Alliance for Renewable Energy

What Feed-in Tariffs Could Do for Japan's Electricity Shortage

 

What Japan Could Do if It Followed Germany's Lead on Renewable Energy

Within one Decade Japan Could Halve its Dependence on Nuclear Power

April 14, 2011

By Paul Gipe

If Japan adopted an aggressive renewable energy policy like that of Germany, it could, within ten years, generate more than four times the electricity lost at the Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant, cutting the country's reliance on nuclear power by one-half or more.

As Japan expands the evacuation zone around the damaged Fukushima 1 nuclear plant from 20 km to 30 km and Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) skirts the edge of bankruptcy, the country confronts a stark choice: undertake a massive construction program to replace the nuclear reactors with more of the same, or, instead, follow a new, less risky, and potentially more strategic path toward rapid renewable energy development. The stakes are high and the fight is already intense as Japanese elites debate the future of their electricity system, and literally, the future of their country.

San Francisco Feed-in Tariff Conference

From the press release:

Pacific Environment, the World Future Council, the Boell Foundation and others are hosting a one-day conference titled “Feed-in Tariffs: A Time for Real Action on Renewable Energy.” The event will be held in San Francisco on July 12, 2010 to discuss the rapid deployment of renewable energy in the U.S. using Feed-in Tariffs (FiT), a policy mechanism that has been successfully implemented in Europe and other areas of the world. Focusing mainly on California and the West Coast, industry experts from government, business, and the environmental field will discuss Feed-in Tariffs as a policy option, and as a way to stimulate investment in renewable energy, increase energy security and promote economic development inCalifornia.

 

Key objectives of the conference include:

• Increasing understanding of Feed-in Tariffs (FiT), including their significant potential to address climate change, create new jobs and rapidly develop renewable energy
• Discussing how to draft and implement renewable energy laws in the United States, with a focus on California and the West Coast, looking specifically at Feed-in Tariffs
• Developing political strategies for implementing robust Feed-in Tariffs
• Building new coalitions and networks

Learn more and register.

Fascinating, Simple Explanation of How FITs (a.k.a REPs) Work

Feed-in Tariffs are also referred to as "Renewable Energy Payments," or "REPs." This video from the non-profit Solar One explains how FITs work:
How Renewable Energy Payments (REPs) Work. from Chris Neidl on Vimeo.

Also, please take a moment to become a fan of Feed-in Tariffs on Facebook!

US Legislative Action, January - April 2009

During this time, Renewable Energy Payment legislative action has moved forward in 16 states: Arkansas, California, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Wind farms could energize Minnesota's Economy with help of Renewable Energy Payments

Minnesota's Renewable Energy Standard (RES) requires 25 percent of the state's electricity to come from renewable sources by 2025. This aggressive standard will produce significant regional economic benefits in Greater Minnesota, but such rapid expansion in renewable energy production, particularly wind, will require an enormous amount of financing. Implementation of a REP would provide easier access to capital while promoting community wind development.

Read more.

Getting Connected: Why Sharing Electrons, Local Produce, and Radiohead Makes for Better Communities

Bill McKibben, scholar in residence at Middlebury College in Vermont, offers up his thoughts on why we need to have a personal stake in generating energy, and why being connected to the grid is important. Along the same veins as those who encourage one to buy local, he offers up a fascinating treatise on the importance of communities and personal connections with those around you. In his words,

"A few years ago, when we were installing photovoltaic panels all over our roof, the question was whether to go off-grid or to tie in. We chose the latter, connecting with our nifty SMA Sunny Boy inverter, but not really for technical or economic reasons. We chose it because we like connections — we like networks, we like community, even when it’s a community of electrons. I enjoy looking over at my neighbor’s house and realizing that, at least metaphorically, he is cooling his beer before the Red Sox game with the sunlight that is falling on my shingles. And I think one of the most important arguments to be made for renewable energy is precisely that it can help build community."

Click on this link to read the rest of his article, as well as to check out the fascinating links and books he recommends.

(Photo courtesy of Flickr user HAMED MASOUMI shared under a Creative Commons license.)