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The Shiba is a miniature and robust goat native to Japan. A female Shiba has no seasonal gestation. In a closed ecosystem, the goat is expected to be a useful animal for eating crop leavings and providing meat and milk to humans. To find a practical way of recycling the feces from Shiba goats in the closed ecosystem, we examined mushrooms cultivated on the beds of ground and sterilized feces supplemented with roughage and without. In a thermal and humid controlled incubator, oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) and shiitake mushroom (Lentinus edodes) were cultivated. After 60 days, oyster mushrooms had grown on the beds of feces supplemented with roughage. Shiitake mushrooms failed to grow due to the lack of hyphae growth.

Since 1978, the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) of MITI has promoted research and development of “Large-Scale Energy Conservation Technology” popularly known as the “Moonlight Project”. As the first step, “system technology tests” using improved lead acid batteries started at Kansai Electric's Tatsumi Electric Energy Storage System Test Plant on October 1, 1986. The results showed that this system can work not only as a load-leveling apparatus but also as a high-quality power source which can support the utility power system with its load frequency control and voltage regulation capabilities. As the second step of these R&D activities, a 1MW/8MWh sodium-sulfur battery pilot plant was constructed at the same Tatsumi site. On July 11, 1991, 1000 kW× 8H facility, the largest of its type in the world, was completed and started operation. This paper describes the construction experience and operation results of the pilot plant.