Government must prioritize power generation by turning to renewable energy sources

Japan Press Weekly

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Government must prioritize power generation by turning to renewable energy sources
Akahata editorial

At issue now in combating global warming is how to reduce global emissions of energy-related CO2, which accounts for 90 percent of the total amount of CO2 emissions in Japan.

The Japanese government in concert with the power industry has been advocating that Japan's power generation should further depend on nuclear power generation. This is indeed an anachronistic and dangerous policy.

Because technical problems associated with nuclear power generation have not been resolved, and the running of nuclear plants causes serious environmental pollution from radioactive waste, the government assertion that nuclear power should be the core of "low-carbon energy" policy is not convincing.

Also, as evidenced by the radioactive contamination beyond borders in the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident in the former Soviet Union, (the running of plants and) the disposal of used nuclear fuel is a vital issue that needs to be addressed. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)'s Assessment Report has pointed out, in regard to nuclear power, that, "Safety, weapons proliferation and waste remain as constraints".

The most effective way to solve the global warming crisis is to drastically increase power generation with energy from (water,) wind, the sun, and biomass sources as a renewable and sustainable energy sources. The maximum potential amount of energy from wind and the sun alone in Japan will be 11 times more than the current total power generated and 36 times more than the power generated at nuclear power plants.

While the European Union and Germany are rapidly advancing in the development of solar energy power generation with the goal of 20 percent or 30 percent each against their total power generation by 2020, Japan has been ignoring the use of these energies by giving nuclear power top priority.

While boasting that the use of renewable energies should be increased to a 10 percent level against the total power generation by 2020, a slight increase from now, the government plan for 2020 is to increase nuclear power generation 1.4 times over the 2005 level.

Of the total budget for research and development of energy in FY2007, the government allotted 65 percent for nuclear power and just five percent for renewable energy sources.

More policy measures are needed for the effective development of renewable energy, such as the introduction of the fixed-price purchase system for buying electricity. However, the government is applying this system exclusively to residential photovoltaic-related surplus electricity. Instead, the government should buy all renewable energy-based power generation.

Japan is called upon to take radical measures for a sustainable use of renewable energy. At a minimum, Japan should immediately catch up with the goals established in Western countries.

- Akahata, June 9, 2009