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A12 TECHNOLOGY
Tuesday 3 May 2022

Trains run near Tokyu Railways' Tamagawa Station Wednesday, April 20, 2022, in Tokyo.
Associated Press
Major Japan railway now powered

only by renewable energy

By YURI KAGEYAMA the bottom-line amount of from switching gas-guzzling
Associated Press that renewable energy."I cars to electric, he said.
TOKYO (AP) — Tokyo's would stress the bigger im- Tokyu paid an undisclosed
Shibuya is famed for its pacts come from increas- amount to Tokyo Electric
Scramble Crossing, where ing electricity generation Power Co., the utility be-
crowds of people crisscross from renewable sources," hind the 2011 Fukushima
the intersection in a scene he said. "The long-term bat- nuclear disaster, for certifi-
symbolizing urban Japan's tle is to increase production cation vouching for its use
congestion and anonym- of renewable electricity of renewables, even as Ja-
ity. It may have added an- and provide the transmis- pan continues to use coal
other boasting right. sion infrastructure to get it and other fossil fuels.
Tokyu Railways' trains run- to the places of consump- "We don't see this as reach-
ning through Shibuya tion." ing our goal but just a start,"
and other stations were The technology used by said Assistant Manager Yo-
switched to power gener- Tokyu's trains is among the shimasa Kitano at Tokyu's
ated only by solar and oth- most ecologically friendly headquarters, a few min-
er renewable sources start- options for railways. The utes' walk from the Scram-
ing April 1. other two options are bat- ble Crossing.
That means the carbon di- teries and hydrogen pow- Such steps are crucial for
oxide emissions of Tokyu's er. Japan, the world's sixth-
sprawling network of seven And so is it just a publicity biggest carbon emitter, to
train lines and one tram ser- stunt, or is Tokyu moving in attain its goal of becoming
vice now stand at zero, with the right direction? carbon-neutral by 2050.
green energy being used Ryo Takagi, a professor at Only about 20% of Japan's
at all its stations, includ- Kogakuin University and electricity comes from re-
ing for vending machines specialist in electric railway newable sources, accord-
for drinks, security camera systems, believes the an- ing to the Institute for Sus-
screens and lighting. swer isn't simple because tainable Energy Policies, a
Tokyu, which employs 3,855 how train technology Tokyo-based independent
people and connects evolves is complex and de- non-profit research organi-
Tokyo with nearby Yoko- pends on many uncertain zation.
hama, is the first railroad societal factors. That lags way behind New
operator in Japan to have In a nutshell, Tokyu's efforts Zealand, for instance,
achieved that goal. It says are definitely not hurting where 84% of power used
the carbon dioxide reduc- and are probably better comes from renewable en-
tion is equivalent to the than doing nothing. They ergy sources. New Zealand
annual average emissions show the company is tak- hopes to make that 100%
of 56,000 Japanese house- ing up the challenge of by 2035.
holds. promoting clean energy, The renewable sources
Nicholas Little, director of he said. driving Tokyu trains include
railway education at Michi- "But I am not going out hydropower, geothermal-
gan State University's Cen- of my way to praise it as power, wind power and
ter for Railway Research great," Takagi said. solar power, according to
and Education, commends Bigger gains would come Tokyo Electric Power Co.,
Tokyu for promoting renew- from switching from diesel the utility that provides the
able energy but stressed trains in rural areas to hy- electricity and tracks its en-
the importance of boosting drogen powered lines and ergy sourcing.q