japan business: Can't Japan live without nuclear power ?!

Japan business without nuclear power ?!

I came to know that 30% of Japan's electricity needs is met by nuclear power plants a.k.a NPP . And i think that there are about 50 NPP in Japan . Sitting on pacific ring of fire - does Japan need so many NPPs. Can't it live without NPPs ? Won't solar/wind power meet the needs ? Switching off lights in the railway station during daytime , turning of funky ad-boards , turning off a/c in offices (other than summer) ..... I think these small acts would help a lot to save power and save Japan from these "man-made NPP monsters" .

Jason Ball • I think at least the power saving measures you're talking about Prem are indeed being trialled right now. We'll have to see what comes out of this and how Japan, and the world, responds to a growing need, a blindingly obvious crisis, of where Energy will come from into the next decade...

Steve Sidhu • Daylight saving would help, might fade the curtains but who cares

Prem Khanna J • Yeah Jason ... Japan should take all measures to save power . I heard on a NHK news that JR (for example) has already saved a lot on it's power bills . Industries and companies that provide basic needs (like gas, water) and relief operations that need power should be given preference for power supply . I wonder who needs power (or the comfort it brings along) at the expense life . Time to seriously think about NPPs .

Chris Shannon • No.
Simply too much bang for the buck.

James Santagata • @Prem,
One of the problems with solar power and wind is that it just doesn't have, at this point the power density provided by nuclear power. I still think nuclear power is one of the main ways to go (including for power density), and there are many technologies out there to be explored such as pebble bed reactors, and at some point low-temperature fusion. When you start coupling this with room temperature superconductors or low-temp superconductors and other carriers like fuel cells, things get interesting. Solar also has its usage, especially if we can get very efficient thin films that can be coated or sprayed on asphalt, buildings sidings, roofs, etc.

In the short term, obviously energy conservation is key as well as perhaps a faster move to LEDs, and use of other carriers for use in low-demand times -- such as in a data center, in using the power at high rates when everyone is sleeping to freeze large ice blocks, and then during the day, rather than using full a/c cooling, re-circulate the hot server air over the ice block and so on.

-- James

Jeffery Hensley • This is an interesting question and question that my firm has been looking at very closely since for the past three years. Two things that would instantly reduce the need for generating so much electricity follow: (however, I'm not going to comment on which power sources should or would be favored)

I don't have the calculations in front of me but one thing that would rid the country of one NPP is banning vending machines (not only turning off their lights). (It would also probably be good for reducing the "metabo" syndrome.)

Also, about 40% of the worlds electricity is used by industry (not sure about Japan specific). Two-thirds of the electricity used by industry is used by electric motors. ABB estimates "that the use of variable speed drives (or motors) can reduce energy consumption by upt to 50% in many applications. But less than 10% are variable speed." If ABB is correct such variable speed drives (or motors) would eliminate up to 20% of current electricity generation needs. It is probably more like 10% since the wording "many applications" is vague.