• News
    • Tech News
    • AI
  • Gadgets
    • Apple
    • iPhone
  • Gaming
    • Playstation
    • Xbox
  • Science
    • News
    • Space
  • Streaming
    • Netflix
  • Vehicles
    • Car News
  • Social Media
    • WhatsApp
    • YouTube
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
TikTok
Snapchat
WhatsApp
Submit Your Content
Japan eyes revolutionary next generation energy source that could replace nuclear power

Home> News

Published 00:57 3 Dec 2024 GMT

Japan eyes revolutionary next generation energy source that could replace nuclear power

The future is looking 'bright'

Tom Chapman

Tom Chapman

The future of renewable energy could be here, as Japan eyes a revolutionary source that could apparently replace nuclear power. Japan's government hopes to generate 20 gigawatts of electricity by the fiscal year of 2040. This would be the equivalent of 20 nuclear reactors and has been unveiled in the country's revised energy plan.

As countries across the world look for alternatives to nuclear power and the burning of fossil fuels, renewable energy sources continue to be explored.

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) plans to deploy the technology that involves bendable perovskite solar cells that have been designated to help expand the country's hopes to hit net-zero emissions by 2050.

Advert

The current energy program asks for Japan to increase renewable energy sources to between 36 and 38% of its total energy sources. The 2023 fiscal year stands at 22.9%, with these PV systems planning to up its output.

Current solar panels are heavy and fragile (Weiquan Lin / Getty)
Current solar panels are heavy and fragile (Weiquan Lin / Getty)

Currently, solar panels are made of fragile silicon that's protected by glass. Coming in at about 10 kg per square meter, they're also incredibly heavy. These bendable perovskite solar cells cover the perovskite crystal structure with a power-generating layer. As they're thin and flexible, they're about one-tenth the weight of traditional solar panels.

According to Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, solar panels have been causing issues in 40% of municipalities where renewable energy has been used. With solar power facilities being built on sloping land, there have been multiple reports of landslide damage. Alongside this, others have been complaining about blinding light from the reflective panels.

Advert

The Agency for Natural Resources and Energy reports that Japan's mountains have installed the most solar power panels of any major industrialized country, leaping ahead of Germany, and the United Kingdom coming in third. Meanwhile, the USA is down in eighth place.

As climate change worsens, the energy sector is responsible for over 80% of carbon emissions. Amid worries about restarting nuclear reactors due to the many disasters, Japan is among the countries that are looking to expand their renewable energy output.

Countries lies Poland are also looking into perovskite solar cells (JANEK SKARZYNSKI / Contributor / Getty)
Countries lies Poland are also looking into perovskite solar cells (JANEK SKARZYNSKI / Contributor / Getty)

Sekisui Chemical is targeting the commercialization of bendable perovskite solar cells in 2025, with company head Morita Takeharu explaining that an initially high selling price should be worth it in the long run. As Nippon reports, Takeharu says: "If you consider the possibility that a carbon tax will be introduced in the future, it might be cheaper to use the new cells. Meanwhile, some large companies place importance on aspects like increasing their corporate value and displaying social responsibility."

Advert

Sekisui hopes to use PV cells on the roofs of factories and warehouses, which previously were unable to use traditional solar panels due to their weight. The company has been conducting tests at Tokyo International Cruise Terminal by attaching panels to curved surfaces. Added to this, a 43-story skyscraper that's planned for completion in Tokyo's Uchisaiwaichō in Hibiya by 2028 will include thin solar cells in its outer walls. The skyscraper will reportedly generate 1,000 kilowatts of power.

As roof-mounted solar panels can be affected by snow, including them in walls opens up a whole new world of solar generation.

If PV cells become more affordable, there are hopes that the struggling agricultural sector can use these cells in plastic greenhouses, while rollable solar panels could be used as an emergency power generator in the aftermath of disasters. Either way, Japan continues to pave the way for solar power innovation.

Featured Image Credit: Anton Petrus / JANEK SKARZYNSKI / Contributor / Getty
Japan
Climate change
News
World News

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

2 days ago
  • 2 days ago

    FBI issue warning to Android and iPhone users as attacks increase by 700% in one month

    Users have reported fake texts claiming to be from the DMV

    News
  • 2 days ago

    Major update issued on Saudi Arabia's $1,000,000,000,000 giga-project NEOM

    The trillion-dollar project has now reached a major milestone

    News
  • 2 days ago

    Woman living on remote compound next to $500,000,000,000 futuristic city in Saudi Arabia reveals one thing that shocked her

    She's become a digital ambassador for the remote location

    News
  • 2 days ago

    Donald Trump reveals specific 'strange' moment bromance with Elon Musk turned sour

    The president has revealed all when it comes to his relationship with Musk

    News
  • Huge hidden energy source found underneath Texas that could provide reliable renewable power
  • Scientists think they've uncovered an untapped energy source that could power Earth for 170,000 years
  • Tech company unveils revolutionary car wheels that could transform EVs
  • Insane ‘boil in a bag’ funerals that flushes bodies down the drain could be approved in country of 68,000,000 people