Despite very advanced battery manufacturing infrastructure (e.g. Panasonic at Gigafactory 1 for Tesla) Japan has tilted toward fuel cells as their next-gen power source, mainly due to the big automakers leaning that way.
So here's the plan, right now just a placeholder for actual analysis and stuff. Fortunately the English language translation was put on METI's website late last month.
First up, Japan's Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry, March 12, 2019:
Agency for Natural Resources and Energy
Formulation of a New Strategic Roadmap for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
And an overview of the of the earlier Basic Hydrogen Strategy by France's "Études de l’Ifri", October 2018:In order to ensure the achievement of the goals set forth in the Basic Hydrogen Strategy and the Fifth Strategic Energy Plan toward the realization of a hydrogen-based society, on March 12, 2019, the Council for a Strategy for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells renewed the existing Strategic Roadmap for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells. The renewed roadmap defines: (i) new targets on the specification of basic technologies and the breakdown of costs; (ii) necessary measures for achieving these goals; and (iii) that Japan will convene a working group consisting of experts to review the status of implementation in each area stipulated by the roadmap.
1. Background and purpose
The Council for a Strategy for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells formulated the Strategic Road Map for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in 2014, and revised it in 2016.
Subsequently, hydrogen-related policy materials, namely, the Basic Hydrogen Strategy (December 2017), the Fifth Strategic Energy Plan (July 2018), and the Tokyo Statement (October 2018) were formulated and released. With the release of these additional materials, the council considered that the existing roadmap needed significant revision, and it undertook the current revision of the roadmap. Toward the achievement of goals set forth in this revised Strategic Roadmap for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, industry, academia, and government will mutually cooperate to accelerate their efforts.
2. Highlights of the renewed roadmap
The renewed roadmap defines (i) new targets on the specification of basic technologies and the breakdown of costs, and necessary measures for achieving these goals, and (ii) that Japan will convene a working group consisting of experts to review the status of implementation in each area stipulated by the roadmap.
Appendix
Note: The English version of the Roadmap (Full text) was posted on November 22, 2019.
Japan’s Hydrogen strategy and its economic and geopolitical implications
With the Basic Hydrogen Strategy (hereafter, the Strategy) released on December 26, 2017, Japan reiterated its commitment to pioneer the world’s first “Hydrogen Society”. The Strategy primarily aims to achieve the cost parity of hydrogen with competing fuels, such as gasoline in transport and Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) inpower generation. The retail price of hydrogen is currently around 100 yen per normal cubic meter (yen/Nm3)1(90 USD ($) cents/Nm3) and the target is to reduce it to 30yen/Nm3by 2030 and to 20yen/Nm3(17 cents/Nm3) in the long-term. Toward this end, over the past six years, the Japanese government has dedicated approximately $1.5 billion to technology Research and Development (R&D) and subsidies in support of:....MUCH MORE (78 page PDF)
- Achieving low cost, zero-emission hydrogen production from overseas fossil fuels + Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), or from renewable energy electrolysis;
- Developing infrastructure for import and domestic distribution of hydrogen;
- Scaling up hydrogen use across various sectors, such as mobility, residential Combined Heat and Power (CHP), and power generation.
*Shipping Giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Begins Study Into Hybrid Battery / Hydrogen / LNG Car Carrier
