2 JAPAN’S ENERGY POLICY AND COMMUNITY POWER …
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are reluctant to support their expansion, we should distinguish between
four types of wind-turbines initiatives: (1) local governments’ initiatives
called “municipal wind power generators”; (2) NGO initiatives called
“citizens’ communal wind power generators”; (3) electric utilities’ initiatives; and (4) commercial wind power companies initiatives. Commercial
wind power companies’ initiatives are currently the mainstream for wind
power development in Japan as well as worldwide. In Japan local government’s initiatives were prominent during the 1990s, and NGO initiatives
were impressive during the first decade of the twentieth century. They
can be regarded as Japan’s model of “community power” or community
wind, which stresses local initiatives, local funding, local ownership, and
local benefits (Hasegawa 2015, pp. 118–124). Both local government and
NGO initiatives substituted for central government and EPCO initiatives,
due to the reluctance of the latter two actors to promote wind turbines.
Community power is a new concept that the World Wind Energy Association launched in 2010, stressing local ownership, local initiatives, and
local benefit. The emphasis is on localism. It is the antithesis of large-scale
projects like gigantic offshore wind turbines. Wind power generation has
become a major growth industry in the twenty-first century, motivated by
the desire to tackle the climate change issue and its increasing economic
profitability. The entry of giant energy and oil corporations such as GE
and BP (British Petroleum) into the wind generation business has been
increasingly noticeable in recent years as more and more sizeable projects
are planned. However, are we right to simply praise the expansion of
large-scale of projects? Are there any problems with large-scale projects?
One of the advantages of renewable energy is supposed to be the sense
of affinity experienced by ordinary citizens and communities that is at
the opposite end of the spectrum from nuclear power stations, or largescale thermal or hydropower generation facilities. Large-scale wind farms
inevitably feel more remote in the minds of local people and encourage a
Not-in-my-Backyard (NIMBY) response. This is the reason for the recent
stress placed on promoting community power worldwide.
Community Wind Power Cases in Japan
In this section, I will introduce several cases of community wind power
in Japan (Hasegawa 2015, pp. 115–129). These cases illustrate the
advantages of community wind power.
43
are reluctant to support their expansion, we should distinguish between
four types of wind-turbines initiatives: (1) local governments’ initiatives
called “municipal wind power generators”; (2) NGO initiatives called
“citizens’ communal wind power generators”; (3) electric utilities’ initiatives; and (4) commercial wind power companies initiatives. Commercial
wind power companies’ initiatives are currently the mainstream for wind
power development in Japan as well as worldwide. In Japan local government’s initiatives were prominent during the 1990s, and NGO initiatives
were impressive during the first decade of the twentieth century. They
can be regarded as Japan’s model of “community power” or community
wind, which stresses local initiatives, local funding, local ownership, and
local benefits (Hasegawa 2015, pp. 118–124). Both local government and
NGO initiatives substituted for central government and EPCO initiatives,
due to the reluctance of the latter two actors to promote wind turbines.
Community power is a new concept that the World Wind Energy Association launched in 2010, stressing local ownership, local initiatives, and
local benefit. The emphasis is on localism. It is the antithesis of large-scale
projects like gigantic offshore wind turbines. Wind power generation has
become a major growth industry in the twenty-first century, motivated by
the desire to tackle the climate change issue and its increasing economic
profitability. The entry of giant energy and oil corporations such as GE
and BP (British Petroleum) into the wind generation business has been
increasingly noticeable in recent years as more and more sizeable projects
are planned. However, are we right to simply praise the expansion of
large-scale of projects? Are there any problems with large-scale projects?
One of the advantages of renewable energy is supposed to be the sense
of affinity experienced by ordinary citizens and communities that is at
the opposite end of the spectrum from nuclear power stations, or largescale thermal or hydropower generation facilities. Large-scale wind farms
inevitably feel more remote in the minds of local people and encourage a
Not-in-my-Backyard (NIMBY) response. This is the reason for the recent
stress placed on promoting community power worldwide.
Community Wind Power Cases in Japan
In this section, I will introduce several cases of community wind power
in Japan (Hasegawa 2015, pp. 115–129). These cases illustrate the
advantages of community wind power.