Renewable energy use in Japan: national policy, critical response and alternative paradigms
Recent national renewable energy policy in Japan is informed by a very real, severe and continuing energy security crisis and by the perceived need for a national response to global warming. The recent history of this policy response is described, as are the socio-political and economic circumstances which have shaped and constrained it. The substance of the critiques from significant RE energy generator and advocacy groups in light of perceived policy failures is provided. These critiques are based on the research evidence these groups have produced which demonstrates how the full range of RE resources available in Japan have been under-emphasized or ignored. These same groups and sub-national organizations have undertaken alternative RE policy development and implementation strategies which underpin a larger concern for the long-term sustainability of Japanese society. Several of the more striking of these alternatives, the Tδkyδ-Regional Network, the Energy in My Yard concept, and Sustainability Zones, are described.
EIMY (ENERGY IN MY YARD) A CONCEPT FOR PRACTICAL USAGE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY FROM LOCAL SOURCES
A group was set up to devise a strategy for geothermal development that conforms with global environmental expectations for the 21st century. The group developed the concept of EIMY-Energy In My Yard, which proposes that local energy demands should be met by an optimum combination of local, renewable sources to the maximum degree permitted by technical and economic considerations. Shortfalls and surpluses in local energy production would be accommodated by interfacing with the national grid. The group also discussed the roles that the various types of renewable energy could play within the EIMY framework, according to their nature, ubiquity, and capacity. An integrated renewable energy simulator was used to identify optimum combinations of sources for different situations. Installation and operating costs were assigned at current market rates without weighting for advantages such as low CO 2 emissions. The results demonstrated that integrated renewable energy systems are cost-effective in the medium and long term. Geothermal energy plays a key role as a source of heat in such systems.
User`s guide to the META-Net economic modeling system. Version 1.2
In a market economy demands for commodities are met through various technologies and resources. Markets select the technologies and resources to meet these demands based on their costs. Over time, the competitiveness of different technologies can change due to the exhaustion of resources they depend on, the introduction of newer, more efficient technologies, or even shifts in user demands. As this happens, the structure of the economy changes. The Market Equilibrium and Technology Assessment Network Modelling System, META{center_dot}Net, has been developed for building and solving multi-period equilibrium models to analyze the shifts in the energy system that may occur as new technologies are introduced and resources are exhausted. META{center_dot}Net allows a user to build and solve complex economic models. It models` a market economy as a network of nodes representing resources, conversion processes, markets, and end-use demands. Commodities flow through this network from resources, through conversion processes and market, to the end-users. META{center_dot}Net then finds the multiperiod equilibrium prices and quantities. The solution includes the prices and quantities demanded for each commodity along with the capacity additions (and retirements) for each conversion process, and the trajectories of resource extraction. Although the changes in the economy are largely driven by consumers` behavior and the costs of technologies and resources, they are also affected by various government policies. These can include constraints on prices and quantities, and various taxes and constraints on environmental emissions. META{center_dot}Net can incorporate many of these mechanisms and evaluate their potential impact on the development of the economic system.