Japan’s Renewable Energy Progress: Analysis from 2022 ISEP Report

The Institute of Sustainable Energy Policies has released the results of their report, estimating that the ratio of renewable energy power to the total electricity generation in Japan was 22.7% in 2022. Further policies are necessary to continue this upward trajectory.

Within the green energy umbrella, solar power was the star performer, accounting for 9.9% of the annual electricity generation, an improvement on the previous year’s 9.3%. The broader category of variable renewable energy, including solar and wind power, constituted 10.8% of the energy mix.

Meanwhile, biomass contributed 4.6% to the national grid, rising from 4.1% a year earlier. But not all sectors posted growth. Wind power dipped slightly to 0.85%, and hydroelectric dropped by 0.7 points to 7.1%. Geothermal held steady at 0.25%.

The role of fossil fuels in Japan’s power generation remains significant, with the annual proportion at 72.4%, a slight increase from 71.7% in the previous year. Despite a dip in LNG usage due to price hikes, coal usage rose from 26.5% to 27.8%. Nuclear power generation also saw a decrease, coming in at 4.8%, down from 5.9% a year earlier.

In comparison, Europe’s average renewable power generation across all 27 EU member states reached 38.4% in 2022. Countries such as Denmark, Portugal, Germany, and Spain have VRE contributions over 30%, with Denmark leading the pack at 60.8%. This progress, however, has been shadowed by the Ukrainian crisis, which nudged fossil fuel generation slightly above renewables at 39.5%.

China too has seen a surge in renewable energy implementation, particularly wind and solar power. Wind energy made up 9.3% and solar 4.7% of the annual power generation, equal to the contribution of nuclear power. Including hydropower, China’s renewable energy accounted for 30.8% of the total power generation.

Closer to home, Japan’s demand for power saw an average renewable contribution of 20.5% in 2022. Remarkably, at peak demand, renewables accounted for over 80% of supply nationwide.