Post-disaster resilience of a 100% renewable energy system in Japan

Abstract

Following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan is having to re-design its energy policy. With the danger of nuclear power in an earthquake-prone country exposed, renewable energies are being seen as a potential alternative. An assessment of the feasibility of a 100% renewable energy electricity system in Japan by the year 2030 was shown to be able to achieve a higher level of electricity resilience. The assessment is based on a simulation of the hourly future electricity production based on wind and solar meteorological data, that can cope with the estimated future hourly electricity demand in Japan for the year 2030. Such as system would use pump-up storage and electric batteries to balance the daily fluctuations in supply and demand, though the most important challenge of the system would be providing sufficient electricity to meet the summer demand peak. These findings have import implications at the policy making level, as it shows that the Japanese electricity generation system is technically able to increase the share of renewables up to 100%, guaranteeing a stable and reliable supply.