2 JAPAN’S ENERGY POLICY AND COMMUNITY POWER …
45
Citizens’ Communal Wind
Generator Campaign from Sapporo
In December 2000, an NGO based on the Seikatsu Club Hokkaido, a
non-store consumer cooperative with 13,667 members as of the end
of 2010, launched the first citizens’ communal wind power generation
campaign. There were three triggers. The first was a citizens’ campaign,
active since 1990, that has opposed the placement of a deep geological
repository for high-level nuclear waste in Horonobe town, Hokkaido.
The second trigger was another citizens’ campaign opposing construction of the Tomari number 3 nuclear reactor, announced by Hokkaido
EPCO in July 1996 (Hasegawa 2015, pp. 122–123).
The final trigger was my lecture at a workshop on October 15, 1996,
at which I recommended a donation of ten percent of one’s electricity
bill toward a fund for promoting renewable energy in conjunction with
a power-saving campaign to offset this ten percent by reducing electricity consumption. “You already have the Seikatsu club organization in
place. As you have developed milk and other safe food products, you can
develop your own safe electricity by pooling small donations. You can
easily cut your electricity bills by ten percent by switching off [appliances
and lights] frequently at home. All you need to do is to contribute that
ten percent or an average of about 800 yen saved on your electricity bills”
(Hasegawa 2015, p. 123).
After two and a half years of preparation, the green electricity levy
program began in March 1999 through a contribution of five percent
of power bills. The group felt that five percent was easier to save and
would allow them to recruit more people. The Hokkaido Green Fund was
established. The initial membership target was 1000 for the fiscal first
year, and over 800 people joined in the first thirteen months to the end
of April 2000. The membership revenue of the Green Fund for the year
2000 was about four million yen. The Hokkaido Green Fund decided
it would operate the venture as a community business. The first turbine
of 990 kW was built and started to operate in Hokkaido, after the Fund
had collected 249 shares of 500 thousand Yen, total 1.4 billion Yen ($1.2
million). Almost of all the investors were local people. Many of them were
nuclear energy opponents. Since then, a total of 21, communally owned
wind turbines have been built and are operating nationwide. See Fig. 2.8
(Hasegawa 2015, pp. 124–126).
45
Citizens’ Communal Wind
Generator Campaign from Sapporo
In December 2000, an NGO based on the Seikatsu Club Hokkaido, a
non-store consumer cooperative with 13,667 members as of the end
of 2010, launched the first citizens’ communal wind power generation
campaign. There were three triggers. The first was a citizens’ campaign,
active since 1990, that has opposed the placement of a deep geological
repository for high-level nuclear waste in Horonobe town, Hokkaido.
The second trigger was another citizens’ campaign opposing construction of the Tomari number 3 nuclear reactor, announced by Hokkaido
EPCO in July 1996 (Hasegawa 2015, pp. 122–123).
The final trigger was my lecture at a workshop on October 15, 1996,
at which I recommended a donation of ten percent of one’s electricity
bill toward a fund for promoting renewable energy in conjunction with
a power-saving campaign to offset this ten percent by reducing electricity consumption. “You already have the Seikatsu club organization in
place. As you have developed milk and other safe food products, you can
develop your own safe electricity by pooling small donations. You can
easily cut your electricity bills by ten percent by switching off [appliances
and lights] frequently at home. All you need to do is to contribute that
ten percent or an average of about 800 yen saved on your electricity bills”
(Hasegawa 2015, p. 123).
After two and a half years of preparation, the green electricity levy
program began in March 1999 through a contribution of five percent
of power bills. The group felt that five percent was easier to save and
would allow them to recruit more people. The Hokkaido Green Fund was
established. The initial membership target was 1000 for the fiscal first
year, and over 800 people joined in the first thirteen months to the end
of April 2000. The membership revenue of the Green Fund for the year
2000 was about four million yen. The Hokkaido Green Fund decided
it would operate the venture as a community business. The first turbine
of 990 kW was built and started to operate in Hokkaido, after the Fund
had collected 249 shares of 500 thousand Yen, total 1.4 billion Yen ($1.2
million). Almost of all the investors were local people. Many of them were
nuclear energy opponents. Since then, a total of 21, communally owned
wind turbines have been built and are operating nationwide. See Fig. 2.8
(Hasegawa 2015, pp. 124–126).