While many geothermal industry players have their eyes on active development regions like East Africa or Indonesia, Japan may actually be a quiet contender for the next hot spot.
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| The 9.5-MW Matsukawa Geothermal Power Station, built in 1966, was one of the first geothermal plants in Japan. Credit: Wikipedia. |
As Japan continues to bounce back from the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, it has focused on renewable energy to lessen its reliance on nuclear and carbon-heavy fossil fuels. In just two years, Japan installed more than 11 gigawatts (GW) of renewables, thanks in part to a generous feed-in tariff (FIT) program established in 2012.
While most of that development has been centered on solar, Japan has recently turned toward its abundant reserves of geothermal energy, with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) expecting 380 to 850 MW of new installed geothermal capacity by 2030.
