Tag - energy

 
 

ENERGY

Toyota Motor Land Cruisers are parked, bound for shipment, at the Port of Nagoya in Tokai, Aichi Prefecture, in April.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 16, 2025
Listed Japan firms log 11% quarterly profit drop
The decreases comes as tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump weighed heavily on automakers.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
WORLD
Aug 13, 2025
India set to allow its private firms to mine and import uranium to help nuclear expansion
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government plans to expand nuclear power production capacity by 12 times by 2047.
A geothermal energy station in Geretsried, Germany, on Aug. 24, 2023
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Aug 7, 2025
Germany moves to fast-track geothermal energy projects
According to a 2023 study, Germany holds some of Europe's largest geothermal reserves, with the potential to supply over a quarter of its annual heating needs.
Journalists next to heliostat mirrors at the site of Dunhuang Shouhang 100 megawatt Tower Solar Thermal Power Generation Project in Gansu province, China, in 2024
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Aug 5, 2025
China struggles to capitalize on record renewables build-out as grid work lags
The biggest renewables hubs, in the sparsely populated interior, rely on power lines stretching thousands of kilometers to the major cities of the east.
Mihama Mayor Hideki Toshima expressed his support on Monday for Kansai Electric Power Co.'s planned survey for building a new reactor at its Mihama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 5, 2025
Mihama mayor willing to accept survey for new nuclear reactor
At a meeting with senior officials of Kansai Electric, Toshima said that the town would accept the survey with the understanding of local communities.
Although the idea is still small in scale, Kitepower flying a giant kite to generate renewable electricity — with Padraic Doherty acting as the "pilot" on the ground — could yet prove to be a mighty plan as Ireland seeks to cut its reliance on fossil fuels such as oil and gas.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Aug 4, 2025
'Let's go fly a kite': Capturing wind for clean energy in Ireland
A sparsely populated spot in Ireland near the stormy Atlantic coast is home to the world's first designated airborne renewable energy test site.
Workers carry solar panels to install them at a solar farm in the desert in Lingwu, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, on April 14.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 4, 2025
China's solar giants quietly shed a third of their workforces last year
The trend shows how one of Beijing's hand-picked industries to drive economic growth struggled with overcapacity and tepid demand.
A drone view shows the Zubair Oil Field in Basra, Iraq, on January 16.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 4, 2025
China's independent oil firms elbow into Iraq's majors-dominated market
Smaller Chinese producers are on track to double their output in Iraq to 500,000 barrels per day by around 2030.
The Bishu Maru LNG tanker, owned by Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, next to the Freeport LNG terminal in Texas
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Aug 3, 2025
How Trump is gaslighting on climate change — with Japan’s help
As the U.S. president ramps up high-polluting LNG projects, Japan is among the nations he's pressuring for investments. The economic case for the push, however, is far from clear.
The Tomari nuclear power plant in Tomari, Hokkaido, in March 2024
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2025
Hokkaido's Tomari nuclear reactor passes safety screening
The reactor at Hokkaido Electric Power's plant is the 18th to gain approval from the Nuclear Regulation Authority since the current safety standards were adopted.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the launch of the Global Biofuels Alliance at the G20 summit in New Delhi in September 2023.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 29, 2025
Delayed pricing policy for cleaner ethanol keeps India burning food for fuel
The Indian government wants petrol sold in the country to contain 20% ethanol by October 2025, and has ramped up production by diverting food crops, but could use waste instead.
A technician works on the assembly line at a solar panel manufacturing hub on the outskirts of New Delhi last October.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Jul 27, 2025
Amid fossil fuel shift in U.S., hope emerges for India and Japan tie-up on solar
As the Trump administration shifts back to gas and coal, solar power stakeholders in Japan and India are seeking new ways to collaborate.
Batam, a duty-free Indonesian enclave a short ferry ride from Singapore, has become a key waypoint in a convoluted global shuffle involving Chinese solar panels and U.S. tariffs.
BUSINESS
Jul 25, 2025
China’s stealthy solar exports stay one step ahead of U.S. tariffs
Of Indonesia’s 10 biggest exporters of solar cells and panels to the U.S. during the first half of 2025, six in Batam were found to be owned by executives at Chinese companies.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri (right) and Lando Norris drive during the Formula One British Grand Prix at Silverstone, England, on July 6.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Jul 25, 2025
Formula 1's renewable energy shift drives 26% drop in carbon footprint
F1 said in a statement on Wednesday that it’s halfway toward achieving its minimum 50% reduction target, as set out in its "net zero by 2030” commitment. 
Kansai Electric Power Company's Mihama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture
JAPAN
Jul 22, 2025
Kepco to build Japan’s first new nuclear reactor since Fukushima meltdown
Kepco’s plan for a new reactor comes after the government adopted the Seventh Strategic Energy Plan in February, declaring policies to maximize the use of nuclear power.
A demonstrator holds the Mohawk Warrior Flag during a protest in front of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario against the federal government’s Bill C-5, as members of the Canadian Armed Forces fire cannons in the background during a celebration marking Canada Day in Toronto on July 1.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 21, 2025
Indigenous people in Canada challenge fast-track mine and energy projects
The tensions between the government and Indigenous communities reflect longstanding concerns over consultation and the environmental impact of mining projects in Canada.
A man sits in a boat on the waters of the Brahmaputra river near the international border between India and Bangladesh in the northeastern state of Assam, India, in 2018.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 21, 2025
China starts construction on world's largest hydropower dam in Tibet
The project is part of China's push to expand renewable energy and reduce carbon emissions.
Yukihiro Kaneko, a Panasonic research officer, shows a perovskite panel, through which the background can been seen, during an interview in Tokyo.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 20, 2025
Japan sees bright future for ultrathin and flexible solar panels
The government is offering generous incentives in order to reach Japan's target of having renewable energy cover up to 50% of electricity demand by 2040.
The No. 2 (left) and No. 1 reactor buildings stand at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Ohi nuclear power station in Ohi Town, Fukui Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 19, 2025
Kansai Electric eyes next-generation reactor at plant in Fukui Prefecture
This is the first concrete move toward building a new reactor in the country since the March 2011 disaster.
Men work at a makeshift oil refinery site in the town of Marchmarin, in Syria's Idlib province, in December 2015.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 19, 2025
U.S. firms to develop Syria energy master plan after Trump lifts sanctions
The partnership is aimed at rebuilding the country's energy infrastructure after it was shattered by 14 years of civil war.

Longform

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.