While Japan is skeptical about decarbonization, the global trend after the invasion of Ukraine has become “acceleration of renewable energy.”
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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 changed the global energy landscape. In response to the disruption of energy supply and soaring prices, many people in Japan are of the opinion that “decarbonization and renewable energy are beyond the reach.” Is it true.
Less than a month after the invasion occurred, the International Energy Agency (IEA) issued an emergency statement (10-point plan). If I quote a part of it and translate it provisionally, it will be the following three points.
A further 20 terawatt-hours (tera is 1 trillion) could be delivered in 2024 through concerted policy efforts to accelerate the addition of renewable installed capacity. Most of them … are large-scale wind and solar projects.
▽ If the introduction of roof-mounted photovoltaic power generation systems is accelerated, the burden on consumers can be reduced. (Omitted) Rooftop solar power will increase by up to 15 terawatt hours.
With the right incentives and sustainable supply, biomass power generation could grow by up to 50 terawatt hours in 2022.
In the emergency statement, following the quote on the right, it is written that nuclear power can also be increased by 20 terawatt hours, but the priority should be noted. If so, (1) biomass, (2) solar power + wind power, and (3) nuclear power. It can be seen that the priority is given to renewable energy, rather than “not far from renewable energy”.
The IEA wasn’t the only one to issue a statement quickly after the invasion. The United Nations issued a press release (including a Japanese translation) on April 22, 2010, which can be summarized as follows.
“Now is the time to turn crisis into opportunity.
Furthermore, in the European Union, on April 22, European Commission President von der Leyen issued a statement stating, “What we should do is not only diversify Russia from fossil fuels, but also make large-scale investments in renewable energy.” translation) can be seen. In his speech on March 26, President Biden said, “In the long run, as a matter of economic and national security, and for the survival of the planet, we all need clean, renewable energy. We need to move to as soon as possible.”
In this way, the world’s major institutions and leaders of countries and regions are one after another saying, “Accelerate the introduction of renewable energy…
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