Hydroelectricity is the second most important renewable energy source after solar energy in Japan with an installed capacity of 50.0 gigawatt (GW) as of 2019.[1] According to the International Hydropower Association Japan was the world's sixth largest producer of hydroelectricity in 2020. Most of Japanese hydroelectric power plants are pumped-storage plants. Conventional hydropower plants account for about 20 GW out of the total installed capacity as of 2007.[2]
Conventional hydropower potential of Japan is considered to be almost fully developed, with little opportunity for further capacity increase.[3] In recent years, almost exclusively pumped storage plants were commissioned, significantly increasing the ratio of pumped storage capacity over conventional hydro.[3] The large capacity of pumped storage hydropower was built to store energy from nuclear power plants, which until the Fukushima disaster constituted a large part of Japan electricity generation. As of 2015, Japan is the country with the highest capacity of pumped-storage hydroelectricity in the world, with 26 GW of power installed.[4] After the 2011 nuclear power shutdowns, pumped-storage plants have been increasingly used to balance the variable generation of renewable energy sources such as solar, which have been growing rapidly in recent years.[4]
As of September 2011, Japan had 1,198 small hydropower plants with a total capacity of 3,225 megawatt (MW). The smaller plants accounted for 6.6% of Japan's total hydropower capacity. The remaining capacity was filled by large and medium hydropower stations, typically sited at large dams. Cost per kilowatt-hour for power from smaller plants was high at ¥15-100, hindering further development of the energy source.[5]
List of hydroelectric power stations
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See also
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References
edit- ^ https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2020/Mar/IRENA_RE_Capacity_Statistics_2020.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Status of Hydropower in Japan - May 2007" (PDF). New Energy Foundation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ^ a b "ELECTRICITY REVIEW JAPAN 2015" (PDF). The Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ^ a b Fairley, Peter (18 March 2015). "A Pumped Hydro Energy-Storage Renaissance". IEEE Spectrum: Technology, Engineering, and Science News. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
- ^ Johnston, Eric, "Small hydropower plants keep it local", Japan Times, 29 September 2011, p. 3.
- ^ a b c "Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric Plants in Japan - Industcards". Archived from the original on 2013-01-03. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
- ^ Major Power Plants in Japan
- ^ Yanbaru Archived 2007-08-04 at the Wayback Machine