Power Utilities Ally with Home Builders Seeking Profits from Rooftop Solar

Up until now, Japan’s major power utilities haven’t been big solar generation enthusiasts, only building a tiny fraction of the country’s solar farms. However, the companies are now taking a differen...

As Wind Turbines Gain in Power, Sustainability Questions Arise

The expansion of large-scale wind farms, especially those built off the coast, is further raising hopes that the energy transition can succeed within the next few decades. As equipment becomes larger...

Ocean Energy Shows Progress As Projects Start to Move to the `Megawatt’ Stage

Japan could generate nearly 170 TWh of electricity, or 20% of its annual needs, in the open seas through energy sources other than offshore wind power generation, according to government-backed resea...

Friend or Foe? How Competition Authorities View the Energy Transition

One difficulty of an energy transition is that incumbent market players enjoy outsized influence thanks to decades of growth and consolidation. The move to a low-carbon economy promises profound stru...

Renewables Operators May See Some Asset Values Jump On Change in Grid Rules

In some of Japan’s local power grids, developing renewable energy facilities has proved problematic with a lack of spare capacity often cited as the reason. To address the issue, a few years ago a ne...