Certainly not looking good for small-scale renewables

April 11, 2014

Small-scale renewable energy producer disappointed with new gov't energy policy

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140411p2a00m0na008000c.html 

Figures in Japan's renewable energy sector are voicing their disappointment with the government's new basic energy plan, which reaffirms the country's commitment to nuclear power now and in the future.

The plan "has no high (renewable energy) targets, and doesn't contain any measures to support small and medium energy producers. Only the big producers with megasolar stations will survive," said 75-year-old Yoichi Yamakawa, president of Tama Energy LLC, a solar energy firm based in Tokyo's Tama district with small arrays atop universities and other buildings.

Tama Energy's business concept is local power generation for local consumption. The company says that if electricity is generated primarily on a local basis, the business will contribute to the local economy by helping keep people, goods, and money circulating in the community. Plans based on this local power generation model have also been adopted by the city of Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Fukushima Prefecture's Aizu region, among other bodies.

The new basic energy policy, however, does not give a clear picture of the government's attitude to the promotion of renewable energy.

"This will pluck the sprout of localized energy generation before it even has a chance to grow," lamented Yamakawa.

April 11, 2014(Mainichi Japan)