Japan set for more geothermal in years to come

Japan is country rich with geothermal resources. After the recent Fukushima accident this Asian country has been looking for various clean energy options with geothermal being at the top of the energy ladder.

The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry recently announced that the country will likely more than double its current geothermal power capacity by 2030, with currently installed 520 MW climbing to around 1300 MW in 2030.

Japan is currently third largest geothermal power producer in the world, accounting for approximately 5% of global geothermal power capacity. The country has 50 year old tradition in producing geothermal power capacity that started in the 1960s.

The country has plenty of untapped geothermal power resources. The 2011 government study estimated Japan's geothermal power potential to be at 19.14GW.

Geothermal is not the only renewable energy source to receive big attention in Japan. The country also plans to add 350 megawatts to 2,960 megawatts in hydro capacity and 1,500 MW of biomass capacity by 2030.

A diversified renewable energy portfolio looks to be the main factor in Japan's energy policy for the foreseeable future.

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Japan wants more geothermal instead of nuclear

The Fukushima nuclear accident is still fresh in minds of many Japanese people so it's really no surprise that Japan is on the lookout for alternative energy sources that would be able to replace nuclear power plants. One of these alternative sources is geothermal energy and judging by the latest reports Japan is currently considering at least 21 new geothermal energy projects.

The introduction of feed in tariffs has played major role in making geothermal energy projects popular to investors (above-market rates for power derived from underground sources regardless of plant size, are encouraging new geothermal energy projects). Among these 21 announced projects there are seven where small-sized binary turbines will likely be used. The ongoing studies will determine the capacity for these projects.

The above mentioned feed in tariffs for geothermal include 27.3 yen per kilowatt hour for plants with capacity of 15,000 kilowatts or larger, and 42 yen for smaller plants, both for the period of 15 years.

Up to now, Japan paid little attention to small scale geothermal power plants with country's geothermal energy development being primarily focused on several large-scale projects concentrated in the Hokkaido and Tohoku regions in northern Japan as well as the southern island of Kyushu.

Japan is currently the home to 17 geothermal power plants, with a total capacity of 520 MW. Shinichiro Fukushima, an official in charge of geothermal energy at the ministry, remains hopeful that geothermal energy will play much bigger role in Japan's energy market in years to come.

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Japan needs to embrace geothermal energy

Japan's recent Fukushima nuclear accident is still vivid in eyes of many Japanese people and nuclear energy no longer enjoys the nationwide support as this was the case prior to the accident. However, the recent election victory of pro-nuclear Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party means that country's nuclear issues will likely remain unresolved for foreseeable future.

Geothermal energy is touted by many energy experts as a clean, renewable energy option that could reduce Japan's dependence on nuclear energy for electricity generation. 

It has been said that Japan has the third largest geothermal energy potential in the world. What this means is that Japan could use its untapped geothermal resources in order to ensure the future energy security and reduce its heavy reliance on nuclear power plants.

There have been estimates that if Japan were to fully utilize its existing geothermal energy potential, the island nation could replace the electrical output of 25 nuclear reactors. At this moment, geothermal power accounts for just 0.3 percent of Japan’s total electricity generation.

Japan built its last geothermal power plant back in 1999, and there hasn't been much talk about geothermal until the 2011 Fukushima accident when Japanese started questioning whether the policy to funnel most of its resources to nuclear energy is right or not.

The country's geothermal potential alone is more than enough for Japan to seriously consider geothermal energy. Add to this global clean energy race and the risk of future nuclear accidents and all of the sudden geothermal energy looks lot more attractive than the plan of building more nuclear power plants.

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