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King coal rules for power utilities in Japan

39 Comments
By Aaron Sheldrick and Yuri Harada

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39 Comments
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Japanese prefer economy and less unemployement than environmental friendly behavior and difficulty to find a job. A good choice.

-11 ( +10 / -21 )

All this talk about how much electricity they need, where it comes from and how much they need, but nothing about any kind of concentrated effort to conserve energy or about relying on any renewable alternatives.

9 ( +16 / -7 )

Japanese prefer economy and less unemployement than environmental friendly behavior and difficulty to find a job. A good choice.

A false duality. The world is not binary.

7 ( +14 / -7 )

Any government or voter who puts economy above environment is short-sighted and completely unware or ignorant about the severity of the situation (climate change, extinction crisis ....) our greed had led us too.

5 ( +14 / -9 )

but nothing about any kind of concentrated effort to conserve energy or about relying on any renewable alternatives.

It's hard not to think the LDP oyajis and Japan Inc. want to remain DEpendent on the US/Russia/Gulf states and others selling fossil fuels.

Japanese government and business leaders do NOT push energy conservation measures as part of the pathway to energy INdependence.

Why would an island nation with so few natural resources want to remain a vassal state.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Japan with abundant sun, wind and hydro and it can’t make a move to lessen dependence on fossil fuel?

6 ( +12 / -6 )

kurisupisu - Japan with abundant sun, wind and hydro and it can’t make a move to lessen dependence on fossil fuel?

You forgot to mention Japans most abundant and reliable alternative energy resource, geothermal. Every onsen (hot spa resort) in the country could be generating its own electricity for free.

15 ( +17 / -2 )

Tell me more about how electric cars are "zero emission"

Very simple - charge them using renewable energy - it's not rocket science.

And besides, even dirty fossil fuel sourced electricity with centrally produced emissions can be much cleaner than fossil fuel burned and emitted by regular cars - especially in congested cities.

1 ( +7 / -6 )

There's not much point in getting all hot and bothered about Japan's use of coal when next door China is going hell for leather to develope coal mines in Australia and India is doing the same. There are untold millions of poor people in India who are looking forward to the day when they wiil be getting electricity from coal supplied by Australia. Climate change fanatics are fighting a losing battle.

-2 ( +9 / -11 )

That isn't coal in the bucket.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

That isn't coal in the bucket.

Yes it is, just individually wrapped in plastic so your hands don't get dirty. No one wants dirty hands when it comes to the environment.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Japan could eventually move towards natural gas but that’s a long term project. Japan needs nuclear power above all else. They have no realistic alternatives.

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

Lots of neon lights still being used in the advertising signs.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

My American friend before laughed when he saw Japanese people move around their kerosene stoves from one place to other to save fuel and money. It was for the first time for him to see a portable heater. Their houses are all centrally heated. How much they use fossil fuels and its influence to the environment?

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

People want to eat their cake and have it too. Japan needs energy. If you live in Japan your going to have to settle for coal or nuclear. It's just the way it is until green energies (if ever) become more viable.

Also the government is changing the law for the solar panel energy mandatory buying for electric companies because it's forcing the electric companies to raise prices on people who can't afford the panels. So these schemes to make people go green usually end up hurting the people financially. And people will need the money especially with the sales tax increase.

Coal is the reasonable answer for Japan atm and their coal power plants are much more cleaner than China or India. Maybe people should demand those countries add scrubbers to their coal power plants rather than obsessing on co2. We can prove the pollution coming from those plants are cancer causing and unhealthy at least.

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

The big four and the 'white goods' manufacturers continue to push Voice controllers, AI and remote controlled electronic devices out into the market place, all powered by electricity in the theme of labour- and time-saving, yet without a thought to where the power comes from? Their standby modes all consume a little power, but added up, makes a considerable impact on the electricity usage. Maybe time to go back to manually switching things on and off, and getting out of the sofa or off the tatami to do it?

5 ( +5 / -0 )

That is definitely coal in the bucket. Coal is very beautiful if you ever get the chance to pick a piece up.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Until the Hydrogen economy blooms the best cleanest you can use is Natural gas. It burns in the same plants you burn coal in and USA has plenty to sell :) I'm sure Trump will get Japan a special deal and low price. USA lowered CO2 by 1/3 switching.

the Heanous part of coal is the fly ash that contains mercury that lands in the sea and eaten by microorganisms...that get eaten by small fishes ...that get eaten by larger fish and concentrated in that fish....that gets eaten by Tuna and Albacore that gets big dose of Mercury and why your fish full of large amounts of Mercury . BTW radioactive isotopes can also concentrate this way in biological paths

1 ( +2 / -1 )

The cleanest and cheapest electricity is HYDROELECTRIC . Nicolai Tesla and Westinghouse Co, built the first hydroelectric plant over 100 years ago at Niagara Falls on the Canada USA border by Buffalo NY. These plants are still there making cleanest cheapest power today. USA pays an average of .12 KWhr and Sweden also did the smart move using Hydroelectric https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/electricity-rates-around-the-world.html

https://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/why-nikola-teslas-greatest-achievement-may-be-in-niagara-falls

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Any government or voter who puts economy above environment is short-sighted and completely unware or ignorant about the severity of the situation (climate change, extinction crisis ....) our greed had led us too.

All governments put economy over environment. All of the top economies have the resources, capital, and technology to go completely environmentally friendly with power sources and much more; however, they don't do so because of how huge the economic costs will be. Making such a change will cost billions to trillions in Government subsidies and it will put a very large percentage of people out of work.

@Darren

While Hydroelectricity is the most effiecient way of producing energy and it is much cleaner than most of the other options, it taxes the local habitats greatly. So it also ends up affecting the environment. It uses an incredible amount of land and alters the flow of water. This leads to a build up in many types of things suchs as sediments and aquatic plant life that push the surrounding animals out of the environment.

There is no perfect option.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

I’ve asked a friend in academia here about the use of geothermal energy for power generation. He said that the various salts and other dissolved minerals in the water / steam makes it difficult for efficient, continuous power generation and is high maintenance.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Japan does not use its geothermal capacity...

The Ministry of the Environment protests each time geothermal is proposed, claiming they will ruin the environment and threaten National parks, and a veiled threat to tourism.

A simple fact finding trip to New Zealand would demonstrate that geothermal power has a tiny impact on the land, is easily hidden, and contributes 17% of the country's electricity, around 900MW. There is potential for at least double that. However their Resource Management Act is a bureaucratic nightmare, contributes to delays and increases initial costs.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

For residential use, Americans and Canadians use double the electricity Japanese use. See the per person chart.

http://shrinkthatfootprint.com/average-household-electricity-consumption

In Japan that amount will also include electricity for HVAC, cooking (IH) and hot water (eco cute heat pumps). My own home does not use kero or natural gas. Just electric and firewood in winter.

Getting back to coal, but yeah, tons of PM, tons of CO2, lots of mercury, and more radiation than from nuclear plants. "The alternative is coal" could be the strongest reason for turning the nuke plants back on.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Japanese coal fired power stations are of low emissions standards which produce a reliable electricity supply keeping Japanese people employed, with low energy costs and are safer than Nuclear power stations in a Country that is prone to earthquakes.

If that isn't enough they can turn to the Americans who have developed Coal powered stations that emit no emissions.

https://8rivers.com/portfolio/allam-cycle/

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

@Andrew Crisp (Coal) ...safer than Nuclear power stations

May be you need to check the statistics that show how many thousands of people die from coal mining, air pollution, water and soil pollution from toxic sludge from coal mines before you claim coal is safer than nuclear.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

As long as the major power monopolies control the power distribution system alternative methods of power generation will never get off the ground in Japan. Even now it is said that most of the power generated by the solar panels that are gradually taking over the entire countryside is not utilized.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Maybe good nrws for the city of Yubari, Hokaido.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Electricity is too expensive, and power bills are dreaded.

We have been fortunate to have an extended rainy season, or else

it would be harsh...

Since the 2011 earthquake, trains, stores, offices, et al, are have been cheap about turning AC to levels that actually cool.

If coal can get it done, fire it up.

Summer in Japan is hell on EARTH.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Japan has a plethora of wind, solar and wave power available. If a sun deprived location like the UK can do without coal powered generation then the only reason Japan has not implemented the necessary changes since 2011 is a singular failure of political will and foresight.

bearandrodent, a separate closed cycle using the heat but not the water would solve that problem. It is more about inertia and finding any excuse not to do anything.

Nuclear using the existing plant and the outdated technology of the 50’s and 60’s is suicidal given Japans geology. Modern technology using intrinsically safer liquid salt reactors would be a safer route. There is a company with an installation ready product called Moltex Energy (no I don’t have shares in them!!).

3 ( +4 / -1 )

How many people will perish or get sick from this action? I think it will be in the hundreds of thousands of people.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

When renewal energies become much more affordable, Japan, or any other countries, will move to the new energeis. Not a big deal.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Oh when winter sets in, the black hard rock will keep you lighted and warm at night.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Japan with abundant sun, wind and hydro and it can’t make a move to lessen dependence on fossil fuel?

Most of Japan is too far north to rely on solar, to mountainous to rely on wind and all three source mentioned require large amounts of land which doesn't work well in a densely populated country.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

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