Japan can achieve energy independence by 2060 thanks to renewable energy sources, says CEO of Rystad Energy

Katia Golubkowa

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan, a major buyer of coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG), could achieve energy independence by 2060 by developing solar and wind power along with batteries, said Jarand Rystad, chief executive of consultancy Rystad Energy.

Japan imports most of its energy resources, with the Middle East, Australia and the United States being its main suppliers. The government’s strategy assumes reducing LNG and coal to below 40% of the energy mix by 2030 from over 60% currently. But analysts say Japan needs to move slower.

“The Japanese way of thinking is that we have to import energy because we don’t have it ourselves. However, given the development of renewable energy technologies, I think this statement is not necessarily true,” Rystad told Reuters.

According to Rystad, Japan could be energy sufficient if 45% came from solar energy, 30% of wind came from offshore farms, 5% from hydroelectricity, another 5% from biomass and e-fuel, and nuclear power provided the remaining 15% by 2060 .

“All Japan needs is to continue installing as much solar power as it did in the years before 2020. There has been 10 to 12 gigawatts of peak installed capacity since 2014,” Rystad said.

Last year, Japan installed about 4 GW of new solar capacity, and its total remaining capacity was 87 GW, the third largest in the world after China and the United States.

Rystad said combining agriculture with solar panels, which also provide shade favored by some types of crops, as well as solar roofs over roads, could help increase the use of such energy.

“The combination of offshore and onshore wind, solar, geothermal and biomass with solid support from batteries and pumped storage should actually enable Japan to achieve energy independence in 40 years and even by 2060.” – he said.

(Reporting by Katya Golubkova. Editing by Gerry Doyle)