Tokyu Railways trains now powered only by renewable energy

Thttps://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220329/p2g/00m/0bu/004000c

hat line already use green energy from geothermal and hydropower for Setagaya Line in 2019, so those line can be use for on another line. Unlike coal, hydropower can depend on the weather and hydropower existence in Japan is limited, so not every railway line can use it.

That looks so much like a certain salute that it beggars belief it made it through all the production processes before it was actually printed. The poses, the angle, the extention. Hmm.

You can't combat climate change just by buying a certificate.

Everyone is greenwashing these days… like the man at the end of the article the important thing is for each person to do what they can.

That lags way behind New Zealand, for instance, where 84% of power used comes from renewable energy sources.

Ridiculous and unhelpful comparison. Japan’s population is only 25 times larger. Per capita, data I checked now shows Japan consuming less than New Zealand.

Bragging about being green based on living in a lowly populated country is horrid greenwashing.

Two people in the poster hailing to the past it seems.

Hydrogen seems much better eco-energy for Japan in the future but not now. Hydrogen can make electricity for city infrastructure. Hydrogen also can make cars, buses, trucks run and airplanes fly and so on. New hydrogen engines have to be made first though. As a result Japan wouldn't worry about a lot of crude oil and natural gas any more from OPEC countries and Russia. As for Japan, too often cloudy for solar power, too deep water at seaside for wind power, Onsen owners oppose geothermal powers where are in National parks, Earthquake and tunami very often occur all over Japan, so nuclear is not good.

Japan is expected to transport hydrogen from Australia mainly that can make from lots of coals by using eco-powers in the future and other countries possible. Japan made special transport vessel and succeed to carry hydrogen from Australia to Japan. It would produce more such special vessels in the future. This is going to be the biggest business between Australia and Japan. Solar power can make electricity under shiny sky but can not make electricity under clouds. As to wind power, some companies make float wind powers on sea but I heard something not good about it.

correction:

Solar power can make electricity under shiny sky but can not make stable electricity enough under clouds.

HBJToday  07:19 am JST

That looks so much like a certain salute that it beggars belief it made it through all the production processes before it was actually printed. The poses, the angle, the extention. Hmm.

No it doesn't, your claim is ridiculous. They are very obviously pointing, a Nazi salute is very different, palm down for one thing.

Good for them. If you live in southern Tokyo then Tokyu is part of your life. I lived on the Ikegami Line for 18 years.

So they have disconnected completely from the city power lines and laid new power lines to bring renewably-produced electricity in from production sites outside the Tokyo metro area?

And so is it just a publicity stunt, or is Tokyu moving in the right direction?

Tokyu paid an undisclosed amount to Tokyo Electric Power Co, the utility behind the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, for certification vouching for its use of renewables, even as Japan continues to use coal and other fossil fuels.

This depends on if all they did was make a deal with TEPCO to get a certificate and TEPCO just switched all renewable available to them taking what was being sold to others and replacing the renewable to other with coal or gas power supply.

Basically did this reduce the carbon footprint in the region or was it just a shell game where they just moved things around?

Bigger gains would come from switching from diesel trains in rural areas to hydrogen powered lines and from switching gas-guzzling cars to electric, he said.

Well all nice and pretty, but how?

My parents live in the country back home, even a ICE car with front wheel drive only struggles in the winter, they want and AWD (all wheel drive ) hybrids but more precisely a plugin hybrid.

They previously leased an all electric but the power was just not enough on the icy hills in the winter.

So a nice plug-in, sound good, right?

Nope because not a single car company can even deliver a plug-in for at least 2 to 3 years.

A fully electric is 6 months to a year waiting list.

Only available now are ICE and older standard hybrid.

Just came from Toyota dealer 6 month checkup, asked about a plug-in hybrid, told only used if even that was a long shot.

Nissan leaf in most cases are several months waiting list.

My friend's leaf here in Tokyo has a defective battery pack, he's has been waiting 2 months now for a replacement, no stock.

So we can go on and on about what is needed but it is fairly clear, the raw materials and parts are not easily available and will only get worse as demand increases and resources of rare earth metals decline.

"I would stress the bigger impacts come from increasing electricity generation from renewable sources,” he said. “The long-term battle is to increase production of renewable electricity and provide the transmission infrastructure to get it to the places of consumption.”

So, as asked later in the article, is this a publicity stunt? Seems so.

Tokyu paid an undisclosed amount to Tokyo Electric Power Co, the utility behind the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, for certification vouching for its use of renewables, even as Japan continues to use coal and other fossil fuels.

It would have been more believable if they had gotten certification from a more trustworthy source instead of from an infamous utility known for being deceptive. This looks like smoke and mirrors to me.

That looks so much like a certain salute that it beggars belief it made it through all the production processes before it was actually printed. The poses, the angle, the extention. Hmm.

This is a stupid comment. They are POINTING, a common gesture that train drivers in Japan do when they are confirming signals.

What kind of renewable sources of energey is the railway company using to power its trains? If it's solar and wind powers, I hope for them that the sun will shine every day and the wind will never drop.

No it doesn't, your claim is ridiculous. They are very obviously pointing, a Nazi salute is very different, palm down for one thing.

He didn't mention it but you quickly guessed what salute he was referring to, as everyone else did.

The contract between the utility and train company is certainly based on the use of 100% renewables.

But unless the power grids are completely separated and unique for the railway company, I do not think we can certify the electricity used to power the network is completely green

He didn't mention it but you quickly guessed what salute he was referring to, as everyone else did

Exactly. Japanese have very little education about WW2 history. My Japanese part of the family is unable to discuss about it.

unless the power grids are completely separated and unique for the railway company, I do not think we can certify the electricity used to power the network is completely green

Indeed, all electrical grids are interconnected and should be considered as one (in fact two, to my knowledge, because of the exceptional fact that they use a frequency of 60Hz in the South and 50Hz in the North of Japan so grids have to remain separated technically).

This is not gas coming out from pipes.

Electricity outputs from generators (gas/coal/nuclear/sunpower plants, windmills) are all blended in the "national" grid cables. This is in particular good in fact so you can get stable electricty without ever shortages.

Greenwashing at its best, same for individual paying an additional price for green electricity when proposed, which provides no proof there is the use of energy can only come from renewable energy sources only. A piece of paper.

It has been the same in all countries anyway, outside maybe iceland.

Great, the small electrons in the power cables have now even green ID cards. Overwhelmingly impressive…lol

Exactly. Japanese have very little education about WW2 history. My Japanese part of the family is unable to discuss about it.

Some want to avoid the WW2 topic even if they have a knowledge has it is synonym of defeat, agression and difficult time.

Indeed, all electrical grids are interconnected and should be considered as one (in fact two, to my knowledge, because of the exceptional fact that they use a frequency of 60Hz in the South and 50Hz in the North of Japan so grids have to remain separated technically).

I know that, but first, Tokyu is only in the Tokyo area and the use of power from the South:West is limited to shortage period.

And to certify the electricity is 100% green, you need to have a separate grid from the national grid where all electricity sources are mixed. So unless to have a unique grid for Tokyu, which is not the case. there is no way to certify all is from renewables

Hydrogen seems much better eco-energy

you do realise Hydrogen requires huge amounts of electricity to produce

No it doesn't, your claim is ridiculous. They are very obviously pointing, a Nazi salute is very different, palm down for one thing.

I never said Nazi. Interesting that you jumped to that conclusion if the picture infers nothing of the sort.

This is a stupid comment. They are POINTING, a common gesture that train drivers in Japan do when they are confirming signals.

I said it 'looks like' a certain salute, not that it 'is'. Interesting to see that you also understood the inference though.

Yes, train drivers point, but I wouldn't have chosen this picture, shot at this particular angle to try and imply the pose is akin to confirming signals.

I wasn't suggesting that Tokyu Railways intentionally produced a poster displaying Nazi salutes. But you can't deny it can be seen in that light.

HBJApr. 29  07:19 am JST

That looks so much like a certain salute that it beggars belief it made it through all the production processes before it was actually printed. The poses, the angle, the extention. Hmm.

Very disturbing to say the least. green energy is good no doubt but that poster makes it all look dystopian at best.

It's 2022. Japan isn't fascist anymore.