Germany's Merkel to discuss energy cooperation on Japan trip

What an excellent idea. Japan could use some advice on creating a sustainable energy supply.

How do you decentralize power generation in this country?

Post-Fukushima the Germans and Chancellor Merkel bailed out completely from the nuclear industry and went whole hog for renewables and conventional. The renewables were boosted by subsidies directly and indirectly through feed in tariff and other means.

Ironically, the feed in tariff and other mechanisms created a boom in solar and wind, which if wedded to battery technology on which Japanese competitive prowess is enormous, could result in a big percentage of Japan's total energy needs, while putting coal and petroleum-based back into their pre-Fukushima percentages. Unlike Germany, Japan needs some nuclear, but the concentration should be on re-starting the safest only even while accelerating energy source development in solar, wind, and geo-thermal.

Plus fix the frequency difference, and Japan can get more efficient distribution.

How do you decentralize power generation in this country? Easy. Renewable energy is by nature localised. Hokkaido communities could run their own community co-op wind turbines (one or two are already doing this), down south solar arrays, and other areas geothermal. Others could have their own bio-energy co-generation plants etc etc Europe - there are many such examples.

Let's see where Germany gets most of it's power/energy from......

Coal plants- 45%

Nuclear- 17%

Gas- 11%

Wind and Biomass- 15%

Solar- 5%

So, to save the planet from the evils of nuclear power Germany has taken a giant detour through wasteful coal power.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-09-21/merkel-s-taste-for-coal-poised-to-upset-130-billion-green-drive

Sounds as if Merkel is coming to Japan to sell Abe on coal rather than so-called cheap renewable energy.

If you want to do your own legwork here are some links...

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database

http://www.eia.gov/electricity/monthly/epm_table_grapher.cfm?t=epmt_6_07_b

http://www.eex-transparency.com/homepage/power/germany/production/usage/actual-wind-power-generation

http://www.eex-transparency.com/homepage/gas/germany/consumption/usage/actual-consumption-

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database

http://e360.yale.edu/feature/on_the_road_to_green_energy_germany_detours_on_dirty_coal/2769/

http://www.wsj.com/articles/germanys-expensive-gamble-on-renewable-energy-1409106602

I still can't understand why Japan doesn't make more use of thermal power, especially in Kyushu. Volcanoes everywhere, low impact on the environment, and Japan has the technology - they even build thermal power stations for other countries.

And yet, right next to some of Japan's most active volcanic fields in Kagoshima, they are putting all the emphasis on restarting the nuclear power plant. I could even support some nuclear restarts if it was coupled with a serious move towards thermal development and eventual nuclear shut-down. But I haven't seen that at all. It makes no sense at all.