再生エネ発電 買い取り制には課題が多い

The Yomiuri Shimbun (May. 2, 2012)
Problems surround govt plan for renewable energy purchases
再生エネ発電　買い取り制には課題が多い（5月1日付・読売社説）

A feed-in tariff system for electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power will face many difficult problems.
　太陽光や風力など再生可能エネルギーの買い取り制度は、多くの難題を抱えている。

An expert panel of the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry has made a proposal on prices at which electric power companies will purchase electricity generated by renewable energy under the system.
　経済産業省の有識者委員会が、再生可能エネルギーで発電した電気を電力会社が買い取る価格の案をまとめた。

The government will officially decide on recommended rates within May, and power companies will become obliged to buy the electricity from July.
　政府が５月中に正式決定し、７月から電力会社に買い取りが義務づけられる。

The proposed rates are 42 yen per kilowatt-hour for solar power, 23 yen for wind power and 27 yen for geothermal power.
　価格案は、１キロ・ワット時当たり、太陽光が４２円、風力２３円、地熱２７円などとなっている。

The rates were calculated by adding appropriate profits to the usual costs of each generation method, the panel said. However, they are almost the same as the rates that were requested in advance by renewable energy producers and were higher than widely expected.
　有識者委は、それぞれの発電方法で通常かかる費用に、適正な利益を上乗せしたと説明している。しかし、各発電業界が事前に示した要望額とほぼ同じで、大方の予想より割高と言える。

With the proposed prices, the panel apparently aims to promote the expansion of the renewable energy generation business by encouraging more companies to enter the field. However, the feed-in tariff system's design itself is precarious.
　自然エネルギー発電への参入を後押しし、普及に弾みをつける狙いだろう。だが、制度設計そのものに危ういところがある。

===

Higher electricity prices

The costs utility companies will shoulder to buy the renewable-energy electricity at high rates will be passed on through electricity rates in general.
　電力会社が高値で買い入れた負担分は電気料金に上乗せされる。

The economy ministry estimates the resulting electricity charge hike for an ordinary household to be 70 yen to 100 yen per month in the first fiscal year, but it apparently will further increase along with the spread of power generation from renewable sources.
経産省は一般家庭の負担増は、初年度で月７０～１００円にとどまると試算しているが、普及につれて負担額は増え続ける。

Special measures will exempt steel and other industries that consume huge amounts of electricity from more than 80 percent of the increased portion of electricity rates.
　鉄鋼など電力多消費産業には、料金上乗せ分の８割以上を減免する特例が適用される。

However, after a government subsidy to supplement the reduced portion of electricity revenues runs out, it will be passed on to other industries and ordinary households through their electricity rates.
料金の減収分を穴埋めする補助金が底をつくと、これも他業種や家庭の電気料金の上昇へと跳ね返る。

If the costs are not shared in a balanced manner, a sense of unfairness will spread among the public.
　コスト負担のバランスを欠けば不公平感が拡大するだろう。

Japan is now in an emergency situation because all but one of its nuclear power reactors have been suspended and thermal power generation requires an additional 3 trillion yen to 4 trillion yen a year for fuel costs. An increase in electricity costs must be avoided by all means.
　今は、原子力発電所が停止し、火力発電の燃料費が年３兆～４兆円も余計にかかる非常時である。電力コストの上昇は、極力避けなければならない。

If the feed-in tariff system causes electricity rates to rise, the government will have to flexibly reduce the recommended rates.
　再生可能エネルギー買い取りの影響で電力料金の上昇幅が拡大した場合、政府は買い取り価格を機動的に下げる必要があろう。

===

Denuclearization not easy

In fact, Germany, which is more advanced in its feed-in tariff system than Japan, last year saw the added portion of electricity rates for an ordinary household exceed 1,200 yen per month. Facing public protest, the German government this spring lowered the recommended rates by 20 percent to 30 percent. The Spanish government in January suspended applying its feed-in tariff system to new renewable energy generation projects.
　実際、買い取り制度で先行するドイツでは昨年、一般家庭の料金上乗せ分が月１２００円に膨らんだ。国民の反発を受け、今年春に買い取り価格を２～３割下げた。スペインでは今年１月、新規買い取りの凍結に追い込まれた。

The experience of other countries shows that it is difficult to maintain electricity generation from renewable sources as long as generation costs remain expensive, even if a government tries to support it with policy measures.
　海外の事例は、再生可能エネルギーを政策支援で普及させても、発電コストが高いままでは維持が難しいことを示している。

Many expectations are voiced for industrial promotion and job growth related to new energy businesses such as the manufacture of solar panels, but the reality is grim. In Germany, a major solar panel maker and other firms went under one after another in the face of pressure from Chinese products with smaller price tags.
　太陽光パネルなど新エネルギー関連の産業振興や雇用増を期待する声も多いが、現実は厳しい。ドイツでは、割安な中国製に押されて、大手パネルメーカーなどの破綻が相次いだ。

Solar and wind power generation have many difficulties regarding the procurement of land for sites and the durability of generation facilities. The road to independence from nuclear power generation is not an easy one.
　太陽光、風力発電は、用地確保や発電設備の耐久性などに課題が多い。「脱原発依存」への道は決して平坦(へいたん)ではない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 1, 2012)
（2012年5月1日01時10分 読売新聞）