Enigin Update - Energy Efficiency & Renewables can Shelve Japan's Nuclear Power
JAPAN can switch off all nuclear plants permanently by 2012 and still achieve both economic recovery and its CO2 reduction goals, according to a new Greenpeace report.
Released today, the report: “Advanced Energy [R]evolution report for Japan”, shows how energy efficiency and rapid deployment of renewable technology can provide all the power Japan needs.
Load reduction strategies, through demand side energy management, would cut Japan's energy demand by 11,000 MW, equal to the capacity of 10 to 12 nuclear reactors - emphasising the importance of energy efficiency.
The report also looks at increasing Japan’s renewable energy capacity - with calculations by the German Aerospace Center and the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies - showing that the country’s wind and solar generation capacity can be ramped up from the existing 3,500 MW to 47,200 MW by 2015.
Sven Teske, Greenpeace International Renewable Energy Campaign Director commented: "The tremendous potential of Japan's renewable energy industry not only allows it to retire its existing nuclear plants, but provides a huge opportunity to boost the economy by creating thousands of green jobs.”
New Prime Minister Yoshihoko Noda claims that nuclear power is needed to save the economy, however, under the “Advanced Energy [R]evolution” scenario energy sector jobs would triple by 2015, reaching 326,000 compared to projections of 81,500 for a business-as-usual approach.
As we reported on these pages last week, Japan managed to overcome the energy supply difficulties over the high demand summer period, through taking positive energy efficiency measures, adding support to Green Peace’s report.
Hisayo Takada, Greenpeace Japan Climate and Energy Campaigner said: "With only 11 out of 54 reactors online at the height of summer and little impact to daily life, Japan has already proven that by conserving energy it does not need nuclear power.
"The Greenpeace plan is ambitious, but this is exactly what Japan needs: ambitious solutions that provide jobs, energy independence, and ensure a safe, clean and sustainable future for its people".
Enigin Distributors have exclusive access to the Eniscope system from Enigin, which not only monitors energy use in real-time, providing visual data of what is being and what is being generated by renewable sources. Eniscope also provides historical analytical energy data for long-term energy efficiency planning and cost savings.
Photo: Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Bay by Chris Wells reproduced under CCL.
