Can Japan Phase Out Its Nuclear Reactors?

I just thought I'd like to mention one thing from the Yokohama anti nuclear power conference on January 14-15 that I can't get out of my head. At one of the workshops, Swedish expert Göran Bryntse, PhD, who has led the anti-nuclear movement in Sweden for a long time, talked about how citizens can change the energy policy.

First of all, he noted, energy efficiency is the best and cheapest alternative to nuclear power. For example, a country like Sweden can save up to one third of its energy consumption through heatpumps, more efficient engines, LED lights, and new whitegoods such as the latest refrigerators.

In the case of Sweden, these measures would be able to replace 4 nuclear reactors, according to Dr Bryntse. Additionally, 6 more nuclear reactors can be replaced by wind power (3), biomass and co-generation (2), and solar energy (1). Thus, all of Sweden’s current 10 nuclear reactors can easily be phased out.

Consumers Union of Japan: 11,500 Participants In Yokohama Want Japan To Change Its Thinking About Nuclear Power

If we apply this to Japan, it would add up to something like this, as Japan has 54 nuclear reactors (about half per capita compared to Sweden):

Saving energy/reducing consumption: (0.4X54) 21.6

Wind power: (0.3X54) 16.2
Biomass/co-generation: (0.2X54) 10.8
Solar energy: (0.1X54) 5.4

Total: 32.4 nuclear reactors could be phased out in Japan if renewable energy is phased in. Add to that the 21.6 and you get 53.8 which is what we want, give or take 0.2 which are not the point anyway. All nuclear reactors can be phased out and the country can become a leader of renewable energy, rather than depending on expensive and unsustainable nuclear power.

Plus Japan, like Sweden, has not yet solved the problem of what to do with the highly radioactive waste that nuclear power plants continue to produce. "Like living in a mansion (in a high-rise apartment building) without a toilet" is an expression in Japan to describe this unfortunate situation.

I also think solar is a better choice for Japan than wind, considering the weather (we just had 35 sunny days in the Tokyo and Kanto area until the recent snowfall).

In China, they have installed PV on millions of buildings, according to Dr Bryntse, so of course Japan can do better. In fact, Dr Bryntse was invited to the award ceremony in Stockholm when Chinese solar-power entrepreneur Huang Ming received the 2011 Right Livelihood Award for his efforts to speed up the transition from fossil and nuclear energy to renewable in China and abroad:

"In the past ten years, China has become the biggest producer and market of solar energy products, around 250 million Chinese begin to use solar energy, forty percent of them are farmers," Huang said at the ceremony. "Altogether, we have saved around 300 million tons of coal and decreased 400 million tons of emission," he added.

Xinhua.net: Chinese entrepreneur receives 2011 Right Livelihood Award

Applying the math from Sweden (or China) to Japan is not going to give all the answers, but it is an interesting place to start. For example, Japanese people are a lot more frugal per capita compared to Swedish people. Thus, reducing consumption further may not be an easy task for an ordinary household. However, there are many other sectors in Japan that could do a lot more to become energy efficient and stop wasting power. We have to stop assuming that we can continue with "business as usual" as currently some 50 or so reactors are off-line in Japan, in the middle of the 2012 winter. TEPCO for example, is down to 1 single reactor right now, according to The Mainichi:

The Mainichi: TEPCO to shut down another reactor, to leave only 1 in service

The No. 5 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture will be suspended for scheduled checkups in the early hours of Wednesday, leaving only one out of a total of 17 reactors run by Tokyo Electric Power Co. in service, the utility said.

All 17 reactors will go offline by the end of March with the No. 6 reactor at the plant to be shut down by then for checkups, the utility known as TEPCO said.

Among Japan's 54 commercial reactors, only three reactors, except those of TEPCO, are currently in operation -- the No. 3 reactor at the Tomari plant in Hokkaido, the No. 3 reactor at the Takahama plant in Fukui Prefecture, and the No. 2 reactor at the Shimane plant in Shimane Prefecture.

Energy consumption per capita is actually a very interesting figure. Ever thought about it? How does your country rank on the list? In other words, how do you rank?

Nationmaster.com: Electricity consumption (per capita) by country

Data from 2007. If you live in Sweden, you use some 15,000 kWh/year while a person living in Japan uses about 7,700 kWh/year. Wow, that is less than half compared to your average Swedish citizen, quite impressive! A US citizen uses some 12,700 kWh/year and a German some 6,600 kWh/year.

Intersting to note how these figures vary, and from what I gather, consumption is increasing as of 2009.

Electricity consumption per capita, International Energy Agency (IEA) Statistics Division. 2007. Energy Balances of OECD Countries (2008 edition)--Economic Indicators and Energy Balances of Non-OECD Countries (2007 edition)--Economic Indicators. Paris: IEA http://data.iea.org/ieastore/default.asp.

Citation:
ChartsBin statistics collector team 2011, Electricity Consumption Per Capita, ChartsBin.com http://chartsbin.com/view/2625.