What should be obvious is
that the geothermal potential for Japan is superb and that a national
effort to displace nuclear power is both feasible and timely. The
engineering is mature and readily available.
Everyone else has to
concern themselves with distance from market impacting the economics
which is not a concern here. Even building a super conducting line
as a power corridor is an obvious and best use of resources in Japan.
Doing all that and Japan will own a safe grid energy system that
will be totally paid for in a generation or two that will always be
competitive for Japan's needs.
The onset of fusion
energy is the only present deterrent facing this value proposition
and I suspect that the geothermal solution will standup well at least
against the heat engine solutions. Either case you are paying for a
heat source.
Japan Fukushima
disaster leads to geothermal energy
by Madison
E. Rowe August 11, 2012
It has been nearly 18
months since the 9.0-magnitiude quake that ravaged the Japanese
coast. The disaster was responsible for the
nuclear tragedy that unfolded at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi power
plant. But despite that tragedy, locals have
been finding opportunities for environmental betterment.
Before last year’s
disaster, the spa resort of Tsuchiyu Onsen drew tens of thousands of
tourists. They were all in search of the healing qualities of its
piping hot spring water. Now, that same natural resource
is about to turn this resort into a trailblazer for the country’s
push towards renewable energy.
Tsuchiyu is 15 kms
from Fukushima. By spring 2014, it will be generating 250 kilowatts
of electricity. That’s about a quarter of the city’s total needs.
This will all take place at a geothermal plant hidden away in the
surrounding mountains.
The plant will be the
first to be built inside a national park. It’s a controversial move
that only became possible after the environment ministry
recently relaxed regulations on developing protected areas.
If all goes to plan,
the project could
not only help the town become self-sufficient in power generation,
but revive its role as a tourist destination. Visitor numbers dropped
because of lingering fears over radiation. In the past, hot-spring
operators have been among the fiercest opponents of geothermal
energy. That’s because it’s an obvious energy source given
Japan’s huge reserves of volcanic water. Many operators fear the
geothermal plants would affect the flow and quality of the water,
which is pumped up from the depths and then cooled for the benefit of
Japan’s enthusiastic bathers.
But in Tsuchiyu it’s
a different story. Spa owners are now some of the keenest backers of
geothermal energy. Kazukya Ikeda is general manager of the Tsuchiyu
Onsen Tourist Association. Ikeda says, “The plant won’t affect
the water quality or the temperature. We have surveyed opinion in the
town, and no one has raised any objections.”
The move also makes
economic sense. Under a new feed-in tariff system introduced last
month, utilities are required to pay premium prices for renewable
energy: 42 yen (about 53 cents) per kilowatt for geothermal power.
Resistance to
geothermal power has been massive in Japan. Some observers say that’s
because the nation has always relied heavily on
Fukushima’s nuclear power.
But since the 2011 nuclear disaster, the Japanese mindset is
beginning to shift. Japan is now able to tap into a resource that
energy experts believe has huge potential. According to the trade and
industry ministry, its 18 geothermal plants account for 0.2% of
electricity output. And no new plants have been built for a decade.
Scientists believe the
sector’s share could rise enormously. That’s thanks to the
feed-in tariff, new subsidies to fund test-drilling, and official
recognition that nuclear’s heyday has passed.
In the long term,
Ikeda believes Tsuchiyu will become a model for other small towns
struggling to find clean and stable sources of energy.
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