I’ve always been impressed with the Japanese. How they strike the balance between tradition and innovation, and how they seek out new ways to disrupt the status quo with careful respect and diligence. Their way of thinking has transformed many industries from automotive to consumer electronics. This is where six sigma and lean manufacturing was born to drive process control and accelerate productivity. In doing so, not only have legacy industries been re-invented, but new industries have been created along the way.
A resourceful nation in the absence of significant indigenous fossil fuels, resilience and flexibility has been at the heart of their energy ecosystem. One that must be engineered to withstand natural disasters and the subsequent nuclear shut downs that have preceded them.
So, it is perhaps little surprise that a nation with limited seabed suitable for fixed bottom wind, the Japanese were one of the earliest adopters of floating offshore wind. Pioneering the industry, 6 x 2MW units were installed as far back as 2011 to learn more about this advancing technology. In a nation which consumes more than twice the electricity per capita than the UK, it is clear why major energy players including BP, SSE, Equinor and others have recently announced partnerships to capitalise on the offshore wind opportunity here. Underpinning this is Japan’s government goal to achieve 10GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030.
I was therefore humbled and thrilled to talk to the Japanese Wind Association recently at M-SParc in Anglesey about the opportunity to work closer with Japanese developers, EPCs, energy companies and academia and help accelerate this journey. MPS is committed to developing strong collaborations with international partners. For some time, we’ve been growing important relationships that will provide a strong springboard to delivering projects together in key markets like Japan and beyond.
I also look forward to continuing to develop relationships with the companies I engaged with last week and helping realise the role that our low mass, highly stable platform system, for deployment at industrial scale, will play in a low carbon future.
Thank you to all the companies that invested heavily in travelling to Wales and we are looking forward to MPS playing an active role in re-shaping the Japanese energy landscape.
Martin Carruth, Commercial Director
martin.carruth@marinepowersystems.co.uk