Toward the realization of a carbon-free society, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has indicated that the ratio of renewable energy to the amount of power generated in 2050 will be increased from 50% to 60% as a guideline for deepening discussions in the future.
At the "Comprehensive Renewable Energy Study Group" held on the 21st to discuss the country's medium- to long-term energy policy, the economy aims to achieve the government's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero as a whole by 2050. In order to deepen future discussions, the Ministry of Industry has provided a guideline for the amount of power generation in 2050 regarding renewable energy and thermal power generation.
According to this, renewable energy will be expanded from 50% to 60% of the total power generation, aiming for maximum introduction as the main power source.
Renewable energy accounted for only 18% of the total in the preliminary figures last year, and even if compared simply, it will increase to about three times the current level.
In addition, nuclear power generation aims to be used on a certain scale on the premise of ensuring safety.
Furthermore, by combining thermal power generation and technology to absorb emitted carbon dioxide, it is said that it will cover 30% to 40% of the total.
In addition, the introduction of thermal power generation that uses hydrogen and ammonia as fuel will cover about 10% of the total.
However, renewable energy has many issues such as restrictions on natural conditions and unstable power generation, and technological innovation and cost reduction are issues for large-scale introduction.
The important thing is the power generation sector
To achieve decarbonization, the power generation sector, which accounts for about 40% of the carbon dioxide emitted in Japan, is of particular importance.
Looking at the power source composition, last year, preliminary figures showed that thermal power generation accounted for 75%, renewable energy accounted for 18%, and nuclear power generation accounted for 6%.
The government aims to reduce thermal power to about 56% in 2030, while increasing renewable energy from 22% to 24% and nuclear power from 20% to 22%.
This goal is to be reviewed every three years and is currently under discussion at the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy Study Group of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Meanwhile, the government has also set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero overall by 2050.
For this reason, in this review, the issue is how to raise the proportion of renewable energy while reducing the proportion of coal-fired power that emits a large amount of carbon dioxide.
In addition, although the policy is to reduce the dependence on nuclear power generation as much as possible, it is said that technological development will be promoted as a "decarbonization option", and since the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, there are concerns about safety among the people. The focus is also on how to position the nuclear power plant while it remains persistent.