Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
government.
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hroughout the country, universal appeals for energy conser-
vation were made with particular consternation over the possibility that the
increase in demand for electricity typically associated with summer months
might result in blackouts in Tokyo. he expanded use of natural gas-ired
power plants to ill the void caused by the nuclear plant shut down resulted
in inlated energy costs, with TEPCO applying for permission to raise rates by
nearly 20% to compensate for increased energy costs, which were estimated
to be US$8.3 billion in the one-year period after the Fukushima disaster.
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he
switch from nuclear power to gas-ired power also scuttled the prospects of
the nation meeting its Kyoto Protocol GHG emission reduction targets.
After the Fukushima disaster, the public apathy that enabled the ascen-
dance of nuclear power and the political will that supported the industry
and insulated it from scrutiny was supplanted by a climate of introspection.
A June 5, 2012 survey by Pew Research indicated that 70% of the general
public was in favor of at least a scaling down of the nuclear program.
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he
ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) initiated studies to explore the fea-
sibility of reducing the nuclear power program to 0%, 15%, or 20 to 25%
and declared an intention to phase-out nuclear power by 2050.
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In July
2012, the DPJ announced an aggressive feed in tarif (FIT) that included
wind power, and there were indications that the wind power industry was
about to experience a golden age in Japan.
In December 2012, the prospects of a golden era for wind were upended
by a return to power of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP), the
party that presided over the rise of nuclear power in Japan. Newly elected
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has since repudiated his campaign promise to
phase-out nuclear power and declared his support for reviving the nuclear
power program.
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his has spawned two questions: how sizable will the
nuclear power presence be, and what will the role of wind power be in the
future energy scenario? his chapter will strive to shed light on both and in
doing so tell the story of wind power development in Japan.
9.2 AN OVERVIEW OF ELECTRICITY GENERATION IN JAPAN
Figure 9.1 illustrates the degree to which Japan depends on foreign energy
imports. Since the end of World War II, Japan has imported virtually its
entire energy stock from overseas. Currently, almost 96% of Japan's pri-
mary energy supply comes from imported stocks of coal, oil, natural gas,
and uranium. Although there are other countries—South Korea, France,
and Italy—that have similar high rates of import dependence, Japan's reli-
ance is more precarious because it is an island nation, which does not have
