Japan’s Transition to 100% Clean Energy: Opportunities and Challenges

Yuan Hong ()
Additional contact information
Yuan Hong: UC Davis

A chapter in Proceedings of the 2026 11th International Conference on Financial Innovation and Economic Development (ICFIED 2026), 2026, pp 743-750 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Japan faces significant energy challenges due to its heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels, which has led to high greenhouse gas emissions, elevated energy costs, and concerns about energy security. This study assesses the feasibility of transitioning Japan to a 100% clean energy system, with a focus on evaluating the technical potential of its dominant renewable resources. By analyzing current energy data and employing sector-specific modeling, this article estimates the generation capacity of solar PV, onshore and offshore wind, hydro, geothermal, and nuclear power. Findings indicate that these sources can collectively meet over 90% of Japan's projected end-use energy demand following efficiency gains. Solar rooftop PV and offshore wind are identified as the key solution in these transitions, but the realization of this potential is constrained by high upfront costs, grid integration challenges, geographical limitations, and socio-political barriers, particularly regarding nuclear energy. This paper concludes that while a predominantly renewable-powered Japan is technically attainable, it requires strategic infrastructure investment, policy support, and international cooperation to overcome these hurdles. The insights offered may also serve as a valuable reference for other resource-constrained island nations.

Keywords: Japan; Energy Transition; Clean Energy; Energy Security; Solar potential (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:advbcp:978-94-6239-642-5_75

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9789462396425

DOI: 10.2991/978-94-6239-642-5_75

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().