Japan for Sustainability (JFS) started using wind power for all the energy requirements of its office in the autumn of 2003, by adopting the Green Power Certification System of the Japan Natural Energy Company (JNEC).

Under this system, a corporate customer entrusts wind power generation to JNEC, which then selects a good wind power producer to subcontract it. The subcontractor generates electricity based on the contract and reports actual performance to JNEC.

The Green Power Certification Council Japan, an independent body, certifies the performance. JNEC then issues a Certificate of Green Power to the customer, which pays a commission to JNEC in turn, according to the amount of power generated. The wind power producer sells the electricity to a local power company.

By separating sales of environmental value-added services from sales of electricity itself, the system thus allows customers to use wind generated power most efficiently, irrespective of the location of the power companies. More than 40 municipalities and companies, including Sony Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation, have adopted this system as part of their contributions to environmental protection.

The green power contracts are in units of more than one million kWh per year, or 100,000 kWh per year if the green power accounts for 50 percent or more of a company's power consumption. The contract period is 15 years in both cases. In addition, JNEC developed a new program for small-scale users in October 2003, offering five-year contracts at a cost of 6.5 yen (U.S.$0.06) per kWh when they buy green power to cover 10 percent or more of their power consumption. JFS became the second non-governmental organization to use this new program.


http://www.natural-e.co.jp/english/index.html

Posted: 2004/02/07 04:18:05 PM
Japanese version

TAG Energy , Manufacturing industry , NGO/Citizen , Non-manufacturing industry , System/Law