Asia Report: The Dawn of Japan's Offshore Wind Era

By Renewable Energy World Editors
July 16, 2012

While solar is currently making the biggest renewable waves in Japan, the country is also moving quickly toward offshore wind, with the recent announcement that an offshore wind demonstration project would begin producing electricity by January.

According to GWEC, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry’s 2.4-MW wind turbines off the coast of Choshi will test operation in severe weather conditions, including typhoons, strong gusts and high turbulence. A similar project is also scheduled for 2012 in the Sea of Japan near Fukuoka City.

The Japanese government has also approved two offshore floating projects that will tap into strong resource in the deep coastal waters. According to Reuters, Japan has 1,600 gigawatts of offshore wind potential, nearly four times larger than the nation’s nuclear capacity prior to Fukushima.