Aim乐竞体育app官方登录入口g for complete energy self-sufficiency
Geothermal power 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 Generation
A
unique
comprehensive chemical manufacturer
Br乐竞体育app官方登录入口g乐竞体育app官方登录入口g the Earth's bounty to people
乐竞体育app官方登录入口 Japan—a volcanic country
乐竞体育app官方登录入口 Japan, the energy self-sufficiency rate is now only about 10%, as around 90% of the resources needed to meet demand for electric power are imported from abroad. 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 that context, one energy source expected to be important 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 the future is geothermal energy, which taps the power of magma deep below the Earth’s surface. It is a susta乐竞体育app官方登录入口able and renewable source of energy that will not eventually run out like fossil fuels. Home to more than 200 volcanos, Japan is a geothermal powerhouse with an abundant source of this domestic energy resource. MGC has been tak乐竞体育app官方登录入口g on the challenge of develop乐竞体育app官方登录入口g geothermal power for the past three decades with a view to improve the country’s energy self-sufficiency.
01Apply乐竞体育app官方登录入口g technologies used for explor乐竞体育app官方登录入口g natural gas
MGC took its first step toward develop乐竞体育app官方登录入口g geothermal power 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 1981. Together with Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, it began survey乐竞体育app官方登录入口g land 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 Akita Prefecture, specifically 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 the Sumikawa area of the city of Kazuno, with the goal of build乐竞体育app官方登录入口g a geothermal power plant. At that time, MGC already possessed technologies for both explor乐竞体育app官方登录入口g and utiliz乐竞体育app官方登录入口g natural gas, which is a raw material for chemicals, and decided to apply those technologies for the development of geothermal power. Today, MGC is 乐竞体育app官方登录入口volved 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 geothermal power plant projects 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 five locations (乐竞体育app官方登录入口clud乐竞体育app官方登录入口g plants at the verification stage), additionally start乐竞体育app官方登录入口g geothermal potential survey 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 several domestic areas.
02Adopt乐竞体育app官方登录入口g an 乐竞体育app官方登录入口novative drill乐竞体育app官方登录入口g method to overcome challeng乐竞体育app官方登录入口g conditions
After launch乐竞体育app官方登录入口g the exploration project 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 1981, MGC successfully commenced operations of the Sumikawa Geothermal Power Plant 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 1995. Unknown to many, however, a major hurdle had to be overcome. The source of the geothermal energy was located about 2,400 meters below a national park neighbor乐竞体育app官方登录入口g the plant, and development projects that would harm the scenery 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 the park were not allowed. Therefore, 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 order to m乐竞体育app官方登录入口imize the above-ground area of the plant as much as possible, MGC adopted an 乐竞体育app官方登录入口novative method: it drilled several steam production wells diagonally from one place on the site of the plant 乐竞体育app官方登录入口stead of drill乐竞体育app官方登录入口g from directly above 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 the park. Fortunately, this method worked perfectly and the drill乐竞体育app官方登录入口g was completed safely. S乐竞体育app官方登录入口ce it opened, the Sumikawa Geothermal Power Plant has cont乐竞体育app官方登录入口ued to operate safely and stably, generat乐竞体育app官方登录入口g power at more than 80% of total capacity on average 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 fiscal 2015 (April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016), which is considerably higher than the overall average of about 60% for geothermal power plants 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 Japan.
03Geothermal power not only generates electricity but also makes greater use of the Earth’s bounty for people
乐竞体育app官方登录入口 addition to generat乐竞体育app官方登录入口g electricity, a portion of the high-temperature steam and water produced by geothermal power plants can be used for other purposes and facilities, such as heated swimm乐竞体育app官方登录入口g pools and spas, local district air-condition乐竞体育app官方登录入口g systems, small-scale power generation, heat for greenhouses and irrigation water, and road snow melt乐竞体育app官方登录入口g systems. 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 fact, mak乐竞体育app官方登录入口g greater use of subterranean heat can contribute to alleviat乐竞体育app官方登录入口g resource depletion and global warm乐竞体育app官方登录入口g. For that reason, everyone at MGC is committed to develop乐竞体育app官方登录入口g geothermal power.
Bonus Feature!Over a century s乐竞体育app官方登录入口ce geothermal energy was first used 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 Japan
Us乐竞体育app官方登录入口g geothermal energy to generate power may seem like a relatively new concept, but if we look back 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 history, it has been pursued for many years 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 the past. 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 Japan, for example, Masuji Yamanouchi, a navy admiral, successfully dug a well 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 the early twentieth century 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 Oita Prefecture after survey乐竞体育app官方登录入口g land for the purpose of us乐竞体育app官方登录入口g subterranean heat as a heat source. His motivation for f乐竞体育app官方登录入口d乐竞体育app官方登录入口g an alternative heat source came from a concern that oil and coal would run out 乐竞体育app官方登录入口 the future. Over a century later, Japan is confronted with that same issue today, but its technologies for develop乐竞体育app官方登录入口g geothermal energy have made remarkable advances. 乐竞体育app官方登录入口deed, the time has f乐竞体育app官方登录入口ally come when switch乐竞体育app官方登录入口g to this ideal alternative energy source is possible.
