Japan Could Have 80% Renewable Energy by 2035
Renewable energy sources could provide 80% of Japan's electricity by 2035, according to a recent study by the Renewable Energy Institute.
The study also suggests that by 2035 Japan could reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 65% from 2019 levels, while maintaining the country's manufacturing industries and attracting new high-tech industries.
According to the study, reaching these goals would require a massive rollout of solar and wind power and other renewable sources, coupled with an increase in the use of storage batteries and an improved power grid.
The power grid would need to be capable of transmitting wind power from northern Japan, for example, to other parts of the nation where power is most needed.
Although it has been said in the past that renewable energy sources are unreliable and expensive, the study says that, thanks in part to modern information technology, renewable energy is now cheap and dependable.
The use of AI in particular has the potential to make renewable energy use much more efficient.
And while some have argued that nuclear power as well as coal-fired power coupled with carbon capture technologies will be a necessary part of Japan's future energy mix, in the scenario laid out by the study, such energy sources wouldn't be needed.
However, in that scenario, while 80% of the country's electricity could be supplied by renewables, the remaining 20% would be supplied by natural gas. Although this is a fossil fuel, the study argues that its use produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions than other fossil fuels.
The study calculates that even when including the cost of batteries or improving the energy grid, energy generation costs would be about the same as they were before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. And it notes that reducing dependence on fossil fuels would also improve energy security and keep the cost of energy stable.
The Renewable Energy Institute, an organization that promotes the use of renewable energy, was founded in 2011 by Masayoshi Son, the CEO of Softbank, after the Fukushima nuclear accident made many people concerned about Japan's energy future.
