Size: 1GW; ¥18.8 billion (US$ 200 Million)

Completion Date: 2015

Description:

In the wake of the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, Japan has set the ambitious goal of meeting 100% or more of its energy needs through renewable sources by 2040.  A first step towards this goal is the creation of the Fukushima offshore wind farm, just off the coast from where the disaster occurred.  They plan on using floating turbines, which will allow placement in deeper water.  All together, Japan’s oceans could generate up to 1.6 TW of usable wind energy, representing almost 8x the current capacity of Japan’s 10 major electric utilities.  This is the smallest project on the list, but easily the most inspiring and beautiful. In half the time it takes to build a nuclear plant, the Fukushima Offshore Wind Farm will produce 1gigawatt of wind energy.  The tragedy of this disaster will live on for Japanese citizens that were exposed to unnatural levels of radiation.  Hopefully, this is a lesson that the world won’t need to learn again.  Selfishly, I look forward to the beautiful pictures of offshore wind turbines at dawn with the decommissioned nuclear reactor in the background.

More info: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23082-japan-to-build-worlds-largest-offshore-wind-farm.html


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