Japan is expanding its energy sources
The future of offshore wind farms
Last year, Japan joined the ranks of nations worldwide pledging to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. This is no easy feat, but Japan believes it is up to the challenge, with Kajiyama Hiroshi, the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry stating: “In terms of an industrial policy, we are entering an era in which we no longer see global warming as a constraint or cost to the economy, but as an opportunity for new growth”.
Renewable energy is the future, and more and more, governments and companies are realising this too. The trend towards more sustainable ways to generate electricity is going strong, with 2020 seeing a 3% increase in renewable energy use worldwide. Furthermore, the share of global electricity generation produced by renewable sources grew to 29%, from 27% in 2019, and is forecast to continue to grow this year.
And of all renewable sources of energy, wind is projected to see the biggest growth, with estimates suggesting a worldwide increase of just under 17% from last year.
The current industry situation
Research into wind powered energy sources has been ongoing for over a century, with countries all over the world finding ways to use this natural resource to its fullest. Yet in more recent years, not only land wind farms, but also demand and research for offshore wind farms has come to the fore. The first offshore wind farm was only built in 1991 in Denmark, but since then many countries have begun investing in this potential source of renewable energy. So much so that the production of offshore wind farms is predicted to increase by a compound annual rate of around 16% between 2019 and 2030 globally.
Leading the way, the UK currently has built some of the largest offshore wind farms in the world; and, as another nation pledging to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, these expansion plans show no sign of stopping. In 2019, around a fifth of the UK’s energy production originated from wind farms and the construction of the world’s largest offshore wind farm, the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, is currently underway off the coast of England. Once it becomes operational, it will generate enough electricity to power millions of UK homes.
Japanese innovation
Japan has also been working to reduce their dependence on non-renewable sources of energy and working to increase their energy production. As Japan is a net energy importer, this has meant building the facilities and resources to become more self-sufficient and sustainable.
While these endeavours continue to be a work in progress, as far more needs to be done for Japan to meet its ambitious 2050 target, the nation has seen significant growth in the use of renewable sources of energy. The last decade has seen around a 50% increase in the production of energy through renewable sources and research into different forms of renewable energy and their viability in Japan are on the rise.
One of the areas of particular interest is offshore wind farms. Although only a recent entrant into this market, the Japanese government aims offshore wind to produce 10 gigawatts (GW) of power by 2030, pushing that figure up to 30-45 GW by 2040. By comparison, the Indian Point nuclear power plant just outside of New York City has a capacity of 2 GW and powers nearly 1.4 million homes.
As a nascent industry in the country, Japanese companies have been looking to learn and expand their proficiency by forming collaborations. Some of the more prominent budding partnerships have been formed between British and Japanese companies as similarities between both countries, both being net energy importers and island countries. This is the case of companies like the Japanese-based Marubeni who acquired the UK company Seajacks in 2012.
In 2020, Marubeni and Seajacks took on one of their most ambitious projects to date, the construction of the first commercial offshore wind farm just off the coast of Akita prefecture, in Japan. Aiming to become operational in 2022, the farm will be the largest in the country and is expected to have a capacity of 140MW.
But this is not the end, as Kosuke Tashiro, the Deputy General Manager of the Third Department of the Overseas Electric Power Project is confident that “[…] there is an unprecedented excitement in offshore wind power generation in Japan as well. I hope to spread it to other regions following Akita.” So, we are sure to see other similar projects in the future.
Where it goes from here
Now is not the time to rest on our laurels. The initiatives being taken by governments and corporations alike are a good first step, yet many more need to be taken for sustainability goals to be reached.
Offshore wind farms have remarkable potential in a country such as Japan which has the space, and increasingly, the technology to make this resource a success. Japan remains a net energy importer, but the technological advances being made in this field will go a long way toward reducing its energy dependence and meeting the sustainability goals the government has set for the country. We must celebrate the progress that is being made, but continue to push and work toward a more sustainable future for all.