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A solar photovoltaic system called the "Flower of the Sun" in Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture. With a view to reducing carbon dioxide emissions, the city applies environmentally-friendly solar photovoltaics. Shaped like a flower blooming towards the sunlight, it is capable of generating 100 kWh of electricity per hour in sunny weather.
Japan is dependent on imports for 83.7 percent of its energy supply. Since experiencing the two oil crises of the 1970s, Japan has taken measures to promote energy conservation, introduce alternatives to petroleum, and secure a stable supply of petroleum through stockpiling and other measures. As a result, its dependence on petroleum declined from 77.4 percent in fiscal 1973 to 47.0 percent in fiscal 2007. However, Japan is growing increasingly dependent on fossil fuels (including natural gas and coal) other than petroleum and this calls for steps such as the greater use of non-fossil fuel energy (renewable energy and nuclear power).
In fiscal 2007, the total primary energy supply in Japan was 23,861 petajoules, up 0.4 percent from the previous fiscal year. Its breakdown was: 47.0 percent in petroleum, 21.3 percent in coal, 16.3 percent in natural gas, 9.7 percent in nuclear power, and 2.7 percent in hydro power. Other sources were also used, though only in small quantities, including energy from waste, geothermal, and natural energy (solar thermal, wind power, etc.).
In an effort to prevent global warming, the government has been reducing energy waste by taking such measures as energy saving and improving power generation efficiency. The government has also been promoting the introduction of methods of generating electricity that do not produce CO2, including nuclear power and new energy sources (solar power and wind power).
Energy units
Joule (J) is employed as a common unit (International System of Units: SI) for energy across all energy sources in presenting international statistical information. The unit Petajoule (PJ: 1015 or quadrillion joules) is used here to reduce the number of digits. The energy of one kiloliter of petroleum is calculated using the following formulae:
| 1 kiloliter of petroleum | = | 3.87 1010 joules |
| 1 petajoule | = | 1015 joules |
Petroleum is traded internationally using the volume unit of barrels. One barrel equals approximately 158.987 liters.
Japan's final energy consumption has increased almost consistently since the mid-1980s. While energy consumption by the industrial sector has remained mostly level, growth in energy consumption by the commercial and residential sector and transport sector has risen sharply. The transport sector includes energy consumption for all transportation purposes, whether household or commercial. In the commercial and residential sector, energy consumption by the commercial sector in particular has risen in recent years. This has been mainly caused by (i) the rise in the total floor area of office buildings and large-scale retail stores; (ii) an increase in the amount of air conditioning equipment and lighting appliances used in those facilities; and (iii) the growth of office automation.
Japan's energy consumption is thus expanding fairly consistently, yet the volume of primary energy required to generate the same level of GDP (primary energy supply per GDP) is lower in Japan compared to other industrialized countries. This indicates that Japan is one of the most energy-efficient countries in the world.
Approximately half of Japan's primary energy supply of petroleum, coal and other energy sources is converted into electric power.
Electricity output (including private power generation) in Japan totaled 1,193 billion kWh in fiscal 2007, up 2.7 percent from the previous fiscal year. Of this total, thermal power accounted for 70.3 percent; nuclear power, 22.1 percent; hydro power, 7.1 percent; and other sources, 0.5 percent. In the field of thermal power generation, huge replacement has been made from petroleum to natural gas.
Gas production was 1,324 petajoules in fiscal 2007, up 4.5 percent from the previous fiscal year. Of this total, natural gas plus liquefied natural gas (LNG) accounted for 96.8 percent; and the remaining 3.2 percent were petroleum gases, such as volatile oil, liquefied petroleum gas, etc.
Gas sales for fiscal 2007 totaled 1,503 petajoules, or year-on-year growth of 6.3 percent. Of this total, 50.6 percent was sold to industry, 27.5 percent to residential use, 13.8 percent to the commercial sector, and 8.2 percent to other sources of demand.
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