Japan looks to sea winds

Ballarat Courier
Wednesday 30/1/2008 Page: 11

OVERLOOKING a mountain lake a few hours' drive from Tokyo, dozens of tall wind turbines spin in the breeze, creating carbon-free power for the world's fifth-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. A sudden change in breeze spins the turbines in a different direction, an apt symbol of Japan's efforts to shift away from fossil fuels for renewable energy such as wind energy to help cut its greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol.

Wind farms such as the Nunobiki Plateau Wind Farm on a hill north of Tokyo, which generates enough electricity to power some 35,000 hones a year, have failed to make a dent in Japan's obligations to cut carbon gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol.

But Japan is now looking towards the sea, following in the footsteps of Europe which is the world's leader in wind energy, by planning a network of offshore wind farms to tap into the gales of the Pacific. "It's worthwhile entering the sector now as offshore technology is at the cutting-edge," said Mitsutoshi Yamashita, a Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry official in charge of promoting wind energy. "Once we obtain the technology needed, the kilowatts are limitless," he added.

Japan hopes that wind energy will provide around 0.2 per cent of the country's primary energy supply by March 2011. That figure might rise dramatically if major electric companies follow through with plans to build offshore wind farms near coastal power stations.

The northern Japanese town of Hokkaido, which is the first offshore wind-for-power system outside of Europe, has since 2003 been harnessing the sea breeze with two 600-kilowatt turbines located inside a breakwater less than 1km off the coast. That's enough to power an average of 1000 hones per year. "Maintenance is tough," said Shinya Ono, a town official, explaining the waves were sometimes too high to reach the turbines by boat. He said that offshore wind energy was double in power to that harnessed on land, but the power it generated was unpredictable.

Nevertheless, sea breezes are seen as more reliable than solar power and wind turbines require less space and lower investment than nuclear and solar plants. In Europe it costs about 50 to 100 per cent more to build offshore wind farms to those based on land. In Japan, it could cost even more as the island nation is surrounded by deeper seas. Japan is set to study the feasibility of offshore wind energy this year. One option might be to follow the example of Scotland, which installed offshore turbines in deep water in 2006.

As part of the study, the government is expected to install an offshore wind turbine to determine best engineering practices for the widespread use of the technology. The domestic industry is expected to make a push towards offshore wind turbines by 2012. Japan, the world's third largest consumer of oil, is facing increasing pressure to raise its supply of energy from nonpolluting sources and reduce its dependence on oil, coal and natural gas, almost all of which are imported from abroad.

Its greenhouse gas emissions in the year to March, 2007 were still 13 per cent above the average level it must meet each year over the next five years under Kyoto. Japan's per capital emissions are among the lowest in the developed world, making it all the more difficult to make further cuts. fossil fuels produce two-thirds of Japan's electricity needs with other sources such as nuclear and hydropower making up most of the difference. Renewable energy sources contribution to Japan's electricity needs are almost negligible.

By law, electric power companies must more than double their use of renewable energy sources - wind, solar, small-sized hydro plants, terrestrial heat and biomass - to 1.35 per cent of Japan's total electricity supply by March 2011. The 1.35 per cent target is modest when compared with a 3.3 per cent share for wind energy in Europe already. Some analysts say this target may need to rise if Japan is to meet its Kyoto goals.