Photo by Nicholas Doherty on Unsplash
2024 will mark a significant year for wind energy in Hokkaido, as the “Global Offshore Wind Summit — Japan 2024” will be held in Sapporo. The event, organized by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), a partnership between 1,500 companies, organizations, and institutions from more than 80 countries. GWEC has also been influential at the COP, an international conference to discuss global warming countermeasures.
Among renewable energies, offshore wind power has great potential. Especially the land in Hokkaido accounts for about 29% of the nation’s total potential for offshore wind turbine development (fixed foundation and floating). In this article, we will discuss wind power generation in Hokkaido from the perspective of global and Japanese energy projects.
The Global Energy Landscape
The majority of global greenhouse gas emissions stem from the energy and industrial sectors, contributing 58% of the world’s greenhouse gas emission in 2019. To limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, it’s crucial to triple the world’s renewable energy capacity by 2030. Specifically, wind energy must increase its annual deployment by 3–4 times over the next decade. Achieving this pace, wind energy could provide one-fifth of global electricity by 2030 and one-third by 2050.
Source [5]
Globally, renewable energy’s share is increasing, with wind power being widely adopted in several countries. For instance, in the UK and Germany, it accounts for over 20% of total energy production. However, in Japan even thought 19.8% of total energy production is renewable, wind power only makes up 0.9%, which is significantly lower even when compared to EU’s 15.4% and the USA’s 8.1%. The goal is to increase this to 5% by 2030, primarily through offshore wind development.
Hokkaido’s Commitment to Wind Energy
Five “promising areas” selected by the government
Hokkaido was chosen in May 2023 by the Goverment as having five offshore areas with high potential for wind development. The 5 offshore locations are near the cities of Ishikari, Iwanai, Shimamaki, Hiyama, Matsumae. All of the areas are located on the Sea of Japan side of Hokkaido, and a total of 15 offshore wind power generation projects will be carried out in the five areas.
One example is the wind turbine operation that kicked off on January 1, 2024, at Ishikari Bay New Port. With 14 wind turbines, each towering at 196 meters, this farm can energize about 83,000 average households twice the output of a typical wind turbine in Japan. Although one of the largest operating wind farms in Japan, this project is just scratching the surface, representing a mere 3% of the maximum potential which is projected to be 3.855 million kW output after all turbines are installed in the five regions
Opportunities and the Future
Hokkaido’s renewable energy scene is gearing up, and with it comes a opportunities for startups, investors, and corporations. It’s an exciting time in Hokkaido as projects undergo development with ambitious goals to influence Japan’s renewable energy strategy and its commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions!
Translated from: https://note.com/hiw2024/n/n992791f39bc5
Source:
[1] 06–1_北海道洋上風力発電パンフレット(R4年度作成).pdf (hokkaido.lg.jp
[2] Global Offshore Wind Summit — Japan 2024 — Global Wind Energy Council (gwec.net)
[3] 国内最大級 石狩湾新港沖洋上風力発電プロジェクト工事本格化｜NHK 北海道のニュース
[4] 風の宝庫が本格始動！北海道沖5海域 事業化へ大きく前進｜ウインドジャーナル｜風力発電のビジネス情報サイト (windjournal.jp)