Japan looks to renewables and energy conservation

National Geographic : Japan is in the middle of one of the most severe electricity shortfalls in history, according to a report by the International Energy Agency. Before the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in March, nuclear energy provided a third of Japan’s electricity. Prime Minister Naoto Kan has set a goal of 10 million solar-powered homes by the year 2020 and has abandoned prior plans for nuclear expansion. That realignment doesn’t address the immediate problem, however; the government has asked residents of Tokyo to reduce electricity consumption by 25% and residents of the rest of Japan to reduce consumption by 15%—at a time of year when air conditioning usually places high demands on the grid. But Japan’s electricity demand is already 20% below the world average, and 30% below that of the US, and it’s unclear how much more small and medium-sized businesses will be willing to cut their demand. Individual citizens aren’t resisting conservation, but their acceptance of it seems more resigned than enthusiastic, so far.