Renewable energy in Japan
In the wake of the Japanese earthquake and the nuclear disaster that followed, the way in which Japan generates its electricity is the subject of fresh debate. As part of its response to the recent national catastrophe, the Japanese Environment Ministry has published a report which highlights the potential of wind power and other natural energy sources.
The report, published on 21st April 2011, stated that the amount of electricity that could be generated from wind power was equivalent to that currently produced by 40 of Japan's 54 nuclear reactors. According to the ministry's data, even if wind turbines aren't always operational, or are subject to technical or land-use restrictions, they can still rival the energy output currently offered by nuclear.
The report also took the implications of the feed-in tariff system and other new policies that promote renewable energy into account, and based its projections on an assumed 24% utilisation rate. It concluded that wind power could generate between 24 million and 140 million kilowatts of energy. Whilst there are some practical issues associated with wind power, it could still deliver a surplus of electricity in certain regions. At the moment, however, it looks like implementing wind power generation on a large scale remains a logistically unappealing proposition.
The ministry also looked at solar power generation and small-scale hydroelectricity operations, but the amount of electricity they estimated could be produced from these sources was too small to be of any real significance.
It's still too early to ascertain precisely what impact the Fukushima nuclear disaster has had on the environment and on the population, but as the picture becomes clearer, there may well be a surge in momentum for those groups that support renewable energy. There is still hope that a longer-term good will come out of this disaster if it helps persuade Japan and the wider world to embrace the idea of renewable sources of power.
The report, published on 21st April 2011, stated that the amount of electricity that could be generated from wind power was equivalent to that currently produced by 40 of Japan's 54 nuclear reactors. According to the ministry's data, even if wind turbines aren't always operational, or are subject to technical or land-use restrictions, they can still rival the energy output currently offered by nuclear.
The report also took the implications of the feed-in tariff system and other new policies that promote renewable energy into account, and based its projections on an assumed 24% utilisation rate. It concluded that wind power could generate between 24 million and 140 million kilowatts of energy. Whilst there are some practical issues associated with wind power, it could still deliver a surplus of electricity in certain regions. At the moment, however, it looks like implementing wind power generation on a large scale remains a logistically unappealing proposition.
The ministry also looked at solar power generation and small-scale hydroelectricity operations, but the amount of electricity they estimated could be produced from these sources was too small to be of any real significance.
It's still too early to ascertain precisely what impact the Fukushima nuclear disaster has had on the environment and on the population, but as the picture becomes clearer, there may well be a surge in momentum for those groups that support renewable energy. There is still hope that a longer-term good will come out of this disaster if it helps persuade Japan and the wider world to embrace the idea of renewable sources of power.
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