Carbon neutral steel in Japan

https://www.reuters.com/business/nippon-steel-reveals-plans-…

Nippon Steel plans to product carbon neutral steel in Japan. Hydrogen rather than coke? Or carbon capture mentioned. Or “alternative energy sources.” Electric furnace?

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Nippon Steel plans to product carbon neutral steel in Japan. Hydrogen rather than coke? Or carbon capture mentioned. Or “alternative energy sources.” Electric furnace?

For Japan, the only clean energy sources that make sense for that application are hydro power and nuclear. Japan produces a small percentage of electricity from hydro, but they have not grown hydro generation since the 1990s. What they need to do is restart their idled nuclear power plants.

https://news.yahoo.com/tokyo-steel-calling-faster-nuclear-02…

Headline: Tokyo Steel Calling for Faster Nuclear Power Revival in Japan

(Bloomberg) – A major Japanese steel-maker is calling for a quicker restart of nuclear reactors that were idled after the Fukushima disaster more than a decade ago as it grapples with soaring energy costs.

And…
The Japan Iron and Steel Federation has also been calling for a quicker restart of the reactors, as has Keidanren, the country’s biggest business lobby group. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said last month that Japan must consider using more nuclear power as the nation, which imports most of its energy, struggles with rising fuel prices and a weakening yen.


See chart in the link below for Japan’s sources of electricity. The large majority of power comes from natural gas, coal, and oil.

https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-browser?country…

  • Pete
1 Like

You would think tidal basin energy would be a natural fit for an island nation like Japan.

Is tidal basin energy classed as hydro?

You would think tidal basin energy would be a natural fit for an island nation like Japan.

As far as I know, tidal energy is not used anywhere to any large extent. South Korea reportedly has the world’s largest tidal power plant at Sihwa Lake, producing as much as 254 MW.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sihwa_Lake_Tidal_Power_Station…

But in 2020, tidal energy only produced 457 GWh in South Korea. Out of the total generation of 590,000 GWh or so, the tidal power plant produces a very small percentage of the whole.

https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-browser?country…

France has a similarly sized tidal power plant, but it too, only produces a very small percentage of the country’s total generation.

Canada’s Bay of Fundy, between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia has great potential, since there is a huge difference between high and low tides. But they have not been able to get a large system in place to take advantage. The ocean marine environment is not kind to mechanical systems with metallic components.

  • Pete

I have heard there is one tidal basin plant on a fiord in Scandanavia.

Imagine the amount of water that flows in and out of places like Chesapeake Bay, San Fancisco Bay, Puget Sound, etc every day.

Huge potential. Someone should be working on it.

Sure salt water is corrosive. But steel hulled ships seem to serve for up to 50 years. Long enough to do the job.

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Huge potential. Someone should be working on it.

They are in fits and starts. Here is one thread on the topic:
https://discussion.fool.com/australia-wave-energy-project-311227…

"Wave energy is about five to 10 times more expensive than solar and wind, according to Jeff Hansen from the University of Western Australia’s wave energy research centre…

“To engineer things to survive in the marine environment, it takes a lot of effort and they have got to be very robust and I think that’s one of the focuses,” he said. But many renewable energy experts around the world have been sceptical about whether wave energy would be an affordable and reliable source of power for at least 20 years, if ever."

DB2

I have heard of a Singer plant in New Jersey that had a wave energy system. They let water in at high tide and then let it drain through a turbine system.

A simple system. Not very complicated. Big expense is probably building the dam for the water basin.

I have heard of a Singer plant in New Jersey that had a wave energy system. They let water in at high tide and then let it drain through a turbine system. A simple system. Not very complicated. Big expense is probably building the dam for the water basin.

There may be environmental impacts that get in the way. A conference on the subject:

Environmental Effects of Tidal Energy Development
https://tethys.pnnl.gov/sites/default/files/publications/Env…

DB2