Solar Instead of Nuclear Energy: Juwi Shizen Energy Builds 100 MW Solar Park in Japan
Tokyo, Japan / Wörrstadt, Germany - Following the reactor accident in Fukushima, the Japanese government has been pushing the expansion of solar energy in particular as part of its efforts to restructure the country's energy supply.
Juwi Shizen Energy builds solar park on behalf of Canadian Solar
Juwi Shizen Energy is building a 100 MW solar power plant in the Fukushima prefecture, which was severely affected by the nuclear accident. This is being built on behalf of Canadian Solar Group. On October 1, 2020, both companies had signed the agreement for the construction of the 186 hectare solar power plant. Construction started just a few days later. The solar park is scheduled to go into operation as early as spring 2023. After completion, the "Azuma Kofuji Solar Power Plant" will produce around 110 million kWh of climate-friendly electricity per year. This corresponds to the annual consumption of around 30,000 households. The project is currently one of the largest solar projects in Japan and the largest single project in the history of the joint venture, Juwi announced.
Projects with more than 300 MW under construction
Currently, Juwi Shizen Energy has various projects under construction with a total capacity of more than 300 MWp. In the past eight years, the company has realized around 300 megawatts in Japan as part of so-called EPC (engineering-procurement-construction) projects. Most recently, the joint venture commissioned a 54 MW solar farm on the site of a former golf course in Tochigi Prefecture, about 100 kilometers north of the capital Tokyo.
Japan's energy transition after the Fukushima nuclear accident
The severe nuclear accident at Fukushima in 2011 has subsequently led to a significant change in Japan's energy mix (electricity generation in 2019: about 950 billion kWh) and increased use of renewable energy. In 2019, hydropower (7.4 percent) and photovoltaics (also 7.4 percent) provided the highest shares of renewable energy in Japan. The reason for the high PV electricity share is Japan's solar program, which led to a totally installed PV capacity of around 60,000 MW at the end of 2019. Bioenergy follows behind with 2.7 percent.
Electricity generation from wind energy (0.76 percent) and geothermal energy (0.24 percent) currently have only a shadowy existence. However, the expansion of wind energy and especially offshore wind energy is in the starting blocks. According to the government's plans, offshore wind energy in Japan is to be expanded to 30 to 45 GW by 2040.
Source: IWR Online, 12 Apr 2021
