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Given the involvement of massive land expropriation or extensive felling of trees, Japan's Ministry of the Environment has planned to put large-scale PV power stations under the coverage of the Environment Impact Appraisal Act, to be effective from fall 2019.
Following the inauguration of fixed rates for renewable energy in 2012, PV power devices have mushroomed in Japan, with new capacities topping 28.75 million KW during 2012-2016, equivalent to 30 nuclear-power generation units. Thanks to its lower cost, PV power is likely to play a key role in Japan's target raising the share of renewable energy to 22-24% by 2030.
In Japan, PV power stations are not subject to the restrictions of the environment impact appraisal law now, which covers hydraulic power, thermal power, wind power, geothermal, and nuclear power. According to the nation's Electricity Business Act, investors of PV power stations must submit the investment plan to the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, at least 30 days in advance. Such projects, however, are still subject to the Forest Act or some local regulations, pending the location of their sites.
Municipal regulations on PV power vary. In Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture, for instance, premises of PV power station cannot exceed 1.2 hectares in space, while in Kobe City of Hyogo Prefecture, investors must obtain permit of the city government for building commercial PV power stations with 10 KW or higher capacity.
The Ministry of Environment points out that up to June, 32 prefectures and 17 cities in Japan had permitted construction of PV power stations under their own regulations but some projects still caused public concern, due to the location of their sites and subsequent effects. The Forestry Agency, under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, reports that 2,600 hectares of forest were permitted to be used for PV power stations in 2016, 12 times that in 2012.
In some areas, opposition to PV power projects is for protection of rare bird species or habitats of insects. In Fujinomiya City of Shizuoka Prefecture, residents are concerned about PV power stations spoiling the landscape of Mount Fuji, prompting the Ministry of Environment to revise the Natural Parks Act, according to which investors must apply with the authority of setting up PV power stations inside national parks.
The Ministry of Environment, therefore, believes that PV power stations should be covered by the Environment Impact Appraisal Act. Heated debate is expected to occur on the scale of power stations which will be subject to the act.
In recent years, quite a number of disputes have erupted, due to lack of full communication with local residents. In the future, investors of PV power stations will have to carry out site assessment and report to local residents. Mitsuru Tanaka, professor in sociology at Hosei University, supports coverage of PV power stations by the Environmental Impact Appraisal Act, stressing the obligation of operators for environmental protection.
Market players, though, are concerned about the influence of the increase costs deriving from the new regulation on the investment willingness, saying that it may slow down deployment in large-scale PV power stations and make the 2030 green-energy target unachievable.
The Ministry of Environment held the first experts' meeting on Aug. 30, discussing the threshold of power-station capacity for environmental-impact appraisal, the standard for the space of station premises, and the appraisal of the impact on landscape and ecology.
Except cost, environmental impact and site location are two major factors in consideration for green energy, such as the concern over the effect of wind power on birds' ecologyy and result of environmental pollution caused by the development of geothermal.
(First figure is a schematic diagram, courtesy of Michael Mees via Flickr CC BY 2.0, written by Daisy Chuang)