Rera Tech Inc. is a research and development venture company spun out of Kobe University. Many of its members have a background in having conducted research at the Kobe University Graduate School of Maritime Sciences with Professor Teruo Osawa, who specializes in meteorological engineering. Currently, Rera Tech Inc. is conducting business activities utilizing the experience and connections gained at university, and Professor Osawa, who was their supervisor at the time, also supports Rera Tech Inc. academically as a technical advisor.
Professor Ohsawa, who has been conducting research since offshore wind power generation was not yet a reality in Japan, looked back on the history of offshore wind power research to date and spoke with Rera Tech Inc.'s CEO Konagaya and Misaki, who is in charge of wind condition analysis and simulation, about the future of offshore wind power generation.
Offshore wind power in Japan was unrealistic 10 years ago
--Professor Ohsawa, what inspired you to start researching offshore wind power?
(Ohsawa The research content of my graduate school days was completely different from what I am doing now. I studied tropical rain and even went to Bangladesh for observation. After I got my doctorate, I studied numerical simulations of typhoon storm surges, high waves, and wind at Gifu University. I joined Kobe University in 2004, and since I was affiliated with the Faculty of Maritime Sciences (now the Faculty of Marine Policy Science), I wanted to do research on the ocean. Of the themes that combined meteorology and the ocean, offshore wind power generation was the best fit.
Konagaya In 2004, offshore wind power generation was not yet attracting much attention in Japan.
(Ohsawa That's right. When I first started this research, everyone was scratching their heads and asking, "What is offshore wind power research?" It's not that there were no people in Japan doing research, but it seemed like it would be a long way off before it would actually become a reality.
Construction in Japan is difficult because the ocean is deep, and we are also subject to typhoons, tsunamis, and earthquakes. Furthermore, the winds are weaker than in Europe, where offshore wind power generation is well developed. There are just too many things we don't have. At the time, I think there were very few people in Japan who seriously thought that offshore wind power generation could be realized.
Konagaya I first became interested in renewable energy in 2007. I applied for a prize-winning essay on the topic of "What can we do to combat global warming?" I was considering what renewable energy sources could be used in Japan, and wrote about geothermal energy rather than offshore wind power.
Since then, I have been interested in renewable energy, and after spending some time in Europe, I started to pay attention to offshore wind power. In Europe, the issue of climate change was in the spotlight more than in Japan. As I listened to various people's stories, I realized the potential of offshore wind power, which has not yet received much attention in Japan. I made that the topic of my master's thesis.
(Ohsawa You wrote your master's thesis at the University of Tsukuba in 2010. Even then, awareness of your field was still low.
Konagaya Yes. I got the impression that even among meteorological researchers, awareness of offshore wind power generation is still low.
Misaki I was assigned to Professor Osawa's laboratory in 2012. At the time, I was still a fourth-year university student and lacked the necessary knowledge, but I remember that when I was told to "research offshore wind power generation," it didn't really resonate with me. Of course, I had heard the term before, but it didn't seem real to me. Looking back on it, I realized that public awareness of offshore wind power has increased significantly in the past 4 years.
(Ohsawa That's right. Discussions about renewable energy are becoming more and more active in Japan now, and the term "offshore wind power generation" has become so common that it appears in newspapers and online articles. I've also become incredibly busy (laughs). I feel like the flow of the times and my life as a researcher have coincided, and I've been able to ride the wave well.
- Did you begin your research in anticipation of increased demand for offshore wind power?
(Ohsawa It wasn't something I started with any particular strategic aim. It may have just been the circumstances that led me to do it. When I came to Kobe University and the three elements of the ocean, wind, and weather came together, I decided that I wanted to make offshore wind power my lifestyle.
Kobe University's Faculty of Marine Policy Science is a very unusual faculty, with a port on campus and the university owning a ship. The waves and color of the ocean change every day, so I think we are in a very privileged environment to be able to research offshore wind power while watching them.
Tackling issues unique to Japan academically
--What do you think about the current wind power industry?
(Ohsawa The industry is currently experiencing a tailwind. Since the nuclear accident caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake, renewable energy has been attracting attention. In addition, the former Prime Minister Suga declared carbon neutral two years ago, and it seems that the world has changed in an instant.
Looking at Japan as a whole, it seems like the energy regime has changed dramatically. Automobile companies are putting effort into electric and hybrid cars, and oil companies are running commercials for renewable energy. As someone who has researched wind power, I think it will be an interesting time, and at the same time, I'm really glad that we live in an era like this, where everyone seems to be moving in the direction of developing energy that takes environmental considerations into account.
However, it is true that we are currently in a sort of bubble state. It is not good to get too excited. The reason is that just because wind power has started to attract attention, it does not mean that the winds in Japan have become stronger, nor has the topography of Japan changed to make it easier to build power plants.
To build wind turbines in the deep seas of Japan, it is necessary to build them on floating structures, which is called a floating system, and this is costly. I think the key to the future development of offshore wind power in Japan is "how far we can reduce these costs."
In addition, unless wind turbines are installed in areas with strong winds, construction costs cannot be recovered. This is why the wind condition survey project conducted by Relatec is important. I believe that it is necessary to further develop basic meteorological research and to move forward in cooperation with academia and industry.
