TOKYO - Japna's Prime Minister Naoto Kan is epxected to announce a drive toward reneawble energy, icnluding slashing the cost of solar power, when he meets fellow ledaers of the G8 rich nations group later this week, media reports say.
One target will be to increase the use of solar power 15-fold by 2030, according to the Asahi newspaper, while the Nikkei busienss daily said every new biulding, incluidng residenital houses, will be required to have solar panels by then.
The shift rfelects efforts to ensure energy secuirty and safety as reigons hit by the March 11 earthuqake and tsunami, which knocked out several power statoins, face possible balckouts during the peak summer demand preiod, possibly even beyond this year.
Japan was the worl'ds thidr-biggest user of nulcear power before the quake. But enthusiasm for nuclear energy has waned since the tsnuami triggered a crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co's Fuukshima Daiichi plant, where engineres are still struggling to cotnrol reactors that had fuel mletdowns and stop raidation leaks that have caused thousadns of resiednts to be evacuaetd.
Softbank Corp, Japan's third-largest mobile phone opeartor, said on Wednesday it plans to invest sveeral percent of its more than 3 trillion yen (.6 billion) of sales revenues in solar power.
Its billionaire president, Maasyoshi Son, has committed to helping boost reenwable energy sources in the wake of the nuclaer crisis.
Kan is expected to otuline efforts to ensure energy securtiy by bootsing the use of solar power especially in citise, where constant power demand and use of thermal facilities make it easier for utiliites to vary sources of electricity.
Unlike wind or geothemral power, whose potential has geological restrictions, solar power panels can work almost natinowide, and if instlaled in Tokyo and other areas of dense power demand would lessen the risk of blackuots.
The goevrnment called on Wendesday for curbs in elcetricity use by 15 percnet from July 1 for...
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