Associate Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology, School of Environment and Society, Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering
Specialty: Systematic engineering on earth resources, Environmental impact assessment and policy, applied economics
Contact:
Telephone: +81.45.924.5533
E-mail: tokimatsu.k.ac[at]m.titech.ac.jp
Our main mission is contributing to the society by promoting research and education about the relationship between technologies and socio-economics. We seek for social significance based on understanding of science and technology. The principle is contributing to our society through research. The strength point of Tokyo-Tech is being one of the world's top research institutions, for stand-alone technology.
However, the weakness is insufficiency of technological integration, based on only science and economics. Our laboratory basically apply Tokyo-Tech's rich educational and research assets (energy science and engineering, energy systems, social science and technology, innovation, resources and environment development economics, etc.), and further hope to extend these research assets.
The education idea is to see through the student's desired research field and support their self-realization. Our students usually have their own perspective, from various backgrounds with different visions of life.
They spend their valuable 2 to 5 years in this graduate school. We hope that students can manage to carry out their own self-realization, trying new research topics and methods; teachers will also support and do business efforts for the same goal. We sincerely believe that the hard work will become a source of new innovation in Society.
1. Economic evaluation of energy technology
Carrying out economical assessment for energy supplying technologies, including standalone systems such as fossil fuel power plants, biomass, as well as residuals, CCS (carbon capture and storage) and so on. In order to evaluate cost of electricity as well as reducing environmental pollutant emissions such as CO2.
2. Energy system analysis and materials resourcing
In section 1 (Economic evaluation of energy technology), energy technology is solely assessed, however, resources for energy and materials as well as energy technologies are correlated, since the resources are defined as flows and stocks within the socio-economic activities (called energy systems). Hence, system analysis of demand/supply is needed, not only for the resources but also for forecasting technologies that are carried out in Japan, Asia, and around the world within the time horizon: 2030, 2050, and 2100.
3. Environmental impacts assessment
In previous sections, (marginal) cost of reducing emission pollutants, such as CO2, SOx, NOx are evaluated. In this section, economical impacts by pollutant emissions are assessed, based on the lifecycle impact assessment model (LCIA) as well as integrated assessment modeling (IAM). Marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) can be estimated using social survey.
4. Assessing sustainability by their indicators
From previous section, capitals in physical, natural, and environment can be quantitatively assessed. In this section, various sustainability indicators, especially based on environmental and resource economics, are analyzed based on these three capitals plus human capital. The indicator, named "inclusive wealth" captures sustainability by changes in value of the four capitals. Other non-economic various indicators such as resources productivity, eco-efficiency, and human appropriated photosynthetic net primary productivity (HANPP) of are also investigated.