Japan:

Japan's Renewable Revolution at Risk (BBC News)

Could Japan survive without nuclear power? The short answer to that question is yes.

Japan is a mountainous island nation with a sunny climate and lots of active volcanoes. In other words there are lots of potential ways to generate renewable energy - hydro, wind, tidal, solar and, the big one, geothermal.

And yet prior to 2011, just 9% of Japan's power came from renewables - and almost all of that from hydropower. Only 1% came from solar.

In the face of widespread opposition, the Abe government is pushing ahead with a return to nuclear power. His most persuasive argument for doing so is that Japan needs the cheap reliable "base load" power that only nuclear can provide.

That claim flies in the face of scientific evidence that Japan could greatly increase its output from renewable sources. Japan's geothermal potential is huge. It has 119 active volcanoes. Geothermal is cheap, reliable and works 24 hours a day. But so far only a tiny fraction of it is being exploited.

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