Japan's famed hot springs called on to share the steam
Japan's famed hot springs called on to share the steam
Government getting serious about geothermal power generation
YUTA KOGA, Nikkei staff writer
Open-air hot spring resorts are enjoying a resurgence of popularity in Japan but they might soon have
to share their steam with electricity producers. © Reuters
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TOKYO -- So far, Japan's geothermal power does little more than provide the water for the country's countless "onsen" hot springs.
But the nation sits atop a treasure trove of renewable geothermal energy that can provide much more than bathwater. And tapping it becomes more alluring every time security woes emerge.
This onsen envy dates back to at least the 1973 oil crisis, yet the highly reliable energy source that gives hot springs their steam remains largely undeveloped as a power source.
Geothermal power accounts for 0.3% of the electricity consumed in the country. The government wants to triple this to 1% by 2030 and is to start stepping toward this goal in fiscal 2018 by doing more geothermal surveys.
The surveys will begin while most of Japan's nuclear power plants remain dormant due to safety concerns sparked by the 2011 meltdowns in Fukushima Prefecture.
Think of geothermal power generation as the earth providing a boiler that produces steam that turns turbines.
Unlike solar and wind energy, power from geothermal sources does not drain away when the sun goes down or the wind stops blowing.
Because of this, geothermal plants have an 83% capacity factor. This is a measure of how much power a plant can actually produce were it able to run at full capacity over a certain period of time. Compare this to 12% for solar power plants and 20% for wind farms.
Once these efficient power generators get up and running, they can supply energy almost permanently.
Japan's geothermal resources are abundant. Only two other countries -- the U.S. and Indonesia -- have more. The country is sitting on 23.47 million kW of geothermal-sourced current but is only using about 530,000kW
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