Shulman Advisory

New SHK System Rules Effective April 2024

Revised Japanese ‘SHK’ greenhouse gas reporting system to come into effect in April 2024 In an effort to accurately account for emissions, the Act on Promotion of Global Warming Countermeasures states that Japanese companies are required to report their greenhouse gas emissions using the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounting, Reporting and Disclosure System – also known …

The Emergence of Microgrid Development in Japan

In a country prone to natural disasters, one of the government’s preoccupations is to increase the resilience of the grid in case of natural disasters and other emergency situations. The goal is for local grid branches to be physically independent and autonomous from the transmission network in case of emergency and be able to prioritize …

Renewable Energy Procurement Options in Japan

In our previous post, we covered the overall trends in renewable energy procurement in Japan as well as the key concepts one needs to understand before embarking on the low- to no-carbon emissions path. This article, on the other hand, looks at the practicalities of procuring renewable energy in Japan. It explores the main options …

Reducing Carbon Footprint in Japan: The Basics

Recently, headlines covering Japan’s commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2050 and major corporations pledging to power their businesses with renewable energy have become increasingly common in Japan. Most of the latter have been businesses consuming large amounts of power and so, for businesses using relatively modest amounts of power, some of the concepts behind …

The State of Japan’s Power System Reform

When trying to understand the state of the Japanese power market, it is necessary to understand the country’s deregulation process and systemic changes that took place after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. That’s why we’ve already covered the topic on this blog a couple of times in the past: Japan’s Deregulated Power …

The State of Geothermal Power Generation in Japan

Geothermal power plants, at less than half a percent of Japan’s total power generation, are currently one of the country’s smallest sources of renewable power. However, with Japan having, by some estimates, the third-richest geothermal resources in the world and its government looking to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, this relatively minor power source is …

Wind in Japan

In 2012, the Japanese government introduced a feed-in-tariff program aimed at promoting the use of renewable energy. While promoting solar, Japan’s largest non-hydro renewable source, has been the main target of the program, wind projects have received support as well. Since then, Japan has seen an increase in the number of wind projects, both on- …

Turning Point for Coal-Fired Power Generation in Japan

As other countries are rapidly shifting away from using coal for power generation, Japan continues to heavily rely on this fossil fuel. That said, pressure from abroad and other factors have contributed to changes in the Japanese government’s stance towards coal. This article explores the history of coal in Japan as well as the government’s …

Japan’s Deregulated Power Market: Year Five

Well into the fifth year of Japan’s deregulated electricity retail market, which opened on April 1, 2016, there’s a lot to look back and reflect upon, and there’s still much to be anticipated.  We’re going to zero in on some interesting aspects of the winding road the market has taken so far.  Hiccups, Haze and …

Hydrogen and Japan’s Energy Future

Much activity – and much hype – has surrounded the push towards the adoption of hydrogen as a key fuel in Japan.  Today we’re going to clear away some of the haze by zeroing in on several key aspects of what’s going on.   Policy In December 2017, Japan’s “Basic Hydrogen Strategy” was approved by the …