Business
trend
Local
governments across the country will intensify their efforts to introduce
renewable energy with increased investment. Japanese prefectures combined
allocated about 52 billion yen for renewable energy in 2012. Making the best
use of regional characteristics, every local government will solidify the
system of local production for local consumption of energy. Kanagawa Prefecture
appropriated 866 million yen to build a large-scale photovoltaic generation
plant (mega solar plant) with an output capacity of 2,000 kW. The plant to be
operated by the prefecture is scheduled to go into operation in the summer of
2013. Niigata Prefecture will install generating equipment with an investment
of 400 million yen in the mega solar it built last October to increase the
generation capacity to 2,000 kW coming July.
Surrounded
by the sea, Okinawa Prefecture plans to establish a generation system that uses
the temperature difference between warm water close to the ocean surface and cold
water in deep water. It will start a project in one of its islands. Two prefectures
will start research on the utilization of wave force and tidal force. Another
prefecture will utilize groundwater for the air-conditioning of greenhouses to
grow vegetables and flowers. The system is to pump up groundwater for heat exchange
using heat pump. Efforts to develop technology for power storage are also accelerating.
Railway Technical Research Institute is developing a technology to store
electricity generated by solar light and wind power through the application of
the technology used for the linear motor car.
Business
trend
Canadian Solar, Canada’s largest solar cell manufacturer, is reportedly having negotiations
with several local governments in the Tohoku district to construct a plant. The
company will start the construction within the year if it gets favorable and
acceptable conditions, and the new plant will go into operation after the
spring of 2013. Because mega solar plants (large-scale photovoltaic generation
plant) are being planned in the Tohoku district for the recovery from the March
11 disaster, it will build a base to get involved in the photovoltaic
generation business. Canadian Solar in the world's third or fourth largest solar
cell manufacturer in volume.
The
company will import solar cells from its plant in China and assemble them to
build photovoltaic panels in Japan. The annual production capacity is estimated
at 150,000 kW. The investment is estimated at several billion yen. Because the
system to purchase all amount of renewable energy will start in July, the
Tohoku district attracts wide attention both at home and abroad. Showa Shell is
reportedly considering building a solar cell plant in the Tohoku district. It
seems likely that the Tohoku district will become a cluster of companies
involved in renewable energy business.
Business
trend
A
company in Nagano Prefecture will start to install a photovoltaic generation
system in local schools. With the support form the prefecture and an NPO, Sunjunior that specializes in the photovoltaic generation business plans to install the
system in five local public schools this spring, and increase the number of
schools to 700 in five years. The company will install a photovoltaic
generation system with an output of 100 kW, which is equivalent to the output
for 25 households, on the roof of school building. The system will come with an
emergency power source and LED lighting to provide a gymnasium with the
function as an evacuation center in a time of disaster.
It costs
about 40 million yen to install the system. Sunjunior will bear part of the
cost, and the remaining expenses will be covered by the investment from local
companies, local residents, and graduates. Generated power will be sold to
electric power companies, and investors will collect their investments from the
revenue of selling electricity. The company is working on the details of
investment with the NPO, Renewable Energy Shinshu-net, and they wish the
investment to be collected in 20 years. While running the system, the company will
improve the generation efficiency and operation method to establish the optimal
system. With the growing concern over renewable energy, grass-roots projects
are expected to spread nationwide in Japan.
Technology
The
small-size generation system utilizing sunlight increases presence, as does the
small-size hydraulic power unit. Sinfonia Technology will introduce an
integrated natural energy generation system with an output of 20 kW. The system
is made up of a solar panel, small-size windmill, and waterwheel, each
of which has an output between 5-10 kW. It also comes with a lead storage
battery with a storage capacity of 10 kW. The new system will be priced at 40
million yen. The company plans to market it to isolated islands both at home
and abroad with undeveloped infrastructure and municipalities as an emergency
power source.
HitachiHigh-Technologies has already started to market its small-size generationsystem that stores power in a storage battery to isolated islands in Indonesia.
The system runs a water purification system by dint of photovoltaic generation
and stores the generated power in a storage battery. With the special measure
law to purchase renewable energy at hand in Japan, heavy electric machinery
companies are intensifying their efforts to introduce small-size generation
units. Because there are many areas that do not have a well-developed power
network in Asia, they are serious about developing these markets, too.
Technology
Japanese
heavy electric machinery makers are busily occupied in launching small-size
generators in preparation for the special measure law to purchase renewable
energy scheduled for enactment on July 1, 2012. Toshiba developed a small-size hydraulicpower unit with a maximum output of 1 kW. It weighs about 50 kg and the
diameter of the waterwheel is 0.7 m. It can generate where the water depth is
more than 1 m and a drop between the upstream and downstream is 0.3-1.5 m. It
is easily installable because what is needed is to bridge equipment loaded with
waterwheel between the two banks. The output of 1 kW is enough to supply power
to 25 fluorescent lamps or 100 LEDs. The unit is scheduled to be priced at
600,000 yen. The company plans to market it to municipalities that manage rivers
and irrigation channels. It will be possible to recoup the investment in 7-8
years.
MitsubishiElectric Plant Engineering, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Electric, developed a
small-size hydraulic power unit with a maximum output of 9.9 kW. It weighs 43
kg that is one third of the existing model. It can generate even if the drop is
50 cm. It is a package product coming with a waterwheel and a generator, thus
no civil work is necessary. In addition, the structure is hardly affected by sludge
and sand contained in water because the waterwheel does not have axle bearing. The
company wishes the unit to be used for power sources for plant factory, plastic
greenhouse culture, and emergency electricity besides for charging electric
vehicles.
