Cleantech

Cleantech Report

Cleantech Opportunities in Japan
Insights and recommendations for companies seeking to do cleantech business in Japan
June 2012

What do North American cleantech companies need to know to tap the Japanese cleantech market? JETRO and cleantech researchers Kachan & Co. surveyed 52 Japan and North America-based professionals in cleantech, manufacturing, consulting and academia. Read experts' tips and advice about how to do business in Japan.

Cleantech Trends

The following articles were written by Cando Advisors, a consulting firm supporting clients on international business development, strategic alliance and investment, focusing on the Japanese market:

Japan's Data Centers Offer Promising Markets for North American Energy Management Technologies
Rapid Growth of Data Center Market

February 2012 -- The global market for data centers has increased rapidly in the past few years. The exponential growth in digital visual content, cloud computing, and social media requires ever-increasing amounts of ditital data storage, and the data center industry is expanding briskly in response.

In Japan, this technology-driven increase has been compounded by the impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Because of the disaster, many businesses, especially IT companies, began to review and rethink their data strategies...

Japan's Special Economic Zones Offer Opportunity for Overseas Companies
New Initiative Provides Regulatory Relief, Tax Breaks, Financial Support

January 2012 -- To say that 2011 was not an easy year for Japan would be a gross understatement. The Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, coupled with the continuing uncertainties in global financial markets, exacerbated the ongoing economic challenges Japan faces. In the face of these strong headwinds, the Japanese government recently adopted various measures to boost growth, and it is considering further measures to improve the health and competitiveness of Japanese industries. One such step is the Special Economic Zones...

Green Branding in Japan Is Underpinned by a Strong Environmental Ethos
The Conservation Mindset of the Japanese People

December 2011--As discussed in our July article The Changing Energy Landscape of Post-Fukushima Japan, the Great East Japan Earthquake radically altered the country's energy equation. Most importantly, renewable energy resources -- which had formerly been seen more as a social good rather than a solution to energy shortfalls -- became central to the discussion of how to ensure a safe, sustainable, and affordable power supply.

Fortunately, in meeting its energy challenges, Japan builds on a strong tradition of environmental consciousness that should ease the path to boosting supplies from alternative sources. An April 2009 Gallup survey ranked Japan first among 127 nations in awareness of global warming, with an almost astonishing 99% of Japanese people saying they knew "something" or a "great deal" about it. In an Ipsos MORI survey conducted one month before the Earthquake, when asked, "What are the three most important environmental issues facing your country today?," some 48% of Japanese respondents said global warming -- placing Japan third among 24 countries in its concern about greenhouse gas emissions...

Japan Is at the Vanguard of Electric Vehicle (EV) Adoption

November 2011--Networked EV 2011: Smart Grids and Electric Vehicles, a conference held on October 20 in San Francisco, gave attendees a good glimpse of the EV market in America...the general tone of the event was notably more upbeat than last year... Demand in the U.S. for all green vehicles remains a small fraction, however, of that in Japan. The much larger Japanese market reflects the country's focus on reducing carbon emissions, which underpins the advanced green car technologies and products of domestic manufacturers, as well as the substantial government subsidies offered to buyers...

Northeast Japan Becomes Testing Ground for Renewable Energy Projects

October 2011--It has been six months since the Great East Japan Earthquake devastated the Tohoku region and precipitated a nuclear incident...such a cataclysmic event can refocus a nation's attention on long-standing problems and move forward with solutions. Specifically, the Earthquake has forced Japan to re-examine its energy equation, with a view toward faster adoption of clean, renewable energy resources. Reflecting this momentum, several cleantech experiments have begun in Fukushima Prefecture and the surrounding Tohoku area, making it a symbol of Japan's efforts to promote renewable energy production...

Japan Turns to Smart Grids, Cities, and Homes to Raise Energy Efficiency and Boost Renewables

September 2011--Just a few years ago most Japanese had never heard of smart grids, and of the small minority who knew what they were, their reaction was frequently "Japan does not need a smart grid" -- an opinion often echoed throughout the utility industry....After the Earthquake, Japan's energy situation has obviously changed...

Solar Power Poised for Expanded Role in Japan's Energy Supply

August 2011--Although the nuclear crisis at Fukushima has renewed focus on alternative energy resources, Japan has long been a pioneer in renewable power generation. Solar energy is a notable example. It's true that what is often considered the launch of modern solar power -- the development of the silicon photovoltaic (PV) cell at Bell Labs in 1954 -- took place in America. Early on, however, Japan showed leadership in solar energy development, creating applications for spacecraft, telecommunication stations in isolated places, and off-grid lighthouses...

The Changing Energy Landscape of Post-Fukushima Japan

July 2011--The ongoing crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant has radically altered the energy outlook for Japan. The immediate impact has been a shortfall in energy supplies....As the potential dangers and costs of nuclear energy become greater concerns, renewable resources such as solar and wind move clearly into view as key factors in Japan's energy future...