Profit from Wind Power Generation in Konagai Town, Nagasaki Prefecture - May 2004

Profit from Wind Power Generation in Konagai Town, Nagasaki Prefecture - May 2004
Around 2004, Japan was in the midst of international negotiations on global warming countermeasures, just prior to the Kyoto Protocol coming into effect on February 16, 2005. The Japanese government had decided to accept the Kyoto Protocol in 2002 and was hurrying to design domestic systems to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In the midst of this trend, the RPS system (Law Concerning Special Measures concerning the Use of New Energy, etc. by Electric Utilities), which mandates the use of new energy for electricity retailing, was introduced in fiscal 2003, encouraging the introduction of renewable energy in local regions. Later, a feed-in tariff (FIT) system was introduced on July 1, 2012, but this project is an initiative on the eve of that date.

According to the NEDO's installation record, one 300kW unit manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was installed in 1998 for testing and research purposes, followed by 600kW units manufactured by Vestas in 2000 and 2002, each of which sold electricity. (Total of three units, 1500kW output). This was an advanced configuration for a community-led, small-scale distributed system at the time.

In 2003, the company's revenue from electricity sales reached a record high of over 20 million yen, partly due to the full operation of the three units. The power generated is used at the Yamachabana Kogen Picnic Park and herb garden operated by the town's promotion corporation, and the surplus is sold to Kyushu Electric Power Co. The town has also been active in receiving visitors, with 250 people from 14 groups visiting the park in the same fiscal year, creating a ripple effect in terms of tourism and environmental education.

The RPS mandate and the subsidy system provided a tailwind that encouraged local governments, the third sector, and local businesses to participate one after another. The RPS mandate and subsidy system provided a tailwind for participation by municipalities, third-sector companies, and local businesses. Small-scale projects such as the one in Onagaicho steadily produced results in coastal areas with relatively few grid and site constraints, setting a precedent for community-led renewable energy projects in the FIT era.

In general, the case of Onagaicho is one of the models of "compatibility between the environment and local economy" in the RPS period. Even today, when the town has become a part of Isahaya City after the merger, it is worth rereading in the context of energy utilization originating from the community by combining wind conditions and tourism resources.