再生エネルギー研究センターパンフレット（英語）

2/20

1　Japan’s energy self-sufficiency ratio has dropped significantly to about 6% and the energy-oriented CO2 emission became highest ever after the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011. The issues on energy mix have been discussed extensively, and the policy goal of improving the energy self-sufficiency ratio, cutting down the electricity cost, and significantly reducing CO2 emission has been set. The new energy policy aims the maximum introduction of renewable energy with reduced costs.　Deployment of renewable energies can contribute to improve the energy self-sufficiency ratio as well as to reduce the CO2-emission. The share of renewable energy is currently only 10.7% of the total electricity in Japan (including 8.5% by hydropower), and the renewable energy share toward 22%–24% by 2030 has been proposed. In order to accelerate the mass deployment of renewable energy, the low-cost and environment-friendly technologies have to be developed.　The Fukushima Renewable Energy Institute, AIST (FREA) started operation in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture on April 1, 2014 with two core missions of “Promotion of R&D of renewable energies” and “Contributions to the industrial cluster formation and reconstruction of the disaster struck area”.　The Renewable Energy Research Center (RENRC) is the research unit which engaged in R&D of renewable energy technologies in FREA. RENRC consists of six research teams (Photovoltaic Power, Wind Power, Hydrogen Carrier, Geothermal, Shallow Geothermal and Hydrogeology, and Energy Network) with 37 full-time staff members (as of April 2016) and a research budget of about 2.9 billion JPY (FY2015).RENRC runs the following research topics aiming for the high penetration and sustainable-growth of renewable energy.●Make breakthroughs in each renewable energy technology and develop smart system integration techniques●Significant reduction of power generation costs and improvement in utilization efficiencies of PV power generation system.●Develop the technologies for appropriate use of geothermal resources and ground-source heat pump systems.　Our goal is to establish highly independent, cooperative and cost-competitive renewable energy technologies.　The researchers who have technologies and knowledge critical for the acceleration of R&D have been added; the 59 concurrent AIST researchers from other regional research centers and 3 university professors through the cross appointment system.　As an international innovation hub of renewable energy, we promote the collaborations with domestic and international research organizations, and contribute to the development of the industrial clustering and human resources.Director, Renewable Energy Research CenterShigeru Niki Ph.D.