Since the earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck in Japan earlier this year the country has been in turmoil. Thousands of lives were lost, thousands more have been threatened by the nuclear accident at the badly hit Fukushima nuclear plant. The disaster of the Fukushima nuclear plant has led the country to rethink nuclear energy as a whole in their nation.
Recently Greenpeace published a report indicating moves the country of Japan could make in order to move away from nuclear. Greenpeace indicated that the could eliminate their use of nuclear energy by increasing their wind and solar energy sectors. According to the report, Japan is capable of generating forty-three percent of its electricity needs through renewables by 2015. This could be accomplished by increasing their wind and solar capacity to 47,200 megawatts from the current 3,500 megawatts by the year 2015.
Japan is working to increase their renewable sector while also staying committed to their carbon dioxide emission reduction goals. Japan recently introduced a new energy law which requires utility companies in the country to purchase wind, solar, geothermal and other renewables to reduce emissions. However, it is unlikely that the country will jump head first into a plan such as that one set forth by Greenpeace.
But Japan is planning further renewable investment into floating wind energy farms. The first farm planned will be located near the battered Fukushima plant. Six floating wind turbines which each have a two megawatt capacity will be installed in the near future. According to sources in Japan, the Japanese government is planning to add a total of eighty floating wind turbines by the year 2020.
Currently the total wind installments across Japan amount of only one percent of the energy needs for the country. However, the country has a potential capacity of much more. With their hesitancy towards nuclear growing, the country is likely to increase this renewable segment alongside others, such as solar and geothermal. The future of nuclear energy in Japan, however, is yet unknown.
