German-Japanese Research Conference "Economic Effects of Renewable Energy for Regional Development"

The devastating Great Eastern Japan Earthquake in March 2011 and the subsequent nuclear catastrophe at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have triggered growing interest of the Japanese public in regard to the future direction of Japan’s energy policy. The promotion of renewable energy is drawing particular attention. While climate protection and safety are important goals, promoters of renewable energy also aim for the decentralization of the energy system and for positive economic effects in respect to regional development. It is hoped that renewable energy like solar power, wind power or biomass will generate income and new employment in the regional economies. Yet, it is difficult to quantify, measure, assess and project possible economic effects by renewable energy for regional development in Japan due to a lack of robust data and solid economic modeling. In contrast to Japan, in Germany – where renewable energy presently attribute for 22% of Germany’s electricity consumption, and where citizens, farmers and municipalities own roughly half of the installed capacity for energy generation - exists a robust and broad database that has triggered research into modeling the economic effects of renewable energy for regional development.

At this German-Japanese research conference, leading researchers from the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW), Berlin, and the Institute decentralised Energy Technologies (IdE), Kassel, will present recent research results in regard to the regional economic effects of renewable energy in Germany. At the same time, initial results from the joint project by the College of Business Administration of Ritsumeikan University, ISEP and the IÖW for regional economic value added by renewable in Japan will be reported and discussed.

Date: February 4, 2014 (Tuesday), 14:00 – 17:00h
Place: Ritsumeikan University Tokyo Campus, Room No. 2
Sapia Tower 8th Floor, Marunouchi 1-7-12, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Language: English (if required, consecutive translation into Japanese handled by moderators)
Participation: free (maximum number of participants: 60)
Organizers: Ritsumeikan University, College of Business Administration / Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies (ISEP) / Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation (FES), Tokyo Office