In recent years, awareness of carbon neutrality and the realization of a decarbonized society has been growing, and on March 19, 2021, the Cabinet Office released a ” Public Opinion Survey on Climate Change. In response to the question, “How do you think each individual should take initiatives to reduce carbon dioxide and other emissions in order to realize a ‘decarbonized society,'” 91.9% of the respondents answered that they “would like to take initiatives.

On the other hand, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC ), greenhouse gases generated by the food system, which brings together all elements and activities related to food production, processing, distribution, preparation, and consumption, account for up to 37% of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Restaurants emit a large amount of carbon dioxide every day, and in recent years, carbon dioxide emissions from gas, electricity, and other energy sources used in the kitchen have become particularly problematic.

Under these circumstances, the H2&DX Social Research Institute, Inc. is making efforts to spread awareness of hydrogen stoves in order to realize a hydrogen energy society, aiming to “eliminate carbon dioxide from the world’s food and beverage scene”. The company announced that it has succeeded in developing a “hydrogen stove” that cooks without emitting carbon dioxide through the use of hydrogen combustion, and began marketing the stove to businesses on August 30, 2022. In this interview, we spoke with Mineyuki Fukuda, president of the company, who is sincerely committed to the realization of a decarbonized society and global warming countermeasures, about the background to the development of the hydrogen stove, its features, and future prospects.

Speaker Profile: Mineyuki Fukuda

After graduating from Rikkyo University, he served as a Yokohama City Councilor, a member of the House of Representatives, and Vice Minister of the Cabinet Office (IT, Science and Technology). He is currently a visiting professor at Tama University’s Institute for Rule Formation and Strategy and CEO and President of H2&DX Social Research Institute, Inc. During his time as a member of the House of Representatives, he was in charge of the practical responsibility for the creation of IT&DX, hydrogen energy, and renewable energy policies. At H2&DX Social Research Institute, Inc., he is building a new business model toward carbon neutrality, such as concerts with excellent sound quality using hydrogen fuel cells and cooking methods that make food tastier by hydrogen combustion, and is working to promote understanding of the hydrogen society by providing services that convey hydrogen to the five senses. The company is also working to promote understanding of the hydrogen society by providing services that communicate hydrogen to the five senses.

Background of “hydrogen stove” development

Mr. Fukuda: “The impetus for the development of the hydrogen stove came from a research group at Tama University’s Institute for Rule Formation Strategies that was conducting research on the utilization of hydrogen. The study group implemented various measures to put hydrogen energy to practical use, such as planning and supporting music events using electricity generated from hydrogen fuel cells. As part of such activities, we began researching hydrogen cooking around 2016 and supported a demonstration at the Italian restaurant Libero in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture. In the demonstration, we not only supported hydrogen cooking, but also supported the restaurant’s operation to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Hydrogen stoves are just one of the ways we are working, and our main goal is to eliminate carbon dioxide from the world’s food and beverage scene.”

In 2021, when he became independent from the study group and established “H2&DX Social Research Institute, Inc.”, he chose the “consulting business operator The company chose the business category of “consulting business operator” so that it could not only sell machines, but also support restaurants in their overall efforts to achieve carbon neutrality.

What is a “hydrogen stove” that contributes to the realization of a decarbonized society and preserves the taste of the food itself?

Hydrogen cooking is a new method of cooking food by burning hydrogen in special cooking equipment without producing carbon dioxide. Hydrogen has a high combustion temperature and is odorless.

Fukuda: “In conventional cooking methods using gas, charcoal, or firewood, the smell of the fuel adheres to the food, but in hydrogen cooking, no such smell is attached, so the original aroma of the food is retained. In addition, during combustion, hydrogen (H₂) and oxygen (O) in the air combine to form water (H₂O), which raises the humidity around the combustion zone. This allows the inner moisture and fat to be retained as in steamed cooking, making the outside crispy and the inside juicy.

In addition, hydrogen has a high combustion efficiency, which means that it can be used to heat food more quickly and in less time than conventional cooking methods. Although initial installation is required when installing a hydrogen stove, no special qualifications are needed to use it. The gas cylinders are transported by qualified personnel from the gas company, and the handling of the cylinders is almost the same as for propane gas.”

Left: Hydrogen gas cylinder / Right: Hydrogen stove

Hydrogen Cooking Tasting Event” Held to Receive First-Time Taste Experience

Mr. Fukuda: “Since we started selling hydrogen stoves in August 2022, we have thankfully received a lot of positive feedback. Therefore, on November 21, 2022, we held a hydrogen cooking tasting event for companies considering the introduction of hydrogen stoves. The venue was the laboratory of Uchida Shoji, which handles hydrogen gas, located in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture. At the tasting event, participants compared foods cooked on a hydrogen stove with those cooked on a liquefied petroleum gas (LP gas) stove. Everyone was very surprised, saying, ‘It tasted better than I imagined,’ and ‘It’s totally different. No one except those who had visited LIBERO, where the tasting and demonstration was being held, had ever eaten food cooked with hydrogen, so they had never experienced it before. I think the best way to convey the appeal of hydrogen cooking is for people to actually try it and feel the difference, so I hope everyone will give it a try.”

H2&DX Social Research Institute, Inc. plans to continue holding hydrogen cooking tasting events on a monthly basis. The “hydrogen cooking restaurant” driven by the company has attracted a lot of attention, ranking 6th in Nikkei Trendy’s “100 Hit Predictions for 2023” ranking. Companies and restaurant workers who wish to participate in the hydrogen cooking tasting event are,
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H2&DX Social Research Institute, Inc. aims to realize a hydrogen energy society.

The H2&DX Social Research Institute hopes to spread hydrogen energy to all places related to “food,” from businesses to homes, and to provide not only sales of hydrogen stoves but also comprehensive support. The company’s future goal is to install hydrogen stoves in more than 50 locations by 2023.

Mr. Fukuda: “Currently, we are planning to install hydrogen stoves at the Enka no Mori luxury ryokan in Gora, Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, and are also in discussions to install hydrogen stoves at a barbecue site. We are also working to promote the spread of hydrogen energy in a wide range of fields, such as supplying hydrogen fuel cells to power the instruments used by the members of the rock band LUNA SEA during their live performances. We plan to collaborate with various companies in the future to promote the spread of hydrogen energy not only in the food and beverage industry but also in other industries, with the first priority being “safe use. We hope to get even a little bit closer to achieving our goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from all aspects of the world.”

Enka no Mori, a luxury ryokan in Hakone Gora, Kanagawa Prefecture, to install hydrogen stoves in spring 2023

Editor’s Note

Hydrogen has been attracting attention in recent years as a means of achieving carbon neutrality: in October 2020, the Japanese government declared its goal of becoming “carbon neutral by 2050,” and in April 2021, it announced a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 by 46% from the fiscal 2013 level. In line with this, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has set forth a “Green Growth Strategy Accompanying Carbon Neutrality in 2050” and formulated an action plan for 14 key areas where growth is expected in terms of both industrial and energy policies. In this action plan, hydrogen-based energy supply is listed as an important item for achieving carbon neutrality, and the government is expected to promote the spread of hydrogen energy in the future.

Nowadays, many people may feel that the “popularization of hydrogen energy” is still far in the future. In reality, however, practical applications are steadily advancing, such as the hydrogen stove introduced in this article. While the majority of the world has not yet had the experience of eating food cooked with hydrogen, the fact that it not only emits no carbon dioxide, but also allows one to taste the original aroma of the food and cook it more deliciously than with conventional cooking methods, is a value that cannot be found anywhere else. Many customers would like to try it.

Focusing on such “sustainable cooking” and promoting advanced efforts to achieve carbon neutrality in restaurants may help attract a more environmentally conscious customer base.

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Completion of development of hydrogen cooking equipment and start of sales to businesses.
Reference site] Mineyuki Fukuda Official Site
Reference site] H2&DX’s “Hydrogen Cooking Restaurant” ranked 6th in Nikkei Trendy’s “2023 Hit Forecast Ranking!
Chefs are keenly interested in hydrogen cooking restaurants.
ICPP: Climate Change and Land
Reference site] Cabinet Office: Public Opinion Survey on Climate Change
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry: Green Growth Strategy Accompanying Carbon Neutrality by 2050
Reference site] H2&DX Institute for Social Research official website