FUKUOKA – A joint venture between Softbank Corp. and a U.S. firm specializing in renewable energy said Monday it has begun generating electricity from an environmentally friendly fuel-cell-based system, using it to power an office building in the city of Fukuoka.

The system, installed adjacent to the building, Fukuoka M-Tower, can generate 200 kw via a chemical reaction utilizing city gas, according to Bloom Energy Japan Ltd., equally owned by Softbank and Sunnyvale, California-based Bloom Energy Corp.

The joint venture said the system can produce power in a low-cost manner that limits carbon dioxide emissions.

At a ceremony marking the start of the system’s operations, Softbank President Masayoshi Son said it is important to introduce alternative energy systems that can free society from its dependence on nuclear power plants.

The system, installed in Japan for the first time, has been used by U.S. customers such as Google and Coca Cola Co., the joint company said.