like to ask.

It is important to show that no matter how big a social issue, your little action will be connected.

Otsuka: Well, lastly, we've heard various stories from Mr. Mano so far, but if we have a little short -term or really want to say this, we will overlap a little.It's fine, so I hope you can make a message for the readers of EIC Net.

真野さん―　ぼくらは、会社のコンセプトの一つに、選ぶことの重要性を掲げています。選ぶために、ブロックチェーン技術を使って、電気も選べるような仕組みを実現しているのですが、でもその技術が大事ということではなくて、選べるようにすることが大事なのです。どうやって選ぶかというと、結局は作り手の思いなどの背景を知ってもらい、どんな電気の由来なのかといったことをお見せする。消費者もそうですし、企業さんもそうですけれど、選ぶことの重要性や影響の大きさということを、ぜひもっと広めていきたいと思っています。一般の個人のお客様と話していて感じるのは、気候変動に対する理解が高まっていることです。私は京都議定書の頃、1997年から気候変動に携わるようになりましたが、その頃は本当に一部の人たちだけが知っているような話だったのが、今では、気候変動というとほとんどの方が一応は理解しているわけです。でも、気候変動と自分の生活があまりつながっていないのですよ。気候変動が深刻な問題で、各地で豪雨被害をもたらしていて、このままでいくと地球はどうなっていくんだろうと、皆さんすごく心配されていると思うのですが、じゃあ自分がどういう行動をとれば、それが改善するように寄与できるのかというのは、皆さんあまりわかっていらっしゃらない。でも実は、簡単なことからできることがあるのです。ご家庭でのCO₂排出量の約半分が電気由来ですから、その電気に再生可能エネルギー電気を選ぶという、本当に簡単なことによって、実は気候変動という大きな問題に自分も寄与できるということに気づいていただきたい。電気を切り替えること、電気を選ぶことって、簡単にできることじゃないですか。そんなふうに、どれだけ大きな社会の問題であっても、自分のちょっとした行動がつながっていくことを見せることが、やはりすごく大事じゃないかなと思います。

Otsuka -We had you explain it very clearly.Please continue to be more active in the future.Thank you very much.

Hideta Mano (left), the director of the Solution Sales Department of the Electric Power Business Division, and Rotaro Otsuka (right), President of the Environment Innovation Information Organization.