Blog #6 Geothermal Power Crisis

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Japan has many white steamed thermal springs within its heart. These springs have attracted developers who want to begin geothermal power plants in the Kurikoma Kokutei Koen, which are mountain areas behind a national monument. Thought the developers have promised to stop the process if they see a change in the spring flow, but that doesn’t make a difference. Pressures in the streams tend to develop the thermal energy potential of the region. And  Japan has been struggling to find alternative energy sources for a while since the earthquake destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi power plant last March, thus resulting in the closing of 54 nuclear reactors. These reactors did power 30 percent of Japan’s electricity, therefore causing a national energy shortage when the plants were shut down. This brings a cause for the geothermal power plants. Unlike solar energy, geothermal energy can stay consistent and stable in output and has been said to stay going for quite some time, thus bring Japan hope that this type of energy is better.

Renewable energy enthusiasts have been hoping that this new energy can help solve the power crisis. Overall, Japan is raked third in geothermal energy reserves between Indonesia and the United States. This made the Japanese government recently aim to triple renewable energy sources by 2030.

            This all affects us all majorly because of all the money that is going into paying for these geothermal energy development actions. 9 billion dollars has been set aside to pay for geothermal energy development surveys and then 7.5 billion dollars is going towards the payment next year. Then, another 9 billion dollars is going into extending the program for the 2013 year. This is creating a lot of debt problems within Japan but also around the world. It’s effecting our economy by putting everyone into a larger debt than we already are.

            Along with this, there are now 17 geothermal plants operation nationwide, including nine in national parks and monuments. This is believed to have caused the Fukushima disaster and has been said to raise global warming problems within not only Japan, but all over the world. This takes money from the world because so much is going towards aid responsibilities and debt problems. Of course, the power plants are giving jobs to many city residents, moving them into mechanical solidarity and organic solidarity because of the “unique industry” that lies within the power plants, but these are  also taking away homes and causing a lot more deforestation.

            Going into this project, everyone knows that it’ a risk. There is the possibility of much more debt, deforestation, and loss of lives. There could also be another crisis just like Fukushima. Not to mention, the rising global warming problems that have been rising since this project started. This project has already been drying up springs for time, such as Steamboat Springs in Nevada.

            Sure these plants will help produce safer energy, and more jobs, but is risking life, high global warming problems , debt, and unnatural disasters worth it?

        http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/business/energy-environment/geothermal-power-tests-tradition-in-japan.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0