Lawyers send complaint to European Commission about subsidies for nuclear power--A formal complaint about subsidies for nuclear power has been sent to the European Commission. If it is upheld, it unlikely that any new nuclear power stations will be built in the UK or elsewhere in the EU. The complaint may be followed by legal action in the courts or actions by politicians to reduce or remove subsidies for nuclear power. . .
Yomiuri Online: Public entity eyed for power supply--The government is contemplating establishing a public entity to undertake the centralized management of electricity supplies, a move aimed at breaking utilities' long-standing monopolies in both the power generation and supply sectors, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned. . .
Fukushima meltdowns set nuclear energy debate on its ear--As of Dec. 25, only six of the nation's 54 reactors were running. But even these will be halted by spring for scheduled inspections, bringing electricity supplies to dangerous lows. . .
Reuters: Tepco eyes $39 billion bailout in move towards nationalization--Tokyo Electric Power Co is considering raising 3 trillion yen ($39 billion) over four years, half of which would be a taxpayer-funded capital injection that would lead to the utility's de facto nationalization, Kyodo News Agency reported on Thursday. . .
Andrew Dewit: Japan’s Nuclear Village Wages War on Renewable Energy and the Feed-in Tariff--The effects of the Fukushima shock continue to spread. Throughout the eventful summer, one of those consequences was the turn away from nuclear power with a dramatic emphasis on renewable power and the feed-in tariff (FIT) to deploy it fast. The FIT policy was championed by former Prime Minister Kan Naoto as well as the CEO of Softbank, Son Masayoshi. They and others in the political, business, non-profit, and academic communities strongly endorsed a legislative bill to expand Japan’s handicapped FIT to geothermal, wind, biomass and small hydro. The bill was passed on August of 26 with explicit constraints on the Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry’s (METI) capacity to hamstring renewables in favour of nuclear power and on behalf of the nuclear village. Notably, the bill took price setting out of METI's hands. But now METI and its allies in the nuclear village are trying to get that clout back in their hands. . .
Japan Today: TEPCO shares fall on nationalization report--Shares in Tokyo Electric Power tumbled Thursday after a report said the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant’s operator would be effectively nationalized following a massive government share purchase. . .
Japan Focus: Feed-in Tariffs the Way Forward for Renewable Energy--Peter Lynch, an expert on the renewable energy sector, offers a concise introduction to the central role of feed-in tariffs (FITs) in fostering the ongoing transition from conventional, carbon-laden sources of generating electricity to renewables such as solar, wind and geothermal. As the author points out, FITs guarantee markets and prices for renewable power, and drive down their cost through deployment and the encouragement of yet more technical advance. FITs thus offer much hope to a world that seems unable to reach any sort of global agreement on cutting emissions which have continued to spiral since the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. . .
Deutsche Bank: Japan The People's Greener Choice--Scenario 2, "100% Nuclear Reduction," examines achieving elimination of nuclear power by 2030 (closure of 49 GW of current nuclear capacity and cancellation of prospective planned 19 GW). We estimate in Scenario 2 Japan would need to reach 317 GW of total renewables capacity including 125 GW of wind capacity, 125 GW of solar capacity and 60 GW of hydro capacity. . .
Bloomberg: Tepco's ‘Deal With Devil' Signals End to Japan's Postwar Era--“The nuclear village's core argument is that it offers low-cost, reliable power essential for a modern and competitive economy,” Andrew DeWit, a professor of the politics of public finance at Tokyo's Rikkyo University, said in an interview. “But those claims are rapidly losing credibility in the public debate because after Fukushima the cost of nuclear power has become greater. The nuclear village is unraveling.” . .
Japan Times: Geothermal trove lies mostly untapped despite energy crisis--However, Koike, Ehara and other geothermal advocates agree that, without strong government support in the form of a feed-in tariff over a period of at least 10 years, geothermal energy will neither expand nor become consistently cost-competitive with the cheapest renewable energy forms. The lack of such a tariff and aggressive government support to date has been blamed by renewable energy advocates not only on technological barriers, but also on resistance within METI. . .
Reuters: Japan must revise renewables law to get results -experts--Japan's new feed-in-tariff energy law, aimed at promoting renewable energy, will need attractive pricing and revisions to flesh out of vague provisions if it is to help wean the country from nuclear power, a panel of experts said. . . Attendees at a three-day international forum also said the law, which requires utilities to purchase solar, wind and other forms of renewable energy and allows them to pass excess costs on to consumers, would be more effective if Japan adopted clear, ambitious renewable energy targets that encourage investment. . .
Asia Times: Tsunami clears way for solar-powered Japan
By Masayoshi Son--This article by Softbank chief executive Son Masayoshi outlines the thinking of one of Japan's most innovative capitalists and public-spirited citizens. Having helped create a competitive market in telecommunications, Son is seeking to liberate and "green" Japan's 16 trillion yen electricity industry. . .
ABC: Thousands join anti-nuclear rally in Japan--Around 50,000 people have turned out in Tokyo for one of the biggest anti-nuclear protests in Japan's history. . . It's six months since the Fukushima disaster and the protest is an indication of just how badly people think that accident was handled. . .
Morrison Foerster: Outline of Japan’s Feed-In Tariff Law for Renewable Electric Energy--To encourage new investment in renewable electricity generation facilities and promote the use of renewable electric energy, in late August the Japanese Diet passed The Act on Special Measures concerning the Procurement of Renewable Electric Energy by Operators of Electric Utilities (the “Act”). Under the Act, Japanese electric utility operators are obligated to purchase solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and biomass generated electricity for contractual terms and at prices to be fixed by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (“METI”). . .
EAEM: Japan marks six months since nuclear disaster and charts a clean energy future--Just before resigning, Kan also advocated a zero-nuclear future for Japan, and passed a feed-in tariff creating incentives for large-scale renewable energy projects. "When I think of safety not being outweighed by risk, the answer is not to rely on nuclear," he said in an interview a week ago. . .
Mainichi Daily News: No. of Japan's nuclear plants to be zero in future: Hachiro--Industry minister Yoshio Hachiro said Tuesday that the number of Japan's nuclear power plants would be "zero" in the future, based on Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's policy of not building new nuclear power plants and decommissioning aged ones. . . "Considering the premier's remarks at press conferences, it would be zero," Hachiro told reporters in answer to the question whether the number of nuclear plants would reduce to none in the future. . .
Asahi Shimbun: Transparency in access to the grid crucial for promotion of renewable energy--The law contains a so-called feed-in tariff system that requires electric power companies to buy electricity generated by using renewable energy sources--wind, solar, biomass, the heat of the Earth and small-scale water power--at fixed prices for specific periods. . . In Europe, this system has helped to sharply increase the use of renewable energy. . . The success of the feed-in tariff system in Japan hinges on how it will be actually operated. . . The law says the prices at which utilities buy renewable power should be determined in a way that ensures reasonable profits for power producers. . .
Mainichi News: Japan just beginning to tap into high potential for geothermal power generation--The electricity produced at Kuju would have to be sold at 16 yen per 1 kilowatt per hour of electricity to be profitable, but the going rate is a mere several yen. Koike would not be able to turn a profit if the plant hadn't given the hotel the reputation of being eco-friendly. Needless to say, he's eager to see what will happen to electricity prices once a feed-in tariff is adopted next July. . .
Corrections & Updates to Japan Feed-in Tariff Policy Becomes Law by Karl-Friedrich Lenz from original Japanese sources--The law sets no targets, which is one point criticized by Japanese NGOs like Kiko Network and ISEP. . . There is no contract term yet. This will be set later by Ministerial Ordinance, as well as the tariffs. . . The law will be reviewed every three years, but tariffs and contract terms will be reviewed yearly, with an option for a half-year period. . .
Japan Feed-in Tariff Policy Becomes Law--World's Third Largest Economy Adopts FITs . . . In a major breakthrough for the feed-in tariff movement worldwide, Japan's upper chamber has approved a new law implementing a feed-in tariff policy for renewable energy. . .
Denki Shimbun: Japanese Feed-in tariff law for renewable energy enacted--The feed-in tariff bill for renewable energy was passed by the Upper House of the Diet and enacted. The law will come into force from July 1 next year. . . The feed-in tariff system seeks to promote the growth of renewable energy by requiring utilities to purchase electricity generated by commercially available renewable energy sources (solar photovoltaic, wind, small- and medium-scale hydro, geothermal, biomass) for a set price and period. Electric utilities will be allowed to levy a surcharge to cover the purchase costs. . . The revised bill specifies that the surcharge will not be applied to the regions affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake through the end of March 2013. . .
Yomiuri Shimbun: TEPCO teetering on financial edge--The massive loss came as TEPCO allocated 397.7 billion yen for compensation--a figure the utility described as a reasonable estimate--as part of a 503.2 billion yen extraordinary loss in the April-June period. . .
UPI: Japan to increase renewable energy?--Passage of Japan's renewable energy legislation could drive up investment in the sector, experts say. . . Such schemes "have proven to be one of the most effective instruments to stimulate development of renewable energy around the world, increasing expected returns on renewable energy investment," he said. . .
Energy Matters: Japan's Feed In Tariffs Could Accelerate Global Solar Grid Parity--A bill has passed Japan's lower house of Parliament that proposes feed in tariffs to support growing the country's renewable sector to 10 trillion yen (AUD$124 billion) by the end of this decade, supplying 20% of Japan's electricity needs. . .
Reuters: Japan pins hopes on green power laws--The new laws will require utilities to buy any amount of electricity generated from solar, wind, biomass, geothermal and small-sized hydro power plant at preset rates for up to 20 years. The government has said it wants the feed-in tariff scheme to boost capacity of the five renewable energy types by more than 30,000 megawatts (MW) over a decade. . . Ruling party lawmaker Yosuke Kondo told Reuters he expects the price for solar to start at 40 yen per kilowatt hour and 20 yen for wind. The price for solar could start with 37-38 yen if the prices of solar panels fall significantly by the time the system is launched, he added. A parliament-appointed panel will determine the pricing. . .
Bloomberg Business Week: Energy Law To Cut Japan Nuclear Reliance--“The scheme will create a large market in a short time,” said Tetsunari Iida, executive director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies in Tokyo. “It will prompt immediate growth of related industries,” such as manufacturing and construction. . . The legislation is expected to become law as soon as Aug. 26 and effective on July 1, 2012. . .
Japan Times: Ray of light amid the nuclear gloom--The REN 21 report also points out that at least 95 nations have enacted policies to support renewable power generation, with feed-in tariffs being the most common type. . . Roughly the size of California with about 127 million people crammed into just 20 percent of its seismically active land, Japan cannot afford another major nuclear disaster. It must develop alternatives to nuclear power. . .
Yomiuri Shimbun: FITs Coming to Japan?--Democratic Party of Japan and Liberal Democratic Party Diet affairs chiefs agreed Friday to pass a renewable energy sources special measures bill through the House of Representatives on Friday next week. . . On Thursday, policy chiefs from the DPJ, LDP and New Komeito agreed to revise the energy bill for submission to the Diet. Revisions to the bill include incorporating a third-party panel to decide purchasing prices of electricity generated from natural energy sources, and the requirement for Diet approval on selection of the panel's members.
WSJ: Tokyo Seeks Big Growth in Solar, Wind Power--Japan's parliament is set to approve a landmark bill on renewable energy that was championed by Prime Minister Naoto Kan as a way to reduce the nation's dependence on nuclear power, and which would break the monopoly of the 10 major utilities. . . The final passage of the bill, which aims to bolster investment in renewable energy following the worst nuclear-plant accident in the country's history, is expected by the end of the month.
GEW: Japan 'plans solar panels for all new buildings'--The plan, expected to be unveiled at the upcoming G8 Summit in France, aims to show Japan's resolve to encourage technological innovation and promote the wider use of renewable energy, the Nikkei daily said. . .
Financial Times: Japan’s ‘can-do’ bid for a nuclear-free era--Could Japan function normally without nuclear energy? This is not a theoretical question. With only 17 of 54 reactors working, Japan is going through a partial dry run. One of the reasons its economy has been able to soldier on is that there is a massive energy-saving drive. Office air-conditioners are not blasting at their normal freezing-cold temperatures. . .
Japan Times: Son's quest for sun, wind has nuclear interests wary--His goal is to encourage local governments to shift to renewable energy sources and to provide land for mega-solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal, small hydropower generators, and other renewable energy forms. . .
Japan Times: 38 years of nuke profit up in smoke?--Tokyo Electric Power Co. faces a potential damages bill exceeding its profits from nuclear power generation over a 38-year period beginning in 1970, the year it opened the crisis-hit Fukushima No. 1 plant, according to a recent study. . .
Germany: A cleantech case study for a post-Fukushima world by Chris Turner--In the wake of the worst nuclear disaster in a generation, Germany doubled down on a decade of success, pledging to eliminate nukes by 2022 and switch almost exclusively to renewable power by 2050. A report from the front lines. . .
Renewable Energy Grabs Limelight in Japan--After decades of being relegated to the sidelines, Japan’s fledging renewable energy industry is now basking in the limelight as the nation struggles to cope with the Fukushima nuclear accident. . .
Asahi Shimbun: Diet needs to do its job and get down to work--It is intolerable that the Diet hasn't even started considering the government-drafted bill to introduce a feed-in tariff system to expand the use of renewable energy, which was officially approved by the Cabinet on the morning of the day when the devastating earthquake and tsunami hit northeastern Japan. . .
Japanese oppose restarting closed reactors--A poll released Monday by The Nikkei, a conservative business daily, found nearly 70 percent opposed restarting reactors now offline. Forty-seven percent said the number of reactors should be decreased and 21 percent said they should all be closed. . .
Japan Goes Solar: A $286 Billion Play on Japan's Nuclear Fallout By Jeff Siegel--A few months ago, Prime Minister Naoto Kan announced a plan that would put solar panels on about 10 million roofs by 2030. Of course, he gave little details on how such a plan would be funded. But since the announcement, a number of high-level government officials have called for a solar feed-in tariff similar to that of Germany's. . .
Reuters: Japan solar power dream alluring for investors--"But the government must take action. It must quickly implement a feed-in tariff," said Abe, who manages $300 million worth of assets in the clean tech sector. . .
Japan Times: Diet session extension left to the last minute--Kan recently expressed his "strong" intent to stay on until the Diet passes the second supplementary budget, which is to be submitted in early July, the bill to allow the issuance of deficit-covering government bonds necessary to fund a large part of the fiscal 2011 initial budget and legislation introducing a feed-in-tariff system to promote renewable energy sources. . .
Asahi Shimbun: Diet should pass renewable energy bill in current session--It would establish a system called feed-in tariff, which is regarded as one of the most powerful tools to expand green power generation. A government-drafted bill to introduce this mechanism has been stuck on the Diet shelf for some time. It was formally approved by the Cabinet on the morning of the day when the Great East Japan Earthquake struck. Some 100 days on, however, the Diet has yet to start considering the legislation. . .
Asahi Shimbun: Diet should pass renewable energy bill in current session--It would establish a system called feed-in tariff, which is regarded as one of the most powerful tools to expand green power generation. A government-drafted bill to introduce this mechanism has been stuck on the Diet shelf for some time. It was formally approved by the Cabinet on the morning of the day when the Great East Japan Earthquake struck. Some 100 days on, however, the Diet has yet to start considering the legislation. . .
CS Monitor: Beginning of the end for nuclear power in Japan?--Problems in stabilizing the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have hardened attitudes: More than 80 percent of Japanese now say they are antinuclear and distrust government information on radiation. . .
Japan's Prime Minister Calls for Reform of Power Industry--During the meeting, Softbank Corp. President Masayoshi Son said the introduction of a system for the purchase of electricity at fixed prices is necessary to make it easier to enter the electricity generation business. . .
Japan to pursue a new energy policy--The crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has prompted the government to launch a seemingly radical rethink of Japan's energy policy. On May 25, Prime Minister Naoto Kan announced that Japan will generate 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by the early 2020s . . .
Japanese reactor makers look to green energy amid nuclear allergy--In the three months since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami damaged the Fukushima No. 1 atomic plant, the nation's three reactor makers have started to focus more on renewable energy sources, particularly solar, wind and geothermal power. . .
How Sato Sums Up Japanese Government’s Nuclear Response: Soviet--“The situation that we see in Japan now with nuclear power policy is very similar to what happened with Chernobyl,” said Mr. Sato Monday at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Japan, apologizing if he offended anyone in the audience who was involved the Chernobyl accident. . .
Bloomberg: Japan May Tap Geothermal Power to Offset Atomic Loss--Japan can increase the amount of electricity it generates using geothermal resources to offset power shortages as the government reconsiders its reliance on nuclear energy, Bloomberg New Energy Finance said. . .
New Scientist: Wind is Japan's strongest alternative to nuclear--TWO months after the explosions and radiation leaks at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, the prime minister, Naoto Kan, has announced that the country will not build any new reactors. . .
Time: Why Japan's Shift Away from Nuclear Is Good for Business--New legislation is expected to help diversify the nation's energy portfolio. A new feed-in tariff (FIT) will oblige utility companies to buy all the power generated through renewable sources connected to a grid at fixed, premium rates. Prices are different depending upon the type of renewable energy. . .
Reuters: Japan Considers $63 Billion Bailout of Tepco for Reactor Disaster--The government is also considering buying preferred shares from Tokyo Electric, also known as Tepco, if it runs short of capital. It did not provide details on the size of its planned fund injection but lawmakers told reporters earlier this week the bond issue would total about 5 trillion yen ($62 billion). . .
Japan Times: Renewable's time is now--Goal should be 100% reliance on alternative energy by 2050--Japan is trying to follow suit. The administration is trying to submit a bill that would adopt a system similar to the German model in the current Diet session. The expert said if Japan adopts such a system, renewable energy sources would account for 20 percent of the overall supply in 2020, up from current 10 percent. . .
NY Times: Japan's Leader Cancels Plans for New Nuclear Plants--Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Tuesday that Japan would abandon plans to build more nuclear reactors, saying his country needed to “start from scratch” in creating a new energy policy. . .
NPR: Public Anger Against Nuclear Power Mounts In Japan--The prime minister, Shikata says, is "trying to make the case that the future policy may not be an extension or continuation of the current policy. There may be a drastic policy change.". . On the campaign trail, the DPJ promised deep cuts in carbon emissions, feed-in tariffs to support renewable energy sources, and an end to vested interests' chokehold on policymaking. But none of these have materialized. . .
Kaneko Masaru: The Plan to Rebuild Japan: When You Can’t Go Back, You Move Forward. Outline of an Environmental Sound Energy Policy--What is necessary is not restoration but rather reconstruction. At the core of a state reconstruction plan, we need the following shift to environmental energy policies . . . We must have a fundamental transformation to environmental energy policies so as to avoid repeating the tragedy of the foreseeable (and foreseen) massive major earthquake and tsunami. To that end, the Democratic Party is called upon to set up party organizations for quickly institutionalizing the feed-in tariffs . . . and other policies that were part of its 2009 election manifesto. . .
Andrew DeWitt: The Earthquake in Japanese Energy Policy--Japan's [solar PV] FIT is slated to be extended to geothermal, wind, small hydro, and biogas from April of 2012, with a host of restrictions and other limitations that the power elite forced over the objections of experts, local communities and other interests that sought a robust, comprehensive FIT. This crisis affords an opportunity to revisit that just-made decision, stripping the FIT of the imposed handicaps and unleashing it as soon as possible. . .
Heinrich Böell Foundation: Fukushima: Learning from Experience--The phase-out does not mean that the lights will go out in Germany. On the contrary, the accelerated phase-out of nuclear energy will prepare the ground for increased investment in renewable energies, which are already the technology of the future. . .
NYT: Japan Orders Nuclear Safety Steps, Plans Energy Review--"As Prime Minister (Naoto) Kan has said in parliamentary debates, I think we should also put emphasis on renewable energy sources, such as solar power," Trade Minister Banri Kaieda told a news conference. "We should discuss our energy policy as a whole." . .
The “Power Elite” and Environmental-Energy Policy in Japan by Andrew DeWit and Iida Tetsunari--a hard-hitting and sobering explanation of why the ruling DJP party has abandoned its commitment for the introduction of robust feed-in tariffs in Japan. . .
Business Week: Japan Proposes Wind, Geothermal Power Feed-in Tariff--Utilities may have to buy renewable power at between 15 yen (17 cents) and 20 yen a kilowatt hour, according to a report released in Tokyo today. The incentive program would run for between 10 and 20 years, it said. . .
Get FIT: Public Policy, the Smart State and the Energy-Environmental Revolution in Japan by Andrew DeWit--Shi Zhengrong, founder and chief-executive of China’s Suntech Power, now the largest crystalline silicon solar module producer in the world, tells us that “policy is the only leading force for climate change.” . . Suntech’s Shi praises German government leadership in driving a “dramatic increase” in renewable demand. . .
More on Japan's New Ruling Party (DPJ) and Feed-in Tariffs--Bloomberg is reporting that Japan's new ruling party, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), is expected to propose a comprehensive feed-in tariff policy as part of its legislative agenda. . .
Japan Proposes Net Feed-in Tariff TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan aims to make utilities pay for surplus solar-power electricity that households produce by amending a law in the current session of parliament, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on Tuesday. . .
