CHANGING PERSPECTIVES: Renewable Energy in Japan
This series surveys renewable energy development over Japan's complex rural and urban landscapes.
Japan's approach to stewardship of its land and water resources is distinct from the United States. As an island nation with a millennia-long history, the concepts of reuse, repurposing, and multiple-use are intrinsic to Japanese culture. In addition, the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and subsequent Fukushima nuclear disaster caused Japan to reassess its dependence on nuclear power as a primary source of electricity generation. Building renewable energy capacity, predominantly as photovoltaic projects, has become one answer in their quest for alternatives.
With an opportunity to visit Japan as a guest artist at the Mount Rokko International Photo Festival in 2016, we researched and planned a series of aerial shoots around Tokyo and Kobe/Osaka. During these flights, I encountered photovoltaic projects on former golf courses, quarries, dams, artificial islands, and floating projects on ponds and reservoirs. Projects were interspersed in unique and visually compelling ways within urban and suburban communities, industrial zones, and forested areas.
Though renewable energy projects in Japan are small compared to large utility-scale projects in the United States, this series adds a fascinating chapter to our ongoing conversation about energy, climate change, and the imperative of creating a sustainable future.
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