Japan’s ‘green energy’ plan isn’t too green

Japan’s blueprint for combating climate change includes a heavy reliance on coal, gas and nuclear power over green energy, despite the rapid growth of investment in renewables since all its nuclear reactors were taken offline following the 2011 disaster in Fukushima. Japan, the third-largest economy in the world (and the fifth-most polluting country), is one of the rare nations that are actively looking to increase cheap, plentiful but heavily polluting coal. By 2030, the country expects coal to account for 26 percent of power generation, natural gas for 27 percent, oil for about 3 percent and nuclear power for 22 percent — renewables will account for 24 percent of the energy needs. More than 40 coal-fired power plants are planned or under construction in Japan, which hopes to see its total energy self-sufficiency rate to about 24 percent from the current 6 percent. Japan’s planned 26 percent reduction in greenhouse gases compares with an intended 26-28 percent cut by 2025 from 2005 levels for the U.S., and the European Union’s target of a 40 percent reduction from 1990 levels, or 35 percent from 2005.

It’s just a matter of very costly delays to an industrial development that will be inevitable for global competition reasons. Japan cannot be the last fossil country in the world.

Tomas Kaberger, chairman of the Japan Renewable Energy Foundation

Japan says that solar and wind power generation are too unstable and costly to provide more than marginal power generation capacity, especially given the need to extend power grids from major cities like Tokyo to more remote areas considered most suitable for wind power. On the local level, governments increasingly are investing in smart-city technologies such as high-tech electricity meters, heat recycling and other clean and renewable energy options, encouraged by efforts to decentralize power production to help boost sagging local economies.

These guys are risking a whole lot of public finance on something that may be overtaken by the accelerating cheapening of renewables.

Andrew DeWit, professor at Tokyo’s Rikkyo University

Science