Mission

Toward creating sustainable technologies generated by a sustainable accelerator

At the RIKEN SPring-8 Center, we continue R to make SPring-8 and SACLA more sustainable. To date, we have implemented measures such as converting lighting fixtures in the SPring-8 Experimental Hall and other areas to LEDs, and reducing power consumption by changing the beam injection system—consisting of a 1 GeV linear accelerator + 8 GeV booster synchrotron—to direct injection from the SACLA linear accelerator. Further studies are also underway to advance sustainability even more. For example, lowering SPring-8’s stored electron energy from the current 8 GeV to 6 GeV would enable further reductions in power usage. Lowering the energy changes the spectral distribution of the emitted X-rays, but by shortening the magnetic period of the undulator, it becomes possible to obtain at 6 GeV a spectral distribution similar to that at 8 GeV. In addition, power consumption can be reduced by replacing some of the Storage Ring electromagnets with permanent magnets; and because the heat generation decreases with permanent magnets, the load on cooling water and air conditioning is reduced, enabling even greater power savings. On the other hand, by changing the accelerator lattice associated with the move to 6 GeV, the source is expected to be reborn as a light source about 100 times brighter than at present. We call this new light source SPring-8-II. Using it, contributions to the SDGs will also increase dramatically from the current level. Going forward, SPring-8 and SACLA will continue their activities as advanced science and technology infrastructure facilities that contribute to human development, not limited to the SDGs.