The sudden decisions by five power companies to stop purchasing electricity from renewable energy sources under a feed-in-tariff (FIT) system have forced the government to start reviewing the system itself.
The review will include possibly introducing a tender system for green power-generating entities hoping to sell electricity to power firms and increasing the weight of wind and geothermal power in the purchase of green power.
But the government should not forget a more important thing than tinkering with the FIT system — improving the power grid and the related technological basis so that the share of green electricity will greatly increase in Japan's total power output. It also must not use the planned restart of nuclear power plants as an excuse to put a brake on the growth of renewable energy sources.