Japan's Energy Mix Post-Fukushima

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Jul 22, 2024

Exploring Japan's energy mix post-Fukushima, heavy reliance on fossil fuels, challenges in transitioning to renewables, offshore wind potential, feed-in tariff scheme, power grid structure, industry role in emissions reduction, and emission targets for 2030.

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INSIGHT

Japan's Fossil Fuel Dependence

Japan relies on fossil fuels for 70% of its electricity supply despite being a developed G7 country.
Nuclear power dropped from one-third to less than 10% post-Fukushima, while renewables make up about 25%.

INSIGHT

Feed-In Tariff Boosted Renewables

Japan's 2012 feed-in tariff scheme subsidizes renewable energy projects for 20 years per kilowatt-hour.
This policy drastically boosted utility-scale solar development and attracted both domestic and foreign investment.

INSIGHT

Japan's Fragmented Power Grid

Japan's power grid is divided into nine utilities with limited interconnections and two different frequencies.
This causes price disparities as cheaper electricity in one region cannot be easily shared nationwide.

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Japan is important to consider on the global energy stage. The country’s emissions footprint is considerably smaller than China and the U.S. While Japan's energy footprint isn't growing as rapidly as India's, it’s still the fifth-largest emitter of any country globally, with emissions representing roughly three to 4% of the global total. Japan's energy system is heavily fossil fuel-based, especially after it cut nuclear power generation from roughly one-third to zero in the aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima incident.

Today we're diving into the Japanese energy economy and decarbonization efforts with Isshu Kikuma. Isshu has been with Bloomberg New Energy Finance since 2018, and up until last month his role there was Japan Energy Analyst. He just switched his focus to the energy storage world, but clearly brings a wealth of knowledge on Japan, energy, and decarbonization.

We've been doing these geo tours on the pod for a while, covering countries like China, India, Brazil, and Kenya. Just check out our pod archives at the links below.

In this episode, we cover:

Japan's current power mix and heavy reliance on fossil fuels
Decrease in nuclear power generation after the Fukushima incident
The country's share of renewables
Challenges and potential of offshore wind in Japan
Programs and initiatives to encourage emission reductions, including the feed-in tariff scheme
The structure of Japan's power grid and interconnections between regions
The role of industry in energy use and emissions reduction
Japan's emissions targets
Market-based levers and consumer programs in Japan, including the RE-100 initiative and EV subsidies
Japan's funding of coal power plants in other Southeast Asian countries
Climate change impacts on Japan and resiliency efforts
The role of battery energy storage in Japan's power grid
Geothermal and more

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Episode recorded on June 4, 2024 (Published on July 22, 2024)

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant