A long, hot summer for Tokyo universities

Chronicle of Higher Education : Across Tokyo, universities are trying to cut their electricity use by 15%. Tokyo’s power comes from Tepco, operator of the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear plants, which have been inoperable since the 11 March earthquake and tsunami. Many other reactors are also offline in the wake of the disaster, and now that it’s summer and a peak demand time, Tokyo faces a severe power crunch. The University of Tokyo is one of the 10 largest consumers of electricity in the city and is thus under pressure to take the lead in power conservation. Experiments that require supercomputer simulations, electromagnetic pulsars, and other power-intensive equipment now run during off-peak hours, on evenings and weekends. Classroom temperatures stay at 28 °C (about 82 °F), and professors who use too much electricity receive warnings via Twitter alert. Some other institutions have simply ended classes early to avoid the worst of the summer heat. The Tokyo Institute of Technology has reduced lighting in classrooms by 50%, and banned or curtailed the use of air conditioners, projectors, and other electrical equipment. Although some scholars fear their work will suffer, deep cuts in power use may be the best option to prevent blackouts—which could mean more severe consequences for their work than the current restrictions.