Kyushu Electric to double geothermal power generation by 2030
Geothermal hot spring near Kokonoe, Oita Prefecture, Japan (source: flickr/ monkist, creative commons)
Francisco Rojas
31 Aug 2015
KE plans to add 180MW of geothermal in the next 15 years and this renewable energy source starting to emerge in Japan thanks to its baseload capabilities.
Kyushu Electric (KE) used last week’s inauguration of the 5MW Sugawara Binary geothermal power plant in Oita, Japan to make the ambitious move of announcing the plan to double geothermal power generation by 2030.
Despite of great potential, geothermal is still very small, even when compared to other renewables but thanks to recent changes, more development could happen soon.
Local news state that KE’s President Michiaki Uriu announced the expansion of geothermal projects “by adding 180,000 kilowatts. The company has plans for new facilities in Minami-Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture and Ibusuki in Kagoshima Prefecture, but Uriu stated, “That will not be enough. We will add yet more.”
Following the nuclear halt that happened in Japan after the Fukushima accident, solar power has seen tremendous growth and now some regions are trying to quench it’s growth due to the lack of stability of solar energy. Geothermal and its baseload capabilities are starting to gain traction and might see more growth.
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Source: The Asahi Shimbun
