Japan Needs Better Links Between its Two Power Grids

Japan is the only major economy globally to use two power frequencies in its electricity grid. The nation’s system is split between a 60Hz zone in the east and a 50Hz zone in the west, which is a maj...

India and Japan See Each Other as Hydrogen Partners

Japan wants to create a carbon-free hydrogen supply chain. India plans to more than triple its renewables capacity within this decade, which could create a surplus of energy that could be diverted to...

Japan Is Not Powerless – at Least During this Summer; Does a Power Crunch Loom?

First, the ministry responsible for Japan’s energy systems, METI, warned of critical power shortages and blackout risk during this summer and winter. Then, it dialed down the alarm and proclaimed the...

Détente in Japan’s Nuclear Winter? Or, Calm Before the Storm?

Japan’s nuclear power industry has faced its most difficult decade since the March 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi NPP. All the nation’s reactor were entirely shut down at one point. Now, aft...

Stalled Solar Push in Japan Has Government Mulling More Local Funding

Almost one in 11 towns and villages in Japan restrict or altogether ban development of utility-scale solar on their territory. Such caution is increasingly at odds with the national strategy to put r...