WEO proposal for greenhoue gas reduction methods
The main areas and methods of greenhouse gas reduction proposed by WEO, corresponding with the ideas of SDG’s are; (1) Energy savings in all the area, namely energy and heat consumption in both consumer and industrial sectors must be considered first, and then renewable energy. Though natural gas may be used as an auxiliary, mainly solar and wind power generation, and in the future, hydrogen-related handy renewable fuels will be used. (2) The transportation sector (automobiles, railways, aircrafts) will be powered by batteries (EV) or renewable fuels. (3) In energy-intensive industries such as steel, cement, glass, and chemicals, we will first save raw materials and resources, and at the same time, move away from fossil fuels to promote process conversion such as natural gas firing, hydrogen reduction, and renewable fuels. Also, 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, ) of products will be promoted. (4) In the electric power sector, solar power and wind power generation will be given top priority, while coal-fired power plants and nuclear power plants with poor capability of power adjustment for fluctuation will be eliminated. Some natural gas-fired power plants with high efficiency, low carbon and high adjustment capability will remain. In addition, it is quite important that the realization of the separation and independence of the power transmission and distribution network should give priorities to solar and wind power.
How to solve the problem
To solve the problem, it is primarily important to promote regional distributed installations and to level the amount of sunlight and airflow. To achieve this, it is essential to flexibly operate the transmission and distribution network over a wide area and to flexibly operate alternative power generation methods (existing pumped-storage power generation, natural gas / oil-fired thermal power, etc.). Direct solutions can be achieved by incorporating energy storage means such as EV storage batteries and power generation systems with high fluctuation absorption such as gas turbines (including combined cycles). Basically, gas turbine fuel uses natural gas, but in the near future it will be possible to replace it with renewable fuel made from renewable energy. In addition, the output fluctuation can be leveled by controlling supply and demand in combination with a precise weather forecast and a precise IT technology. The challenges in Japan are that the cost of renewable energy is still a little high and that there is no preferential introduction system for renewable energy like Germany. Priority should be given to renewable energy systems as soon as possible.
[Type of solar power generation]
Solar power generation systems (PV systems) are categorized into two; large-scale installations of mega solar (1MW = 1000kW or more) on the gantry and installations on the roof of the house, but there are various other types and some of them are shown below. WEO can respond to inquiries regarding these type of PV systems, i.e.,
in addition to these, recent solar power generation has attracted attention as float types floating in water reservoirs and lakes,even in the scale of mega Watt(over 1MW).
[Current status and issues of wind power generation]
Wind power generation of large-scale models with a unit rated output of 1MW (1000 kW) or more have become mainstream line of global business. In Japan, the spread has just started on the land after the environmental assessment and some other restrictions, but the off-shore type has been very limited because of those restraining factors through today. The feed-in tariff system should be accelerated the future spread. Globally, large-scale wind turbines are spreading at a speed exceeding that of solar power generation even without a subsidy system because the cost has been sufficiently reduced. The large one is made of a blade with a length of 80m (rotating diameter 164m). There are small windmills with a diameter of about several meters. If you expect the high power, the diameters will become larger having a blade length of more than 50m, and the majority will be offshore installation. A major cause of the slow adoption in Japan is that environmental assessment takes a long period of 3-4 years. It is necessary to take various measures so that it can be evaluated in about one year. necessary to proceed with the establishment of specific installation zones (special zones) that are progressing overseas both on land and offshore. Special zones are being set up in Aomori, Kitakyushu, Nagasaki,Fukushima, Iwate, etc., but we need to hurry. There is also a problem that installation work is generally expensive. Regarding the annual utilization rate, there are not so many suitable places in Japan due to wind conditions.The use rate in Japan is 20-30%, while the United States has 40%. In Japan,the use rate and the total output can be expected to increase if the offshore installation in northern Japan proceeds. It is interesting to see the balance that while wind power is suitable for northern Japan, solar power is suitable for central and western part of Japan. In the world, the annual installation capacity can be expected from 30 to 40 GW / Y onshore, and from 1 to 3 GW / Y on offshore mainly in Europe.
The cost of wind power generation in Japan is considerably higher than the above, about 13 yen / kWh onshore, but this is still cheaper than nuclear power generation. In Japan, it is important for industry, government, and academia to form a team and increase their competitiveness by demonstrating manufacturing technology and system capabilities such as blades and gearboxes. Also, it would be good to have an ocean current power generation under the surface of the offshore wind power platform. The potential of resources and power generation that can be installed in Japan are: Onshore potential: 290 million kW
⇒ 700 billion kWh / Y (utilization rate approx. 28%)
Offshore potential: 1.5 billion kW
⇒ 4.4 trillion kWh / Y (utilization rate 34%)
(Source: NEDO Renewable Energy Technology White Paper, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry estimates)
[Forecast of Japan’s electricity demand in 2030 and proposal of methods to cover with renewable energy]
In Year2030, 850 billion kWh will be enough by the following estimations. In FY2015, the total amount of electricity used in Japan was approximately 800 billion kWh. Considering future economic growth and the emergence of population decline, energy conservation in industry, and increased public awareness of power saving, power consumption in 2030 can be expected to remain at around 800 billion kWh. However, considering the increase in power demand due to the promotion of electric vehicles (EV) and the increase in electrification in the consumer sector, a slight upward trend is expected. The annual power demand was estimated at 850 billion kWh / year
The cumulative amount of non-fossil power plants introduced by 2017 accounts for 15%, including large-scale hydropower (7.5%), solar power for approximately 48 million kW, and wind power for approximately 3.5 million kW. The cumulative amount of power generated by solar and wind power is about 60 billion kWh / year, of which about 80% is solar. Among the demand of 850 billion kWh / year, the amount of power generated by hydropower and other non-fossil energies can be expected to be 150 billion kWh / year, so by 2030 it will increase to 700 billion kWh / year by solar and wind power. It is necessary to increase it to about 11 times the current annual power generation of about 60 billion kWh, but it is possible considering the growth rate of solar power so far and the room for future wind power growth, mainly offshore wind power
[Introduction of WEO activities]–Education & enlightening activities
As various environmental problems such as global warming become more serious, environmental education is becoming more and more important. It is important for children to focus on familiar issues and start learning from familiar activities. In addition, it is required to consciously carry out environmental conservation efforts in daily life. Through elementary school to and high school students, we aim to develop and descend human resources they become to take the initiative in creating a sustainable society, with a view to the entire globe from the local community.
Education and enlightenment activities for junior high and high school students and the general public generally take the form of lectures. The content is wide-ranging as follows, so you can select it in consideration of the age and characteristics of the students. (1) About relationship between weather and health (2) Analysis of global warming trends and greenhouse gas emission sources (3) Analysis of Japan’s greenhouse gas emission sources and their reduction methods (4) Current status, cost reduction and future potential of renewable energy, especially solar and wind power generation.
