By Shahab Sabahi
Energy and Environment - Policy analysis research group
On Aug 14, 2011, Today published an article in which David Pilling claimed that the lights were still on in Tokyo while two-thirds of Japan's nuclear power stations had been switched off.
He continued with a question “If nuclear power is really as vital to the Japanese economy as has been made out, how come the country has not ground to a halt?”
He idealistically!!! argues that one of the reasons Japan’s economy has been able to soldier on is that there is a massive energy-saving drive!!! Office air-conditioners are not blasting at their normal freezing-cold temperatures. Buildings close at a reasonable hour, obliging salarymen to forego hours of masochistic overtime. Companies have even reinvented the weekend: Toyota's working week now runs from Sunday to Wednesday, helping to spread electricity usage more evenly across the seven-day cycle.
Perhaps David confused the meaning of ENERGY SAVING and also he did not pay enough and careful attention to economical consequences of this odd Japanese government policy.
Energy conservation can be achieved through increased efficient energy use, not reducing energy consumption. So the efforts which David listed in his post, will cause a reduction in the Japan economic productivity and as a result increase the price of Japanese services and goods. Japan already suffers appreciation of its currency; therefore extra strain from losing the nation-wide productivity will exacerbate the Japan economic slowdown.
Furthermore, the nuclear reactors decommissioning will be costly and time consuming. Despite what David argued, electricity from renewable sources are not as cheap as he highlighted. Perhaps a narrow view on a simple cost-benefit analysis of a particular renewable energy technology, would put weight on the back of renewables, but in real world, poor load factor of renewables will ultimately increase the cost of generating electricity from renewables plus more emissions (Yes renewables still need backup of fossil fuels)
I add more arguments against what TODAY published. According to Bloomberg on Aug. 15, 2011, Japanese government’s effort to reduce reliance on nuclear energy would require the equivalent of 470 million barrels of oil a year, swelling the $222 billion annual cost of fuel imports and further burdening Japan's $5.5 trillion economy
Without any doubt, Japanese are the only nation who have got the first ever atomic bombs and the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Japanese deserve to enjoy nationwide and intergeneration prosperity. Prosperity requires safe, reliable, affordable energy based on REALITY of energy security
Japan relied on imports to meet 80 percent of its energy needs in 2009, World Bank data show, against 60 percent for Germany and 22 percent for the U.S. China imported 6 percent of its energy in 2008, according to the latest data available.
The suspension of reactors helped boost Japan's LNG imports by 35% in June from a year earlier. Crude oil purchases climbed 30 percent, the Finance Ministry said July 28. Total imports rose 9.8 percent, compared with a 1.6 percent decline in exports.
Japan's entry into the global market to buy the equivalent of an extra 1.3 million barrels of oil a day may lift prices.
Not only Japan, but the entire world will also be nuclear free at a reasonable point in the time. But fact is, the time is not on Japan side right now.
Energy and Environment - Policy analysis research group
On Aug 14, 2011, Today published an article in which David Pilling claimed that the lights were still on in Tokyo while two-thirds of Japan's nuclear power stations had been switched off.
He continued with a question “If nuclear power is really as vital to the Japanese economy as has been made out, how come the country has not ground to a halt?”
He idealistically!!! argues that one of the reasons Japan’s economy has been able to soldier on is that there is a massive energy-saving drive!!! Office air-conditioners are not blasting at their normal freezing-cold temperatures. Buildings close at a reasonable hour, obliging salarymen to forego hours of masochistic overtime. Companies have even reinvented the weekend: Toyota's working week now runs from Sunday to Wednesday, helping to spread electricity usage more evenly across the seven-day cycle.
Perhaps David confused the meaning of ENERGY SAVING and also he did not pay enough and careful attention to economical consequences of this odd Japanese government policy.
Energy conservation can be achieved through increased efficient energy use, not reducing energy consumption. So the efforts which David listed in his post, will cause a reduction in the Japan economic productivity and as a result increase the price of Japanese services and goods. Japan already suffers appreciation of its currency; therefore extra strain from losing the nation-wide productivity will exacerbate the Japan economic slowdown.
Furthermore, the nuclear reactors decommissioning will be costly and time consuming. Despite what David argued, electricity from renewable sources are not as cheap as he highlighted. Perhaps a narrow view on a simple cost-benefit analysis of a particular renewable energy technology, would put weight on the back of renewables, but in real world, poor load factor of renewables will ultimately increase the cost of generating electricity from renewables plus more emissions (Yes renewables still need backup of fossil fuels)
I add more arguments against what TODAY published. According to Bloomberg on Aug. 15, 2011, Japanese government’s effort to reduce reliance on nuclear energy would require the equivalent of 470 million barrels of oil a year, swelling the $222 billion annual cost of fuel imports and further burdening Japan's $5.5 trillion economy
Without any doubt, Japanese are the only nation who have got the first ever atomic bombs and the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Japanese deserve to enjoy nationwide and intergeneration prosperity. Prosperity requires safe, reliable, affordable energy based on REALITY of energy security
Japan relied on imports to meet 80 percent of its energy needs in 2009, World Bank data show, against 60 percent for Germany and 22 percent for the U.S. China imported 6 percent of its energy in 2008, according to the latest data available.
The suspension of reactors helped boost Japan's LNG imports by 35% in June from a year earlier. Crude oil purchases climbed 30 percent, the Finance Ministry said July 28. Total imports rose 9.8 percent, compared with a 1.6 percent decline in exports.
Japan's entry into the global market to buy the equivalent of an extra 1.3 million barrels of oil a day may lift prices.
Not only Japan, but the entire world will also be nuclear free at a reasonable point in the time. But fact is, the time is not on Japan side right now.
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