Continuation of Energy Saving Efforts

My name is Moto Kondo and I work in the Environmental group at PTM. I mainly deal with mechanical systems.

The implementation of the current restrictions placed on users supplied by Tokyo Electric Power Corporation (TEPCO) and Tohoku Electric Power Corporation (Tohoku EPCO), has been discontinued. Summer temperatures have dropped as energy saving activities have taken hold in households across Japan, and there is the prospect of Tohoku EPCO reopening its hydroelectric plant. (as of September 2011).

The restrictions may have been lifted, but I think it’s important to make sure we all continue to try and save energy. Although there are many of us who feel that, until recently, we had been using excessive amounts of energy however, I imagine there are many enterprises and individuals who felt they were being forced to save energy. I think it will be beneficial if we can establish the lifestyle and structure required to continue saving energy without feeling like we are being compelled to.

You may or may not be familiar with the expression “feed-in tariff”. It is a specialized tem used in the environmental business, defined as follows:

A Feed-in Tariff (also known in Japan as koteikakakukaitoriseido meaning fixed price purchase system) is a subsidy scheme where tariffs are fixed by law.

Typically, it is a law which fixes the price of green energy such as solar or wind power bought by electric power companies, and offers favorable treatment to people who install such systems to promote the spread of these technologies. So here, the tariff means the purchase price.

The purchase price of energy is determined by law, and this encourages the spread of plant investment towards renewable energy sources.

The feed-in tariff system is being implemented in Europe and several other countries, and seems to be very effective. However, it must be properly designed to prevent exploitation of the system for profit in the commercial sphere.

A Renewable Energy Special Measures Law was enacted here in Japan too, which was aimed at creating the feed-in tariff for renewable energy purchasing. It has already been implemented for solar power however, it is high time it was applied to other natural energy resources such as wind, geothermal and biomass.

The time has come to determine the details and application in different areas however, once formulated, implementation needs to be tied to continuous proactive energy saving activities. The question is how do we focus on and determine the details?

Moto Kondo,

Environmental Group

Visit our website at http://www.ptmtokyo.co.jp/