Japan: The Wind-Power Problem

In the country that hosted the Kyoto Protocol and wrote the book on solar policy, the wind-power industry has ground almost to a halt. Among the culprits: policy, cost and technology challenges.

Yokohama’s wind turbine is one of the tallest in Japan. It was meant to symbolize a commitment to wind power, but now seems to represent more of a dream than a reality in a country where growth of the renewable has slowed dramatically.
On a windy day in Yokohama, 20 miles south of Tokyo, a lone wind turbine turns steadily against the sky. Flanked on one side by the U.S. Army base, and with an unobstructed view of the bay, the turbine is fenced off on a small perimeter of land on the edge of the water.

Built in 2007 with government aid and Vestas Wind Systems technology, the wind turbine stands 118 meters high and is one of the tallest in Japan. It was built to be a symbol of the port city’s commitment to wind energy. But while the turbine keeps turning, the country’s commitment has slowed.

In the country that hosted the Kyoto Protocol, wind power has ground to a stunning halt. According to the last assessment by the Brussels-based Global Wind Energy Council, Japan ranked a dismal 14th in terms of yearly growth in wind capacity, with newly installed wind power totaling only 139 megawatts in 2007. That compares with 5.2 gigawatts – 38 times the capacity – installed the same year in the United States, and lags even further behind other wind-power giants such as Denmark, Germany and Spain.

Toshio Hori, president of the Tokyo-based Green Power Investment Corp., has been affiliated with the wind-power industry in Japan for 20 years. He blames Japan’s renewable-energy policy for the slow growth.

“Japan’s windpower industry is not growing,” he said. “The renewable targets the government has set for wind power are tiny in comparison to other countries. There are no incentives for companies to grow.”

Japan Focus