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Japan’s 1st turbine at wind farm blows
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Japan switched on the first turbine at a wind farm 20 kilometers off the coast of Fukushima yesterday, feeding electricity to the grid tethered to the tsunami-crippled nuclear plant onshore.
The wind farm near the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant is to eventually have a generation capacity of 1 gigawatt from 143 turbines, though its significance is not limited to the energy it will produce. Symbolically, the turbines will help restore the role of energy supplier to a region decimated by a population exodus following the multiple meltdowns triggered by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
“Many people were victimized and hurt by the accident at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant, so it is very meaningful to have a new source of energy — renewable energy — based here,” said Kazuyoshi Akaba, vice minister of economy, trade and industry, after the turbine was turned on.
“It is the government’s mission to ensure this project is a success,” he said.
The project also highlights Japan’s aspirations to sell its advanced energy technology around the globe.
Trading houses such as Marubeni Corp, which is leading the consortium building the offshore wind farm, are investing aggressively in renewable energy as well as conventional sources, helped by government policies aimed at nurturing favored industries.
All of Japan’s 50 viable nuclear reactors are offline for safety checks under new regulatory guidelines drawn up after the Fukushima disaster. Utility companies have applied to restart at least 14 reactors under those new guidelines, which include more stringent requirements for earthquake and tsunami protections, among other precautions.
In Japan, the push to tap more renewable sources to help offset lost power capacity, and reduce costs for imported natural gas and oil, also got a boost last year with the implementation of a higher wholesale tariff for energy generated from non-conventional sources.
Japan, whose coast is mostly ringed by deep waters, is pioneering floating wind turbine construction, required for seabed depths greater than 50 meters. The 2 megawatt downwind floating turbine that began operation yesterday was built at a dry dock near Tokyo and towed to its location off the northeastern coast. Six huge chains anchor it to the seabed 120 meters below.
The turbine is linked to a 66 kilovolt floating power substation, the world's first according to the project operators, via an extra-high voltage undersea cable.
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