,
New Energy Development in Japan
Japan has been a leader in energy innovation since the mid-20th century when it introduced the world to nuclear energy. A desire to reduce carbon emissions and explore renewable energy sources has motivated Japan to develop new sources of energy, with exciting results.
Japan is leading the way with renewable energy, largely through its focus on solar, wind and geothermal sources of power. In 2015, solar energy in Japan surpassed the amount of power produced by nuclear plants, with solar production accounting for 17 percent of the nation’s total electricity. In addition, wind electricity generation also set a new record in the same year, increasing by 28.2 percent over the previous year’s level and accounting for 1.3 percent of electricity production. Geothermal energy is another major source of renewable energy in Japan, accounting for 6.5 percent of the country’s total energy production in 2012.
In addition to its increasing focus on renewable sources of power, Japan is also exploring the potential for energy storage. With the increasing use of renewable sources for power production, electricity storage technologies are becoming more important. Japan is investing in battery storage technologies as well as natural gas-to-electricity technologies, which can provide a reliable source of energy when solar, wind, and other renewable sources are not available.
The government of Japan has set a goal of increasing the amount of energy generated from renewable sources to 22-24 percent of the nation’s total electricity production by 2030. This goal is part of the country’s effort to reduce its dependence on nuclear power and shift to cleaner sources of energy that can reduce carbon emissions and other environmental impacts.
Japan is also researching and investing in other forms of clean energy and energy storage technologies. For example, the country is researching hydrogen-based technologies in order to develop ways of using this abundant resource and create a new way to generate power and capture carbon dioxide emissions in the process.
The government of Japan is also supporting research in new energy production and storage technologies. The government has budgeted over US$200 million for research and development related to energy technologies in 2019, with the majority of this funding going to clean energy sources and battery storage technologies.
The efforts of the Japanese government, industry, and citizens are paying off, as renewable energy use continues to increase in the country. Recent studies predict that renewable energy use in Japan will be more than doubled by 2030, making this energy source a major player in the nation’s power production. With its commitment to globalization, Japan is well positioned to play a critical role in developing new energy sources and technologies that can reduce carbon emissions and help address the global climate crisis.
