Fukushima nuclear disaster occurred in March 2011 and Japan continues to search for new investment in wind power as the resource-poor country continues to seek a diverse energy supply. While Japan already has a number of wind farms, it hasn’t had a purpose-built turbine designed especially for it. Until now.
GE has developed a 2.85-megawatt turbine for Japan that can withstand conditions unique to the Asian country. It can survive typhoon-strength winds, turbulent conditions and lighting strike common in the country. It is pictured below.
Anne McEntee is the CEO of renewable energy at GE Power & Water. At a conference in Tokyo earlier this week, she outlined the Connecticut-based company’s approach to Japan and said:
“As you look at Japan and how we think about the energy mix in Japan, overall energy diversity is key. We see an opportunity and that opportunity is in renewables that require no fuels and cause no carbon dioxide emissions.”
With Fukushima closed and nuclear power understandably out of favour, Japan is burning more coal and natural gas to make up for the lack of energy production.
GE and other turbine manufacturers and investors are pushing Japan to stimulate its wind industry, which has received little new investment despite incentives for the technology introduced some 18 months ago. By contrast, Japan’s solar power capacity has boomed. Solar power accounted for a staggering 97% of added renewable capacity since the incentive programme commenced. Wind supplied just over 1%. The problem appears to be the time needed to conduct environmental impact assessments for potential wind farms.
Who are the movers & shakers in Japan? To date, GE has the second-largest share of the Japanese market, with Vestas out in the lead. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries come in at third. Vestas and Mitsubishi announced a joint Japanese venture last autumn. At the end of 2013, Japan had some 34 times less wind generation capacity than China according to the Global Wind Energy Council
Takehiro Kawahara, an analyst for Bloomberg New Energy Finance, said:
“The environmental assessment is long at three years and there is a lack of feasible sites. Grid constraints also present a significant barrier, both in terms of available capacity in wind-rich resource areas and a lack of good information on grid availability.”
Returning to the GE turbines-a wind farm containing 100 such wind turbines can reportedly power about 200,000 average homes in Japan. The new turbines are ready for immediate implementation as they meet all requirements and safety standards under Japan Electric Utility Industry Law and construction and building codes.
