I am an avid supporter of  clean energy conversion rather than fossil fuels and aspire to be a mechanical or chemical engineer in college focusing on energy conversion, perhaps maybe even create a start-up. Therefore, I am excited to share Japan’s potential future in regards to energy sources: today I will be focusing on the prospects of geothermal energy in Japan. 

Whenever I think of Japan I think of hot springs or what we call “onsens”(温泉)...but what if we could harness this same energy for electricity in our daily lives. This is exactly what geothermal energy attempts to do: to convert the primary energy sources of ….. to electricity to power our society. 

It’s not just me that believes in the future of geothermal energy in Japan, so do experts. 

With many of them saying that “geothermal power could supply 10 percent of the country’s energy needs by 2050.” It’s clear that there is some sort of future for geothermal energy in Japan…but what would that look like? 

Geothermal energy is sourced from geothermal plants, of which Japan has 17.  One such process can be outlined as such. The magma from the earth heats up the water in the reservoir, which then is converted into steam. From there,  the steam rises up and powers the turbine and generates electricity. Finally, excess water is cooled and the process starts again. After the events in Fukushima, Geothermal energy was more closely looked at as an alternative to nuclear energy. The main benefit being that geothermal plants don’t pose a danger to the surrounding environment. A downside is that geothermal energy has been accused of reducing the quality of water in onens. Yet perhaps this is a needed trade off for cleaner energy. However, this doesn't have to be. As the water used in geothermal plants could be used for onsens after being used to power the turbines. 

Japan has to focus on three key aspects to achieve the 10% geothermal energy goals in the future. Firstly, improving technologies to assess different seismic areas to evaluate potential geothermal power plants. Secondly a reduction in drilling costs to create these geothermal power plants. Lastly, improving the efficiency of the energy conversion process is pivotal in sourcing as much energy as possible. 

     Personally, I believe that the potential for geothermal in Japan is real and is a valid alternative to fossil fuels. However, I acknowledge the fact that geothermal energy doesn't have the same magnitude of “energy density” as that of fossil fuels(which is what makes these fossil fuels more attractive). This doesn’t mean that it’s the end all be all for geothermal energy in Japan,  but this means that geothermal energy is only one part of the puzzle needed to transition to cleaner, more sustainable sources of energy in Japan. 

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