Japan aims to lead the way in green energy

Kwan Weng Kin, Straits Times 20 May 08;

TOKYO - THE world is in dire need of new technologies to save the earth from the threat of global warming, and Japan intends to be a global leader in this regard.

That is what Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda is planning to tout when he hosts the Group of Eight (G-8) leaders at their annual summit in July in Hokkaido.

Global warming is expected to be a major item on the agenda.

Working together with industries, the Japanese government drew up the Cool Earth Energy Innovative Technology Plan in March, which lists technologies under 21 categories that will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr Fukuda hopes that G-8 leaders will adopt his plan because many of the technologies listed require a lot of time and effort to develop and may be best done across nations.

If developed successfully, these technologies may help to fulfil a goal Japan laid out last year to reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide by 50 per cent by 2050.

They include proposals to vastly improve the conversion of solar energy to electric power, which could reduce the cost of power generation to one-sixth of present levels.

Another proposal calls for more efficient repackaging of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from factories and storing them underground, and the development of an electric car that can be charged at home and run 500km on a single charge.

Japan has long been known for its electronic gadgets such as digital cameras and TV sets with razor-sharp clarity, but it is far less well-known for the energy-saving technologies it has been quietly developing since the first oil shocks of the 1970s.

The recent surge in crude oil prices will no doubt make these Japanese technologies even more attractive.

At the G-8 summit, Mr Fukuda is also expected to showcase what Japanese companies have already achieved.

Last month, Matsushita Electric Industrial, which makes the Panasonic brand of products, rolled out a new fuel cell system for household use.

To be commercially available in 2009, it will be able to supply 60 per cent of a household's energy needs.

Such products are a small but important step towards reducing dependence on traditional energy sources such as oil or coal, which produce carbon dioxide.

To demonstrate its commitment to energy-saving technologies, Matsushita Electric has even included the elimination of CO2 emissions as one of its management indicators since last October.

Chief executive officer Fumio Ohtsubo said: 'Worldwide, companies are now expected to have a strong awareness of the environment. Simply being able to achieve sales and profit targets alone cannot be called global excellence for a company.'

In addition to developing new energy sources, finding new ways to reduce energy consumption remains a major part of attempts to cut CO2 emissions.

Sanyo Electric, a leader in producing refrigerated showcases used in supermarkets, has been able to sharply reduce energy requirements for refrigeration by 25 per cent through combining refrigeration and air-conditioning systems.

Refrigeration equipment consumes just over 40 per cent of the total energy usage of a typical supermarket.

Ultimately, the ability to cut greenhouse gas emissions probably rests on the individual efforts of consumers.

Even Japan, which has long drummed into its citizens the fact that it is a resource-scarce nation, will need to mount programmes to further educate its people about global warming.

A recent survey by the Trade Ministry of young Japanese aged below 30 found that 34 per cent had not even heard about the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on global warming.

Under the protocol, between this year and 2012, industrialised countries are obliged to cut their collective greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2 per cent of 1990 levels.

Japan, which spearheaded efforts to achieve the global pact, agreed to a cut of 6 per cent.

To further increase public awareness about CO2 emissions, people here will soon be able to check how much CO2 they produce at home or from their cars just by looking at their receipts, as utility and oil companies have agreed to provide such data.

A simple measure no doubt, but it may well help to cut CO2 emissions, which have been rising sharply in Japan between 1990 and 2006.

But Kyoto Protocol obligations notwithstanding, businesses initially saw the requirement to limit CO2 emissions as hampering corporate growth and impairing business activities.

But of late, many companies have come to realise that there is big money in developing technologies to reduce CO2 and have doubled efforts in technologies to reduce global warming.

Japanese consumers are also becoming more conscious about energy-saving technologies when shopping for new household appliances, according to a government survey.

The poll, conducted in 2006, found that 86 per cent of Japanese included environmental considerations in their choice of purchases, up from 77 per cent in 2004.

The huge business potential is undoubtedly a major push factor behind the Japanese government's desire to position Japan as a world leader in tackling global warming.

The Trade Ministry has estimated that the domestic market for businesses involved in developing energy-saving technologies could grow by 54 per cent to 49 trillion yen (S$650 billion) by 2015, compared with 2005 levels.