8 P. MIDFORD
we have had such different outcomes in similarly situated states, and
briefly touch on a possible Japan-South Korea partnership in renewable
energy through building electricity interconnections, something South
Korea has proposed. 7
We include a chapter on China because of its intrinsic importance as the
world’s second largest economy that has been more successful than almost
any other country, including Japan, in promoting renewable energy, at
least in terms of total installed capacity. By 2018 China possessed over a
third of global installed capacity in wind and solar power: over 360 GW
out of 1046 GW globally in 2018, and 416 GW out of 1202 GW globally in 2019, with offshore wind a rapidly growing sector (Korsnes 2020,
pp. 3, 120; IRENA 2020). Yet, perhaps for this reason, China is also an
economy that has suffered from far larger renewable energy curtailment
problems than Japan and many other countries. However, the country is
making efforts to reduce curtailment through grid expansion, and most
recently through developing smart grids and storage, including hydrogen
infrastructure. China’s experience with renewable energy as an authoritarian state that might also be a relatively strong state and relatively less
sensitive to public opinion and special intersts, thus offers an important
comparison with Japan’s progress in the same areas.
This volume includes chapters on two Southeast Asian nations:
Vietnam and Singapore. Vietnam, is the least developed economy in
this study, yet one that is experiencing rapid economic development and
expansion of renewable energy. It has boldly abandoned plans to develop
nuclear power and offers an important case of a developing country that
is already starting to tackle the second-stage roadblocks to greater renewable energy adoption, notably grid development and storage. Finally,
Singapore, as one of the most advanced economies in East, as well as
Southeast, Asia, if not globally, offers a distinctive case where solar PV
is expanding and obtaining additional grid and storage access despite
the absence of subsidies and opposition from incumbent generators who
already face overcapacity.
As Japan is a highly developed democracy with a poorly developed grid,
we also compare it with highly developed countries with well-developed
grids that in a number of ways have made more progress on renewable energy, specifically by examining three Nordic countries: Denmark,
Finland, and Norway. These Nordic countries are especially relevant for
second-stage renewable energy development and Japan, because they have
liberalized their energy markets and established a national grid regulator,
we have had such different outcomes in similarly situated states, and
briefly touch on a possible Japan-South Korea partnership in renewable
energy through building electricity interconnections, something South
Korea has proposed. 7
We include a chapter on China because of its intrinsic importance as the
world’s second largest economy that has been more successful than almost
any other country, including Japan, in promoting renewable energy, at
least in terms of total installed capacity. By 2018 China possessed over a
third of global installed capacity in wind and solar power: over 360 GW
out of 1046 GW globally in 2018, and 416 GW out of 1202 GW globally in 2019, with offshore wind a rapidly growing sector (Korsnes 2020,
pp. 3, 120; IRENA 2020). Yet, perhaps for this reason, China is also an
economy that has suffered from far larger renewable energy curtailment
problems than Japan and many other countries. However, the country is
making efforts to reduce curtailment through grid expansion, and most
recently through developing smart grids and storage, including hydrogen
infrastructure. China’s experience with renewable energy as an authoritarian state that might also be a relatively strong state and relatively less
sensitive to public opinion and special intersts, thus offers an important
comparison with Japan’s progress in the same areas.
This volume includes chapters on two Southeast Asian nations:
Vietnam and Singapore. Vietnam, is the least developed economy in
this study, yet one that is experiencing rapid economic development and
expansion of renewable energy. It has boldly abandoned plans to develop
nuclear power and offers an important case of a developing country that
is already starting to tackle the second-stage roadblocks to greater renewable energy adoption, notably grid development and storage. Finally,
Singapore, as one of the most advanced economies in East, as well as
Southeast, Asia, if not globally, offers a distinctive case where solar PV
is expanding and obtaining additional grid and storage access despite
the absence of subsidies and opposition from incumbent generators who
already face overcapacity.
As Japan is a highly developed democracy with a poorly developed grid,
we also compare it with highly developed countries with well-developed
grids that in a number of ways have made more progress on renewable energy, specifically by examining three Nordic countries: Denmark,
Finland, and Norway. These Nordic countries are especially relevant for
second-stage renewable energy development and Japan, because they have
liberalized their energy markets and established a national grid regulator,