Language | MORNING ENGLISH May 22, 2017
Let's discuss Cool Biz
The thermostat setting of 28 degrees recommended by the Cool Biz energy-saving campaign is stirring controversy among top government officials.
National | CHUBU CONNECTION May 22, 2017
Chubu Electric uses artificial nests so crows don't build their own on power towers
Chubu Electric Power Co. has adopted a unique method to deter crows from nesting on transmission towers and causing blackouts by building artificial bird nests far from the power lines. Until recently, the company tried chasing the birds away from the towers with little success. ...
World Apr 22, 2017
Power outage cripples San Francisco for seven hours
A massive power outage threw San Francisco into chaos for most of the workday on Friday, knocking out traffic signals, paralyzing businesses and halting the city's famed cable cars. The power outage, which was triggered by a fire in a PG&E Corp. utility substation, disrupted ...
National / Science & Health Apr 15, 2017
Wirelessly chargeable motor-assisted bike tested in Kyoto
A Kyoto University team has started a demonstration test in Kyoto Prefecture of a motor-assisted bicycle that is designed to charge wirelessly just by parking it in front of a charger stand. The bicycle, equipped with a receiver on the front basket and a battery ...
Business / Corporate Apr 8, 2017
Only 5.5% of households changed power companies after electricity market's liberalization in 2016
Tokyo led all households in switching power companies after the liberalization of the electricity market last year, but the trend hasn’t picked up steam yet.
National Mar 30, 2017
More households change power suppliers amid market liberalization
Over 3 million households in Japan have switched their electricity suppliers to new entrants to the retail power market since the market was fully liberalized last April. Although the figure accounts for only 5 percent of overall household subscribers, the trend is expected to gather ...
Business / Corporate Mar 19, 2017
Five power firms nationwide dole out over ¥90 billion in dividends after rate hikes
Five major domestic power companies have paid a total of some ¥90 billion in shareholder dividends since raising their electricity rates following the country's worst nuclear disaster in March 2011, Jiji Press has learned. While the fee hikes lifted their earnings, the five companies have ...
Business Mar 15, 2017
Japan's power producers to face china coal pain after steel
by Ben Sharples and Tsuyoshi Inajima
First it was Japan's steel makers, now it's the nation's power producers that are set to pay for China's coal policies. Japanese utilities may pay at least 29 percent more for annual supplies this year after China's efforts in 2016 to trim overcapacity led to ...
Business / Corporate Mar 4, 2017
Tepco, Chubu to fully integrate thermal power businesses
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. and Chubu Electric Power Co. have decided to fully integrate their thermal power operations in two or three years, sources said Friday. The operations, which account for half of Japan's total thermal power capacity, will be brought under Jera ...
Business Feb 2, 2017
Lead by Tesla, battery storage facilities look to boot fossil fuels from the grid
Tesla Motors Inc. is making a huge bet that millions of small batteries can be strung together to help kick fossil fuels off the grid. The idea is a powerful one — and has been used to help justify the company's $5 billion factory ...
Business / Corporate Dec 1, 2016
SoftBank's Asia power grid plan advances in the face of challenges
by Takaki Tominaga
Japan's SoftBank Group Corp. has been undertaking an ambitious plan to connect power grids across Asia in order to import electricity generated from renewable resources in the region. The Asia Super Grid concept was put forward by Masayoshi Son, chairman and CEO of the leading ...
Business Nov 30, 2016
Sun setting on Japan's solar energy boom
by Anne Beade
The sun is setting on Japan's clean-energy boom, despite projects like a massive floating solar farm near Tokyo, as the government cuts subsidies and bets on nuclear and coal-fired power, critics say. Workers at the floating power station, one of the world's biggest, have just ...