This thread is about everything energy related in Japan!

Tepco, Kawasaki City Flip Switch On Giant Solar Plant
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110810D1008N01113802.jpg
The Ukishima plant produces enough electricity to power up to 2,100 households
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110810D1008N01.htm
KAWASAKI, Kanagawa Pref. (Nikkei)--Tokyo Electric Power Co. (9501) and the Kawasaki city government said Wednesday that their joint solar power station has begun commercial operations.The Ukishima solar power plant produces up to 7,000kw, or enough electricity to power 2,100 households, generating energy from roughly 38,000 solar panels made by Sharp Corp. (6753). The facility takes up 11 hectares at a Kawasaki city waste disposal facility, which sits on an oceanfront section of the city near Tokyo's Haneda airport.

At a nearby 23-hectare site owned by Tepco, another joint solar plant is being built toward a December start-up. The Ohgishima solar power station will use about 64,000 Kyocera Corp. (6971) solar panels to generate as much as 13,000kw.

The combined maximum output of roughly 20,000kw can meet the power needs of 5,900 households, making these facilities collectively one of the biggest solar power projects in Japan.

The plants will eliminate an estimated 8,900 tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year, equivalent to the emissions from 1,700 households, according to the Kawasaki city government.

Japan Set to Pass Law on Renewable Energy
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903918104576504362770587244.html
TOKYO—Japan's parliament is set to approve a landmark bill on renewable energy that was championed by Prime Minister Naoto Kan as a way to reduce the nation's dependence on nuclear power, and which would break the monopoly of the 10 major utilities.

The final passage of the bill, which aims to bolster investment in renewable energy following the worst nuclear-plant accident in the country's history, is expected by the end of the month. Its approval also paves the way for the unpopular prime minister to step down.

Mr. Kan has predicted the legislation would spark "explosive growth" in solar and ...

Main points of the bill

- Require the power sector to buy electricity from a wider range of renewable energy sources at preset prices for preset periods in a so-called "feed-in" tariff scheme.

- Expand the range of renewable sources from the existing pilot scheme for surplus electricity from small-lot solar suppliers to all renewable types, paving the way for more investors and businesses to enter the clean-energy market.

- Require the government to review the scheme covering solar, wind, biomass, geothermal and small-size hydro power and make necessary adjustments when its post-Fukushima energy policy is fixed, expected by the end of this year. A review is also required at least every three years.

- The more renewable power is introduced, the more electricity bills rise as utilities are allowed to pass their costs to end-users equally. The revised bill, however, includes special provisions for energy-intensive industries to allow them to pay less than what the rest is surcharged.

- Trade Minister Banri Kaieda has said the government wants to cap the surcharge in electricity bills to 0.5 yen per kwh when 10 years are passed after the scheme is launched

- There is no reference to such a cap in the revised bill and instead the government is called to take into account an appropriate return for investors who start renewable energy projects within the three years of the launch to accelerate investment during the promotion period.

- A group of experts appointed upon approval by parliament will decide a price and a period for each renewable type, instead of renewable types divided into only two categories of solar and non-solar in the original bill. Trade Minister may turn up prices and periods every six months if necessary.

- Require the power sector to make efforts to lessen the surcharge on end-users.

- Require the government to consider deregulation and other policy steps to support the renewable energy sector.

Japan's industry at first was worried about this bill because of higher costs but the government will fix that with this:

Big industry to get 80-percent discount on renewable energy premiums
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201108130274.html
Industries that consume large amounts of power will get a huge break on their electricity bills, according to a revised draft of a special measures bill on renewable energy obtained by The Asahi Shimbun on Aug. 12.

The draft, which has been agreed upon by the ruling and opposition camps, will force power companies to buy all electricity generated by solar and wind power stations.

It stipulates that different prices will be attached to electricity from different energy sources, and that the extra cost of purchasing the power will be added to electricity bills in the form of universal premiums.

Those premiums will be slashed by more than 80 percent for steel, chemical and other industries.

The ruling Democratic Party of Japan and the opposition Liberal Democratic Party agreed on Aug. 12 that the Lower House will pass the renewable energy bill on Aug. 19. It is expected to be enacted on Aug. 26 and come into effect in July next year. Enterprises and households in regions hard hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake will be exempted from the electricity bill premiums until March 2013 so as not to hamper rebuilding efforts.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry estimates that the renewable energy bill, if it comes into effect, will add 0.5 yen per kilowatt-hour to the household and business electricity bills by fiscal 2020. The average household can expect to pay 150 yen extra a month.

Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), Japan's largest business organization, had criticized the very large premiums for big users of electricity, saying it would hurt corporate competitiveness. The issue was covered in discussions between the main parties over the passage of the bill.

In the revised draft, electricity bill premiums will be slashed by more than 80 percent for enterprises that use more than eight times the average power consumed by a manufacturer. Likely beneficiaries will include steelmakers that use electric arc furnaces to melt scrap iron and chemical companies.

The cost of the concessions to big business will be deducted from the special account for energy measures to avoid increasing the premiums for other electric power users and is likely to be at least partly covered by increased revenues from petroleum and coal taxes, levied on electric power companies.

"Suspension of nuclear power plants will increase demand for petroleum and coal, and accordingly also the tax revenues from them," an LDP Lower House member said.

Earlier drafts of the legislation had proposed that power from all natural energy sources other than solar power should be bought at a unified rate of about 20 yen per kilowatt-hour.

However, after lobbying from new entrants to the power generation business saying that the pricing system should be more sensitive to investment costs, the revised draft says that prices should be decided by the minister of economy, trade and industry and should vary according to what energy source they came from and the output levels of the originating power plant.

Wind, geothermal and biomass power from small or large plants might all be bought at different rates.

The industry minister will be advised by a newly created panel of third-party experts. The panel will consist of five members, and their appointment will be conditional on Diet approval using a similar mechanism to the appointment of the Bank of Japan governor.

Mitsui, Toshiba plan Japan's largest solar plant
http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL4E7JJ3EN20110819
Aug 20 (Reuters) - Japan's Mitsui Chemicals Inc , Mitsui & Co and Toshiba Corp plan to construct the country's largest solar power facility with an output of 50,000 kilowatts (KW), the Nikkei business daily reported.

The project is in anticipation of the passage of a bill that will require utilities to purchase electricity from renewable sources at fixed rates, the paper said.

The daily said the proposed plant will be built on 800,000 square meters of land owned by Mitsui Chemicals in Aichi Prefecture and have a 6,000 KW wind farm.

The companies, which plan to sell the power produced at the plant to Chubu Electric Power Co from 2013, have asked Chubu to participate in the project, while Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co and Toagosei Co may also join the project, the Nikkei said.

The government-backed Development Bank of Japan is to provide a low-interest loan to cover about 90 percent of the project's estimated 20 billion yen ($262.3 million) cost, the business daily added.

The renewable energy legislation is currently being discussed and is expected to take effect in July 2012, the paper said.

Japan: Renewable energy signed into law‎
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL4E7JQ0TT20110826
TOKYO Aug 26 (Reuters) - Laws to promote renewable energy in Japan passed a final hurdle on Friday, with the upper house of parliament formally approving a scheme that investors hope will ramp up spending on solar, wind and other green energy.

The laws will require utilities to buy any amount of electricity generated from solar, wind, biomass, geothermal and small-sized hydro power plants at preset rates for up to 20 years.

(More in link)

Japan Solar Shipments May Jump 10-Fold, Industry Group Says
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-26/japan-solar-shipments-may-jump-10-fold-industry-group-says-1-.html
Japanese domestic shipments of solar panels may increase by as much as 10 times in “a fairly short period” after the government approved renewable energy subsidies, a solar industry group’s chairman said.

“Legislation passed today will secure purchase of power generated by solar panels for a long time period,” Mikio Katayama, chairman of the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association, told reporters in Tokyo today. “That will help a rapid expansion of industry-use and utility-use solar systems.”

(More in link)

And for Wind Power

New law forcing utilities to buy renewable energy expected to give wind power a boost
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/features/news/20110827p2a00m0na008000c.html
The operation rate of wind power generators, which cannot be operated without wind, is 20-30 percent on average, well above the 12 percent for solar power generators, which cannot generate power at night. The cost for wind power generators to create power is more than 10 yen per kilowatt per hour, which is higher than liquefied natural gas-powered generators (7-8 yen) but well below that of solar-power generation (40 yen).

Noting that a large wind power generator consists of about 20,000 parts, as many as those for a small vehicle, a high-ranking official with an electric power company pointed out that if wind power generation becomes widespread, it will vitalize manufacturers of parts such as motors and bring about positive economic effects. Moreover, the spread of wind power generation will help create jobs in communities that host such facilities.

(more in link)


:banana:

And it's not only solar and wind. All forms of renewable energy will see a boost: Geothermal, tidal etc.

Quake-prone Japan looks at geothermal energy
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/quake-prone-japan-looks-at-geothermal-energy
HACHIMANTAI — The forces that make Japan one of the world’s most quake-prone and volcanic countries, and sparked a nuclear disaster, could become part of its long-term energy solution, experts say.

Steam and hot water billow and gush from deep below the ground at Japan’s tens of thousands of famed hot springs and could be harnessed to drive turbines that generate electricity in a clean, safe and stable way, they say.

Although Japanese high-tech companies are leaders in geothermal technology and export it, its use is miniscule in the island nation, which has for decades relied heavily on imported fossil fuels and atomic power.

The Diet passed a law Friday to promote renewable energy such as wind, solar and geothermal by forcing power utilities to buy it at fixed prices and letting them pass extra costs onto consumers.

“Japan should no doubt make use of its volcano, magma and other geothermal energy,” said Yoshiyasu Takefuji, professor of Tokyo’s Keio University and a prominent researcher of thermal-electric power generation.

(More in link)

Japan invents wind turbine design with triple energy production!
ifF-MOuzM_s

That bill is great news, lots of cool stuff happening.

I missed this one

Toyota eyes solar power in Miyagi Prefecture
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201108250265.html
Toyota Motor Corp. will begin a solar power generation project in an industrial complex in Miyagi Prefecture where the power supply has been tight after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

The joint effort with the Miyagi prefectural government is aimed at generating power through renewable energy sources at the complex in the prefecture, where Toyota's affiliates' plants are located, sources said Aug. 24.

Toyota will set up solar power panels on the 600-hectare segment on the complex hosting plants of Central Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Tohoku Corp., its affiliates, and others in the central part of the prefecture.

(more in link)

Cosmo Oil Goes On Wind Power Offensive
http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20110829D2908A06.htm
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Cosmo Oil Co. (5007) is set to flip the switch on three large-scale wind power stations in the Kanto, Chubu and Kansai regions as early as 2014, supplying roughly 90,000 kilowatts of electricity -- enough for 30,000 households.

Already signs the bill is doing its job!

Japanese venture companies take novel approaches to renewable power
http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20110901D3ZHH411.htm
Venture companies are seizing a business opportunity in Japan’s renewable energy market following the Diet’s passage of a feed-in tariff law on Aug. 26.

Despite high installation costs and relatively low generating efficiency, they are moving to carve out a share of the market in wind, office-based solar, and small-scale hydroelectric power generation.

Next spring, Niigata-based WINPRO Co. will begin making midsize wind turbines with an output capacity of around 10kw. The turbines generate electricity with three blades that rotate around a pole. Compared with the propeller-type models that dominate the wind power market, WINPRO’s turbines are quieter and can generate electricity in wind speeds as low as 1.5 metes per second. They sell for about 5 million yen each.

The firm foresees demand for the turbines, which could be installed on building rooftops in big cities or vacant lots, creating small power stations. WINPRO has commissioned five companies to manufacture parts for the turbines, aiming to sell 1,000 of them in fiscal 2012.

Another venture, EneDream, has developed propeller-type turbines with a ring that encircles the blades. That helps the turbine rotate at a constant speed, generating a steady flow of electricity. The Kanazawa-based company has built a power plant with a capacity of 20kw in Shikamachi, in northwestern Ishikawa prefecture, and plans to start conducting tests by year’s end.

Solar power is another area drawing interest. PVG Solutions Inc. is making experimental solar cells that can generate electricity on both sides. The company aims to raise efficiency using double-sided panels. Another solar cell venture in Tokyo buys double-sided solar panels from an Israeli firm and is trying to create a market for the product, which would be installed along rooftop fences or on sound baffles along highways.

Hydroelectric turbine maker Seabell International Co. is entering the power generation business. It sets up small turbines that can crank out electricity even in rivers with little change in elevation. The firm hopes to obtain funding from local governments and banks to build power plants equipped with 100 of the turbines.

(The Nikkei Aug. 31 morning edition)


Japan study boosts nuclear power's cost estimates
TOKYO, Sept 1 (Reuters) - The cost of generating nuclear power in Japan is one-third higher than Tokyo's last cost assessment in 2004 and 50 percent higher if compensation costs for the recent nuclear crisis are included, but still cheaper than fossil fuels, a study showed this week.

The study by the country's top energy research firm could provide fodder for both sides of Japan's nuclear power debate, which is expected to heat up amid public wariness over nuclear safety despite the prospect of protracted power shortages.

Lawmakers and officials are working to come up with a new energy policy after the Fukushima radiation crisis made it difficult, if not impossible, to build more reactors in the world's third-biggest nuclear generator.

More in link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/01/japan-energy-cost-idUSL4E7K10BE20110901

Noda Seeks To Bring Idled Nuclear Plants Back Online
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda wants to restart nuclear power stations taken offline for regular maintenance once their safety is confirmed.

"After checking safety and making sure localities are given sufficient explanations, we want to put them back in service," he told a news conference Friday.

He said the resumption is necessary in order to avoid a power supply shortage next year, which could hamstring the economy.

More in link: http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110902D0209A18.htm

Nuclear Minister Eyes Standards For Reactors' Lifespan
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110904D04NY782.htm
TOKYO (Kyodo)--Goshi Hosono, a minister tasked with handling the country's nuclear crisis, said Sunday that the government needs to set definitions and standards for how long existing nuclear power reactors should be allowed to operate before they are decommissioned.

Kansai Elec's Huge Solar Farm Springs Into Service
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110907D0709N03.htm
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110907D0709N03116675.jpg
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Kansai Electric Power Co. (9503) on Wednesday began the full operation of its 10,000kw solar power plant in the city of Sakai.

Located on a roughly 210,000 sq. meter site owned by the Osaka prefectural government, the sprawling solar farm, one of the largest currently online in Japan, is capable of generating enough power for roughly 3,000 typical households from some 74,000 thin-film solar cells manufactured by Sharp Corp. (6753) in Sakai.

The western Japan power utility has also begun trials on a supply-demand control system based on nickel-metal hydride batteries at a nearby substation, with the goal of smoothly integrating solar farms into the grid.


Fukushima No. 3 reactor cooling down
The temperature of the Fukushima No. 1 power plant's No. 3 reactor is below 100 degrees, indicating that a cold shutdown may be within reach, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Monday

It is the first time the temperature at the bottom of unit 3's pressure vessel has fallen below 100 since the nuclear crisis was triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Reactor 1 is even lower — below 90 — but Tepco said it is too early to determine whether it achieved cold shutdown because it needs to re-evaluate the amount of fuel left inside.

More: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110906a3.html

Edano Supports Bringing Idled Nuclear Reactors Back Online
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Nuclear reactors that are currently offline for routine inspections should be brought back into service once their safety is confirmed, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yukio Edano said at his inaugural news conference Monday.

"While working to ensure the reactors' safety, we'll also ask nearby residents for their understanding to restart nuclear reactors," Edano said.

As for Tepco's plans to raise rates, Edano assured the public that the utility will not receive his permission easily. "The company needs to first thoroughly review its own expenses," he stressed.

On the fate of nuclear power in Japan over the medium to long term, Edano promised to hold a public debate at the government's energy and environment council. "By promoting conservation, we must create conditions, under which the nation's power needs can be met even if nuclear plants are reduced to zero," Edano said.

More: http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110912D1209A22.htm

Softbank's Son eyes wind power, geothermal
(Reuters) - Masayoshi Son, the billionaire founder of Japanese telecom firm Softbank Corp, said wind and geothermal power will likely be key components of his new power generation business, along with solar power.

"Globally, wind power in particular has very good cost performance," Son said Monday on the sidelines of a symposium held at the launch of the Japan Renewable Energy Foundation, which he founded.

Son, who put in 1 billion yen of his own money to create the foundation in the wake of Japan's nuclear crisis, said Softbank will invest 10 to 20 billion yen ($129-$257 million) in the new business that it aims to set up by the spring of 2012.

More: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/12/us-softbank-idUSTRE78B10U20110912

August Power Output Falls 12.1%, Record-Low Nuke Power
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110913D13SS617.htm
TOKYO (NQN)--Electricity generated by Japan's 10 power companies declined 12.1% on the year to 84.18 billion kilowatt-hours in August, down for the sixth straight month, according to preliminary data released Tuesday by the Federation of Electric Power Companies.

The utilization rate of nuclear power plants, including those at Japan Atomic Power Co., fell 43.8 points on the year to a record-low 26.4% because many reactors have been shut down since the March 11 earthquake out of safety concerns. Others are offline for regular maintenance and their restarts have been delayed.

The nuclear reactor utilization rate fell below 30% for the first time since records since records began in April 1977, when the figure stood at 30.3%.

Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s (9501) power output slid 17.7% to 25.9 billion kilowatt-hours, while Tohoku Electric Power Co.'s (9506) dropped 18.1% to 6.81 billion kilowatt-hours.

The declines were the largest ever for August for both companies, due to cooler weather this summer and the effects of the power-saving drive.

Electricity generated by nuclear power tumbled 60.4% to 9.63 billion kilowatt-hours, as a total of three reactors at Tepco and Hokkaido Electric Power Co. (9509) remained offline in August.

Electricity generated by fossil fuel-fired plants fell 8.2% to 53.7 billion kilowatt-hours.

Japan plans floating wind power for Fukushima coast
(Reuters) - Japan will join the race to develop floating wind turbines to use in deepwater off its tsunami-stricken northern Pacific coast as it rethinks energy sources after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

It aims to outpace the leaders in the sector in Europe, trade ministry official Masanori Sato said on Tuesday.

"In order to take lead in offshore wind power, we want domestic studies and developments to take place and manufacturers to boost capabilities," said Sato.

"From the viewpoint of supporting reconstruction and promoting wind power, we believe it is good to pursue research and development for offshore wind farms," he said.

In the next five years, Japan plans to spend 10 to 20 billion yen to install six or more floating turbines off the northeast coast. It will work with firms including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Fuji Heavy Industries, Sato said.

More: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/13/us-japan-wind-idUSTRE78C41M20110913

Noda pledges new basic energy plan by next summer
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda pledged Sept. 13 to come up with a new basic energy policy by next summer to reduce the nation's dependence on nuclear energy.

Noda, making his first policy speech, said: "It is unproductive to perceive energy policy as a confrontation between those who call for a move away from nuclear energy and those who promote nuclear energy."

He also indicated he would allow a resumption of operations at nuclear reactors that were shut down for periodic inspections as long as the safety of the reactors has been confirmed.

Noda also said an advisory panel, bringing together representatives of business, the bureaucracy and academia, would be in place by the end of the year to help compile a strategy for the revitalization of Japan as well as other key policy areas.

More: http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201109130342.html

Edano's comeback ruffles feathers in industry ministry, power industry
The appointment of Yukio Edano as new industry minister has not gone down well with the ministry he now heads, or the electric power industry.

In his old job as chief Cabinet secretary, Edano was the government's spokesman in dealing with questions about the disaster at the quake-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

In that position, he supported Naoto Kan, then prime minister, on lessening Japan's dependence on nuclear power generation.

A key issue that is now attracting attention is whether Edano can dissolve what is known as the "nuclear power village." Under this cozy arrangement, electric power utilities and bureaucrats with vested interests work closely to promote nuclear power generation.

As for the idea of splitting electric power companies into separate divisions, each responsible for power generation and transmission, Edano said in the Sept. 12 news conference, "I will tackle this issue from scratch."

An industry ministry official labeled Edano a "leftist," on grounds that he takes a strict stance against big companies.

"There is a strong possibility that he will promote the division of electric power companies (into two separate entities)," the official said.

More: http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201109130341.html

Japan Vows At IAEA Confab To Stabilize Fukushima Daiichi By Year-End
VIENNA (Kyodo)--Japan pledged Monday to move up the deadline for bringing the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to a stable condition, telling an International Atomic Energy Agency conference it will do so by year-end.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110919D19JF147.htm

Geothermal Power Sites Seen Supplying 170,000kw In Tohoku
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110922D2209N02118256.jpg

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Geothermal power sources in six Tohoku prefectures could be developed relatively quickly to generate a total of 170,000kw, the Japan Geothermal Developers' Council said Thursday.

Output could reach 740,000kw when including potential sites in national parks, where the development of geothermal plants is restricted, added the council, which comprises geothermal businesses such as Mitsubishi Materials Corp. (5711).

The estimates are based on underground temperatures, topographic features and other data. Using the results from its studies, the council will call on the government to relax restrictions and provide development assistance.

The council studied the Tohoku region first because developing geothermal power sources could spur earthquake recovery efforts. But tapping these sources would take roughly 10 years due to the lengthy environmental impact assessment and earth work.
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110922D2209N02.htm?ep=2

Kansai Elec, 5 Other Utilities Plan Joint Fuel Purchases
OSAKA (Nikkei)--Kansai Electric Power Co. (9503) will jointly procure fossil fuels and share power supplies this winter with five other electricity providers in central and western Japan, President Makoto Yagi said Thursday.

The growing number of nuclear power plants being idled for regular inspections is forcing the companies to increase their use of fossil-fuel-burning power plants. By teaming up, they hope to trim costs.

Japanese Premier Pushes Nuclear-Plant Restarts
TOKYO—Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, brushing aside mounting popular opposition to nuclear power, said he was determined to restart idled reactors by next summer, adding that it was "impossible" for the country to get by without them or to consider a quick phaseout of nuclear energy.

"If we want to go down to zero, development of alternative energy must be advanced considerably," Japan's new leader said in an interview Tuesday, his first since taking office on Sept. 2. "It's still too early to say if we can get to that stage," he added.

More: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904194604576582240847767666.html

Reactor No. 2 cooled to below 100 C
The temperature at the base of the No. 2 reactor at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant fell below 100 C for the first time since the March disaster, according to Tokyo Electric Power Co.

TEPCO said the temperature was 99.4 C at 5 p.m. Wednesday. This means TEPCO has brought the temperatures at the base of the Nos. 1 to 3 reactors at the crippled plant to below 100 C, meeting one of the two conditions for the reactors to be in a stable cooling state, known as cold shutdown.

More: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110929006221.htm

Tohoku Electric aims to triple wind power by 2020
TOKYO, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Tohoku Electric Power Co said on Friday it aims to accept more than triple the capacity of wind power to its grid at 2 gigawatts by 2020 to meet needs to build wind farms in the region whose wind potential is among the highest in Japan.

Some local governments in the Tohoku region are hoping to rebuild from the March earthquake and tsunami by fostering the renewable sector, as the planned launch next July of a scheme to require utilities to buy any electricity from renewable power suppliers is expected to lure investors.


Tohoku Electric said it is starting to accept applications from wind farm developers for the joint study to increase wind capacity by 200 megawatts (MW) a year over the next two years.

More: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/30/tohoku-idUSL3E7KU1B920110930

Latest are good news.

... but I don't understant new japaneses PM to restart the nuclear power plants. Old PM Kan would eliminate the nuclear energy since 3/11 earthquake and tsunam. I think that it's so good if Japan to be the first country in the first world that prescinds this type of energy.

Yes, I agree. I wish that the new cabinet were more determined on abandoning nuclear energy!

But note that Japan wouldn't be the first country to do that! Germany, Italy and Switzerland did it already (No plant in Italy, and Germany and Switzerland formally decided to gradually close its plants on the next 10 years, and to not build any new plant).

The thing is, Germany is simply importing nuclear energy from France now. Japan is an island so they can not just simply turn off all the nuclear power plants. I support the restart of all modern nuclear plants that are not near the ocean (none of them were damaged despite the massive earthquake), but I also support phasing them out as new technology (hopefully renewable) can replace them.

Though my opinion is just one of many, polls shows the majority are against nuclear now, the difference is the plan on how fast to get rid of them.

BTW

New Govt Panel Begins Talks To Review Japan's Energy Policy
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20111003D03JF388.htm
TOKYO (Kyodo)--A new government panel of energy experts, nearly half of whom oppose nuclear power generation, began discussing Monday revising Japan's national energy policy in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

just getting this out there since we're on the topic of Japan searching for new Energy.. this is something thats been on going and may spread to other parts of the US and Japan if successful

Hawaii, Okinawa sign partnership on clean energy
http://www.hawaii247.com/2010/06/19/hawaii-okinawa-sign-partnership-on-clean-energy/
MEDIA RELEASE

A United States-Japan national agreement on clean energy development was signed June 18 in Tokyo among the U.S. Department of Energy, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the State of Hawaii and the Prefecture of Okinawa.

This national agreement features the Hawaii-Okinawa Partnership on Clean and Efficient Energy Development and Deployment.

This agreement follows the meeting between former Japan Prime Minister Hatoyama and President Obama in November to initiate the acceleration of joint energy programs between the two countries through cooperative research, development and deployment activities in renewables, energy efficiency, and next generation vehicles.

As the two largest funders of science and technology research, the two leaders affirmed their intent to expand already strong cooperative activities to increase the likelihood that commercially viable technologies will be developed and move towards a clean energy economy.

Due to Hawaii and Okinawa’s demonstrated leadership and experience in energy technologies such as solar, wind, bioenergy, electric vehicles, energy efficiency, and regulatory and policy planning, Japan and the United States have designated Hawaii and Okinawa as the representatives for this groundbreaking partnership.

“This is a momentous day for the United States, Japan, the State of Hawaii and the Prefecture of Okinawa as our nations work together to demonstrate a secure, clean energy economy,” said Gov. Linda Lingle. “Solving the issues relating to the rapid transformation of Hawaii’s and Okinawa’s energy systems will provide valuable lessons and experience for other regions of the world.”

On March 29, 2010, the first meeting of the Hawaii-Okinawa Task Force was hosted in Honolulu.

Top-level officials from the U.S. Department of Energy, Prefecture of Okinawa, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, New Energy Technology Department, Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, Hawaii State Energy Office, Department of Defense, and national laboratory representatives met to discuss the acceleration of renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency, and evaluate the achievements of existing clean energy projects to enable the islands to be energy independent. Initiation of several joint projects resulted from that meeting.

“Through the groundbreaking Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative, our state is leading the way toward an energy-secure and self-sufficient future,” said Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona, who delivered the keynote address at the Hawaii-Okinawa Task Force meeting. “Working together, Hawaii and Okinawa can exchange new ideas and cultivate the energy initiatives needed to provide a clean energy future.”

The partnership between Hawaii and the Prefecture of Okinawa intends to deploy both governments resources, including its national laboratories, to support the structural transformation that needs to occur to help transition Hawaii and Okinawa to sustainable, clean energy economies.

This includes demonstration of clean energy and energy efficient technologies, financing methodologies, and enabling policies designed to support social, economic, and political acceptance of clean energy projects.

A network of policymakers, scientists, and academicians will work together on a sustained basis to support the efforts of Hawaii and Okinawa to achieve maximum deployment of renewable energy and energy efficient technologies.

“The Memorandum of Cooperation is a critically important step in strengthening our government partnerships among Hawaii, Okinawa, Japan, and the U.S.,” Lingle said. “This MOC will be play a major part in the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative as we our State towards a 70 percent clean energy future while reducing our dependency on fossil fuels.”

In 2008, Hawaii created a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy that launched the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative with the goal of achieving 70 percent clean energy in Hawaii by 2030. Similarly, Okinawa has announced plans to formulate an “Okinawa Energy Vision” to achieve both energy security and low-carbon goals by 2030. This common background forms the basis for future cooperation between the two islands.

^^ That's good

US eases travel alert around Japan nuclear plant
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g8yi_aV2OE3YQP6G1bAhWEi3Lkpg?docId=1c2d42d9c6c34b9c953747a9ae48917e
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has eased its advice for travelers to the environs of the nuclear plant devastated by the March quake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.

The State Department on Friday advised U.S. citizens to stay more than 12 miles away from the Fukushima (foo-koo-SHEE'-mah) Dai-ichi plant — in line with Japan's own no-go zone.

The previous U.S. travel alert recommended against going within 50 miles of the plant. The latest announcement said Americans staying for more than a year within that wider area should consult with local authorities on radiation levels.

Tens of thousands of people were forced to evacuate following the quake. The nuclear crisis caused the worst radiation leak since Chernobyl.

^^foo-koo-SHEE'-mah

LOL!!!

^^

LOL!!!

笑！

Geothermal energy rules to be eased
The government announced measures Wednesday to relax development restrictions under the Natural Parks Law to expand the use of geothermal energy for power generation.

The government aims to shorten the start-up period for new geothermal power generation plants from 15 years to 10 years--generally seen as necessary to develop the energy due to various restrictions.

In the wake of the crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the government plans to encourage expansion of renewable energy sources.

Within this year, the government will select at least 10 sites, mainly in the Tohoku region, where geothermal power plants will be built, and plans to give financial aid to cover part of the development costs.

With many volcanoes in the country, the government assumes there is abundant geothermal energy to supply electricity in a more stable manner than solar and wind power generation, where output is affected by weather.

Because of this reliability, the government decided to develop more geothermal energy plants.

But the government plans to lend land under simplified discretionary contracts if the purpose is geothermal development.

The government aims to have the newly selected sites for geothermal power plants supplying power in about 10 years.

More: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T111013002504.htm

Japan eyes renewable energy deregulation
Oct 20 (Reuters) - Japanese cabinet ministers will call on the government to ease rules on building geothermal, wind and hydraulic power plants to boost renewable energy use after the Fukushima nuclear crisis, the Nikkei business daily reported on Thursday.

A panel of cabinet ministers in charge of energy and environmental issues will make a 93-point list of recommendations to the government on cutting costs and saving time to build more renewable energy plants, the Nikkei said without citing sources.

For instance, it will recommend that rules over drilling of geothermal resources at national parks be relaxed and advise that special farming and forestry rules be set up to utilise unused farmland, the Nikkei reported.

The panel will also recommend that the issuance of water rights permits be relaxed and that laws governing rivers and utilities be revised in order to increase the number of hydraulic plants, the Nikkei reported.

Once the recommendations are made, the government will aim to realise such deregulation steps during this fiscal year to March 31, 2012, the Nikkei said.

More: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/20/japan-energy-idUSL3E7LK06F20111020

Japan Reconsiders Plan to Cut Carbon Emissions
TOKYO—Japan is reconsidering plans to cut carbon-dioxide emissions by 25% by 2020 due to a rethinking of its energy future, and the country is worried that it is spending too much on carbon-credit programs, a senior government official said on Wednesday.

Japan's doubts, prompted in part by its nuclear disaster in March, come at a time the European Union is questioning whether it should press ahead with plans to cut greenhouse-gas emissions if others don't follow suit.

"Japan's wealth has been draining out" due to buying carbon credits from East European countries and China, Mr. Nobutani said.

METI estimates Japan has paid as much as ¥800 billion ($10.4 billion) to buy 400 million metric tons of carbon credits.

The U.S. says it won't sign a new pact unless China, India and other large economies accept compulsory emissions reductions under the same standards.

More: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204618704576640493862577426.html

Japan smart grid: Mitsubishi Electric fires up full-scale tests
http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/Projects_Demo_Pilots/Japan-smart-grid-Mitsubishi-Electric-fires-up-full-scale-technology-tests-4100.html
Mitsubishi Electric has started full-scale tests on a variety of smart grid and smart community technologies at its Japanese production locations. Overall goals of the renewable energy-oriented project are to develop a sustainable and reliable electric grid, consumer energy management programs and an electric infrastructure capable of uninterrupted power delivery following extreme emergencies, such as the devastating March earthquake and tsunami.

The multi-faceted testing project concentrates on four primary areas:

· Demand-supply balancing technologies capable of managing quantities of grid-connected renewable energy
· Distribution network management equipment and technologies for voltage control to prevent instability resulting from large numbers of building and home solar systems
· Microgrid technologies for islanded or partially connected regions
· Comprehensive evaluation of total grid operations as envisioned in 2020 from the perspective of large amounts of renewable energy connected to the grid and aggregated electricity demand in communities

Mitsubishi Electric also will concentrate on verification of the commercial systems, equipment and solutions performance under very severe conditions.

Power Demand Falls 7.9% In April-Sept
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Demand for electricity in the six months through September declined 7.9% on the year to 422.2 billion kilowatt-hours, the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan said Friday.

Household demand for lighting fell 8.1% to 134.3 billion kilowatt-hours.

more: http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20111021D21SS890.htm

Looking at the figures lighting alone accounts for 31.8% of total energy usage! Japan needs to fully convert to LED and it will almost fix the entire power problem after Fukushima.

Saga Univ, Kobe Steel To Test Ocean Thermal Energy System
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Saga University and Kobe Steel Ltd. (5406) are set to conduct a demonstration project aimed at generating power using differences in seawater temperatures.

More: http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20111020D20SS778.htm

This will be Japan's largest solar power plant at 50 MW and also 6 MW of wind energy.

Japan's Mitsui Chem, others eye solar, wind power plant
TOKYO Oct 21 (Reuters) - A Japanese consortium including Mitsui Chemicals Inc said on Friday that it would consider building the nation's biggest solar and wind hybrid power plant with capacity of 56 megawatts in central Japan for around 18 billion yen ($234 million).

The group is considering starting construction of the plant, comprised of 50 MW solar power and 6 MW wind power facilities, in Aichi prefecture in June next year and start commercial operations of the plant in September 2013, it said in a statement.

More: http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL3E7LL1AI20111021

That's enough energy for about 19,000 households which is 90% of Tahara's 63,886.

Render
http://dwqovw6qi0vie.cloudfront.net/article-imgs/en/2011/10/23/AJ2011102215522/AJ2011102215524M.jpg
Provided by Mitsui Chemicals Inc
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/economy/environment/AJ2011102215522

Toyota also has a plan to build a 12MW solar plant in Fukushima
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/economy/technology/AJ2011102715876

Sharp Develops Solar Cell with World's Highest Conversion Efficiency of 36.9%
November 4, 2011 -- Sharp Corporation has achieved the world's highest solar cell conversion efficiency of 36.9% using a triple-junction compound solar cell in which the solar cell has a stacked three-layer structure.

Since 2000, Sharp has been pursuing research and development of a triple-junction compound solar cell that achieves high conversion efficiency by stacking three photo-absorption layers. In 2009, Sharp succeeded in improving cell conversion efficiency to 35.8% based on proprietary technology that enabled efficient fabrication of a stacked triple-layer structure with InGaAs (indium gallium arsenide) as the bottom layer.

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/economy/press_releases/AJ2011110416588

Domestic Solar Cell Shipments Up 30% For 1st Half
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Domestic shipments of solar cells grew 29.6% on the year to roughly 606,000kw during the April-September period, according to data released Wednesday by the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20111116D1611A04.htm

Renewables Could Supply 40% Of Power In Japan: Report
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Japan has the potential to generate nearly 40% of its electricity from solar, wind and geothermal energy, according to estimates prepared for the government's Energy and Environment Council.

But the projections, which were presented at a meeting Friday, are likely to cause controversy for not factoring in such considerations as cost-effectiveness.

More: http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20111126D2511N01.htm

^^ It doesn't take into account more energy efficient cars, houses, appliances etc though.

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with nuclear power. Only eco-hippy extremist groups like Greenpeace brainwash people into thinking that nuclear power= evil.

The Fukushima incident occurred because the plant was a little outdated and even if it had safety systems and flood-protection walls, the flooding was just too strong and powerful.

Thing is: There is always a choice and you can't always have everything. It's either you get clean and expensive power (i.e. solar power is more expensive than crude oil power plants) or cheap but dirty power (i.e. coal)

As what was pointed out earlier, nuclear power is here to stay............unless of course people are willing to bare with higher energy costs.

If you either cheap OR clean power, then be my guest. If you want BOTH, then nuclear power is still the way to go.

No, the fukushima incident happened because a huge wall of water (tsunami, not just a flood) knocked off the cooling mechanism of the plants. The reactors themselves were not harmed by either the earthquake or the tsunami. But I agree, nuclear is the energy of the future, we're just not there yet. For the moment, renewables are the way to go.

Renewables Could Supply 40% Of Power In Japan: Report


^^ It doesn't take into account more energy efficient cars, houses, appliances etc though.

thats great news. And I bet they're downplaying that number!
I wonder, are they taking tidal energy into account? I mean, we're a bunch of islands for crying out loud!

^^ Solar power will become cheaper as more companies enter.

Govt Backs More Efficient Coal Power Project
TOKYO (Nikkei)--The government will provide financial support to the development of a cutting-edge coal-fired thermal plant by Chugoku Electric Power Co. (9504) and Electric Power Development Co. (9513), or J-Power.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20111128D28EE416.htm

But I agree, nuclear is the energy of the future, we're just not there yet.

^^^
I hear ya mate.

In fact, I'd rather have nuclear power than dirty coal (which kills more people every day which pollutes and degrades a human being's respiratory system).

Sometimes, there are eco-hippies in this world who are just too ignorant.

You should ask our the nuclear energy guru of Skyscrapercity (he goes by the name of 'celatus') and he will tell you that after next year, Fukushima radiation levels will drop so low that even Greenpeace nutjobs will still bitch and complain.

Hey, if those nutjjobs want the expense of higher electricity bills and more taxes, then be my guest......

As 'celatus' said: Eating bananas and exposure to Medical X-rays contain more radiation than what is being emitted at Fukushima.......and yet some nutjobs are still panicking in fear (like that guy named "Motorways" from the other thread).

Ignorance is bliss ;)

It would be great if 100% of Japan's energy was through nuclear/natural gas and renewables.. instead of cutting funding Japan should increase funding for even next generation stronger earthquake resistant plants..If anything they should decomission all of the old nuclear plants and build brand new ones..but instead it's going to be the opposite..they are halting construction of new ones but the old ones will most likely stay online..hopefully the government will look at the future and not just the public opinion which will probably change again in a few years anyways.


Fukui Municipalities Call On Govt To Keep Nuclear Power Plants
TOKYO (Kyodo)--Fukui Prefecture municipalities that host nuclear power plants urged the central government on Tuesday to maintain the plants at a time when it is mulling the best combination of energy sources following the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

''The host communities hope the need for nuclear power generation will be shown and such power will be used in the search for a better mix of power sources,'' a group representing the municipalities said in a statement.

more: http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20111129D29JF591.htm

Mayor Of Northern Japan Town Seeks Restart Of Reactor Construction
TOKYO (Dow Jones)--The mayor of the town of Oma in Aomori prefecture, northern Japan, said Tuesday he wants construction of a nuclear plant in his town to be resumed soon.

Oma mayor Mitsuharu Kanazawa met with Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Tadahiro Matsushita and officials of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan to call for the resumption of work on the No.1 unit of Electric Power Development Co.'s (9513) Oma nuclear plant.

"I came here to bring their attention to our hope to get the suspended construction work restarted soon," Kanazawa told reporters.

He said the officials received his petition positively, but made no clear commitment on the fate of what would be the town's first nuclear power plant.

J-Power started building the reactor in May 2008 and suspended all major work when the earthquake hit northeastern Japan on March 11. The work was about 40% complete, the spokesman said.

More: http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20111129D29JF586.htm

Japan Panel To Release Report On Nuclear Disaster Dec 26
TOKYO (Dow Jones)--An independent commission looking into the cause of the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant will release its interim findings Dec. 26 in the hope of setting off national debate on how Japan should deal with nuclear technology, the panel chairman said Tuesday.

The report, expected to exceed 500 pages, aims to go beyond explaining how Japan's worst nuclear disaster happened. It aims to explore the social and historical background to how Japan reacted to the crisis and offer insights into how else the disaster could have been handled, said Yotaro Hatamura, panel chairman.

More: http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20111129D29JF588.htm

Japan: Crippled nuke plant stable by year's end
(AP) TOKYO - Work to stabilize Japan's tsunami-hit nuclear power plant is on track and the government plans to declare it stable by the end of the year as planned, the prime minister said Friday.
Temperatures of the three melted reactor cores have fallen below the boiling point and radiation leaks have significantly subsided, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said.

Those are the two key conditions to achieve what Japanese nuclear officials call "cold shutdown conditions," a milestone in the effort to stabilize and eventually close the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant altogether.

More: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57340449/japan-crippled-nuke-plant-stable-by-years-end/

Japan's parliament OKs nuclear accords with 4 countries
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's parliament approved on Friday bilateral civilian nuclear cooperation accords signed with Jordan, Russia, South Korea and Vietnam before the Fukushima disaster.

Approval by the opposition-controlled House of Councillors, with 183 votes in favor in the 242-seat chamber, paves the way for Japan to export its nuclear technology to the four countries.

The accords will take effect as early as next month because the necessary domestic procedures for them in the four countries have already been completed.

More: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20111209p2g00m0dm154000c.html

Recently I've been working with some researchers at Waseda and UNU and gaining some knowledge about renewable energy programs in Japan and one of them stated that Japan has technology to reduce CO2 emissions by 70% at 1990 base level, while satisfying expected demand for energy services in 2050.

Right now there's 13 cities in Japan that are officially designated Model Eco-Cities. These cities are divided up into 4 categories based on size, for example big cities like Kyoto, Kitakyushu, Yokohama, Sakai, etc. Regional Cities like Toyama, small towns like Miyakojima in Okinawa, Shimokawa in Hokkaido, and Chiyoda-ku in Tokyo is the fourth category.

All of them have some pretty aggressive goals towards carbon reduction and using new energy systems. Miyakojima for example has Japan's first smart-grid system, which will probably spread to the rest of Japan.

then you also have other towns that are trying transition societies, changing their community social values and practices to live more sustainabily. Fujino in Kanagawa is one example (Fujino is much closer to Yamanashi side than Kanagawa actually!)

The government agreed to some tax policies that will make Japan more energy efficient:

- Introduce a tax on carbon emissions by companies
- Introduce a tax break on bank loans for people who purchase energy efficient homes
- Extending tax breaks for people who buy environmentally friendly cars
- Reintroducing subsidy program for purchases of hybrid and electric cars earmarking 300 billion yen

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/business/2011-12/10/c_131299036.htm

A slide I got from a UNU presentation at Waseda on Japan's alternatives to renewable energy futures

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/5162/japan2050.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/404/japan2050.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

the Scenario A path is one that relies heavily on technological innovations to lead energy use changes, either through efficiency or sustainability while maintaining a 2% gdp growth rate

Scenario B is more nature oriented, that pushes for sustainable communities that are decentralized and self reliant, 1% gdp growth rate

Japan’s ‘Big, Old Businesses’ Eye $200 Billion Power Market Post Fukushima
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-14/japan-s-big-old-businesses-eye-200-billion-power-market-post-fukushima.html

Japan’s trading companies own enough electricity capacity to supply more than 40 percent of the country’s homes. Problem is, their generators aren’t in Japan.

Mitsui & Co. (8031), the second-largest trading house, says that may change as the Fukushima nuclear disaster forces a review of electricity monopolies set up after World War II. It’s an opportunity rivals Marubeni Corp. (8002) and Sumitomo Corp. (8053) are also looking at, along with Tokyo Gas Co. (9531)

Japan’s 10 regional utilities dominate production, transmission and distribution of power throughout the country, generating combined annual revenue of 15.7 trillion yen ($200 billion), according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The government review of the industry includes plant sales and law changes to spin off transmission businesses from power plants.

Fukushima Radiation Exposure Far Less Than Feared
On Tuesday, the prefecture released the results for 1,727 people in Namie Town, Iitate Village and a district in Kawamata Town. The municipalities are 10 to 50 kilometers from the plant.

Fukushima says 1,675, or 97 percent, of the people are thought to have been exposed to less than 5 millisieverts of radiation. 1,084 people are thought to have been exposed to less than one millisievert — the government’s safety limit for one year.

Nine people are thought to have been exposed to 10 millisieverts or more. Five of them are nuclear plant workers, among whom the highest level was 37 millisieverts. Of other 4, one who repeatedly visited an evacuation zone was exposed to 14 millisieverts.

Fukushima Medical University Vice President Shunichi Yamashita says the results show that exposure levels of most people were lower than a standard that would require evacuation, with extremely low health impact.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20111213_25.html

That means that none of the people are thought to have been exposed to anything close to the 100 millisieverts, which is the minimum level of radiation exposure which is found to cause a statistically higher chance of developing cancer.

Also a private (not government) university also reported their latest findings:
http://www.shimotsuke.co.jp/news/tochigi/top/news/20111210/675216

In the town of Nihonmatsu not far from the Nuclear power plant out of 467 people examined only 81 had detectable levels of cesium in their bodies..and none of them were even near the government or health limits.

Japan Declares Fukushima Nuclear Plant Stable
TOKYO (Dow Jones)--More than nine months after the outbreak of Japan's worst-ever nuclear accident, the government declared Friday that the Fukushima Daiichi power plant is now in a stable condition.

The announcement is a major milestone in dealing with the catastrophe triggered by the March 11 natural disaster. It is also expected to pave the way for easing evacuation orders that are still keeping an estimated 88,000 people from their homes.

The government and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (9501) have concluded that the plant's reactors are now in cold shutdown and can be safely kept cool, thereby stopping emissions of radioactive materials into the environment.

"The reactors have reached a cold shutdown stage, where safety at the plant can be assured," said Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda as he concluded a meeting of his nuclear crisis task force. "The accident itself has come to an end, and the government has requested that the decommissioning process begin."

To date, scientists estimate that the total radiation dispersed over a broad swath of northern Japan is equal to about 15% of what was released from the Chernobyl accident 25 years ago, the worst nuclear accident in history.

More: http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20111216D16JF216.htm

^^
Great news, both of those posts.

random notes I gathered from Prof Ayukawa, Yurika from Chiba University of Commerce

the amount of radiation released from the Fukushima plant is equal to over 300 "Hiroshima". Japan is going into a very uncertain world.

Japan refuse (may refuse) following the 2nd commitment period of Kyoto Protocol Agreement because of the energy production issues since 3/11 as industries are against the treaty. No new nuclear plants means more fossil fuel imports, which means more greenhouse gas productions. Japan is put in a tough situation as nuclear energy presents an alternative to relying on fossil fuel imports, but no nuclear energy means more reliance on fossil fuel.. and with the situation in Iran shows, its a very vulnerable source. Renewable energy potential varies from area to area.

Japan to continue with voluntary actions. outcome is disappointing

Since 3/11 many japanese companies reducing their consumption significantly to avoid black outs.. for example turning off some of the indoor lighting that would not reduce productivity. Solar panels on vending machines, AEON shopping center building panels in their parking lots, etc.

no one talking about climate change anymore, more focus on the nuclear issue and energy production now

Japanese government and power companies are trying disconnect electricity and energy, so they are saying save electricity not save energy.

Toshiba, Sojitz Picked for Clean Energy in Japan Quake Areas
Jan. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Toshiba Corp. will conduct a solar- power feasibility study with Taisei Corp. and Sojitz Corp. as part of Japan’s efforts to promote renewable energy in areas hit by last March’s record earthquake and tsunami.

The Japanese companies won an order from the Environment Ministry to conduct research on whether Minamisoma city in Fukushima is suitable for 20 megawatts of solar-power generation, Tokyo-based Toshiba said today in a joint statement. Minamisoma is 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Fukushima Dai- Ichi nuclear plant devastated in the disaster.

The ministry announced eight feasibility study projects including Toshiba’s program. Of them, three were for solar power, one geothermal and the rest for wind.

Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co. will conduct a separate solar study in Kesennuma city, Miyagi prefecture, according to the ministry.

“As part of reconstruction efforts for the disaster-hit areas, it is important to introduce renewable energy there in a speedy manner,” the ministry said in a separate statement.

The total budget for the studies is 400 million yen ($5 million), Yasuhiro Muroishi, an official of the ministry’s climate-change policy unit, said by phone.

Toshiba and the two other companies will put together the results of the study by March 30, according to the statement.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-13/toshiba-sojitz-picked-for-clean-energy-in-japan-quake-areas.html

The government agreed to some tax policies that will make Japan more energy efficient:

- Introduce a tax on carbon emissions by companies
- Introduce a tax break on bank loans for people who purchase energy efficient homes
- Extending tax breaks for people who buy environmentally friendly cars
- Reintroducing subsidy program for purchases of hybrid and electric cars earmarking 300 billion yen

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/business/2011-12/10/c_131299036.htm

Are these policies are already in use, or just plans?

They will be in place by the first quarter of this year.

Japan's first reactor stress tests reach key stage
Reuters) - Japan's panel of experts is due to review the nuclear watchdog's first report on reactor stress tests on Wednesday in an important step in efforts to rebuild public trust shattered by the Fukushima crisis and restart idled reactors.

An official at the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) told Reuters it is preparing a report on its findings based on tests run by Kansai Electric Power Co on its Ohi on its No.3 and No.4 reactors. The panel's approval would pave the way for further review by Japan's Nuclear Safety Commission, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and relevant cabinet ministers.

"We're organizing data and findings from the past discussions of stress test reports, aiming to discuss mainly the No.3 and No.4 Ohi reactors on January 18," a NISA official said.

He said the panel was also expected to look into other test results on Wednesday. Those tests, which NISA will later assess based on suggestions from the panel, concern Hokkaido Electric Power's Tomari No.1 and No.2 units and Shikoku Electric Power's Ikata No.3 unit.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/16/us-nuclear-japan-idUSTRE80F0I320120116

Tokyo Elec to hike rates 17 pct on avg for corp users
Jan 17 (Reuters) - Tokyo Electric Power said on Tuesday it will hike electricity rates for corporate customers by 17 percent on average, as it struggles with cleanup and compensation costs following the disaster at its Fukushima nuclear power plant last March.

The utility is also hobbled by the loss of power from other nuclear power facilities as public worries about safety prevent reactors from coming back on line after they are taken down for routine maintenance.

The company in a statement also gave examples of a larger increase of 18.1 percent for large corporate users and of 13.4 percent for small and mid-sized businesses based on "model cases".

Tepco President Toshio Nishizawa said the rate hike calculation was based on the assumption that the utility's Kashiwazaki Kariwa reactors in northwestern Japan would not restart in the financial year to March 2013.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/17/tepco-rates-idUST9E7NR00Y20120117

Japan to allow reactors to operate up to 60 years

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will allow extensions of up to 20 years to a planned 40-year limit on the life of nuclear reactors, in line with U.S. standards, the government said.

Japan is set to introduce the limit in the wake of last year's Fukushima nuclear crisis, the world's worst since Chernobyl 25 years ago.

The government will allow nuclear plant operators to file for an extension for each reactor only once and permission would only be granted if certain conditions were cleared.

Under the current system, nuclear plant operators can file for an extension of operations after 30 years and are usually granted 10-year extensions with no limit on how often they reapply for those extensions as long as they provide required maintenance.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-rt-us-japan-nuclear-lifetre80h01l-20120117,0,5375079.story

Japan wind capacity up 11.7 pct before new subsidy
Jan 20 (Reuters) - Japan's wind power capacity rose 11.7 percent in the year to March 2011, the slowest pace at least in 10 years, government data showed on Friday, as it was set to launch a new subsidy system to lure investors to the sector.

Japan is overhauling its energy policy after the Fukushima crisis shattered public confidence in the safety of nuclear power, on which it had previously planned to rely on for over 50 percent of electricity demand by 2030.

To accelerate the growth of renewable energy sources, parliament last year approved bills, effective in July 2012, requiring utilities to buy all electricity output from solar, wind and other renewable power plants at preset rates in a so-called feed-in tariff scheme.

Wind turbine capacity totalled 2,442 megawatts as of March last year, according to data by a government-backed agency, New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). In 2009/2010, capacity increased by 16.1 percent to 2,186 MW.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/20/japan-energy-wind-idUSL3E8CK2PD20120120

Oil Shipments Bound for Japan Increase 12%, Tanker Data Show
Crude-oil shipments aboard supertankers bound for Japan rose 12 percent this week, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.

Vessels with a total carrying capacity of 10.9 million deadweight tons are heading for the Asian nation, up from 9.7 million tons last week. About 8.2 percent of the fleet of the largest oil tankers signaling future destinations is bound for Japan. The ships would haul about 79.7 million barrels of oil, assuming a conversion factor of 7.33 barrels a ton.

Tepco price hike to cut 0.1-0.2 pct from GDP
Jan 20 (Reuters) - Tokyo Electric Power Co's decision to raise electricity rates for businesses will shave 0.1 to 0.2 percent from gross domestic product, Japanese Economics Minister Motohisa Furukawa said on Friday.

The utility, also known as Tepco, said on Tuesday it will rates for businesses by an average 17 percent as it struggles to pay for the worst nuclear disaster in 25 years at its Fukushima plant.

Furukawa, speaking to reporters, also said he was worried that the price hike could contribute to the hollowing out of Japanese industry.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/20/japan-economy-furukawa-idUST9E8C400P20120120

^^ It is time for Japan to turn on the reactors and build more. Right now electricity will become more expensive, jobs will be lost to overseas, we are sending more money to shady countries like Saudi Arabia for polluting fuel sources which is eroding our trade surplus.

^^ It is time for Japan to turn on the reactors and build more. Right now electricity will become more expensive, jobs will be lost to overseas, we are sending more money to shady countries like Saudi Arabia for polluting fuel sources which is eroding our trade surplus.

its not a good or bad situation, its choosing between two bad options and seeing which is lesser. see
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=87493051&postcount=48

What is your opinion on which is the lesser of two bad options? Here is mine: After rates are hiked 17% in Kanto this will hopefully make the voters think "instead of getting rid of nuclear energy, lets get rid of the old outdated models with no protection at the sea", especially as more of them lose their jobs because companies send their manufacturing overseas or other parts of Japan. Everysingle new nuclear model performed exactly as it should..and only one that was inundated with tsunami water and is a generation 1 from GE had any problems.

For example there is a newer reactor constructed by Toshiba in 1984 called the Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant that was hit by the exact same tsunami (in Ishinomaki) and yet nothing happened to it and cold shut down was achieved in 10 hours. The reactor survived the 2005 Miyagi earthquake which was stronger than it was designed for and yet it also suffered no damage (not to mention the tohoku earthquake).

If 1984 reactors can do their job then I am sure brand new ones using the latest technology can. Until renewables can overtake that role it's the only option to a clean Japan where we don't send our hard earned money overseas to a non renewable source which pollutes our air, gives us no jobs at home (unlike nuclear) and also inadvertently funds terrorism and human rights abuses at the same time.

What is your opinion on which is the lesser of two bad options? Here is mine: After rates are hiked 17% in Kanto this will hopefully make the voters think "instead of getting rid of nuclear energy, lets get rid of the old outdated models with no protection at the sea", especially as more of them lose their jobs because companies send their manufacturing overseas or other parts of Japan. Everysingle new nuclear model performed exactly as it should..and only one that was inundated with tsunami water and is a generation 1 from GE had any problems.

For example there is a newer reactor constructed by Toshiba in 1984 called the Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant that was hit by the exact same tsunami (in Ishinomaki) and yet nothing happened to it and cold shut down was achieved in 10 hours. The reactor survived the 2005 Miyagi earthquake which was stronger than it was designed for and yet it also suffered no damage (not to mention the tohoku earthquake).

If 1984 reactors can do their job then I am sure brand new ones using the latest technology can. Until renewables can overtake that role it's the only option to a clean Japan where we don't send our hard earned money overseas to a non renewable source which pollutes our air, gives us no jobs at home (unlike nuclear) and also inadvertently funds terrorism and human rights abuses at the same time.

your idea is sensible, I don't disagree with it, but I think there's potential for other alternatives.

So lets do an overview:

Current Energy production
over 500Mtoe energy that is produced mostly through oil, followed by gas, coal, and nuclear energy at nearly similar proportions, and then by renewables

Goal:
Reduce carbon emissions by 70% by 2050 at a 1990 base level

Sources:
in 2007, the highest contributor of carbon emissions in Japan comes from Commercial buildings followed by residential buildings. Transport comes third but has been rapidly declining for some time, as Japan already has a pretty efficient transportation system on the whole. The problems come from the buildings

Post-Fukushima
Many things changed after this. Many companies were forced to reduce electric consumption to avoid rolling black outs, and many installed solar panels and other renewable energy on their buildings to help produce their own energy.. AEON for example covered their parking lots with solar panels.
The business industries are fighting the Kyoto Protocol and argue that Japan needs to either resume using more nuclear energy or allow them to import more fossil fuel to meet energy needs. 17 Nuclear plants out of 54 are online right now.

If we break down the pros and cons
Nuclear
Pros: Emits almost no carbon emissions, localized production and jobs, can generate large supplies
Cons: Dangerous waste, risk of contamination, high start up costs

Fossil Fuels
Pros: Cheaper (for now)
Cons: Vulnerability to foreign suppliers which tend to be unstable, reliance on the security of shipping lanes, more carbon intensive, income leakage as suppliers are not Japanese. Money you pay for it goes abroad

At first it would appear that Nuclear has far more advantages than Fossil Fuels, the problem is that as Fukushima shows, that one disadvantage (risk of contamination), is a very significant risk.

The spill out from Fukushima is still unknown and still being measured, the results of which we will not know for a while. From what we DO know, Japan is entering new territory because nothing like this has happened before. The damage of the nuclear reactor was downplayed by the government when it is much more serious than reported. They are purposely downplaying it in order to control public opposition towards more nuclear reactors and are intent on resuming it when it has been forgotten

What we do know.. in August a report was submitted by the Nuclear Safety Committee to the IAEA and to sum up:

In terms of cesium 137, the amount is 168.5 Hiroshimas
In terms of iodine 131, 2.5 Hiroshimas

However the plant is STILL leaking and these numbers could very well go up. The cesium is already being found in Tochigi and Gunma. Such a thing cannot be forgotten because people have to live with it. It is now a part of Japan that we will have to face and deal with now. They can never disappear, the best we can do is to reduce the level of contamination, but right now the concerns are secondary contamination into water, food, etc

Flawed analogies:
Usually most people like to argue that energy is coupled with the rate of economic growth. You need more energy to produce more growth. But Japan shows that energy continues to clime even though the economy has been declining for a while

Japan can do it
Last July to September, Tokyo and Tohoku areas made a goal to reduce electricity consumption by 15%. Its a very high target for a short time period. But Guess what.. they did it, even though it was one of the hottest summers.

how did they do it?

Train frequency were reduced. Escalators off when not needed. More people used bikes

Lights only turned on when necessary. Some lights dimmed, but enough to allow productivity.

Work hours were made flexible, ATMs no longer 24 hours. factories shifted holidays to weekdays and work on weekends. some places made working hours really early in the morning or later in the evening to reduce AC use. LED lamps replacing flourescent ones, vending machines chill their products in the morning and do not use electricity in the day time, etc

Longer vacations, JAL and other travel agencies pushing more people to go to Hokkaido.

in comparison, in August they used 49220 MWh, but a year earlier they used 59990 MWh!

2050 Alternative A:
Relies on technological innovations to meet sustainability needs including breakthrough in energy production. Demographics would be more focused on urban centers, centralized production, and stronger role of recycling. Energy is more centralized. Emphasis on comfort and convenience. You can expect about a 2% GDP growth utilizing this method.

2050 Alternative B:
more nature based, dispersed population centers with self sufficient communities that produce and consume local goods at a greater scale than currently. Energy is more dispersed. A stronger emphasis culture and society. You can expect about a 1% GDP growth

http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/8072/64977663.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/638/64977663.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Sources:
Ayukawa Yurika: Chiba University of Commerce
Nishioka Shuzo: Waseda University
Brendan Barrett: United Nations University in Tokyo

According to the Federation of Electric Power companies lighting alone accounts for 32% of total energy usage. One way we can lower energy usage "overnight" is to change everysingle lightbulb in the entire country with LED. LED use 33% less energy than CFL and around 90% less than Incandescent. They also last much longer and do not have hazardous chemicals like CFL. If Japan were to use only LED in the entire country we could cut lighting from 32% of total energy usage to around 10% or less..that would save alot of energy. I hope the government bans everysingle type of bulb except LED, since the other type of bulbs do not last that long eventually everysingle bulb would be replaced with LED naturally with such a law. Also basically every household appliance is becoming extremely efficient as well.

I can't wait until the renewable energy subsidy goes into effect this summer. I was in Tokyo recently and I saw more houses had solar panels on their roofs...and this is from the metropolitan government's subsidy alone..I wonder how it will look after the national subsidy. I also like how electric cars and hybrids each year become a larger and larger % of total car sales (currently around 11%) which makes the air cleaner too, and the battery can be used to power the house in case of emergencies.

According to the Federation of Electric Power companies lighting alone accounts for 32% of total energy usage. One way we can lower energy usage "overnight" is to change everysingle lightbulb in the entire country with LED. LED use 33% less energy than CFL and around 90% less than Incandescent. They also last much longer and do not have hazardous chemicals like CFL. If Japan were to use only LED in the entire country we could cut lighting from 32% of total energy usage to around 10% or less..that would save alot of energy. I hope the government bans everysingle type of bulb except LED, since the other type of bulbs do not last that long eventually everysingle bulb would be replaced with LED naturally with such a law. Also basically every household appliance is becoming extremely efficient as well.

I can't wait until the renewable energy subsidy goes into effect this summer. I was in Tokyo recently and I saw more houses had solar panels on their roofs...and this is from the metropolitan government's subsidy alone..I wonder how it will look after the national subsidy. I also like how electric cars and hybrids each year become a larger and larger % of total car sales (currently around 11%) which makes the air cleaner too, and the battery can be used to power the house in case of emergencies.

Check this out, you will find it interesting

http://www.iges.or.jp/en/kuc/pdf/activity20110727/4-1_Japan.pdf

Remember I made a post about model eco-city Toyama? its one of the 13 model eco cities in Japan. But that PDF will give you the full list and the goals each city is trying to do

Every city is different and require different type of strategies, so the 13 are divided by size.. so you have big cities like Kitakyushu and Kyoto, and small towns like Miyakojima and Shimokawa.

I have better access to the Miyakojima data.. and right now half of the local government vehicles there are running on either electric or bio-ethanol, but they plan to make it 100% electric or bio-ethanol. They built many EV stations around the island to make it accessible to residents! Both Nissan and Toyota are really pushing for their new designs to be used there.

Alot of the government owned buildings like schools, hospitals, etc are also installing their own solar panels to help reduce costs.. and famous Okinawan Satokibi is being used.. usually molasses is what you get left over when you get the sugar out..and its usually thrown away or fed to cows.. but now it could be used for bio-ethanol (but poor cows now).

other cities are doing their own things.. i think its worth to check out what Kyoto, Kitakyushu, and Toyama are doing. Toyama used to be very energy inefficient and had a high rate of car ownership.. so much has changed.

Okinawa maybe can become like Brazil with the biofuels. Also this is one case where the central government can do something good, they can set the example to use electric cars and installing solar panels etc. I am extreme with my thoughts on this but I also hope the government in the next few years will completely ban gasoline cars and it will only be hybrids and electrics. There is a new material where the paint of the car works like a solar panel.

I knew about the eco cities but I never read it in depth, I'll check out more of Toyama. Thanks for the link!

Nice document RyukyuRhymer. It seems that only Yokohama and Minamata need to work more if they want to reach their goals in time, however that's according to May 2010 data almost two years have passed, I hope they have a good progress now.

As a side note, it is really interesting to see how small japanese cities are much larger than Yokohama, the biggest EMC. Yokohama has only 437 km2 and about 3,650,000 inhabitants, while Toyama with only 420,00 citizens has 1,242 km2. I guess this is due to a lack of tall residential buildings.

Tokyo Elec may spin off fossil fuel-fired plants
TOKYO Jan 23 (Reuters) - Tokyo Electric Power Co , the operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, and Japan's government are considering spinning off the utility's fossil fuel-fired power generation business, the Nikkei business daily said on Monday.

Tokyo Electric, known as Tepco, and the government-backed Nuclear Damage Liability Facilitation Fund may also make the company's nuclear and hydro power generation, electricity transmission and power sales businesses operate independently under three in-house firms, the report said. (Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by Joseph Radford)

http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL4E8CM0DJ20120122

Okinawa maybe can become like Brazil with the biofuels. Also this is one case where the central government can do something good, they can set the example to use electric cars and installing solar panels etc. I am extreme with my thoughts on this but I also hope the government in the next few years will completely ban gasoline cars and it will only be hybrids and electrics. There is a new material where the paint of the car works like a solar panel.

I knew about the eco cities but I never read it in depth, I'll check out more of Toyama. Thanks for the link!

to a limit.. Okinawa can't compete with Brazil's large land mass that could produce so much sources for biofuel. Actually Brazil is trying to enter Okinawa's biofuel market. At first they were thinking of using local sugar cane extract, but decided to use their own. In which case, they're a competitor to Japanese companies. In Brazil, their biofuels are successful because the government subsidizes the costs. I wonder if Japan is willing to do the same. It needs to be subsidized in order to compete with the costs of traditional fuel.

as for central government role.. for most cities they need it because infrastructure projects are pricey. Miyakojima i think gets 60% of its money from Tokyo. I wonder what about the big cities like Kyoto.. i'll need to look into that later.

Japanese sell more solar power back to utilities
TOKYO Jan 25 (Reuters) - Japanese small solar panel owners - householders and small businesses - sold 50 percent more power to utilities last year than in 2010, Reuters calculations based on an official data showed on Wednesday.

Japan is overhauling its energy policy after the Fukushima crisis shattered public confidence in the safety of atomic power, and is set to introduce a new subsidy scheme which covers a wider range of renewable energy power developers to support the budding market for domestically produced power.

Owners sold a total 2,150 gigawatt hours to power utilities last year, helped by the government scheme.

The data showed Japan's 10 regional power companies spent a total 96 billion yen ($1.2 billion) for surplus solar power from house owners and small businesses last year via a feed-in tariff scheme, which requires them to buy such power.

http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL4E8CP6OI20120125

Utilities To Hike Surcharges Covering Solar Power Costs
TOKYO (Nikkei)--The nation's 10 electric power utilities on Tuesday announced their fiscal 2012 surcharges to pass along purchasing costs for surplus power from home solar power generation systems, with the figures going up across the board.

The amount to be added to monthly power bills ranges from 7 yen for Hokkaido Electric Power Co. (9509) to 45 yen for Kyushu Electric Power Co. (9508). The figures are up from 2-21 yen in fiscal 2011.

Thanks to lower prices and competition among manufacturers, more homes in Japan have installed solar panels. As a result, costs incurred by each utility to purchase surplus solar power as required by law grew about 40-60% on the year in 2011. Utilities' total spending surged 53% to 95.9 billion yen, with the power they bought increasing 54% to about 2.1 billion kilowatt-hours.

Starting this July, utilities will also have to buy electricity from other renewable energy sources, such as wind and geothermal, as well as solar power from commercial generation businesses. Such details as the price and duration for purchases from each source are to be debated by an expert panel before they are announced by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20120125D2401A19.htm

METI to financially support wind power industry
The industry ministry will offer subsidies, tax breaks and other financial incentives to expand power grids for wind power generation amid potential electricity shortages in Japan following the nuclear crisis in Fukushima Prefecture.

The project will be incorporated in a supplementary budget for fiscal 2012, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which is finalizing details of the subsidies for power grid construction and tax breaks for power companies.

METI is also considering providing financial aid to new entrants in the industry, which have often faced difficulties in raising funds and recovering their investments.

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/economy/environment/AJ201202010038

Edano wants households to lend their roofs to solar drive
A program to allow companies to install solar panels on the roofs of private homes will be introduced by the government before the onset of summer, industry ministery Yukio Edano said.

The idea is for households to lend their roof space in return for payment, while companies will provide the equipment necessary to generate power, Edano told The Asahi Shimbun. The firms will profit by selling the electricity onto the public grid under the new “feed-in tariff” law.

There are already systems that allow private households to install solar panels on their roofs and be paid for the electricity they pump back onto the grid. But the upfront cost to households of installing solar panels has limited their appeal.

“It will take time until it is widespread if households have to install panels themselves,” Edano said. “With the roof-lending, households earn money and power companies secure power stations.”

The roof-lending scheme is part of a government drive to encourage the growth of a solar energy industry and will coincide with the introduction in July of the “feed-in tariff” law, which will require utilities to purchase energy produced by solar power producing firms at fixed, above-market rates.

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/economy/environment/AJ201201280064

Chugoku Elec Plans Photovoltaic Plant In Yamaguchi Pref
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Chugoku Electric Power Co. (9504) said Wednesday it will build a 3,000kw photovoltaic power plant in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Construction is scheduled to start by the end of fiscal 2013, with a view to having the plant up and running the following fiscal year.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20120201D01SS101.htm

NISA compiles 30 requirements for nuclear plants
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency will require electric power companies to undertake 30 measures at their nuclear plants, including extensive work on piping and ventilation systems, according to an interim report.

The requirements, described in NISA’s interim report completed on Feb. 1, will be overseen by a new nuclear regulatory body that will be set up in April. NISA will be merged into the new body.

One of NISA’s requirements is to make the ventilation pipes independent of other equipment.

During the Fukushima crisis, increased pressure inside the reactors made it difficult to pump in water from the outside. The nuclear watchdog will require the utilities to ensure that powerful water injection pumps are present and that equipment allow "safety relief valves," which are designed to lower pressure, to operate even if the power supply is lost.

NISA’s interim report also said power receiving facilities at nuclear plants, including emergency power generators and switchboards, should be dispersed, in locations of high and low elevations inside the buildings, near the coast and further inland.

More: http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201202020061

IAEA approves stress tests on Japan reactors
Japan's attempts to restart nuclear reactors that were shut down in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi accident were boosted after UN inspectors gave their backing to stress tests designed to confirm the reactors' safety.

Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] said the reactor assessments were "generally consistent" with the body's own safety standards.

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/31/iaea-approves-tests-japan-reactors?newsfeed=true

J-Power To Resume Wind Farm Construction In Japan
TOKYO (Nikkei)--J-Power plans to build wind farms in Japan for the first time in three years, anticipating improved profitability from new rules for renewable energy purchases.

More: http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20120202D0202F05.htm

METI Chief Urges Dismantling Of Regional Power Monopolies
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Electric utilities' regional dominance must be broken up, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yukio Edano said Thursday, stressing that reform would make the country less susceptible to power shortages.

"Revamping the power supply system, which is now segregated by region, may help lead to stable supplies," said Edano, who spoke at the inaugural meeting of a committee tasked with discussing power industry reform.

Edano believes that ending the regional monopolies of Tokyo Electric Power Co. (9501) and nine other utility operators could spur competition and create a level playing field that will invite new entrants.

More:http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20120202D0202A14.htm

Huge Yamanashi solar farm online
KOFU, Yamanashi Pref. — A solar power plant with a capacity of 10 megawatts began operating Friday in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture.

The Komekurayama power station, built by Tokyo Electric Power Co. on a 12.5-hectare site, is one of the largest photovoltaic facilities in Japan and produces enough electricity to power around 3,400 homes.

The site is being leased to Tepco for free by the Yamanashi Prefectural Government.

Landlocked Yamanashi receives plenty of sunshine and is trying to attract solar power plant projects. In addition to the one in Kofu, other projects are proceeding in the cities of Kai and Nirasaki.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20120128a5.html

Japan to Help Farmland Diversion for Renewable Energy
Tokyo, Feb. 12 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry is planning legislative changes to ease the way for abandoned farmland to be consolidated for use in renewable energy projects.

The ministry hopes that power generation projects will revitalize rural areas by creating jobs and boosting incomes, sources said.

As early as Friday, the government will adopt legislation aimed at simplifying approval and notification procedures prescribed under seven laws including the agricultural land act, which restricts diversion of farmland, according to the sources.

The ministry estimates that approximately 170,000 hectares of abandoned farmland can be used for electricity generation.

By using such land for renewable energy projects, it aims to boost the share of renewable energy in total power generation in Japan by threefold from the current level of a little over one pct, the sources said.

More: http://www.electroiq.com/photovoltaics/2012/02/12/japan-to-help-farmland-diversion-for-renewable-energy.html

Japan plans floating wind power for Fukushima coast

A real plan now

Japan firms plan wind farm near Fukushima: report
02/15/2012 A group of Japanese firms led by trading house Marubeni Corp. plans to build a large floating experimental wind farm off the coast of Fukushima prefecture, which was hit by a nuclear disaster last year, a report said Tuesday.

The project aims to generate around 12,000 kilowatts of power, which would supply the needs of more than 100,000 households, and is hoped to go into operation by 2016, Jiji Press news agency reported, quoting Marubeni officials.

More: http://outcomemag.com/science/2012/02/15/japan-firms-plan-wind-farm-near-fukushima-report/

Good news

Japan basks in solar rebound even before FIT kicks in
Japan’s PV installations surged in 2011, according to newly published figures, and the industry is set for another massive boost when the country’s first feed-in tariff (FIT) goes live in July.

Domestic shipments rose 31% to 1.3GW, making Japan the sixth-largest market in the world, just behind France, according to the Japanese Photovoltaic Industry Energy Association.

Japan’s 10 regional utilities – widely criticised for neglecting renewables in recent years – purchased 2,150GWh of PV-generated electricity in 2011, a 50% increase on the year prior.

The global renewables sector is waiting with baited breath for the Japanese government to reveal the FIT rates. Parliament approved the FIT last August in the wake of the Fukushima crisis, and the scheme is expected to come into force this July.

Many solar companies have readied huge development plans which they intend to unveil after the rates are announced. SunEdison, the development arm of US-based MEMC, has confirmed plans to invest ¥350bn in Japanese solar projects over the next five years, while China’s Suntech says it expects Japanese sales to double this year.

Japanese aerial surveyor Kokusai Kogyo and financial services group Orix have just announced plans to build 4MW of PV FIT-eligible capacity in western regions of the country.

http://www.rechargenews.com/energy/solar/article303481.ece

Another project :okay:

Solar power plant planned in disaster-hit Ishinomaki
A group of companies, including Hitachi Ltd., plans to invest 3.5 billion yen ($44 million) to build a large solar power plant on the disaster-hit Oshika Peninsula in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture.

The companies plan to start operations at the plant in summer 2013. It will have a capacity of 10 megawatts, one of the largest in Japan for a solar plant, sources said.

Toko Electrical Construction Co. and a local construction company have established a special-purpose company that will be in charge of the project. Hitachi is considering investing in the new company, the sources said.

The special-purpose company plans to sell all electricity generated at the plant to Tohoku Electric Power Co., using a system to be introduced this summer.

Another mega solar project expected to help in the recovery of areas hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami last year is under way in Higashi-Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, led by Mitsui & Co.

Toyota Motor Corp. plans to build a solar power plant with a capacity of 10 to 20 megawatts in the inland village of Ohira in the same prefecture, where the automaker has a factory.

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201202190001

An important news

Ministry to allow geothermal heat projects in national parks
The Environment Ministry will allow the extraction of geothermal heat from national parks for power generation by easing restrictions intended to preserve the scenery and prevent the destruction of ecosystems, sources said.

The ministry’s plan was approved at a meeting of experts on Feb. 14.

Under the plan, the regulations will be eased by the end of March after the ministry hears the opinions of nature conservation groups and other organizations, the sources said.

Geothermal heat is regarded as a potential energy source that will support Japanese society as it reduces its dependence on nuclear power.

The ministry will continue its restrictions in “first-category special areas” of national parks, where environmental conservation is especially required.

But in other areas, the ministry plans to approve projects to extract geothermal heat if technologies are used that take into consideration the scenery and ecosystems. One such technology enables developers to dig wells at an angle starting outside the national parks.

Japan, with its many volcanoes, is believed to have the third-largest amount of geothermal heat in the world. However, about 80 percent of candidate sites for geothermal power generation are located in national parks.

More: http://ajw.asahi.com/article/economy/environment/AJ201202150028

Yokohama city mulls entering power retail business
YOKOHAMA (Kyodo) -- The city of Yokohama is considering launching an electricity retail business to enhance its energy independence by setting up a power grid in the Minato Mirai 21 district, home to a large cluster of office buildings and high-rise condominiums, city officials said Friday.

The city has decided that it needs to be able to reduce its reliance on Tokyo Electric Power Co. after drawing a lesson from last March's earthquake-tsunami disaster and subsequent crisis at the utility's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

If Yokohama goes ahead with the plan, it will become the first local government in Japan to do so.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/news/20120303p2g00m0bu069000c.html

Softbank unit to build mega solar power plants in Kyoto, Gunma, Tokushima
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Softbank Corp. subsidiary SB Energy Corp. will build and operate solar power plants in Kyoto, Shinto in Gunma Prefecture, and Matsushige and Komatsushima in Tokushima Prefecture, according to separate announcements Monday.

The solar power plant projects in the four municipalities are the first commercial deals for SB Energy, which plans to build solar plants at more than 10 locations in Japan.

SB Energy and its partners plan to construct two photovoltaic power generators in Kyoto with a total annual generation capacity of around 4.2 megawatt-hours, enough to meet annual demand from about 1,000 households. The first of the two generators is scheduled to begin operating on July 1 as Japan starts its feed-in tariff system, under which electric utilities will purchase all electricity generated by other firms and households using solar and other renewable energy sources.

In the village of Shinto, SB Energy will build a 2,400-kilowatt mega solar plant -- enough to meet demand from about 640 households -- at a site of up to 49,300 square meters owned by the village office, Softbank said. SB Energy plans to commence construction of the Shinto plant in April, with operation to start on July 1. Sharp Corp. will undertake the layout of the power-generation facilities and other work.

Power generators with a capacity of 2,800 kw will be built on a 33,200-square-meter site in Matsushige and a 35,000-square-meter plot in Komatsushima both owned by Tokushima Prefecture.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/business/news/20120306p2g00m0bu124000c.html

Marubeni, Univ Of Tokyo Spearhead Offshore Wind Power Project
TOKYO (Nikkei)--The University of Tokyo and a group of 10 Japanese companies, including Marubeni Corp. (8002) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (7011), have been tapped by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to help verify the large-scale offshore wind farm that the government envisions for the waters off Fukushima Prefecture.

The group will use the ministry's 12.5 billion yen earmarked from the fiscal 2011 third supplementary budget to fund the construction and the test-operation of a 2,000kw wind turbine system erected on a floating platform. The project will also entail an offshore transformer station and an undersea cable.

Marubeni will oversee the project, with University of Tokyo performing the data analysis and evaluating the technologies.

The power-generating equipment will be provided by Mitsubishi Heavy, Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Ltd. (7013) subsidiary IHI Marine United Ltd., and Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co. (7003).

The other participating companies are Mitsubishi Corp. (8058), Nippon Steel Corp. (5401), Hitachi Ltd. (6501), Furukawa Electric Co. (5801), Shimizu Corp. (1803) and the Mizuho Information & Research Institute.

METI aims to build a 1,000-megawatt-class offshore wind farm by fiscal 2020 as part of the reconstruction effort in the region devastated by last year's tsunami and nuclear power plant disaster.

Floating wind farms have been installed on a small scale in Norway, but the Fukushima project will be larger than any existing facility.

The verification experiments are just a first step. The participants still need to work out an efficient method of power generation and pursue the cooperation of local fishermen.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20120306D0603A09.htm

METI Deregulation Panel Mulls Keeping Regulated Power Rates
TOKYO (Nikkei)--A Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry panel studying further deregulation of retail electricity recapped key issues Tuesday, including whether the government should maintain some regulatory control over rates.

At the end of last year, the government devised a plan to provide consumers with more choices through full deregulation. The METI panel is to thrash out the issues and draw up a detailed proposal.

Retail electricity has been deregulated in stages since 2000. Currently, large power consumers with contracts of 50kw or more, such as office buildings and factories, are allowed to sign up with any utility, and rates can be decided through negotiations. But a household can receive power only from the utility that holds a regional monopoly, and rates are fixed.

Household power rates are set under a system in which a profit margin to which utilities are entitled is added to their actual costs, such as for fuel and personnel. But this structure was dropped for commercial users. A member of the METI panel opposed any regulatory-set rates for households.

However, other members argued that regulated rates should remain an option even if there is deregulation. Under one scenario, users would have a choice between regulated and market power rates offered by a utility, in addition to market rates proposed by a newcomer.

While market rates would normally be lower than regulated rates, they could spike in emergencies, such as if an earthquake forces nuclear reactors to shut down. On the other hand, regulated rates would be less likely to rise, an attractive factor for households seeking stable supplies.

Another key issue is whether to continue to require utilities to supply power to all residents in their service areas. Although this mandate will likely be dropped through full deregulation, there is concern new power providers will not offer services in rural areas and on isolated islands.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20120307D0603A21.htm

Japan Unveils Deregulation Plan to Boost Clean Energy Use
Japan plans to speed up the process of environmental impact assessments for wind farms and ease regulations for solar power plants as it prepares to start a feed-in tariff program in July.

The Cabinet Office today unveiled a set of measures and policies to promote renewable energy and energy saving and reform the country’s power distribution systems.
The move comes as Japan seeks to diversify its energy mix following the devastating nuclear accident a year ago at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant.

Starting in October, wind farm developers will be required to conduct environmental surveys before starting construction. The trade ministry plans to shorten the maximum time for deliberation for each of three steps to 30 days from as many as 270 days, according to a Cabinet Office report mapping out the measures and policies.

The trade ministry will also review if solar plants should be exempted from the Factory Location Act, which requires operators to plant trees and plants at least for 25 percent of a total site, the report said. The ministry plans to reach conclusion before July.

The report included measures that have been recently implemented, such as expanding areas where geothermal developers may conduct surveys and build geothermal plants inside national parks, where more than 80 percent of the country’s resources exist. Some of the measures still need cabinet approval.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-29/japan-unveils-deregulation-plan-to-boost-clean-energy-use.html

Japan Renewable Energy Feed-In Ready for Signature
Yesterday, a government panel recommended rates for Japan's highly anticipated renewable energy feed-in tarriff (FiT), which is widely expected to make the country an important solar and geothermal market.

Japan's goal is to boost renewable generation by more than 30 gigawatts (GW) over the next decade - the equivalent of 12% of Japan's total generation capacity before the nuclear meltdown.

The FiT covers solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and hydroelectric.

The generous rates for providing solar to utilities are $0.52 (42 yen) per kilowatt-hour (kWh), triple the amount charged to industrial and commercial customers. The guaranteed period for receiving that rate is 20 years.

Rates for wind-generated electricity are also for 20 years and are based on size: 57.75 yen per kWh for turbines under 20 kW and 23.10 yen per kWh above that.

The rates are in line with recommendations from Japan's Photovoltaic Energy Association and slightly under the 25 yen the Japan Wind Power Association suggested for larger producers.

They are based on the costs of building and operating renewable energy plants.

Solar projects could produce equity returns of as much as 44%, and wind 51%, if the proposed rates are finalized, says Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The Fit could result in 10 GW of solar and 0.7 GW of wind capacity by 2014, representing an investment of $37.5 billion. That would make Japan the third largest solar market in the world.

Geothermal electricity would get 42 yen per kWh for plants smaller than 15,000 kW and 27.30 yen per kWh for larger plants, but only for 15 years.

The rates are a bit higher than recommended by Japan's Geothermal Developers' Council.

For hydro, the panel is recommending 25.20-35.70 yen, based on size, for 20 years, and for Biomass, 13.65-40.95 yen, depending on the kind of fuel, for 20 years.

The panel's recommendation must be approved by Industry Minister Yukio Edano to go into effect this July.

More: http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/23649

Today on the front page of Tokyo Shimbun

http://i45.************/2mo876q.jpg

Japan town OKs reactor restarts
The assembly in a western Japanese town that hosts a nuclear plant agreed on Monday it was necessary to restart two off-line reactors, its chairman said, the first such nod since all the country's stations were halted after the Fukushima crisis.

With power shortages looming in the region when demand peaks this summer, the central government has been trying to win approval from towns and prefectures that host reactors. All 50 reactors are off-line since the last one shut down for maintenance on May 5.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2012-05/15/content_15291800.htm/quote]

Japan’s Domestic Solar Equipment Shipments Surge 38% In Jan-Mar
Japan’s domestic shipments of solar cells and modules surged 38 percent to 392 megawatts in the first three months of this year, the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association said today.

The growth was led by the residential market, which rose 45 percent to 331 megawatts, the industry group said in a statement. Exports fell 53 percent to 163 megawatts.
For the full year ended March 31, domestic shipments rose 32 percent to 1,404 megawatts as the residential market increased 40 percent to 1,206 megawatts, the association said. Exports for that period fell 13 percent to 1,281 megawatts.

Mikio Katayama, chairman of the association, said yesterday domestic shipments will exceed 2,500 megawatts in the year ending March 2013. His remarks came as the country prepares to start preferential rate payments in July for electricity generated from renewable sources, including solar and wind.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-18/japan-s-domestic-solar-equipment-shipments-surge-38-in-jan-mar.html

Japan to liberalize electricity supply to households
Japan plans to let households choose their electricity suppliers in 2014 at the earliest, overriding long-standing opposition from major utilities and threatening to weaken their virtual regional monopolies.

The government has been considering ways to promote competition in prices and services by reviewing the operations of the 10 regional electric power companies since the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

At a meeting of the industry ministry’s electricity system reform committee on May 18, members agreed, in principle, to allow new suppliers to begin sales to households and small stores.

The move could accelerate the use of renewable energy because households will be able to buy electricity generated with solar, wind and other natural sources.

The ministry also plans to abolish the current system that allows regional utilities to calculate rates for households, which has been criticized as too generous for the suppliers.

http://dwqovw6qi0vie.cloudfront.net/article-imgs/en/2012/05/21/AJ201205210071/AJ201205210072M.jpg

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/economy/business/AJ201205210071

Japan to liberalize electricity supply to households

good. you know Okinawa only has one company for all islands.
when compared to other places.. even Hawaii in the US has two!

Nice to find a place where it seems possible to have a reasonable & informative discussion about this kind of thing!
The reality of the current situation is that hydrocarbon imports have gone up by around a quarter since March 2011*, and the only realistic way of meeting the gap resulting from the loss of nuclear power is by importing even more oil and gas.
Setting aside the very real & legitimate pollution concerns, this isn't sustainable: importing vast extra quantities of coal & gas are extremely bad for the balance of payments; while market price fluctuations make it extremely difficult to ensure any kind of price stability, which for a manufacturing economy like Japan's, is a very important (though rather overlooked) factor.
A really huge potential source of energy for Japan is Methane Hydrate, a hydrocarbon that is trapped under pressure in the lattice of frozen water molecules, usually beneath the seabed. There are vast reserves of this just off the coast of Japan, and if it can be tapped (very big if) Methane Hydrate has the potential to make Japan energy independent for a very long time into the future, though at the cost of burning methane...
http://www.jogmec.go.jp/english/activities/technology_oil/promoting.html
I don't see how we're going to get by without nuclear, so we need to make sure that the things that were wrong with the old "Nuclear Village": lack of oversight, poor procedural management, lack of transparency etc are corrected, and that alternative technologies to pressurized water reactors are thoroughly investigated.
There is fusion, of course. This will be giving us infinite quantities of "too cheap to meter" power in around 40 years ;-)
http://www.iter.org/
I certainly don't want to have to go through Fukushima again, but we still need nuclear power. I think we have to approach how we do it in a different way, all the while encouraging and supporting solar/wind/geo/tidal to a far greater degree than in the past.
It's going to be very hard to get from where we are to where we need to be...

* various data, but this shows January 2012 vs January 2011 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-13/japanese-power-utilities-lng-imports-rise-to-5-2-million-tons-in-january.html

I agree with everything you said, except for Fusion in around 40 years. How can you put a deadline on something so little understood by humans as is cold fusion. Unless you mean hot fusion which is highly unstable and difficult to control, at least with current technology. Nuclear power is certainly the future of human kind (unless we learn to harness gravity and electromagnetism, which I don't see happening in the next 500-1000 years). For the moment, we have to focus on renewable energy.
But before any of that happens, I think it's important to focus on increasing the productivity of the nation, we are losing market share for our products and us giving away our technologies to our competitors certainly isn't helping.

Sorry, that's an old joke about how, from the 1960s onwards, fusion is always 40 years away...
Hopefully ITER will show whether it's actually feasible. Or not.
It's quite interesting that one of the arguments against molten sand reactors is dealing with the 800 c temperatures inside the core, but this seems small beer compared to what they're trying to contain at ITER. Two quite different challenges, I realise, but where there's a will (and a few 000 million $).

:lol: got it

Aichi Prefecture to use local waterways for small-scale hydro power
With the Fukushima nuclear crisis and subsequent freeze on nuclear power, Aichi Prefecture is looking to transform its many agricultural waterways into a renewable energy boon through widespread small-scale hydroelectric power generation.

"We want to produce a lot of power without putting a strain on the environment," a prefectural representative told the Mainichi.

According to prefectural authorities, Aichi has a total of 2,467 kilometers of waterways used for agriculture, the third most in Japan. The prefecture's concentration of waterways to agricultural land area ranks first in the nation. A fiscal 2011 prefectural survey of these waterways located a total of 147 sites on the Kiso, Toyo and Yahagi river systems where water flow and elevation differences were sufficient to make small hydroelectric installations feasible.

If generators were set up at all 147 sites -- at a projected cost of 10 billion yen -- they would pump out enough electricity for 22,000 standard households -- 11 times more than a 4-billion-yen, large-scale solar power generation facility built last year by Chubu Electric Power Co. in the prefectural town of Taketoyo.

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/features/news/20120525p2a00m0na010000c.html

Gov't to promote renewable ocean energy
The government has adopted a policy of promoting renewable ocean energy, such as sea-based wind power, officials said May 25.

The government made the decision at a meeting of its Headquarters for Ocean Policy the same day. The policy recognizes the promotion of ocean energy as a pillar of its new energy strategy, as Japan is under pressure to rely less on nuclear power amid the crisis at the tsunami-hit Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant.

"The newly adopted policy will be the foundation for creating a new energy society. It's important to step up efforts (to introduce eco-friendly energy)," Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who leads the headquarters, told the meeting.

Japan lags far behind European and other advanced countries in the technology and capacity of renewable ocean energy even though it is a seafaring country, whose territorial waters and exclusive economic zone total about 4.47 million square kilometers, the sixth largest in the world.

Sea-based power generators use sea winds, waves, tides and differences in temperatures in the sea to generate power. Waves that hit all of Japan's coastlines have potential power-generation capacities equal to those of 36 nuclear generators, according to an estimate made in 2009 by the semi-governmental New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120525p2a00m0na018000c.html

Hosono in favor of atomic power comprising 15% of Japan's energy
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Environment Minister Goshi Hosono said Friday he believes Japan's new energy policy, to be released this summer, can be based on the idea of reducing nuclear power to 15 percent of the nation's total electricity supply.

Hosono said "15 percent can be one base," while noting that limiting the operation of nuclear reactors to 40 years is the government's policy and the 15 percent idea is in line with the policy.

But Hosono also said, "A number of options were presented. They are being discussed by experts, and I do not rule out any options."

His comments came a day after an advisory panel to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry explored five options for the future composition of Japan's energy sources.

The five options presented by the panel calls on the government to seek a society where nuclear power represents either zero percent, 15 percent, 20-25 percent or 35 percent in 2030, compared with 26 percent that nuclear energy accounted for in fiscal 2010. The other option calls on the government not to set numerical targets for future energy composition, letting it instead be determined by the market.

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20120525p2g00m0dm103000c.html

Japan Set to Clear Restart of Two Nuclear Reactors
TOKYO—Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda appears set to order two of Japan's 50 closed reactors to return online in time for the summer energy crunch—the first reactors to be restarted since the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in 2011.

The move, which could take effect as soon as next week, comes after local leaders from western Japan backed away from their opposition, giving provisional support to a restart of the two reactors, located at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s 9503.TO +3.18% Oi plant.

"I effectively accept" a restart of the reactors, provided it is on a temporary basis, to help deal with expected power shortages in the peak summer period, Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto said at a city-office news conference Thursday. "It's time to stop superficial arguments."

Without the restart of the two powerful reactors, the government said, the area covered by the Oi complex, which includes the city of Osaka, would face power shortages of up to 15%. The two reactors are expected to largely eliminate that shortfall, but don't guarantee a swift return of other idled plants. Opinion polls continue to show the public is looking for a long-term exit from nuclear power.

The threat of power shortages and a possible exodus of businesses from the region—now a hub of electronics makers such as Panasonic Corp. and Sharp Corp.—helped fracture the unity of the local opposition.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304821304577438001990631564.html

Sharp develops concentrator solar cell with world's best conversion efficiency
OSAKA, 31 May (Xinhua) -- Japanese electronics manufacturer Sharp Corporation announced Thursday its technical team achieved the world's highest solar cell conversion efficiency of 43.5 percent using a concentrator triple-junction compound solar cell.

According to Sharp, the measurement of the world's best concentrating conversion efficiency was confirmed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Germany.

The maker said the basic structure of this latest triple- junction compound solar cell was based on the company's technology that enables efficient stacking of the three photo- absorption layers, with InGaAs (indium gallium arsenide) as the bottom layer while the solar cell was set in a lens-based concentrator system that focuses sunlight on the cells to generate electricity.

The Osaka-based company stressed its technical team successfully utilized the cell's ability to efficiently convert sunlight collected via three photo-absorption layers into electricity, also optimizing the spacing between electrodes on the surface of the concentrator cell and minimized the cell's electrical resistance.

While compound solar cells have been widely used on space satellites because of their high conversion efficiency, the new technology is expected to be applied to various concentrator photovoltaic power systems that can generate electricity using small-surface-area solar cells and make them practical for terrestrial use, the company said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sci/2012-05/31/c_131623501.htm

The second news is nice. I just hope they don't outsource the production or sell (really, give away) the technology to other countries. That's one of our main problems, other countries producing what Japan invents.

The second news is nice. I just hope they don't outsource the production or sell (really, give away) the technology to other countries. That's one of our main problems, other countries producing what Japan invents.
Totally agree. The irony here, though, is that part of the price of maintaining production in Japan is turning the N power back on.

Noda Warns Of Consequences If Nuclear Power Is Not Restarted
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Nuclear power is vital to ensuring the nation's electricity supply, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said Friday, urging that two reactors at the Oi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture be restarted.

The Nos. 3 and 4 reactors at the Kansai Electric Power Co. (9503) nuclear plant need to resume operations "to protect the way of life for the people," Noda said at a news conference.

If nuclear power plants remain offline, Japanese society will struggle, he warned. "Scheduled blackouts will sharply disrupt daily lives and economic activity, so we need to do our utmost to prevent such a situation," the prime minister said.

He also nixed a proposal advocated by Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto and others to bring the reactors back online only for the summer.

The government estimates that Kansai Electric's supply shortage this summer could reach a maximum of 15% if the reactors remain idle.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20120608D0806A01.htm

I hope they restart them soon. I know the 3-11 is still very recent and the tragedy is still in their minds, they probably feel defrauded, they thaught that they were safe and then this comes as a huge shock. But instead of giving up in nuclear energy, find a way to make it work better, I know Japanese can do it.

Japan OKs restart of 1st reactors since tsunami
TOKYO (AP) – Japan's government on Saturday approved bringing the country's first nuclear reactors back online since last year's earthquake and tsunami led to a nationwide shutdown, going against wider public opinion that is opposed to nuclear power after Fukushima.

The decision paves the way for a power company in western Japan to immediately begin work to restart two reactors in Ohi town, a process that is expected to take several weeks.

Despite lingering safety concerns, the restart could speed the resumption of operations at more reactors across the country. All Japan's 50 nuclear reactors are offline for maintenance or safety checks.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012-06-16/japan-restarts-reactors/55631092/1

Japan to Set Clean-Energy Subsidies Matching Panel’s Proposals
Japan is set to announce incentives for renewable-energy generation on June 18 and will endorse the rates proposed by a government panel, an official said today.

Trade Minister Yukio Edano will confirm the subsidized tariff of 42 yen (53 U.S. cents) a kilowatt-hour for 20 years for solar power, Masato Yasuda, an official in charge of the incentive program at the ministry, said by telephone today.

The decision is needed for Japan to start a so-called feed- in tariff program on July 1 to increase clean-energy use following the March 2011 nuclear accident.

The five-member panel proposed in late April tariffs for solar, wind, biomass, geothermal and small hydropower and the ministry sought public opinions until June 1. Edano will endorse the tariffs recommended by the panel for all five types of clean energy, Yasuda said.

More: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-06-15/japan-to-set-clean-energy-subsidies-matching-panel-s-proposals

It's official :banana:

Japanese government approves renewable energy incentives
(Reuters) - Japan approved on Monday incentives for renewable energy that could unleash billions of dollars in clean-energy investment. Industry Minister Yukio Edano approved the introduction of feed-in tariffs (FIT), which means higher rates will be paid for renewable energy. The move could expand revenue from renewable generation and related equipment to more than $30 billion by 2016, brokerage CLSA estimates.

The subsidies from July 1 are one of the few certainties in Japan's energy landscape, where the government has gone back to the drawing board to write a power policy after the Fukushima radiation crisis, the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. The push for renewables is aimed at cutting reliance on not only nuclear, but pricey oil and liquefied natural gas for energy needs.

The scheme requires Japanese utilities to buy electricity from renewable sources such as solar, wind and geothermal at pre-set premiums for up to 20 years. Costs will be passed on to consumers through higher bills. The government will pay 42 yen (53 U.S. cents) per kilowatt hour (kwh) for solar-generated electricity, double the tariff offered in Germany and more than three times that paid in China. Wind power will be subsidized at least 23.1 yen per kwh, compared with as low as 4.87 euro cents (6 U.S. cents) in Germany.

Subsidies have spurred explosive growth in renewable energy in countries such as Germany, which has nearly tripled its output in less than a decade.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/06/18/us-energy-renewables-japan-idINBRE85H00Z20120618

http://www.wind-works.org/images/Japanese%20Renewable%20Tariffs%20Final%202012.jpg

Solar Boom Heads To Japan Creating $9.6 Billion Market: Energy
Japan is poised to overtake Germany and Italy to become the world’s second-biggest market for solar power as incentives starting July 1 drive sales for equipment makers from Yingli Green Energy Holdings Co. to Kyocera Corp. (6971)

Industry Minister Yukio Edano set today a premium price for solar electricity that’s about triple what industrial users now pay for conventional power. That may spur at least $9.6 billion in new installations with 3.2 gigawatts of capacity, Bloomberg New Energy Finance forecast. The total is about equal to the output of three atomic reactors.

“The tariff is very attractive,” said Mina Sekiguchi, associate partner and head of energy and infrastructure at KPMG in Japan. “The rate reflects the government’s intention to set up many solar power stations very quickly.”

Japan ranked sixth worldwide by new installations last year, when it added 1.3 gigawatts of solar to bring its installed base to 5 gigawatts. Next year builders will erect roughly triple that level, or another 3.2 gigawatts to 4.7 gigawatts, New Energy Finance forecasts. A gigawatt is enough to supply about 243,000 homes in Japan.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-17/solar-boom-heads-to-japan-creating-9-6-billion-market-energy.html

Thats great news!! :cheers:

it'd be even better if all or most of the equipment needed were manufactured in Japan, so as to benefit the economy.

Just hope no one falls into the trap of believing that "renewables" will provide enough energy on their own. However, as part of an energy diversification strategy, this is really welcome, and long overdue.
Will surely provide a huge fillip to Japanese R&D and manufacturing in this sector.
Good news all round.

Toshiba to build Japan's biggest solar plants in Fukushima
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Toshiba Corp. (6502) on Wednesday announced preliminary plans to build a megasolar facility in Minamisoma, a coastal city in Fukushima Prefecture rebuilding from last year's earthquake and tsunami.

Feasibility studies for the 100,000kw solar farm, which would be among the largest in Japan, will wrap up this autumn. Construction is expected to begin this fiscal year, with the facility to go online by fiscal 2014. Equipment and construction costs are estimated at 30 billion yen. A 20,000kw portion of the project is already under way.

The projected output comes to 105 million kilowatt-hours a year, enough power for 30,000 households.

The agreement reached by Toshiba and Minamisoma also includes plans for an energy-efficient smart community.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20120620D2006N03.htm

Oi Nuclear Reactor To Be Started Up
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Kansai Electric Power Co. (9503) will reactivate the No. 3 reactor at the Oi nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture, on Sunday. It will mark the first time that a nuclear reactor will resume operations in Japan since the accidents at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s (9501) Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in March of last year saw the shutting down of all the nation's reactors.

The last of Japan's 54 nuclear reactors to stay running was Hokkaido Electric Power Co.'s (9509) No. 3 reactor at the Tomari nuclear power plant in Hokkaido. It was shut on May 5. Oi's restart will mark an end to the two-month hiatus of Japan having zero nuclear power.

The Oi reactor has undergone a regular inspection. On Sunday night, Kansai Electric will remove control rods that are used to adjust the output of reactive material in the reactor. By Monday morning, the reactor is expected to enter a critical state in which nuclear fission has stabilized. The reactor will be fully back on-line as early as the following Sunday.

The utility will also move to restart the plant's No. 4 reactor as it continues to monitor the No. 3 reactor. The company plans to put the No. 4 reactor fully on-line in late July.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20120630D30JFF04.htm

^^ Great news.

Phasing out nuclear power could reduce Japan's GDP by 7%

Japan risks taking a 45-trillion-yen ($564 billion) hit to its economy if it does away with nuclear power generation by 2030.

That is the figure presented at a panel of Cabinet ministers overseeing the rewriting of the nation’s energy strategy.

The complete abandonment of nuclear energy is only one of three policy options chosen by the Energy and Environment Council as the basis of a two-month public consultation on energy policy that started on June 29.

But estimates by four research organizations reported at the panel make clear the likely costs of going nuclear-free, predicting that the average monthly electricity bill for a family of two or more would increase from the current 10,000 yen to between 14,000 yen and 21,000 yen.

Source (http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201206300053)

!

SoftBank-Kyocera solar plant gets off to soggy start amid downpour in Kyoto
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/images/photos2012/nn20120702a3a.jpg

KYOTO — The largest mega-solar project in Kyoto Prefecture was inaugurated Sunday, the same day a feed-in tariff for renewable energies took effect and just hours before the Oi nuclear plant was set to resume operations.

The first of the project's two solar power facilities, built in a joint venture between SoftBank group's SB Energy Corp. and the Kyocera group, began operations later in the day. The second facility is scheduled to go online in September, and each is expected to generate 2.1 megawatts. When both are up and running, their combined capacity will be enough to power around 1,000 households, SB Energy said.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120702a3.html#.T_G1MrVuBvA

And it looks like Softbank has one upped post #95 already by 6 megawatts

Softbank To Build Japan’s Biggest Solar Plant On Incentives
Softbank Corp. (9984), Japan’s third-largest mobile phone company, said it will build the nation’s biggest solar plant as the country begins an incentive program for clean energy.

The facility in Tomakomai, Hokkaido will start operations in fiscal 2014 and have the capacity of 111 megawatts, Softbank spokesman Naoki Nakayama said today in a telephone interview.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9fdN_r7V18&feature=g-u-u


Softbank to build two new solar plants, one wind farm in Japan
Japanese telco has announced 11 renewable power plants in total.
The president of SoftBank Corp. announced Sunday plans to build two new solar power facilities and one wind power installation on the day a new feed-in tariff system was introduced nationwide to encourage greater use of renewable energy to power Japan.

Speaking at a press conference to mark the launch of a 2.1 megawatt capacity solar plant in Kyoto, renewable energy advocate Masayoshi Son indicated that SoftBank would build new solar plants in the southern prefectures of Kumamoto and Nagasaki, and a wind power installation in the western prefecture of Shimane.

Son said the total capacity of the 11 renewable power plants now announced by SoftBank exceeded 200 megawatts, in line with a pledge he made previously, as he seeks to kick start a move toward renewable energy in Japan.

"When I make a public commitment, I always keep my word," Son said.

http://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?ID=474692

Honestly a 2.1 MW plant looks more like a PR stunt than a viable energy solution. Doesn't unit 3 alone at Oi generate 1,180 MW, and the plant has 4 of those ( 1 - 1,175 MW, 2 - 1,175 MW, 3 - 1,180 MW, 1,180 MW = 4,710 MW).

It seems like you'd need to construct 4,710/2.1 = 2,243 power plants like that just to replace Oi and I'm not sure there's space in all of Kansai for that.

Honestly a 2.1 MW plant looks more like a PR stunt than a viable energy solution. Doesn't unit 3 alone at Oi generate 1,180 MW, and the plant has 4 of those ( 1 - 1,175 MW, 2 - 1,175 MW, 3 - 1,180 MW, 1,180 MW = 4,710 MW).

It seems like you'd need to construct 4,710/2.1 = 2,243 power plants like that just to replace Oi and I'm not sure there's space in all of Kansai for that.

There is, on rooftops. Then again, i'm not sure that counts as "power plants".

Honestly a 2.1 MW plant looks more like a PR stunt than a viable energy solution. Doesn't unit 3 alone at Oi generate 1,180 MW, and the plant has 4 of those ( 1 - 1,175 MW, 2 - 1,175 MW, 3 - 1,180 MW, 1,180 MW = 4,710 MW).

It seems like you'd need to construct 4,710/2.1 = 2,243 power plants like that just to replace Oi and I'm not sure there's space in all of Kansai for that.

A PR stunt? It is part of an energy diversification. Germany can have up to 20% of their energy from renewables...so can Japan..and hopefully even more. There will need to be many more of these solar/wind/geothermal etc stories to reach it and this is just the beginning. The tariff started just yesterday and there is tons of land in Japan just sitting there doing nothing being abandoned by old farmers.

Electricity in Germany costs 36.48 US cents/kWh, double that of France's 19.39 US cents / kWh (Source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity_pricing)). At the same time, Germany is unable to meet all of its energy demands, and has to buy power from France.

France produces 78.8% of its energy from nuclear power, and has the lowest pre-tax price for electricity in Europe.

Not sure I understand your point. Not many here (ssc japan) are against nuclear so you're preaching to the choir.

Anyway Japan is a democracy and it will be hard to build more nuclear plants..and even turn them all on for the time being. I and most japanese greatly support renewables over fossil fuels.

Not sure I understand your point. Not many here (ssc japan) are against nuclear so you're preaching to the choir.

Anyway Japan is a democracy and it will be hard to build more nuclear plants..and even turn them all on for the time being. I and most japanese greatly support renewables over fossil fuels.

:lol: well said :okay:

大飯再稼働「賛成」４９％、近畿６府県読売調査
読売新聞社は１５～１７日にかけて近畿２府４県を対象に世論調査（電話方式）を実施した。

福井県の関西電力大飯原子力発電所を運転再開する政府の方針に「賛成」と答えた人は４９％で、「反対」４１％を上回った。

　府県別にみると、大阪府は賛成５２％、反対３９％、兵庫県でも賛成５１％、反対３７％となった。奈良、和歌山両県も賛成が反対よりも多かった。福井県に隣接する滋賀県では反対が多く、京都府は賛否が拮抗きっこうした。

　大飯原発の運転再開に反対していた橋下徹大阪市長が、最終的に容認に転じたことについては、「理解できる」６７％が「理解できない」２４％を大きく上回った。

　調査は、橋下市長が１９日に就任半年を迎えるのを前に、無作為に作成した番号に電話をかける方式で実施。有権者在住が判明した３４９８世帯から２２１２人の回答を得た（回答率６３％）。

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/news/20120617-OYT1T00684.htm
^ 49% of Kansai residents approve of nuclear restarts, 41% are against it. In Osaka 52% approve only 39% against

Japan's 1st offshore wind farm to start in Jan
(Reuters) - Japan's first offshore wind farm is set to start generating 2.4 MW of electricity in January, a government agency said.

Japan hopes to begin building commercial offshore wind farms in several years, following the trail blazed by Europe and especially world leader Britain, which has taken advantage of its long, windy coastline.

The environment ministry has estimated Japan has the potential to eventually build a huge 1,600 gigawatts of offshore wind power capacity, though it would have to overcome a raft of technological problems to get there. The nation's current nuclear capacity stands at 46.15 GW.

Under the FIT scheme, Japanese utilities must buy electricity from renewable sources such as wind, solar and geothermal at pre-set premiums for up to 20 years.

The wind facility, off the coast of Choshi, east of Tokyo, is being jointly developed by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and Tokyo Electric Power.

NEDO is also teaming up with Electric Power Development Co (J-Power) to build a 2 MW offshore wind farm off the coast of Kitakyushu in southwestern Japan that will start generating power as early as May next year.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/07/03/energy-wind-japan-idINL3E8I322I20120703

Is the ‘Wind Lens’ a Green Energy Breakthrough?
vQexzNg_e9A

It can triple energy output of a standard wind turbine.

http://www.riam.kyushu-u.ac.jp/windeng/img/aboutus_detail_image/EWEA2011_poster.pdf

DJ: Panel Presents Draft Of Power Sector Reform Proposals
TOKYO--A government-appointed panel Friday presented its draft proposals to reform Japan's power utility sector that would radically change the cozy business arrangements of regional monopoly utilities.

Aiming to promote competition, the draft proposes revolutionary measures, including the separation of power generation and grid operations and the abolition of the existing pricing system allowing utilities to pass cost increases to customers.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20120713D13JF203.htm

Utililties To Back Split In Transmission, Generation
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Power companies have decided to support a plan to separate power transmission and generation services, The Nikkei learned Friday.

The report said the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan, which comprises electric utilities, will announce its decision at an expert panel on reforming the country's power system later in the day.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20120713D13SS159.htm

1st geothermal power plant to be built
FUKUSHIMA--Tsuchiyu Onsen hot spring resort in Fukushima city will house the nation's first geothermal power plant inside a national park, sources have said. Geothermal power generation within a national park is now permitted after the Environment Ministry relaxed regulations in March.

Since the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the number of tourists to the hot spring resort has drastically declined. The plant will start operations next autumn at the earliest.

It plans to utilize the method of binary cycle geothermal power generation.

In the Tsuchiyu project, power generation will initially start with an output capacity of 500 kilowatts in two locations near the springs. This figure will likely be raised later to 1,000 kilowatts. All electric power generated by the project will be sold to Tohoku Electric Power Co. at 42 yen per kilowatt. The price has been set by a system that started this month to oblige power companies to buy renewable energy at fixed prices.

Construction costs of the first plant are estimated at about 300 million yen, and the resort expects to recover the cost in about seven years. Officials at the resort plan to use the revenue from the plant to help revive the area by, for example, introducing electric buses.

According to the ministry, as geothermal power generation is not affected by the weather, it can produce seven times more electricity than solar power generation, even if the output capacity of the two methods is the same.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/photo/DY20120716110416423L0.jpg

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/photo/DY20120716110513241L0.jpg

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120715002002.htm

Japan aims for $628 bln green energy market to boost economy
In the growth strategy, the government said it will seek to develop a 50-trillion-yen renewable energy market and create 1.4 million jobs by 2020. The plan includes measures to promote vehicles that run on alternative energy, so that they make up half of new automobile sales by 2020.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/10/japan-economy-growth-idUSL3E8IA3C820120710

Key Ministers OK 8.47% Tepco Power Rate Hike

TOKYO (Nikkei)--Tokyo Electric Power Co. (9501) is set to raise its electricity rates for households by an average of 8.47%, possibly on Sept. 1, after key government officials agreed on the rate hike Thursday.

The rate is down from the utility's initial proposal of 10.28%.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20120719D19SS578.htm

Japanese Researcher Says Solar Panel Generation Efficiency Can Be Doubled
According to Japanese media, a team led by Professor Susumu Noda at Kyoto University in Kyoto, Japan, has developed a new technology for increasing the efficiency of solar panel generation to 40%. Their report was published in Nature Photonics.

Researchers and vendors have been working to enhance power generation with solar panels. The efficiency of this type of generation has been steadily improving but remains in the 20% range. In producing power from sunlight, only a certain spectrum is used and the rest abandoned. Dr. Noda and his team developed a technology to convert sunlight that is out of the range used for power generation into usable spectrum, with little or no overhead. In this way, sunlight can be used more efficiently to improve the conversion rate of solar panel generation.

http://www.altaterra.net/blogpost/587092/146212/Japanese-Researcher-Says-Solar-Panel-Generation-Efficiency-Can-Be-Doubled

You can read the scientific details of it here: http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/ja/news_data/h/h1/news6/2012/120709_1.htm

If they're restarting power at Oi, then they should also resume full operations at the Takahama facility as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takahama_Nuclear_Power_Plant

Time to restart some nuclear power plants indeed (especially the biggest ones like Kashiwazaki-Kariwa and Hamoka.....which is the biggest source of electricity in Shizuoka)

Nuclear power ftw!!! :)

Yeah I wish they would turn on the nuclear power (after they meet all safety guidelines). Japan's C02 emissions last year were around the level of 1990 due to burning more coal etc.

Japan's No. 4 N-reactor at Oi plant resumes power supply
The No. 4 reactor at the Oi nuclear power plant in Oi, Fukui Prefecture, resumed electricity generation and transmission at 7 a.m. Saturday.

The reactor of Kansai Electric Power Co. has an output capacity of 1.18 million kilowatts and is scheduled to reach full capacity on Wednesday.

Once at full capacity, the operation will resolve most power shortages in KEPCO's service area.

http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20120722-360533.html

Turn them back on? Are you guys insane? I understand the need for cheap energy in Japan, but is it really worth another Fukushima?

It's not just cheap energy, it's necessary energy. We can import all the oil we want, we still don't have enough power plants to generate electricity with it. In the short term, nuclear is all we've got.

M'bishi Group To Build Megasolar Farm Near Airport
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Mitsubishi Corp. (8058) and the Mitsubishi Research Institute (3636) said Monday that they will set up a 2-megawatt solar plant right next to Kumamoto airport.

The major trading company's first domestic megasolar facility will be constructed on a 32,000 sq. meter plot owned by Kumamoto Prefecture in the town of Kikuyo.

The duo will establish a special-purpose company soon and work toward beginning operations at the solar farm next March. This SPC will be 95%-owned by Mitsubishi and 5% by the Mitsubishi Research Institute. The total project cost is estimated at 650 million yen.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20120903D0309N04.htm

¥50 trillion for renewables needed to end nuke power
The nation will have to invest at least ¥50 trillion in renewable energy by 2030 if nuclear power is completely phased out, the government estimated Tuesday.

It also predicted that households would see their monthly energy bills, including gas and other sources, nearly double if the phaseout goal is to be reached by 2030, rising to as high as ¥32,243 on average, compared with ¥16,900 in 2010.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120905a1.html

Japan to increase capacity of four renewable energy sources by more than sixfold
TOKYO --The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) of Japan has formulated a strategy to drastically expand the use of four renewable energy sources: offshore wind, geothermal, biomass and ocean (tidal and wave). While the generation capacity of these four sources combined was only 2,960 MW in fiscal 2010, MOE aims to increase it to a total of 19,410 MW by 2030.

The strategy was announced by MOE minister Goshi Hosono at a press conference held after the August 31 cabinet meeting. It envisages increasing by 2030 the annual generation capacity of offshore wind power to 8,030 MW, geothermal power to 3,880 MW, biomass power to 6,000 MW and ocean energy to 1,500 MW by strongly promoting research and development as well as demonstration projects.

http://www.shimbun.denki.or.jp/en/news/20120904_01.html

Japan Q2 solar cell sales rise 72 pct ahead of new subsidy launch
Aug 29 (Reuters) - Sales of solar cells in Japan rose 72.2 percent from a year earlier to 445.3 megawatts in April-June, industry data showed, helped by a jump in demand for non-residential power generation ahead of the launch of a new renewable power subsidy scheme.

In July, Japan introduced a feed-in tariff (FIT) programme under which regional power utilities buy power from renewable energy suppliers at pre-set premiums for up to 20 years.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/08/29/energy-japan-solar-idINL4E8JT2FQ20120829

Softbank, Mitsui to Open Japan’s Biggest Solar Park
Softbank Corp. (9984), Japan’s third- biggest mobile phone company, and Mitsui & Co. (8031) plan to build and start operating what may be the nation’s biggest solar power plant.

Spurred on by Japan’s incentive program for clean energy and Softbank Chairman Masayoshi Son’s ambition to install more renewable energy in a country that last year experienced the world’s worst nuclear disaster in a quarter of a century, the two companies today signed a pact to build 39.5 megawatts of capacity at a site in Tottori prefecture.

Tottori will be Japan’s largest solar plant when it starts in July, Son said at a briefing in Tokyo today. The phone company also plans a 111-megawatt solar generator on the northern island of Hokkaido, which is scheduled to begin operations in fiscal 2014, according to Softbank.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-08-29/softbank-mitsui-seek-to-open-japan-s-biggest-solar-park-in-july

JGC to build 26.5 MW PV plant in southern Japan
JGC Corporation (Yokohama, Japan) has announced plans to build a 26.5 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Oita City, Japan, in an industrial district owned by Nissan Motor Company Ltd. (Yokohama, Japan).
JGC plans to commission the plant in May 2013, at an estimated project cost of JPY 8 billion (USD 102 million). The company notes that this is the first domestic solar project that it has taken part in.

http://www.solarserver.com/solar-magazine/solar-news/current/2012/kw36/jgc-to-build-265-mw-pv-plant-in-southern-japan.html

Japan’s METI Wants to Triple Budget for Clean Energy Development
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry asked for 130.4 billion yen ($1.7 billion) to develop clean energy for the fiscal year starting April 1.

Of that, the ministry wants to allocate 25 billion yen to develop power grids to promote wind power, according to a budget request announced by the ministry today.

METI plans to spend 17.5 billion yen to develop wind power including a floating offshore wind project Japan is developing in Fukushima after the 2011 earthquake.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-07/japan-s-meti-wants-to-triple-budget-for-clean-energy-development.html

An update of how the FIT is working

Japan sun subsidy fires electric spending rush
Japan's subsidies for renewable power suppliers have sparked more than $2 billion of investment since they were launched two months ago, as companies and homeowners try to profit from an anti-nuclear energy policy after last year's Fukushima crisis.

In the first month of the Japanese scheme's operation, 33,695 companies and individuals registered to sell renewable energy, data from Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) shows. More than three-quarters of the registered capacity is solar.

"We now expect total installed solar capacity to be near 10,000 MW by the end of this business year, up from about 5,000 MW before the scheme's launch," said Hiroshi Komiyama, chairman of Mitsubishi Research Institute.

That would generate enough electricity for 2.7 million households a year, or around 5 percent of the country's homes, according to Reuters calculations.

Japan has approved more than 33,000 renewable energy projects that can receive subsidies under a new energy law that took effect on July 1, as the country phases out nuclear power after last year's Fukushima disaster.

Of those, 81 are solar power projects with capacity of 1 megawatt (MW) or more each, totaling 243 megawatts, data for the first month of the scheme from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) showed.

Six wind power projects totaling 122 MW have also been approved, as have homeowners and small companies which have installed solar panels on their roofs, totaling 202 MW, and small-sized hydro power projects coming to 0.2 MW.

For a list of projects approved go http://ajw.asahi.com/article/economy/business/AJ201209120093

Offshore wind power generation in the spotlight in Japan
As the government seeks to move away from nuclear energy, wind power in Japan has seen a surge in popularity, with a growing number of power utilities and heavy industrial manufacturers starting offshore turbine construction projects.

The Environment Ministry announced that it aims to increase Japan's offshore wind power generation to 8.03 million kilowatts, equal to the amount of electricity generated by eight nuclear power reactors, by 2030, and projects for new or expanded wind farms are already under way around the country.

Windpower and Marubeni Corp. plan to jointly build another, larger wind farm with 50 turbines 1 kilometer offshore, with an output of 5,000 kilowatts, by 2017. That would mean the wind farm could cover 18 percent of the electricity consumed by all 200,000 households in Ibaraki Prefecture.

More: http://ajw.asahi.com/article/economy/business/AJ201209130076

Japan aims to abandon nuclear power by 2030s
Japan's government said it intends to stop using nuclear power by the 2030s, marking a major shift from policy goals set before last year's Fukushima disaster that sought to increase the share of atomic energy to more than half of electricity supply.

Japan joins countries such as Germany and Switzerland in turning away from nuclear power after last year's earthquake unleashed a tsunami that swamped the Fukushima No. 1 plant, causing the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986. Japan was the third-biggest user of atomic energy before the disaster.

In abandoning atomic power, Japan aims to triple the share of renewable power to 30 percent of its energy mix, but will remain a top importer of oil, coal and gas for the foreseeable future.

By applying a strict 40-year limit on the lifetime of reactors, most will be shut down by the 2030s.

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/politics/AJ201209140105

those are some very good news! Hopefully more households start installing PV panels. There, i think, lies the key to reducing energy imports and phasing out nuclear reactors without significantly affecting the economy.

Japan aims to abandon nuclear power by 2030s
That's a real shame. Sweden did the exact same thing after a public vote (just after the Harrisburg accident). They decided then that all plant should be disassembled and that no new plant's should be allowed to be built. In the past few years though stronger minds have prevailed and they have not only removed the ban of nuclear science (it have been illegal to practice in the past) and also said that all the old plants are allowed to be replaced, and at least one company have submitted plans to do just that.

The main issue I have about this of shutting down all the plants is that, "where will they put all the spent fuel?". The thing is that the fuel rods are only 30% spent, meaning that there is still 70% of the fuel left to create power. Here they want to dig it down for several hundreds of thousands of years. But during that time there will be a much worse accident than any of the ones previously when these capsules starts leaking (you can't guarantee something for that long). Better is to build new plants that are of the 4:th generation. In they you can not only recycle your spent fuel until there is no material left that needs to be stored for incredibly long time, but also they are 100% safe and only needs basic maintenance. That's the way of the future if you already have nuclear power today.

I agree, I would prefer them to continue research into safer and more efficient nuclear plants than to shut them all down. I would have no problem if they shut down every old plant in Japan and replaced them with new ones, several nuclear plants were on the ocean in Tohoku too, but they were newer models and as we can see nothing happened to them...only to the first generation fukushima plant which was about to be retired anyway.

not only that, what happened to the Fukushima plant was that the tsunami knocked out the cooling system, the plant itself wasn't damaged, not even by the mega quake. They could build the plants on top of man made hills/platforms some 20-30m high. I think the fact that the plant itself withstood both the quake and tsunami shows that it is reasonably safe. Also there were no backup cooling systems on site, which was a big mistake. All in all, if they address these shortcomings and come up with contingency plans for as many scenarios as possible, newer plants are going to be safe.

Like I stated before in this thread, nuclear power is the future. Sadly, though, people are now against it not only because of the unfortunate accident itself, but more (I think) because of the way the government dealt with it.

Construction Of Oma Nuclear Plant To Be Continued
AOMORI (Kyodo)--Industry minister Yukio Edano said Saturday the government does not intend to withdraw permission for constructing the Oma nuclear plant in Aomori Prefecture, despite the government's new energy policy calling for the end of atomic power generation in the 2030s.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20120915D15JF197.htm

DJ: J-Power Starts Wind Farm Construction In Shikoku
TOKYO--Electric Power Development Co. (9513), or J-Power, has started construction of a 20-megawatt wind farm in Ehime prefecture on Japan's western island of Shikoku, a company spokesman said Monday.

Commercial operation is scheduled to start in September 2014, and all electricity generated from the farm will be sold to local firm Shikoku Electric Power Co. (9507), the J-Power spokesman said.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20120924D24JF992.htm

Oil, coal, natural gas subject to green tax from Oct. 1
The government will introduce an environmental tax in October, a move likely to trigger broad-based price hikes on products such as electricity and plastic.

The tax, to be imposed on oil, coal, natural gas and other fossil fuels, is designed to help curb emissions of carbon dioxide, a key heat-trapping gas that causes global warming.

Revenues will fund measures to promote renewable energy sources and support energy-saving efforts by businesses and households.

The new tax will come as an additional charge on the existing oil and coal tax, with hikes set for April 2014 and April 2016.

The existing fossil fuel levy stands at 2,040 yen per kiloliter for crude oil and petroleum products. From Oct. 1, an additional 250 yen per kiloliter will be imposed as a green tax. The new levy is set to rise to 500 yen in April 2014 and to 760 yen two years later.

For natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas, the current tax stands at 1,080 yen per ton. The green tax will initially stand at 260 yen, and rise to 520 yen in April 2014 and to 780 yen two years later.

More: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120928004296.htm

This will force households to pay more..but at the same time I think it's not too bad, the expected increase is 1,200 yen for a household...and this will make families (hopefully) buy more energy efficient products and be more energy efficient at home.

J-Power to resume construction of Oma nuclear plant
Electric Power Development Co. plans to resume the construction of its Oma nuclear power plant in Aomori Prefecture, it was learned Friday.

Executives of the company, better known as J-Power, will visit local communities concerned, including the town of Oma, on Monday to explain the planned resumption of construction in an effort to seek their acceptance, informed sources said.

The Oma plant would be the first to restart construction among nuclear power stations since work was suspended following the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami last year that led to the crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

J-Power began building the Oma plant four years ago. About 40 percent of the plant had been completed before construction was suspended following the disasters due to growing safety concerns.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120928004041.htm

Renewable Energy Use Growing Faster Than Projected
TOKYO (Nikkei)--The power-generating capacity of renewable energy systems is expanding faster than the government had forecast, led by megasolar projects undertaken by private industry.

According to figures released Wednesday by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the total certified capacity for alternative-energy equipment stood at 1.3 million kilowatts at the end of August, more than half of the 2.5 million kilowatts forecast to be in place at the fiscal year-end.

Capacity brought online in the first five months of this fiscal year totaled 680,000kw. Solar equipment for homes accounted for 600,000kw, with nonresidential solar capacity adding 60,000kw worth. Wind and biomass equipment each contributed 12,000kw.

Nonresidential solar power generation is expected to grow significantly as a series of megasolar projects comes onstream. And with numerous new applications for renewable energy equipment in the works, there is a strong likelihood that the total capacity will exceed projections by the end of the year.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20120926D2609A20.htm

Businessweek has 3 page report on renewable energy in Japan

Sumitomo Sees ‘Solar Bubble’ as Japan Rejects Nuclear: Energy
In the two months after Japan started offering feed-in tariffs, applications for 155 solar projects each with a capacity of at least 1 megawatt were made, government data show. Wind power attracted 14 applications and biomass just one.

Projects to add more than 1,150 megawatts of solar plants have been announced this year in Japan, compared to none last year, according to BNEF. Those estimates, which exclude residential installations, mean about 110 megawatts of utility- size solar capacity may be commissioned this year, up from 10 megawatts last year, BNEF said in an Aug. 31 report.

Though the effect is not yet felt nationwide, the amount of space solar plants need will push up land prices because suitable space is limited, said Takashi Ishizawa, the head of real estate research at Mizuho Securities Co.

With land prices falling in Japan for the last 21 years, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, renewable energy investment may help the country in its fight against deflation that has dragged on the economy for decades.

“There are many players entering this business fighting for land and the competition will be pretty fierce from now on,” Kazunobu Watanabe, Chief Planning Officer of Japan Asia Group (3751), said in a briefing in Tokyo.

The wind market allows developers to build larger projects and according to the Ministry of Environment offers greater potential capacity. The country could accommodate 280,000 megawatts of wind capacity onshore and a further 1,600,000 megawatts off the coast, compared to 150,000 megawatts of commercial solar power, the ministry said last year.

The higher cost gives solar almost twice the 23.1 yen per kilowatt-hour guaranteed for wind. And yet, the wind tariff is based on an 8 percent internal rate of return, while solar is based on 6 percent, government data show.

As in solar, Japan’s tariff for wind is the most generous in the world and 43 percent higher than that of next-best Italy. The U.K. offers less than half and China about a third, according to BNEF’s Aug. 14 wind market outlook report.

By the end of 2016, Japan may have 7,600 megawatts of wind capacity, CLSA estimates. The estimate for solar is 17,300 megawatts by the end of 2014, including residential panels.

More: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-09-30/sumitomo-sees-solar-bubble-as-japan-rejects-nuclear-energy#p3

Sharp introduces transparent solar cells
Transparent solar cells could be used as windows

The Sharp Corporation, a leading developer of electronic products, has announced the release of new transparent solar cells that are designed to operate as windows for homes. Beginning in October, Japanese homeowners will be able to purchase these windows, which will be able to generate electricity through the collection of sunlight and provide power to a home. The concept of transparent solar cells has been growing in popularity recently and Sharp believes the time is right to introduce such products to the commercial market.

Solar cells do not require the installation of costly components

Standard solar energy installations are typically mounted on rooftops. These installations require metal frames and such systems are typically comprised of numerous solar panels, which are necessary in order to make the installation worthwhile. Sharp’s transparent solar cells are a more minimalistic interpretation on traditional solar energy systems. The solar cells have the appearance of a smoky, dark glass. Sharp suggests that the solar cells could be used as a standard window and that the material used to develop the solar cell could turn virtually anything into a solar energy system.

More: http://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/sharp-introduces-transparent-solar-cells/856037/

Japan's Fukuoka to rent out roof space for solar panels
OSAKA, Sept. 25 (Xinhua)-- Japan's southwestern Fukuoka Prefecture is planning to lease roof space at schools for solar panels with an aim to widely develop solar power generation, local press reported Tuesday.

The new plan came after a new feed-in-tariff scheme for renewable energy started in the country this summer and was the first of its kind pushed by a local government in southwestern Japan.

More: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sci/2012-09/25/c_131872020.htm

日本近海に眠るメタンハイドレート、2013年に掘削開始

日本の近海に存在するメタンハイドレートを掘削する取り組みが2013年1月にスタートする。海底からメタンガスの産出に成功すれば、世界初の快挙だ。掘削を行う石油天然ガス・金属鉱物資源機構（JOGMEC）は既に2012年2月から3月にかけて事前掘削を実施済みで、まずまずの成果を挙げている。今回、固体の状態で地中に存在するメタンハイドレートから効率的にメタンガスを採取するために、「減圧法」と呼ばれる手法…
http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASFK2502B_V20C12A9000000/

^ Japan will drill for methane hydrate and if successful it says it would be the first in the world. I don't know how I feel about this since methane is even more of a greenhouse than CO2...but it would be good for Japan's energy security.

Well that would only be a problem if methane escapes to the atmosphere. Remember burning methane is much cleaner than pretty much any other hydrocarbon.

I'm really excited about methane hydrates, as they could be the solution to most of Japan's energy concerns. Also Japan has some of the largest reserves of the clathrate.

Maeda to Develop 60-Megawatt Offshore Wind Farm in Japan
Maeda Corp. (1824), a Japanese civil engineering company, will develop a 60-megawatt offshore wind farm in southwestern Japan.

The project, to be built off the coast of Shimonoseki city in Yamaguchi prefecture, will use 20 turbines and may cost as much as 25 billion yen ($320 million), Kozo Domori, a Maeda spokesman said today by phone.

The wind farm will be built in two stages, with the first 10 turbines starting operation in April 2016 and the remaining the following year, he said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-11/maeda-to-develop-60-megawatt-offshore-wind-farm-in-japan.html

Japan's Renewable Energy Frenzy is 83% Solar
Since Japan's renewable energy feed-in tariff (FiT) took effect July 1, there's been a frenzy of activity on renewable energy development and solar accounts for a vast majority of that - 83%.

Solar plants can be built much more quickly than wind, geothermal or biomass plants, which have longer lead times in addition to red tape. And since developers don't know how long the very attractive FiT prices will last, they're rushing to get plants built.

1780 megawatts (MW) of renewables have been approved by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as of the end of September - 1480 MW of solar and 292 MW of wind.

The country has added 912 MW of renewable energy since April - that's almost a gigawatt (GW) in just 5 months! and solar accounts for 885 MW of that.

And the ministry expects an eye-popping 2.5 GW of renewables to be added by the end of March 2013, for a total of 10 GW of solar.

http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/24169

2.5 GW is more than 2 nuclear reactors.

Spanish firm to invest $1 bn in solar energy in Japan
Tokyo: Spain's Gestamp Solar plans to invest nearly 90 billion yen (USd1.16 billion) in solar plants and panels in Japan over the next three years, the company said Thursday.

In its foray into Japan's renewable energy sector, Gestamp Solar has signed an accord with Kankyo Keiei Senryaku Soken to build and operate rooftop photovoltaic installations with a capacity of 30 MW.

The two companies have set a goal of achieving 300 MW in generating capacity within three years through a combination of rooftop and ground-mounted projects, Gestampo Solar CEO Jorge Barredo said in a press conference in Tokyo.

Of that capacity, 70 percent over the long term would come from rooftop projects, Barredo said, adding that that goal is "realistic and achievable".

http://zeenews.india.com/business/news/international/spanish-firm-to-invest-1-bn-in-solar-energy-in-japan_61742.html

2nd big project in Oita

Marubeni to build nation's mega-solar power plant in Oita
https://d13uygpm1enfng.cloudfront.net/article-imgs/en/2012/10/21/AJ201210210024/AJ201210210025.jpg

Leading trading house Marubeni Corp. will start construction of the nation’s largest solar power plant in Kyushu in November, which will generate enough power to light up 25,000 households.

The facility in Oita, Oita Prefecture, costing 24 billion yen ($304 million), will have the capacity to generate 81.5 megawatts. The plant will be completed by the end of March 2014.

About 350,000 solar panels will be laid out on the 105-hectare plot, equal to 23 Tokyo Domes.

Of the projects under construction, Kyocera Corp.’s plant in Kagoshima is the largest in the country, with a capacity of 70 megawatts.

Remote regions such as Kyushu and Hokkaido are leading the nation in playing host to mega-solar plants due to the availability of large tracts of inexpensive land.

Marubeni decided to proceed with the solar-power project at the site in Oita as the company concluded that the feed-in system will make the project profitable.

The company has held onto the site for about 30 years, which was originally purchased to build a petrochemical complex.

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/economy/business/AJ201210210024

Solar companies battle for land under feed-in tariff system

https://d13uygpm1enfng.cloudfront.net/article-imgs/en/2012/10/25/AJ201210250016/AJ201210250017M.jpg

Competition is intensifying among companies hoping to cash in on the new system requiring utilities to buy power generated from renewable energy sources.

The companies have been battling to buy vacant lots in rural regions, where they can lay solar panels to produce electricity that can be sold to utilities.

Entrants in the field increased after the government in July introduced the feed-in tariff system following the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. Under the system, utilities must purchase “green” energy from renewable sources, such as solar and wind power, at fixed rates.

One such area is in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, facing Lake Nakaumi, which is listed on the Ramsar Convention for ecological protection and sustainable use.

The space, originally intended for factories and other business facilities, has been idle for nearly three decades. Now, a large solar power plant is expected to start operations there in July next year.

Describing the plan as an epoch-making turnaround, Tottori Governor Shinji Hirai told reporters in late August, “Idle land will be turned into an energy supply center.”

More: http://ajw.asahi.com/article/economy/business/AJ201210250016

Electricity supply sufficient even if next summer is a scorcher
Japanese households will be able to ride out a sweltering summer next year without worrying about power shortages, even if no additional nuclear power plants go back online, according to a government panel.

It cited heightened awareness of the need to conserve energy following the nuclear disaster in Japan last year, coupled with a switch to thermal power generation in response to the crisis in Fukushima Prefecture.

The panel said these two factors would account for an electricity surplus next summer.

The forecast covered all nine of the big electric utilities, with the exception of Okinawa Electric Power Co.

By continuing energy conservation measures implemented this year, the panel said maximum anticipated demand in summer 2013 would be 165.83 gigawatts--and could be met. The forecast allows for temperatures reaching the sizzling levels of August and September 2010.

It said energy demand next summer would be about 10 percent less than for 2010 as a result of energy conservation measures that led to total saving of about 15 gigawatts of electricity this summer. That is equivalent to the output capacity of 15 nuclear reactors.

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/economy/business/AJ201210250073

Good to see japanese being very efficient with energy, unfortunate almost all that energy is from polluting sources now.

Japan takes leap into offshore wind power
Oct. 25--CHOSHI, Chiba Pref. -- Wind turbines have become a familiar sight in the blustery port of Choshi on the eastern tip of the Kanto Plain, but this 126-meter-tall machine is different. Besides being one of the biggest wind turbines in Japan, it stands in the ocean, ready to take advantage of steady marine winds.

Its base firmly planted in the seabed, the giant windmill, ready to start operations early next year, represents a step forward in tapping the offshore wind power market that has already grown sharply abroad.

Experts say marine wind turbines have much more potential than their land-based counterparts in this small mountainous country, but there is still a long way to go before they become a major source of electricity.

"Offshore wind power is important for our energy security," Sadao Wasaka, the executive director of NEDO, said this week when the wind turbine was unveiled to the media.
Wasaka said Japan's potential offshore wind power is estimated at 1.5 billion kw, against 300 million kw for land-based wind farms.

But he acknowledged that offshore wind turbines are much costlier than land-based units.

"It is costly," he said. "Costs for offshore turbines are considered to be double those for land turbines."

More: http://www.equities.com/news/headline-story?dt=2012-10-25&val=634951&cat=energy

Good to see Japan investing more into renewable energy :okay:

Japan’s largest solar and wind power project breaks ground
Seven Japanese companies have been celebrating the ground breaking of their solar and wind power project at a ceremony held today at the project site in Midorigahama, Tahara City, Aichi Prefecture in Japan.

With a PV capacity of 50MW and a wind capacity of 6MW, the companies claim that the project represents Japan’s largest solar and wind power project to date.

The project is being built on 800,000 square metres of land on a site which has been selected due to its “top level” daylight hours and wind velocity. Total annual output has been estimated at approximately 67,500MWh which is said to be enough to power 19,000 homes or 90% of Tahara City’s households.

In addition to providing electricity, the project will provide a platform for the participating companies to share knowledge and improve their expertise in the solar and wind industries.

http://www.pv-tech.org/news/japans_largest_solar_and_wind_power_project_breaks_ground

Govt To Subsidize Biomass Power From Next Year
TOKYO (Nikkei)--The government will introduce a subsidy aimed at increasing biomass electricity generation in fiscal 2013, which begins in April, The Nikkei learned Friday.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20121109D09EE509.htm

バイオマス発電、「未利用木材」の潜在力は引き出せるか
食品廃棄物や下水汚泥などの生物資源を燃料に用いるバイオマス発電は、風力発電を上回るほどの発電量を生み出している。2012年7月からは再生可能エネルギーの固定価格買い取り制度（FIT）がスタートしたことで、間伐材などの未利用木材を用いるバイオマス発電に、事業拡大のチャンスが生まれた。未利用木材は、これまで需要がなかったため、山で切り捨てられたままになっていた。未利用木材だけを燃料に使う発電所が稼働…

http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASFK3002K_Q2A031C1000000/

Biomass has the potential of wind energy. The government hopes by 2020 biomass will power 2.8 million households.

Ukiyo have you read anything about a project hoping to generate electricity by placing turbines underwater in ocean currents? I saw a short bit in a documentary on NHK and it looks promising. Any idea of how that's coming along?

I haven't heard anything about that :dunno:

Well, the documentary was short, but researchers said there ocean currents, like the Tsushima current, have the potential to generate constant, reliable energy that could very well provide a big portion, if not most, of the electricity consumed in Japan. Several ocean currents run along the coasts of Japan, from Okinawa to Hokkaido.

Well, the documentary was short, but researchers said there ocean currents, like the Tsushima current, have the potential to generate constant, reliable energy that could very well provide a big portion, if not most, of the electricity consumed in Japan. Several ocean currents run along the coasts of Japan, from Okinawa to Hokkaido.

Okinawa is mostly interested in OTEC rather than tidal energy because it's the only place in Japan that offers the potential for year round production. The area south of Shikoku and north of Fukui also offers good potential for OTEC but they are only half year long.

I don't see why they can't implement both in Okinawa.

Found this blog about renewable energy in Japan while surfing the interweb earlier today, some of you might find it interesting. Post No. 66 has some information about ocean current power generation technology I mentioned earlier.

http://renewableenergyinjapan.blogspot.com/

This is good for just 6 months (or 7 if all of april is counted)

New Renewable Energy Projects Equal To 1 Nuclear Reactor
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Renewable energy projects that went online in Japan between April and October had a combined output of 1.15 million kilowatts, roughly equivalent to one nuclear reactor, according to government data released Friday.

Output totaled 886,000kw for residential solar panels and 240,000kw for other projects tapping the sun's energy, including those installed on the roofs of factories and megasolar facilities, said the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Wind power projects generated 14,000kw and small hydroelectric projects produced just 3,000kw. There were no new geothermal facilities since such projects take about 10 years to launch.

The government targets output of 2.5 million kilowatts from renewable energy projects launched during the fiscal year ending March 2013.

METI also released an energy report on Friday for fiscal 2011. The supply of nuclear power fell 64.5% from the previous year while output from fossil-fuel-fired plants rose 3.4%. The nation's carbon dioxide emissions rose 4.4% as a result of increased use of fossil fuel. Energy consumption dipped 2.9% because industrial production fell following the March 2011 disaster and also because of energy conservation efforts put into place across Japan.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20121116D1611N04.htm

Solar is over 90% of the new installations.

Those are pretty big steps if you come to think about it. Even so, I think we can do even better. According to that, about 70% of solar capacity was installed on households, and as I mentioned earlier, panels on houses are the surefire way to increase energy independence significantly. (btw I totally misread "good for 6 months" as only being useful for that period :lol:)

After learning about offshore floating wind farms, the rapidly increasing implementation of solar panels, and the promising future of ocean currents, I'm more confident now that Japan can obtain most, if not all, of it's energy from renewable sources and achieve energy independence.

Any idea if those panels being installed are Japan-made? I hope they are, because if they're not, they're missing out on a chance to stimulate production and consumption domestically. Not to mention Japanese ones are the most efficient to date.

^ The majority is Japan made but imports are booming as a % of all sold...but this is essentially entirely due to the strong yen. The yen is weakening atm so once it becomes more expensive to import that trend would stop I imagine.

And yeah 90% of this 6 month period has been solar...but keep in mind the FIT just started and wind, geothermal etc take longer to construct and start...so we have to come back in say around 5-10 years to check the %'s of total renewable.

haha yea I understand that. I meant most of the solar capacity installed was on top of houses and not on fields or solar farms. I mentioned a while back that it should be made a priority to put a solar panel on top of each house and building in Japan, be it through incentives or subsidies. That alone would solve most of our energy problems.

Well probably by next year the majority of solar should be from large plots and not houses...because of all the "megaprojects" that have been announced and will be completed soon/next year. I agree with you about rooftops but I think the large plots are good too, it can bring income other than farming for small villages and it is increasing some land prices (more about that in post 126). Either way all renewable is going up.

BTW Germany has beat its forecasts entirely and by 2022 50% of energy will be from renewable sources (from a forecast of 35%) from 6% in 2000 when the renewable FIT started. Renewable energy in Germany is already near 30% in 12 years. So using Germany as an example our base is already at 11% (hydro) I think the japanese government's estimations are also underestimates. In 10 years I think it is feasible for Japan to get over 30% of its energy from renewable, I wouldn't even be surprised if its like 35%+ in just 10 years assuming the technology advances in this time (tidal power, floating wind etc and also far more energy efficient appliances and lighting).

BTW I'll quote this old post of mine
According to the Federation of Electric Power companies lighting alone accounts for 32% of total energy usage. One way we can lower energy usage "overnight" is to change everysingle lightbulb in the entire country with LED. LED use 33% less energy than CFL and around 90% less than Incandescent. They also last much longer and do not have hazardous chemicals like CFL. If Japan were to use only LED in the entire country we could cut lighting from 32% of total energy usage to around 10% or less..that would save alot of energy. I hope the government bans everysingle type of bulb except LED, since the other type of bulbs do not last that long eventually everysingle bulb would be replaced with LED naturally with such a law. Also basically every household appliance is becoming extremely efficient as well.


Also Toyota is developing new batteries for electric vehicles which can have 6-10x more energy, I imagine they can use those same batteries in the future for storing Renewable Energy.

Also Toyota is developing new batteries for electric vehicles which can have 6-10x more energy, I imagine they can use those same batteries in the future for storing Renewable Energy.

Yes, that's actually what they're planning to do when they implement smart grids. Use cars that are idle or which are fully charged overnight to feed energy back into the grid.

Renewable energy loans surge
Japan Finance Corp. saw its loans for projects related to renewable energy surge 4.1-fold from a year before in the April-September period thanks to the introduction of a new feed-in tariff system in July, according to sources.

The government-affiliated lender extended ¥10.761 billion in such loans in the first half of fiscal 2012, the sources said, adding that the number of projects involved doubled year on year, reaching 925.

n the first half, the lender's renewable energy loans shot up 28.7-fold in sunny Kyushu. Loans increased 10.6-fold in the Kinki region and 2.5-fold in the Tokai region, according to the sources.

Japan Finance is also active in providing loans in fields other than solar power. By June, it had extended loans jointly with Toho Bank, a regional bank in Fukushima Prefecture, to Green Hatsuden Aizu Co. in Aizuwakamatsu. The firm produces wood biomass for generating power.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nb20121120a3.html

Japan should have immense geothermal potential that could power a huge part of the economy. I'm glad that Japan is responding so quickly for the need to diversify its energy sources after having closed down so many nuclear plants.

Small update. Back in Japan and I was working with a local electric company the other day and inquired on the government's efforts to unify the electrical grid. As some of you know Japan uses 50 and 60hz. Apparently the national gov't is really serious in standardizing it but the financial burden is very large.

Also, the National government hired Okinawan power company to help develop renewable electricity systems in Russia and in Antarctica.

Japan To Keep 25% Greenhouse Gas Emissions Cut Goal By 2020

TOKYO (Kyodo)--Japan decided Tuesday to keep its international pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent in 2020 from 1990 levels at the ongoing U.N. talks in Doha.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20121127D27JF083.htm

1VFPdvuJNfU

For those of you who can understand japanese you may find this video interesting

Softbank Taps Homeowners' Rooftops For Photovoltaic Business
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Softbank Corp. (9984) said Wednesday that it will start generating solar electricity with the help of qualifying residences, selling the energy to utilities and returning a portion of proceeds to the homeowners.

The mobile carrier expects to generate a combined 4,000kw or so.

Each home is expected to generate monthly electricity sales of about 14,000 yen. Softbank will pay 15% of this amount, or about 2,000 yen, to homeowners providing their rooftops.

From Dec. 21 to March 31, Softbank will solicit 1,000 homeowners willing to provide their rooftops for solar panel installation, with costs paid for by the company. To be eligible for the program, houses must be no higher than three stories and built within the last 15 years. They must also be located in 31 prefectures with enough sunlight and other advantages, with most of them on the Pacific coast.

Partner homeowners will sign contracts for 20 years. As an incentive, Softbank will waive its basic cellular phone access charge of 980 yen a month for three years.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20121212D1212N03.htm

Softbank Taps Homeowners' Rooftops For Photovoltaic Business

This is interesting and if they expand their offer to Condo roof tops I bet they can double their wattage output.

New Geothermal Plants To Add 200mw Of Power
TOKYO (Nikkei)--JX Nippon Mining & Metals, Idemitsu Kosan, Tohoku Electric Power and others plan to construct a slew of geothermal power plants by taking advantage of government subsidies to promote renewable energy.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20121213D1312F03.htm

Japan seeks to reverse commitment to phase out nuclear power
Almost two years after the triple meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi power plant sent shockwaves around the world, Japan's government is attempting to resell the nuclear dream to a traumatised public.

Japan appeared to have ended its addiction to nuclear power when the previous centre-left government pledged last year to phase out all of the country's 50 working reactors by 2040.

The announcement marked a dramatic shift from pre-Fukushima plans to increase Japan's dependence on nuclear from 30% to 50% by 2030. For the emboldened anti-nuclear lobby, it heralded the start of an unprecedented shift towards renewable energy.

But the return to office last month of the conservative Liberal Democratic party (LDP) under Shinzo Abe effectively killed off the idea of a non-nuclear Japan. It was no coincidence that within days of the LDP victory, Tepco, the firm that operates Fukushima Daiichi, saw a dramatic rise in its share price – but nowhere near the level it was before the accident.

The new government has announced a review of the nuclear phaseout, adding that reactors would be restarted if they passed safety tests, and it refused to rule out the construction of new ones.

Critics of the phaseout have pointed to the economic and environmental costs of Japan's dependence on expensive oil and gas imports since it took all but two of its nuclear reactors offline in the wake of the Fukushima accident.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jan/11/japan-reverse-nuclear-phase-out

'Japan to replace nuke plant with world's largest wind farm'
In the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan has decided to build the world's largest offshore wind farm to replace the crippled nuke plant.

The country plans to build a total of 143 wind turbines on platforms 16 kilometres off the coast of Fukushima by 2020, which is home to the stricken Daiichi nuclear reactor that hit the headlines in March 2011 when it was damaged by a severe earthquake and tsunami.

The wind farm will generate 1 gigawatt of power once completed, and is part of a national plan to increase renewable energy resources following the post-tsunami shutdown of the country's 54 nuclear reactors. Only two have since come back on-line, the 'New Scientist' reported.

The project is part of Fukushima's plan to become completely energy self-sufficient by 2040, using renewable sources alone. The prefecture is also set to build the country's biggest solar park.

The wind farm will surpass the 504 megawatts generated by the 140 turbines at the Greater Gabbard farm off the coast of Suffolk, UK – currently the world's largest farm.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/306605/japan-replace-nuke-plant-worlds.html

Japan’s Solar Tariff May Drop 12% as Costs Sink, BNEF Estimates
Japan will cut its tariff for purchases of solar power by as much as 12 percent as costs to install systems to generate energy from the sun decline, according to an estimate by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

The so-called feed-in tariff for solar could fall to as low as 37 yen (41 cents) per kilowatt hour for 20 years from a current rate of 42 yen per kilowatt hour, according to Yugo Nakamura, a Tokyo-based analyst with New Energy Finance.

A committee appointed by the government began talks yesterday on setting above-market rates for clean energy project applications for the year starting April 1.

Average system costs for non-residential solar, which includes photovoltaic panels, power conditioners and installation, has fallen to 280,000 yen per kilowatt since October, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a document posted on its website yesterday. That was 14 percent below the 325,000 yen per kilowatt amount used by the committee to set the solar tariff for the year ending March 31.

“Equipment costs for solar power have been declining considerably,” Toshimitsu Motegi, the minister for economy, trade and industry, said yesterday at a news conference. The solar tariff could possibly be cut somewhere in the range of 35 yen to 39 yen per kilowatt hour, Motegi said.

more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-22/japan-s-solar-tariff-may-drop-12-as-costs-sink-bnef-estimates.html

'Japan to replace nuke plant with world's largest wind farm'

What happens if another tsunami strikes? They're all going to get destroyed, and it will cost trillions in yen to rebuild.

What happens if another tsunami strikes? They're all going to get destroyed, and it will cost trillions in yen to rebuild.
If they're far enough out to sea, shouldn't be a problem. The tsunami takes shape at the junction of the continental shelf. A legitimate question to ask, though IMO.

Who have Infos or updates for the Smart Sustainble town project in Fujisawa ? Panasonic said that it would be completed early next year ...

http://img1.dailyonigiri.com/fujisawa-sst-project2.jpg

And thank you ..

What happens if another tsunami strikes? They're all going to get destroyed, and it will cost trillions in yen to rebuild.

The wind turbines located off the coast of Kamisu Ibaraki survived the tsunami. no problem.

Japan manufacturers make big emissions cuts: survey

http://www.japantoday.com/category/business/view/japan-manufacturers-make-big-emissions-cuts-survey

TOKYO — Japan’s big manufacturers reduced greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 15% annually on average over the past five years compared to 1990, according to a survey in the Nikkei daily Sunday.

The projected annual average reduction of 14.9% in the five years to March this year compares to the level in the 1990 fiscal year, the business daily said.

It said efforts by the big firms helped the country as a whole achieve its pledge under the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, to cut emissions by 6% from the 1990 level as of calendar 2012.

Japan is believed to have comfortably achieved this binding commitment, although there has been no official announcement.

Average emissions from all sources between 2008 and 2010 were 10.9% lower, if carbon trades with developing countries and forest sinks are taken into consideration.

Because forests absorb more greenhouse gases than they produce, countries can gain rights to additional emissions by protecting forests and replanting trees.

The Nikkei survey was released days after the government of pro-business Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who came to power a month ago, began reviewing the previous administration’s policies.

Included in the review is a 2009 promise by then-Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to slash Japan’s carbon emissions by 25% from 1990 levels by 2020, provided other major polluters like China and the U.S. also made sharp reductions.

The goal was seen as extremely difficult to achieve even at the time of its announcement.

But it was made even harder because of the huge rise in fossil fuel use since the nuclear disaster at Fukushima put Tokyo’s atomic energy program on hold.

The continued shutdown of nuclear reactors “could hamper reduction efforts,” said the Nikkei. Along with the Abe government and the business community, it advocates the restarting of nuclear plants despite public opposition.

The earthquake and tsunami of March 2011 sent reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant into meltdown and generated widespread distrust of a technology which previously provided around a third of Japan’s electricity.

Japan faces nuclear shutdown for second time since Fukushima

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/japan-faces-nuclear-shutdown-for-second-time-since-fukushima

TOKYO — Japan may face a total nuclear shutdown in the summer for the second time since the March 2011 Fukushima disaster as the country’s two operating reactors close for maintenance and tough new safety checks keep the rest of the fleet offline.

That could force Japan to import even more fossil fuels for power generation, adding to an onerous energy bill that helped push the country into a record trade deficit in 2012.

“It is unlikely that any of the idled reactors will re-start prior to September due to ongoing investigations of seismic issues at certain plants and due to the fact that safety standards have still not been finalised by the Nuclear Regulation Authority,” said Tom O’Sullivan, a Tokyo-based energy consultant.

“Local approvals will also be necessary for re-starts, adding a further layer of complication,” he said.

The previous Democratic Party of Japan government’s decision last June to restart two reactors weeks after the last full shutdown galvanized the country’s previously dormant anti-nuclear movement, sparking the biggest demonstrations in decades and contributing to its downfall in elections in December.

Media surveys have shown a majority of Japanese want to abandon atomic energy by 2030, if not sooner, making the decision to restart even reactors deemed safe a risky proposition for the new Liberal Democratic Party government.

Utilities and the government, however, are keen to reduce expensive oil and gas imports. Japan is already the world’s top liquefied natural gas (LNG) importer, and volumes rose 11.2% to a record 87.31 million tons in 2012 from a year earlier, according to government data. That is more than one third of global trade of about 240 million tons in LNG in 2011.

Crude oil imports rose 2% in 2012 to 3.66 million barrels a day, from a 22-year low in 2011. Thermal coal imports were up 6.5% to 107.7 million tons.

The NRA, set up in September last year with more independence than its predecessor, this week released a draft of tough new rules that nuclear operators must comply with to get reactors approved for restart. These may delay any restarts further. The NRA say it will finalise the safety standards by July.

“In terms of earthquakes and tsunamis, I’m sure our safety standards will be the toughest in the world,” NRA chief Shunichi Tanaka said at a regular news conference on Wednesday.

Tanaka earlier warned the government its three-year deadline to carry out safety checks of reactors is too ambitious.

The only two of Japan’s 50 nuclear plants operating are both at Kansai Electric Power’s Ohi plant in Fukui Prefecture, and must be for shut for maintenance 13 months after resuming commercial operations, according to Japanese law.

That means they will be idled by the middle of September, according to Kansai Electric spokesman Takahiro Senoh.

The Fukushima disaster, the worst nuclear accident in the world in a quarter century, prompted the gradual shutdown of all Japan’s nuclear reactors until there were none left operating in May 2012, leaving the country without atomic power for the first time since 1970.


Two article of present situation.

ダム堤防にメガソーラー建設計画、2014年7月に稼働開始予定
http://www.itmedia.co.jp/smartjapan/articles/1301/28/news019.html

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/9688/hyougokotanidammegasola.jpg

A report on abenomics and energy efficiency.

Abenomics and Energy Efficiency in Japan

Andrew DeWit

A signal flaw in Japan’s much-debated "Abenomics" package of economic policies is the failure to include ambitious goals and fiscal support for energy efficiency. Many question whether Japanese PM Abe Shinzo’s YEN 10.3 trillion fiscal stimulus and other measures will lift Japan from recession and deflation. But as this article will show, only a program that combines aggressive energy efficiency with a renewable energy drive can put Japan’s economy on a sound, sustainable footing that maximizes job creation, domestic demand, and the nation’s competitive prowess in advanced technology.
Japan is of course widely believed to be the global leader in energy efficiency.1 So emphasizing ramped-up energy efficiency might seem low on the list of priorities for reviving the country’s economy and enhancing its competitiveness. Yet Japan is not the global leader in energy efficiency, and it faces a range of problems for which energy efficiency could prove critical. Japan certainly should be in the first rank in efficiency, especially after the March 11, 2011 Fukushima shock; but it ranks fourth in the most recent comprehensive ranking of major industrialized countries,2 and risks slipping further down the list. That Japan lags in energy efficiency is perhaps counter-intuitive, given the reigning conventional wisdom together with such incentives as Japan’s near-absence of conventional energy resources, its technical wizardry, and the spur from economic damage wrought by post-Fukushima power outages.3

But consider this: before the Fukushima shock and its many revelations, many observers simply assumed that Japan was out in front on renewable energy, and were surprised to discover that it lagged far behind the Germans and others. Moreover, just as renewable energy is in an accelerating and disruptive revolution,4 the same is now true of energy efficiency.5 The efficiency market is diversifying and growing apace, into the trillions of US dollars.6 Japan risks losing more ground in this efficiency revolution because, I show below, its post-Fukushima policies have been inhibited, relative to its objective incentives, and the invaluable resource of widespread public willingness, even eagerness, to cooperate. In particular, Japan’s efficiency policy regime is surprisingly tentative. Efficiency measures have been in large measure piecemeal, ad hoc, and aimed at coping with short-run power-supply deficiencies rather than an aggressive deployment of technology and policy to drive down demand. On the governance end, there is a conspicuous lack of coordination by the central government and a seeming hostility from much of the business community, especially the peak association of Keidanren.7 We should be simultaneously amazed as well as dismayed that post-Fukushima Japan has not presented the world with an efficiency miracle, including powerful lessons in technology and policy.8

http://japanfocus.org/-Andrew-DeWit/3900

Another interesting website that deals with energy issues in Japan.
http://www.freshcurrents.org/

Domestic Shipments Of Solar Cells Surge 90% In '12
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Domestic shipments of solar cells surged 90% on the year in 2012, accounting for 2.46 million kilowatts of generating capacity, a record high, the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association reported Tuesday.

Shipments for nonresidential projects rose 330% to 826,500kw. Last July, the government introduced a feed-in tariff system under which utilities must buy all electricity generated from renewable energy sources at fixed prices. This has prompted many companies to enter the solar business.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20130226D26SS990.htm

Japan Pulls Gas From Methane Hydrate In World First
TOKYO (Nikkei)--The Japanese government said Tuesday a research team has extracted natural gas from a deposit of methane hydrate under the seabed off the coasts of Aichi and Mie prefectures.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/freetop.aspx

Japan’s Cut for Solar Power Price Retains Boom Incentive
Japan’s proposal to cut the price paid for solar power by 10 percent leaves in place incentives for a boom in installations this year, the industry’s lobby group said.

A committee of experts advising the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry last night recommended the price for solar power should be cut beginning April 1, and the payment for wind should remain unchanged. The government must endorse the proposal before it comes into force.

Investments on non-residential solar projects totaled 222 billion yen ($2.3 billion) in Japan last year, adding 580 megawatts of capacity, according to an estimate by Bloomberg. Spending this year is expected to rise to 438 billion yen for 1,460 megawatts, Bloomberg New Energy Finance forecasts.

“The solar market is expanding, and we don’t think the proposed tariff would change the trend much,” Hisao Kayaoka, secretary general of the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association, said by phone. “The proposed tariff will allow for continued growth in the market.”

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-11/japan-s-cut-for-solar-power-price-retains-boom-incentive.html

Japan Scales Solar PV

http://blogs-images.forbes.com/williampentland/files/2013/03/Japan-PV.jpg

Solar power is set for explosive growth in Japan over the next year as robust government policies and programs support strong demand.

IHS Research predicts that Japan will install more than 5 gigawatts (GW) of new solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in 2013, marking an increase of 120% compared to the previous year.

Japan‘s feed-in tariff (FIT) provides one of the world’s most generous solar PV incentives, providing upwards of $7 per kilowatt hour for some solar PV projects.

“At ¥42 Japan‘s FIT is by far the most attractive globally—overly generous perhaps, which could lead to overheating of the market,” said Ash Sharma, senior director of solar research at IHS, in a press release. “And while a 10% reduction in tariffs is widely expected by industry players, this will have little effect on both internal rates of return and market demand.”

In the first quarter alone, solar PV installations have surged above 1 GW, which is roughly equivalent to the total capacity of a nuclear power plant. If this pace continues for the rest of the year, Japan will become the world’s second largest solar PV market, jumping ahead of Germany, Italy and the United States.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/williampentland/2013/03/18/japan-scales-solar-pv/

Softbank plans 111MW PV plant in Tomakomai, Japan
Japanese telecommunications company Softbank is continuing its investment in the solar industry and will develop an 111MW PV facility in Tomakomai, Hokkaido prefecture, Japan.

According to Bloomberg, 79MW of the large-scale project will be connected to Hokkaido Electric Power’s grids. The utility firm will purchase all electricity generated from the facility which is fed into its grids.

The news site also revealed that Softbank expects the plant to become operational by the end of March 2015.

Softbank began investing in solar when Japan’s feed-in tariff was introduced in July last year. Since then, it has invested in a 39.5MW facility in Tottori prefecture and in December the company launched a new programme which seeks to install PV arrays atop 1,000 residential rooftops in Japan

http://www.pv-tech.org/news/softbank_plans_111mw_pv_plant_in_tomakomai_japan

Planet's biggest storage battery for natural energy to be set up in Hokkaido
The economy ministry said April 17 it plans to install the world's largest storage battery for natural energy at an electrical substation in Hokkaido.

The facility is operated by Hokkaido Electric Power Co. The battery will be able to store 60 megawatt-hours of electricity.

Officials said 20 billion yen ($204 million) in taxpayer money will be sunk into the project.

The storage battery will allow Hokkaido Electric to procure 10 percent more electricity through natural energy sources.

Hokkaido, where land prices are inexpensive, accounts for one-fourth of Japan's solar power generation.

The battery is expected to lead to greater use of natural energy sources because it will store electricity generated when the sun is out, while power can be released under cloudy conditions.

If the supply of electricity to households and other users can be stabilized, the volume of electricity generated through natural energy sources will rise.

The installation is set for completion by the end of fiscal 2014.

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/economy/business/AJ201304180064

洋上風力発電、買い取り価格を優遇　経産省
制度新設で参入促す
経済産業省は再生可能エネルギーの固定価格買い取り制度で、洋上風力発電向けの価格を新設する。政府の実証試験のデータを集めてコストを調べ、早ければ来年度の価格改定時にも新たな価格を設ける。洋上風力は欧州では再生エネの本命とされる。陸上風力と比べて割高なコストに合うよう買い取り価格を優遇し、幅広い企業の参入を促す。

　昨年７月に施行された固定価格買い取り制度は、事業者が太陽光や風力など再生エネで発電した…

http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASFS0501O_V00C13A5MM8000/?dg=1

The government is thinking to increase the price that utilities have to buy offshore wind as part of the FIT to encourage the construction.

Sumitomo Forestry Plans Massive Biomass Power Plant
TOKYO (Nikkei)--Sumitomo Forestry Co. (1911) is entering the biomass power business by building what will be the largest plant of its type in Japan, capable of generating 50,000kw, or enough electricity to supply 50,000 to 60,000 homes, when completed in 2016.

http://e.nikkei.com/e/ac/tnks/Nni20130509D0905A05.htm

Japan Plans Low-Interest Loans for Rooftop Solar
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry plans to provide low-interest loans to companies that borrow residential rooftop space for solar power generation, the Nikkei newspaper reported today.

The ministry plans to make loans available through government financial institutions such as Development Bank of Japan Inc., the newspaper cited Trade Minister Toshimitsu Motegi as saying. Motegi will announce the plan tomorrow in a meeting on industrial competitiveness, according to the paper.

Under the proposal, companies will sell electricity generated from solar panels set up on homeowners’ rooftop spaces, according to the paper. Homeowners will receive 10,000 yen ($97) to 20,000 yen a year for renting out their roofs, it said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-21/japan-plans-low-interest-loans-for-rooftop-solar-nikkei-says.html

Goldman Sachs Eyes Japan Renewable Energy Investments
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) plans to invest as much as 50 billion yen ($487 million) in renewable energy projects in Japan in the next five years, tapping demand for electricity produced from solar and wind-power generators.
The Wall Street firm also plans to take as much as 250 billion yen of bank loans and project-financing over the same period to move ahead with projects that would cost a total of 300 billion yen, Hiroko Matsumoto, a Tokyo-based spokeswoman for Goldman, said by telephone. The Nikkei newspaper reported the plan earlier today.

Japan began offering incentives in July through feed-in tariffs to encourage renewables after the Fukushima nuclear-plant crisis stemming from the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Japan has been forced to slash its reliance on atomic power generation since Fukushima.

“We believe that we can leverage our global expertise in investing in renewable energy in places such as the U.S. and India, to help expand Japan’s renewable power capabilities,” Ankur Sahu, co-head of the merchant banking division in the Asia-Pacific, said by e-mail.

Goldman Sachs formed the Japan Renewable Energy Co. unit in August to plan, design and operate power plants run on sun, wind, fuel cells and biomass fuels, it said on its website.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-20/goldman-sachs-eyes-japan-renewable-energy-investments.html

Japan Domestic Solar Shipments Leap by Most in at Least 30 Years
Domestic shipments of solar cells and modules in Japan leapt by their most in at least 30 years last fiscal year as government efforts to spur clean energy after the 2011 Fukushima disaster began to pay off.

Local shipments rose to 3,809 megawatts in the 12 months ended March 31 from 1,404 megawatts the previous year, the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association said today on its website. The increase was the largest since 1981 when the figures were compiled for the first time.

The data underscore the popularity of solar in Japan as pressures mount to boost energy supplies after the Fukushima Dai-Ichi accident led to the shutdown of almost all the nation’s nuclear reactors. Japan started offering above-market rates in July for renewable sources such as solar and wind.

The incentives, also known as feed-in tariffs, are boosting applications for solar installations across the country. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry approved 12,258 megawatts worth of solar projects -- both residential and non-residential -- by the end of February. That accounts for 94 percent of all applications for clean energy tariffs since the program started.

While Japan’s solar installations are forecast to lag China’s this year, the country is set to become the largest market in terms of revenue, researcher IHS Inc. (IHS) said in a statement on May 29.

“Japan is forecast to install $20 billion worth of PV systems in 2013, up 82 percent from $11 billion in 2012,” IHS said. “In contrast, the global market is set for tepid 4 percent growth. The strong revenue performance for Japan this year is party driven by the high solar prices in the country.”

The world’s third-largest economy had cumulative solar capacity of 7,429 megawatts, compared with 32,192 megawatts in Germany, 8,069 megawatts in the U.S. and 6,539 megawatts in China in 2012, according to London-based BNEF.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-31/japan-domestic-solar-shipments-almost-triple-association-says.html

Japan's Solar Market Shifts Into Overdrive
What's the hottest solar end-market region on the planet? Japan is making a strong case for top billing in 2013, according to recent analysis.

Not content with being the second-hottest solar market this year, Japan appears poised to actually take the top spot after a spectacular first quarter, according to new calculations from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. BNEF's new calculations for solar installations, which now take into account a surge in first-quarter installations in Japan, span a big range: 6.9-9.4 GW, raising the low end of BNEF's previous estimate of 6.1 GW. That likely will nudge Japan ahead of China, and well ahead of other top regions including the U.S., Germany, and Italy (the latter two falling off precipitously this year).

more: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/06/asia-report-japans-solar-market-shifts-into-overdrive

Lately I've been reading about Hitachi-GE (as known in Japan) "S-PRISM" nuclear power plant..and it seems really promising:

In nuclear power, a better way? Here's why.
In current U.S. nuclear reactors, only 5 percent of the uranium in a fuel rod is “burned” during the fission process. The other 95 percent is a mix of uranium, plutonium and a mishmash of other radioactive elements that refused to be split by the neutron hatchets flying around inside the reactor core. It’s the splitting of uranium atoms by neutrons that releases heat into the water that surrounds the fuel rods. That energy is then used either directly or indirectly to convert water into steam, which drives electric turbines.

This dependence on water is why today’s nuclear reactors are called “light water reactors.” And although the design has some conveniences (water is cheap and plentiful), water tends to slow down neutrons enough that they have a harder time splitting atoms.

Enter what some say is the miracle cure: the IFR. Instead of water, the fuel rods sit in a liquid sodium or lead bath, through which neutrons pass more freely. Faster neutrons mean better fission — a more complete burn of both the uranium and all the other nastier heavy elements.

The ability of an integral fast reactor to burn far more efficiently means drastically reduced “waste” — from 95 percent with today’s reactors to 20 percent with IFRs. And that 20 percent is easily recyclable in the same reactor for further destruction, leaving at most 1 percent of true waste at the end. That 1 percent is still radioactive, but it goes back to “neutral” (as radioactive as naturally occurring uranium) in about 300 years, not the 100,000 years it will take for fuel rods from today’s reactors. Not only can IFRs burn the nuclear waste we’ve accumulated in the last 60 years, they can also turn swords into plowshares by burning weapons-grade uranium and plutonium.

So where is all this daydreaming coming from? The physics equivalent of a cash-only cancer clinic down in Mexico?

No. It’s coming from Argonne National Laboratory, our nation’s primary facility for nuclear power research. Researchers there have been working on this for decades, and they’re well past the paper-and-pencil stage. In fact, GE-Hitachi has an IFR prototype, and they’ve signed a memorandum of understanding to build one in South Carolina.

More: http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentaries/210648751.html

Lately I've been reading about Hitachi-GE (as known in Japan) "S-PRISM" nuclear power plant..and it seems really promising:

In nuclear power, a better way? Here's why.

This has been researched by Japan for a long time, the project plant is named "Monjyu" not really reassuring is it.

Not quite, Monju does not = S-PRISM although the two technologies are based on the same research the S-PRISM seems more promising simply because it is a much newer and "safer" design. Though we won't know until the prototype is built in South Carolina.

Japanese energy policy has been held back by over-reliance on nuclear power for at least two decades. It's an absolute sham that it took the second-largest nuclear power catastrophe in the history of mankind to change that.

We need to get away from the belief that there will be one technology that will solve all energy problems. Instead, you have to harvest all available resources in an efficient manner and make sure to develop every technology. That includes solar, tide, wave, geothermal, onshore wind, offshore wind, biomass...

A big mystery is how Japan managed to have massive rainfall, mountains and dams everywhere and still only cover 10% of demand with hydro power. Either these dams are simply not used for hydro power, or they need to improve output.

Another point is that energy demand should only go down - the population is decreasing (if slowly), and power-hungry industries are more likely to leave the country than come in.

There is still a lot of potential in saving energy by simply reducing energy waste. Do you really need an escalator for just 10 stairs? Do you really need a heated toilet seat with bidet function in a restroom in a public park? Do you need 5.6 million vending machines (15 per square kilometer)?

Kyocera Wins 8.5 Billion Yen Solar Order From Mitsubishi Venture
Kyocera Corp. (6971) won an 8.5 billion yen ($90 million) order for solar panels from a venture set up by Mitsubishi Corp. (8058) and a Japanese agriculture association.
The Kyoto-based company will supply 30 megawatts of panels to be installed at 80 locations, spokesman Masakazu Imamasu said by phone from Tokyo, confirming an earlier report by the Nikkei newspaper today.

The venture was set up in October to generate power from solar panels on roofs of farm buildings, according to a statement on June 3 by Mitsubishi and the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations. They hold a 45 percent stake each. JA Mitsui Leasing Ltd. owns 10 percent.

The venture plans to install 200 megawatts of solar panels on rooftops by March 2015, Mitsubishi and the association said in a July 25 statement.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-14/kyocera-wins-8-5-billion-yen-solar-order-from-mitsubishi-venture.html

Japan power utilities' oil, LNG use drops in May on higher nuclear output
Japan's 10 major power utilities consumed 347,020 b/d of crude and fuel oil in May, down 24.9% from a year ago as a result of higher nuclear output in the month, according to data released Friday by the Federation of Electric Power Companies.

The utilities consumed 4.212 million mt of LNG last month, down 4.5% year on year, the data showed.

In May, the power utilities generated 68,510 GWh of electricity, down 0.8% from a year earlier -- the fifth consecutive monthly fall in power generation, the FEPC said.

Nuclear plant operating rates came in at 5.2% in May, compared with 0.3% a year earlier, according to the FEPC.

Power generation from the utilities' thermal power plants was 48,581 GWh, down 3.2% year on year, while nuclear power output jumped 1,595.8% year on year to 1,776 GWh.

http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/ElectricPower/27076997

No rise in cancer seen from Japan's nuclear disaster: U.N.
(Reuters) - The evacuation of tens of thousands of people helped prevent rising cancer rates and other health problems after Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster, the world's worst in 25 years, U.N. scientists said on Friday.

Radiation exposure following the reactor meltdowns more than two years ago did not cause any immediate health effects, the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) said after its annual meeting.

That would be in contrast to Chernobyl, the 1986 Soviet reactor explosion which sent radioactive dust across much of Europe and is believed to have caused thyroid cancer in some children.

more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-japan-fukushima-un-idUSBRE94U0KR20130531