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Japan Paves Way for Energy Revolution
(10/11/2002)October 11, 2002–- Environmentalist and clean energy advocates the world ovdr welcomed the news yesterday that Yakushima, a volcanic island off southern Kyushu, is planning an energy revolution. Yakushima has embarked on an experimental project to use hydrogen as the sole energy source for the island's 14,000 people.
The island–which is on the World Heritage List for its thousand-year-old cedar trees–will shun the use of petroleum and other fossil fuels in favor of clean hydrogen energy in an effort to stop the emission of carbon dioxide, the main culprit of global warming.
The 20th century was touted as "the century of petroleum," and while petroleum will undoubtedly remain the main energy source in the near future, it is certain that alternative energy use will gain momentum in the 21st century.
Hydrogen is said to have potential as an energy source to replace fossil fuels. But will Yakushima be able to pull off its grand plan? Here is how the island is going to undertake the experiment.
The project envisions the island itself as an energy source. Yakushima has an annual rainfall of about 8,000 millimeters. An enormous amount of water flows down the steep slopes of 2,000-meter-high mountains. The project would utilize the rich water resource and the dynamic head of water to generate electricity with small generators.
It seeks to minimize environmental impact and does not involve damming the flow of water for power generation. The use of wind power is also envisioned as an energy source. The problem with electric power is that it cannot be stored.
The Yakushima project aims to settle the problem by converting electricity into hydrogen. Water power as well as wind power can be used to continuously generate electricity. The electricity will be used to electrolyze water, and the resultant hydrogen will be stored.
Fierce global competition is now under way to develop fuel cells, which are seen as the central technology for future automobiles. Toyota Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. have taken the lead in the race and practical application of the technology is said to be close.
Technological innovations relating to fuel cells could dramatically change the energy situation in the coming years. Last year, the government named hydrogen as the key energy source for the 21st century.
The Yakushima experiment is timely as it addresses the changing times. Yakushima Denko Co., a Tokyo-based power firm affiliated with Taiheiyo Cement Co., is playing a key role in the Yakushima initiative. It is conducting local feasibility studies on the installation of small generators that generate electricity from flowing water. The system is scheduled to go on line next year.
The Yakushima town office also plans to build a hydropower station in a reserve forest to keep step with the company. Yakushima Denko currently generates about 60,000 kilowatts of hydroelectric power. This exceeds the island actual energy requirement, so the company plans to use the surplus energy to electrolyze water to produce hydrogen.
The office then hopes to encourage some island residents to switch their gasoline-powered cars to hybrid hydrogen-gasoline vehicles. The island is enthusiastically embracing the hydrogen energy supply base project.
Yakushima Denko has applied to the government to make the whole island a hydrogen energy-oriented special economic zone. The initiative is drawing the attention of energy and automotive companies around the world. German automaker BMW has already made contact with the company, as has the government of Canada, which is the home of Ballard Power Systems Inc., the world leader in fuel-cell technology. A similar venture has already been launched in Iceland.
The island nation is studded with scores of volcanoes that expel subterranean heat in the form of steam. Iceland uses the steam and the huge amount of water draining from its glaciers to generate electricity and the surplus power is used to electrolyze water into hydrogen.
An energy company aiming to create a hydrogen energy-oriented society in 40 to 50 years was established in Iceland, with investors including the Iceland government and major energy companies such as Royal Dutch Shell.
As its first specific project, the company is planning to run a fleet of buses fitted with hydrogen tanks and a cell batteries in Reykjavik. Yakushima and Iceland are both utilizing their natural resources as the energy source to establish hydrogen-based societies. Their vision and commitment may pave the way for a new era of clean, efficient energy production.
