Mobile Power-Generating Trailer House Project supported by Chofu citizens and also by crowd funding

Enekoya Inc., a non-profit organization promoting natural-energy structures, is carrying out a project of building a self-sufficient wooden trailer house, dubbed “Mobile Enekoya (power-generating cottage),” equipped with solar energy panels and an electric condenser. (Enekoya’s Address: 2 Kitamachi, Jindaiji ,Chofu; tel 042-483-8686).

They are promoting to build “Enekoya”which literary means “energy” and “cottage”, the latter possibly other small structures. It is quipped with only natural energy and still is capable to provide pleasant space for people. The first such structure is “Enekoya Rokuyosha” in Chofu, which is based on a skeleton structure of a 40-year-old house. With no power supply from outside, it has a solar energy generator, an electric condenser, a solar energy hot water supply system and a stove of wooden pellets.

All these recyclable energy devices and triple-layered-glass windows for controlling heating and temperature quite sufficiently made it possible to provide pleasant space for human life inside the structure. It is currently used as an architects’ office, where many architecture specialists, students and local citizens visit to see what it is like. They organize seminars and workshops there, too.

The organization was founded in 2016 by local citizens sharing an initiative to live without energy from nuclear power plants after the nuclear power plant crisis in Fukushima. Tsuyoshi Yuasa, an architect himself, was joined by Tetsuo Ohmura, active in movement of preserving the greens along the Kokubunji Cliff Line running in the middle of Chofu; Mitsufumi Komine promoting the local-product-for-local-consumption trend through his solar energy business; Chifumi Sugano, once a housewife who grew aware of the energy issue for the first time as her own interest; Shinya Ohnishi, the former trustee of Toho Gakuen who was long involved in various town-revitalizing activities and many others. They together discussed many times in search for a lifestyle to hand over to younger generations in the future and concluded to aim “earth-friendly, simple life” to be available with natural energy and energy saving measures and also “planning to build a town resistant to natural disasters”. They then launched activities to promote “Ekoneya” concept.

Their ongoing project is to produce a mobile power-generating trailer house so that many people can experience the life of natural energy. It will be a wooden cottage in size of five tatamimats and getting energy from solar panels, which will be placed on a chassis, or a steel framework with automobile tires. They are trying to get financial support by crowd funding with the catch phrase, “We would like to suggest an earth-friendly life with Mobile Ekeneya(mobile house) !” They plan to invite the donating supporters to workshops where they build the structure and install solar panels.

When the “mobile house” is built, it will be used for diverse events, such as energy workshop at schools and local sites, or as a semi-pubic space of café, mini-theater etc. They are asking for ideas to make the best use of it. Supporters can make donation in a unit of 3,000 yen (2,000 yen for student) on the crowd funding system through March 30, or by cash anytime.

Mr. Yuasa says: “We aim to provide a simple and yet pleasant and affluent space for our life. I hope many people can experience our “Enekoya” to start thinking about energy and lifestyle.”

The cottage-building workshop will be held at Jinja-no-Mori of Jindaiji Temple on April 6, 13, 20 (to be postpone to next day in case of rain) and also on April 30 (to be postponed to 30thin case of rain).

Illustration credit: Idoushiki Enekoya (Mobile Energy-Generating Cottage) by non-profit Enekoya Inc.

(Adapted from Chofu Keizai Shimbun, with permission)