October 23, 2011
Even though Japan is sitting on the world's third largest reserve of geothermal resources, after the United States and Indonesia, this power source always remained in the shadow of cheaper nuclear and thermal power plants.
October 23, 2011
This summer, six expert staff members from Indonesia's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources visited the Hatchobaru geothermal power plant, at the foot of the Kuju mountain range.
October 23, 2011
We had been driving for an hour, and no matter how far we went a pipeline filled with steam for power generation kept hugging the mountainside.
October 23, 2011
Amid a black volcanic plain, a pale glow radiates from what looks like a resort island. About a 20-minute drive from Iceland's international airport, Blue Lagoon is a 5,000-square-meter outdoor hot spa that could be mistaken for a lake.
October 23, 2011
Mitsui Chemicals Inc., in tandem with group companies and other partners, plan to spend 18 billion ($235 million) to build what is expected to be Japan's largest solar power station.
October 17, 2011
Major steelmaker JFE Steel Corp. has confirmed that coral reefs are flourishing in the sea on construction blocks made of slag it started offering 13 years ago for the purpose.
October 10, 2011
Nissan Motor Co. said it will conduct field tests of its New Mobility Concept two-seat electric vehicle starting after Oct. 15.
October 09, 2011
Namco Bandai Games Inc., a major videogame company, has developed a "quiet" vendor stall using a battery from Nissan Motor Co.'s Leaf electric vehicle.
October 07, 2011
A publicity stunt by Japan's leading toilet maker is plumbing new depths in corporate attention-seeking: a one-month, cross-country trip by a bizarre motorcycle mounted with a toilet.
October 03, 2011
OTSU -- When Shoji Moriguchi had the Skylighttube installed in the ceiling of his home in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, in 2004, it was like turning night into day.
October 01, 2011
Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. says it plans to make all its auto models 30 percent more fuel-efficient by 2015, compared with 2010 levels.
September 29, 2011
Aqua, the new compact hybrid to be released by Toyota Motor Corp. in January, will get slightly shy of 40 kilometers per liter of gasoline, making it one of the world's most fuel-efficient vehicles.
September 26, 2011
Water wheels began disappearing from the landscape with the advent of steam engines, but, as Japan searches for alternative power sources in the wake of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant disaster, flowing water is once again being eyed as a power source.
September 21, 2011
Daihatsu Motor Co. has released a super fuel-efficient minivehicle that gets 30 kilometers to a liter of fuel to woo customers away from hybrid and electric cars.
September 20, 2011
A guide at a coffee farm in Boquete in western Panama whispered, "You are very lucky to be able to see that bird so soon."
September 19, 2011
JX Nippon Oil and Energy Corp. on Oct. 17 will release an updated version of its popular Ene-Farm household fuel-cell system that both generates electricity and heats water using gas.
September 19, 2011
The industry ministry is set to help Japanese companies regain their competitiveness in the global renewable energy industry, which is expected to grow nearly threefold to about 86 trillion yen ($1.1 trillion) in 2020.
September 19, 2011
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. is moving to become a big presence in the offshore wind farm market, both in Japan and overseas.
September 13, 2011
All it took was dinner, and Sweden's Tomas Kaberger found himself with a new gig.
September 07, 2011
For Japanese electric appliance makers, the period of "setsuden," or saving electricity, will continue into this winter, at least as far as their products are concerned.