[rad-green] Fukushima Reborn As Japan’s Wind An d Solar Hub

*https://www.forbes.com/sites/energyinnovation/2019/12/11/fukushima-reborn-as-japan-wind-and-solar-hub/#4f7972f13c09
<https://www.forbes.com/sites/energyinnovation/2019/12/11/fukushima-reborn-as-japan-wind-and-solar-hub/#4f7972f13c09>Forbes
         Dec 11, 2019*




*Fukushima Reborn As Japan’s Wind And Solar Hub By Megan MahajanPolicy
Analyst*

Japan's Fukushima Prefecture – hit hard by the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi
nuclear disaster – could soon become a beacon for the country's clean
energy future with a new $2.75 billion project
<https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Energy/Fukushima-to-be-reborn-as-2.7bn-wind-and-solar-power-hub>
that
will transform the area into a hub for wind and solar energy. This
development comes as Japan is increasingly prioritizing renewables, facing
a declining nuclear industry which once accounted for nearly a third of the
nation's electricity.
[image: Japan solar plant]

*Japan's Aikawa Solar Power PlantWIKIMEDIA COMMONS*

In fact, the Fukushima Prefecture’s goals now include sourcing 40% of its
electricity from renewables by 2020, two-thirds by 2030, and 100% by 2040,
compared to 28%
<https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/03/11/national/fukushima-powers-toward-100-goal-renewables-grid-cost-woes-linger/#.Xeg0a-hKhaT>
in
2017. Its planned addition of renewables, which will consist of 11 new
solar plants and 10 new wind farms
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-11/fukushima-set-to-become-renewable-hub-with-2-75-billion-project>
on
land contaminated by radiation, will propel the prefecture toward its
energy targets and add a combined generating capacity of 600 megawatts by
2024. The new wind and solar will also be complemented by new grid
infrastructure
<https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Energy/Fukushima-to-be-reborn-as-2.7bn-wind-and-solar-power-hub>
to
connect generation to existing transmission.

*Japan’s current electricity system*

After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, Japan temporarily shut down
<https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=37633> all of its nuclear
reactors. While some nuclear is slowly coming back online, each plant
reopening requires approval by the central and relevant local governments.
To date, only 9 reactors have restarted
<https://www.enecho.meti.go.jp/en/category/brochures/pdf/japan_energy_2018.pdf>,
6 have been approved for installment license amendments, and 24 are
currently being decommissioned. That leaves 21 reactors whose fates are as
yet unclear. Since 2011 when all nuclear plants temporarily went offline,
Japan has largely turned to coal and natural gas to fill the gap left by
nuclear, and the country’s reliance on coal makes it the third-largest coal
importer <https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=39853>, behind
only India and China. As a result, Japan faces energy security challenges,
is paying dearly in terms of direct spending on imports as well as in terms
of public health, and will likely fall short
<https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/japan/> of the decarbonization
necessary to hit international climate targets.

That’s not to say Japan hasn’t been making progress on renewables – solar
installations have undergone rapid growth, making the country a promising
solar market. This progress is in part thanks to the introduction of a feed-in
tariff scheme <https://www.ichigo-green.co.jp/en/operation/purchase.php> in
the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, which requires
utilities to purchase electricity generated by renewables at prices set by
the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry.

The results are impressive: Solar’s share of power generation
<https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics?country=JAPAN&fuel=Energy%20supply&indicator=Electricity%20generation%20by%20source>
jumped
from less than 1% in 2010 to nearly 7% in 2018. However, the tariff, along
with higher prices
<https://www.enecho.meti.go.jp/en/category/brochures/pdf/japan_energy_2018.pdf>
for
fossil fuel imports, has also contributed to higher electricity prices for
customers, prompting the government to reconsider this approach
<https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/06/13/business/japan-partially-end-feed-tariff-system-electricity-renewable-sources/#.XeQ2vb9Jmi6>.
Moving forward, Japan may consider exploring new policy approaches that
continue promoting solar and wind resources while minimizing costs.

*How do renewables fit into Japan’s energy future?*

In its most recent Strategic Energy Plan
<https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2018/pdf/0703_002c.pdf>, Japan
acknowledged the vulnerability of its overwhelming dependence on energy
imports and pointed to a goal of transforming renewable energy into "the
major power source." It’s also signaled a goal of net zero emissions “at
the earliest possible time in the second half of the century.”

But in order to achieve these goals, Japan could be more aggressive in
accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels and setting concrete
nearer-term targets as it continues to consider whether or not to re-start
the 21 nuclear power plants whose future is uncertain. Its net zero
emissions goal necessarily implies an ambitious electrification plan –
meaning establishing a clean electricity system should be a top priority.
However, the government's view of an "ideal energy supply and demand
structure
<https://www.enecho.meti.go.jp/en/category/brochures/pdf/japan_energy_2018.pdf>"
for 2030 includes only modest increases in renewable energy from 2017
levels while still allocating more than half the power mix to coal, gas,
and oil.

Concerns about grid stability and electricity prices have contributed to
Japan's overly conservative approach to renewables. But an analysis
<https://www.agora-energiewende.de/fileadmin2/Projekte/2018/Japan_Grid/148_Agora_Japan_grid_study_WEB.pdf>
from
Agora Energiewende and Japan’s Renewable Energy Institute shows its power
system could easily accommodate 33% renewables by 2030, rather than the
22%-24% currently envisioned. And in a more ambitious scenario, Japan could
maintain grid stability with 40% renewables in 2030, while curtailing only
4% of annual renewable generation. To foster this level of growth, Japanese
policymakers can implement policy and operational improvements, such as
market rules that allow clean energy to assume greater responsibilities
within the power system.

The benefits of a robust clean energy foundation in Japan are many, and
could go beyond the immediate power sector. A decarbonized grid will create
a stronger case for transportation electrification, given the dependence on
imported liquid fuels. This, in turn, could lend urgency to more investment
in electric and hydrogen vehicles from Japan's auto industry, which would
also prove valuable for long-haul trucking globally.

*Securing a clean energy foundation*

The Fukushima Prefecture’s announcement that it will transform tainted
farmland into a wind and solar hotspot is a promising step toward a
renewable future for Japan. The country as a whole needs more of this kind
of ambitious investment – but some fear limited real estate and falling bid
prices
<https://www.pv-magazine.com/2019/01/24/another-disappointing-solar-auction-for-japan-as-prices-stay-high/>
for
solar development could constrain renewables deployment. However, Japan
also has an undeveloped resource offshore – the government has identified
11 areas
<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-rwe-japan-windpower/germanys-rwe-looks-to-enter-japan-offshore-wind-power-market-idUSKBN1X9153>
suitable
for offshore wind development.
[image: Offshore wind turbine in Japan]

Offshore wind turbine in Japan
FLICKR USER MMATSUURA

In the meantime, Fukushima is wise to tap the potential of contaminated
land that now lies fallow, echoing similar efforts in Chernobyl, where
solar panels now adorn uninhabitable acres
<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-chernobyl-solar/three-decades-after-nuclear-disaster-chernobyl-goes-solar-idUSKCN1MF1UM>,
and the U.S., where landfills and brownfields are being converted into
solar brightfields
<https://www.forbes.com/sites/energyinnovation/2017/08/10/solar-brightfields-gigawatts-of-clean-energy-potential-on-americas-landfills-and-brownfields/#4ba9dc066f54>.
In this way, the prefecture might just become fertile ground for renewables
growth and a bright spot in Japan’s clean energy transition.


*Megan Mahajan is a policy analyst at Energy Innovation, focused on its
Energy Policy Solutions program and communications outreach*

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