ALTERNATIVE FUELS * Japan
* Japan - Fuel Cell vehicles, key to energy self-suficiency
(Image: The hydrogen filling machine and gasoline meter's first service station operations)
Tokyo,Japan -Busworld -29 March 2013: -- Trial runs at three new hydrogen filling stations will kick off this spring in Japan, contributing to speculation over whether fuel-cell vehicles will play a role in the nation's efforts to become self-sufficient in energy production, says an article in the Nikkei journal. JX Nippon Oil and Energy Corp. will open two of three new hydrogen filling stations for fuel-cell vehicles, including one in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. The stations will look like ordinary gas stations. If fuel-cell vehicles hit the Japanese automotive market in 2015 as planned, a new industry will emerge to build the infrastructure needed to support consumer take-up of such cars, including hydrogen filling stations. The market could eventually surpass 10 trillion yen in annual sales, through the establishment of hydrogen production facilities and 10,000 filling stations, said Harumi Hirai, a senior researcher at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan. Hydrogen can be made from liquefied natural gas and obtained via industrial processes such as the refining of petroleum and the production of steel. Oil refineries produce massive amounts of hydrogen to remove sulfur while producing gasoline and other petroleum products...
* Japan - Builds "Hydrogen Town"
Miyako,Iwate,Japan -Busworld -30 March 2013: -- Fuel-cell vehicles are more energy-efficient than gas-powered cars and will help lower energy consumption in Japan... Toyota Motor Corp. estimates that fuel-cell vehicles are about twice as fuel-efficient as gas-powered cars... A group of public and private entities, including Toyota, recently launched a project to build a "hydrogen town" in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, according to a story in the Nikkei. The municipality is still struggling to recover from the earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011... The group wants to produce hydrogen for fuel-cell vehicles from gas generated by turning timber into wood chips. The idea is to create an energy production and consumption cycle in the Miyako area without relying on nuclear energy and oil. The government will provide subsidies for the private-sector project to build 100 hydrogen stations... Japan can reduce its oil import costs by ramping up its supply of hydrogen. If the money saved is used to improve hydrogen-related infrastructure, it will help businesses grow, while creating jobs...
Labels: alternative fuels
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