Dreams Burning in the Forest: Yamagata Prefecture's Biomass Utilization Council - 2004

Dreams Burning in the Forest: Yamagata Prefecture's Biomass Utilization Council - 2004
Around 2004, Japan was rushing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and shift to a recycling-oriented society as the Kyoto Protocol was about to take effect. In 2002, the cabinet approved the Biomass Nippon Comprehensive Strategy, which clarified the utilization of unused biomass, the development of local human resources, and the promotion of biomass towns. In a later review of the strategy, the use of domestic biofuels and forest residues was emphasized, pushing local regions to implement the strategy.

Yamagata Prefecture quickly responded to this trend and formulated the Yamagata Prefecture Biomass Comprehensive Use Vision on March 26, 2004. The following year, the prefecture established the Biomass Utilization Council, a cross-section of industry, academia, and government, and gave it the role of a hub to unite efforts scattered throughout the prefecture. The official document clearly states the date of formulation, which shows the speed of the prefecture's decision-making at that time.

The seeds of implementation were already in motion on the ground. In the prefecture, several demonstrations and projects were underway in parallel, including fuel production using sweet sorghum as a resource crop, conversion of waste cooking oil into diesel fuel, power generation using wood sawdust, etc., and composting of livestock waste. The council was positioned as a forum for connecting these projects and discussing the development of measures by the local government and the private sector.

The policy environment was also a tailwind. In the electric power sector, the RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard) system went into full effect in FY2003, obliging electric power companies to use new energy sources. Biomass power generation was accepted as a new energy source, and the refinement of technology and supply chain progressed. The baton will later be passed to the FIT system in 2012, and 2004 was the transitional period.

In the 2009 report, the sweet sorghum demonstration in Shinjo City, Yamagata Prefecture, was mentioned, and the idea of generating fuel from local resources became an indigenous concept. The idea of creating fuel from local resources became indigenous to the region.

In summary, the Yamagata Prefecture Council was a coordinating device that translated national policy into local language and brought together the diverse resources of crops, waste oil, woody material, and livestock. 2004 marked a step forward in creating a foundation for regional recycling and decarbonization, with a focus on three aspects of commercialization: collection and quality, conversion technology, and securing demand.