JAPAN NRG WEEKLY
MAY 27, 2024
TOP
- 150-member public-private “perovskite council” set up to foster investments and manufacturing
- Panasonic plans to more than double domestic production of EV batteries by 2030
- Mizuho Financial Group to provide assistance to shut coal plants in Southeast Asia
- Japan-Saudi leaders talk online about crude, hydrogen, CRMs
- Marubeni, Saudi Power Procurement Co ink PPA
- JERA unveils renewables detection tech to shrink greenwashing
ANALYSIS
AMMONIA OR METHANOL: WHICH IS THE WINNING ZERO-EMISSION SHIP FUEL?
Decarbonizing the maritime transport sector Is one of the most important tasks in the energy transition. Among the proposed clean energy solutions, the main one focuses on which fuel should replace the heavy marine oil now used by vessels. Top candidates include ammonia and methanol. This analysis assesses new shipping fuel candidates in the regulatory, ship development and supply aspects.
JAPAN NRG WEEKLY
PUBLISHER
K. K. Yuri Group
Editorial Team
Yuriy Humber (Editor-in-Chief)
John Varoli (Senior Editor, Americas)
Mayumi Watanabe (Japan)
Wilfried Goossens (Events, global)
Kyoko Fukuda (Japan)
Magdalena Osumi (Japan
Filippo Pedretti (Japan)
Tim Young (Japan)
Regular Contributors
Chisaki Watanabe (Japan)
Takehiro Masutomo (Japan)
Events
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OFTEN-USED ACRONYMS
| METI | The Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry |
mmbtu | Million British Thermal Units |
| MoE | Ministry of Environment | mb/d | Million barrels per day |
NEWS: ENERGY TRANSITION & POLICY
150-member public-private “perovskite council” set up
- (Government statement, May 21)
- 150 companies and government organizations have joined the newly established Public-Private Sector Council to Expand Deployment and Strengthen Competitiveness of Next-Gen Solar Cells”. The goal is to promote perovskite solar cell (PSC) technologies.
- The Council seeks to foster large investments, to set up mass manufacturing, to build production plants, and to stimulate demand.
- Council members include scholars who serve on multiple METI advisory panels, manufacturers planning PSC productions, potential users, relevant industry associations, ministries and municipalities. Potential raw material suppliers, such as INPEX and Fujifilm, are not included.
| Sectors | Members | Notes |
| National government | METI, MoE, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Defense Ministry, Education Ministry | Foreign Ministry (MoFA) is not included, suggesting that PSC application-focused bilateral ties are not yet on the horizon |
| Manufacturers | Sekisui Chemical, Toshiba, Aisin, EneCoat Technologies, Panasonic, Kaneka | Ricoh, PXP Corp, Peccell Technologies not included |
-
- CONTEXT: The PSC modules for power plants are large-sized and more difficult to produce compared to smaller ones for IoT devices. The Council focuses on larger installations, and so it doesn’t include Ricoh that’s developing PSC for lighting and IoT devices. The Council will set 2040 targets for PSC power generation volume and costs. The current cost target is to reach ¥14/ kWh, or less, in 2030.
- TAKEAWAY: Almost every govt unit is participating in this effort, which is unprecedented for any part of Japan’s energy sector. If it works, this model of cooperation could be utilized with other new energy solutions. Within just three-four years, PSC has gone from a niche R&D technology to one of the main decarbonization tools touted by the govt.
ANALYSIS
BY MAYUMI WATANABE
Ammonia or Methanol: Which is the Winning Zero-Emission Ship Fuel?
Decarbonizing the maritime transport sector counts as one of the most important tasks in the energy transition. Each year, global shipping leaves an emissions trail greater than that of the world’s passenger car fleet. To green this sector, the maritime industry is seeking the most effective and viable solutions.
In FY2022, Japan’s CO2 emissions from the shipping sector were 10.1 million tons, which excludes oceangoing vessels that are not included in the national greenhouse gas inventory. Oceangoing shipping accounts for about 2% of total global emissions.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set a goal to cut emissions by 40% in 2030 from 2008 levels. According to ClassNK, in order for Japan to meet this target, a quarter of its shipping fuel needs to avoid creating a CO2 footprint; and, the country needs new ‘zero emission’ ships.
Among the various clean energy solutions considered, the main one focuses on which fuel should replace the heavy marine fuel oil currently used by vessels. Candidates include ammonia and methanol, but there’s also talk of shifting to synthetic methane and bio-derived fuel options.
Among fuel alternatives, the degree of carbon reductions differ, as does the speed at which they can be introduced to the market. This analysis assesses the readiness of new shipping fuel candidates in the regulatory, ship development and supply aspects.
Agreements in place, but logistics are not
In the past six-months, Japan’s shipping sector has moved to accelerate the shift to ammonia and methanol from fossil fuels. In December last year, the city of Yokohama and Mitsubishi Gas Chemical signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with global shipping firm Maersk to explore green methanol bunkering in the port of Yokohama.