| | MAY 202319geothermal power station in the world, with 320 gigawatts of electricity. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, geothermal energy and biomass both makeup less than one percent of the nation's generating capacity. According to Japan's National Industrial Institute of Science and Technology, the United States has the highest estimated geothermal potential, followed by Indonesia and Japan. However, in terms of installed geothermal power generating capacity, the United States leads the world while Japan is ranked ninth.Geothermal Power Plants in JapanGeothermal power plants at national and quasi-national parks are one of the deregulatory steps the Environment Ministry is considering. The natural park law now strongly restricts geothermal energy development at specific locations. But by introducing new permit criteria that distinctly outline the conditions for project approval, the ministry hopes to make it much simpler. The change will also enable operators to begin producing geothermal energy after eight years of planning as opposed to the more than ten years it takes under the current arrangement.In Japan, there are now 62 geothermal power plants in operation, but by 2030, the government wants that number to treble. The regulatory reform initiatives were developed on June 1 by the Regulatory Reform Promotion Council, an advisory body established by the Cabinet Office. Given that achieving the government's net zero emissions goal will require a significant increase in renewable energy production across the nation, the council looked at the current regulations at the request of Taro Kono, the minister in charge of regulatory reform. According to the new regulations, environmental impact assessments will be required for wind power plants that produce more than 50,000 kilowatts. Smaller operators will no longer have to worry about going through evaluation thanks to the change, which lowers the bar for them. At the moment, wind farms with a 10,000 kilowatt capacity must have this assessment.This rule adjustment is anticipated to lighten the burden on relatively small wind power generators and encourage more new entrants to the market. In March, the agriculture ministry loosened regulations for using solar energy on farmlands. Operators must cultivate agricultural produce underneath solar panels to exploit formerly used acreage for solar power generation. Previously, operators had to guarantee a harvest of at least 80 percent of what would be produced on typical farmlands.However, they are just now requested to use their farmlands properly and are no longer required to meet a numerical goal. By mandating fewer periods for such projects, the farm ministry will work on further measures to make more farmlands available with little chance of being used for solar generation. The economy ministry intends to introduce a system to make it simpler for companies to acquire electricity produced by renewable energy this year. Public organizations will issue green energy certificates under the method attesting that the electricity was generated from renewable sources. TO MAKE JAPAN'S SUPPLY MIX SIGNIFICANTLY GREENER, THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT IS TAKING ACTION TO REDUCE RED TAPE IN THE ENERGY SECTOR. IN ORDER TO INCREASE THE QUANTITY OF ELECTRICITY PRODUCED FROM RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES, INCLUDING GEOTHERMAL, WIND, AND SOLAR POWER, REGULATIONS WILL BE DRASTICALLY RELAXED, ACCORDING TO OFFICIALS. PRIME MINISTER YOSHIHIDE SUGA SET THE GOAL OF ACHIEVING NET ZERO EMISSIONS OF GREENHOUSE GASSES BY 2050, AND THIS ACTION IS PART OF A LARGER EFFORT TO REACH THAT GOAL
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