Fukushima Prefecture in Japan is indelibly etched in collective memory with the nuclear power disaster at the Daiichi plant, which followed the earthquake triggered Tsunami of February 2011. Namie, a town downwind of the plant, had to be evacuated in a hurry as radioactive winds blew its way, contaminating the town.
In the decade since, the town has gradually rebuilt itself. Now, it will give Fukushima a new fame, which ought to wipe out at least a bit of the memories of the tragedies.
The Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field (FH2R), a facility for producing the clean energy, hydrogen, has began operations, and aims to become the world's largest hydrogen fuel facility. Becoming a "hydrogen society"' is a key thrust of Japan's approach to renewable energy. At present, only six per cent of the country's energy is produced from renewable sources; the bulk is oil (37 per cent), coal (25 per cent) and natural gas (22 per cent). Only three per cent is from nuclear energy. Japan is keen to give up all dependency on nuclear energy, as it is still grappling with the radioactive fallout of a decade ago.
Speaking to reporters from Japan, Ohira Eiji, director general of fuel cell and hydrogen technology office of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation, said Japan aims at achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, and hydrogen plays an important role in achieving this goal.
Hydrogen can be produced from many sources. It does not emit any greenhouse gas as byproduct. It can be stored, transported and exported, and can be used across various sectors.
Japan, he said, was the first country to come out with a national basic hydrogen strategy, way back in 2017. The Fukushima facility, which is 250km from the capital city, Tokyo, is a research centre, equipped to produce hydrogen through the electrolysis method. It aims to develop a power-to-gas technology to realise low carbon energy systems.
Japan has ambitious plans to power its systems with hydrogen this decade. At present, it has 6,500 buses powered by hydrogen cells. It plans to increase the number to eight lakh by 2030. In the same time frame, it wants to increase the number of fuel cell buses from 100 to 1,200 .
Eiji said the long term plan is to reduce the cost of fuel cell energy to $3 by 2030, and $2 by 2050. By 2050, it plans to use hydrogen as an aviation fuel, in the steel making process and expand the supply and distribution of this fuel across the nation. “Hydrogen is the key technology for carbon neutrality. Japan has just started the market penetration; we are working on enhancing application and improving technologies,'' Eiji said.
Will hydrogen revive the lost fortunes of Namie? Only 1,500 of the original 20,000 residents have returned after the authorities began reopening phase-wise from 2017. Around 17,000 people are registered as residents, though most stay away from Namie. While around half the registered residents, in a survey, said they were not keen to return, a quarter of them were undecided.
The Fikushima Prefecture has also developed huge solar energy producing farms, and aims to harness the wind, too.