Community / Project
※ Company/organization names and affiliations in the article are as of the time of publication
In January 2018, JRE’s first hybrid power generation plant began commercial operation in the Hibikinada District of the city of Kitakyushu. This project originated in the summer of 2013, when the city solicited bids for its Program to Promote the Concentration of Industries Related to Wind Power Generation in the Hibikinada District and selected the Hibikinada Wind Energy Research Park that was proposed jointly by Hokutaku Co., Ltd. and JRE. To implement the project, JRE and Hokutaku established Hibikinada Wind Energy Research Park GK. Commercial solar power generation began in September 2017, and the power plant was completed in December 2018 with the initiation of wind power generation.
The power plant has two main advantages. First, it is a hybrid facility that utilizes both solar and wind power. The Hibikinada Wind Energy Research Park features a single interconnected transformer under which a wind-powered generation plant and solar-powered generation plant operate in tandem. As we develop technical expertise and accumulate data, we are preparing to design and operate more hybrid power plants that make more efficient use of the system.
Second, experimental studies are being conducted while the facility is being commercially operated. When Kitakyushu solicited the bids, their original concept was to establish a base for wind power generation in Hibikinada, including offshore sites. Working together, Hokutaku and JRE developed plans in line with that concept, which was also reflected in the name of the joint venture we established. We built two large 3.3 MW wind turbines (the first of their kind to be built in Japan) in a location facing the sea, making it possible to acquire operational and managerial expertise, accumulate power generation data, and train personnel. We are confident that this will prove useful in the operation of future offshore power plants.
These two main advantages of the plant will have a significant impact on renewable energy in years to come. In this sense, the Hibikinada Wind Energy Research Park can truly be called the hybrid wind/solar power generation plant of the future.
Mr. Yugo Sakai
Japan Renewable Energy Corporation
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Mr. Yugo Sakai
Japan Renewable Energy Corporation
Project manager for development
This project, which JRE developed in conjunction with Hokutaku Co., Ltd., was selected for implementation in the summer of 2013 by the city of Kitakyushu as part of its Program to Promote the Concentration of Industries Related to Wind Power Generation in the Hibikinada District. It took four full years from the time JRE established a full-fledged in-house project team to the time commercial operation began.
Our team was beset by various problems and accidents along the way and faced many challenges. This experience taught me once again that we can overcome any obstacle if we do not give up.
The plant is up and running thanks to the efforts of many people, including the contractors who did the construction, the personnel at Kitakyushu City Office who provided various kinds of advice and support, and our colleagues at Hokutaku who shared every hardship and joy with us along the way. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them all from the bottom of my heart.
The Hibikinada District of Kitakyushu has garnered the attention of the world. Using our hybrid power plant, which combines solar power generation with large-scale 3MW wind turbines (the same type that can be deployed offshore), I look forward to conducting various experimental studies that will contribute to next-generation electric power generation.
Mr. Satoru Yoshida
Executive Vice President
Hokutaku Co., Ltd.
We at Hokutaku have been working with the city of Kitakyushu since they began to concentrate industries related to wind power through their Green Energy Port HIBIKI (GEPH) Project. As a maintenance company, we submitted a proposal to the city in conjunction with the power company JRE, with a focus on conducting experimental studies and developing human resources.
JRE is a partner we can trust, with excellent developmental capabilities as a power company and as a company that takes the concerns of the local community seriously.
I believe that Japan, which has a low energy self-sufficiency ratio, should pursue energy policies that maximize the use of renewable energy sources. From the perspective of industrial policy, as well, the Japanese government should set renewable energy targets for each year and establish mid- and long-term goals. Doing so will encourage manufacturers and suppliers to participate and promote investment in facilities, resulting in lower costs.
With regard to offshore wind power generation, legislative reforms have already established a set of rules for bay areas. I think the legal framework for operation on the open sea that is currently being studied will contribute greatly to the further dissemination of wind power.
With the completion of the hybrid power plant, it is my hope that the wind turbines we have built will serve as a symbol of Hibikinada. I think I share the generally held feeling that the completion of a visible facility has brought industrial concentration one step further.
It is my sincere hope and expectation that JRE will continue to operate their completed plants and any future plants with appropriate maintenance and safety systems in place, thereby doing all they can to promote the use of renewable energy in Japan.
Mr. Takayuki Suyama
Head
“Green Energy Port” Project Division
“Green Energy Port” Project Office
Kitakyushu Seaport and Airport Bureau
The city of Kitakyushu is committed to establishing new industries related to wind power with the goal of growing them into core business that will support the city. It was with this in mind that we solicited bids for this project. Through various experiments and studies related to wind power, we aim to concentrate businesses related to wind power generation in the Hibikinada District.
I believe that promotion of renewable energy is trending in countries all over the world, but Japan might have gotten a slightly slow start. Kitakyushu has experience in overcoming pollution problems and has implemented many policies related to the environment. One of our main projects has been Green Energy Port HIBIKI, which we hope will contribute in some small way to promotion of renewable energy, particularly wind power, in the future.
I think that offshore wind power generation is the renewable energy source with the greatest potential for Japan. Rules to facilitate the utilization of the open seas for the siting of offshore wind turbines are currently being formulated, and increasingly widespread generation of offshore wind power is anticipated. The first project Kitakyushu undertook after the amendment of the Port and Harbor Act in FY2016 was to publicly recruit companies to build and operate the offshore wind power plant in Hibikinada. When introducing offshore wind turbines for power generation, the most important thing is to obtain the understanding of local residents. We anticipate that the use of this type of power source will grow in peaceful coexistence with local communities.
The people at Hibikinada Wind Energy Research Park GK have faithfully fulfilled virtually all of the tasks they have been given. They were careful to explain the project to local residents through participation in Global Wind Day and other events. We were extremely satisfied with all of our interactions with them, from the first solicitation of bids to project completion. It is our sincere hope that the collaborative relationship between the company and the city of Kitakyushu will continue. JRE was established several years ago and has already implemented many renewable energy projects. As we look to the future, I hope that they will continue to aggressively develop projects that will be a driving force in Japan’s renewable energy field, including the development of new fields for renewable energy business.
