Major Japanese Railway Now Powered Only by Renewable Energy
2022-05-02
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1Japanese railway company, Tokyu, says it now uses only renewable energy to power its train operations.
2That means Tokyu's huge network of train lines in and around Tokyo do not produce any carbon dioxide emissions.
3The change took place April 1.
4Tokyu employs 3,855 people and connects Tokyo with the nearby city of Yokohama.
5It has more than 100 kilometers of railway tracks serving 2.2 million people a day.
6It is the first railroad operator in Japan to have reached the goal of zero carbon emissions.
7It says the carbon dioxide reduction is equal to the yearly average emissions of 56,000 Japanese households.
8Nicholas Little is director of railway education at Michigan State University.
9He praised Tokyu for supporting renewable energy.
10But he noted it is also important to improve ways of creating renewable energy.
11"...The bigger impacts come from increasing electricity generation from renewable sources," Little said.
12"The long-term battle is to increase production of renewable electricity."
13So, is Tokyu's move to renewables just a campaign for good publicity? Or, is the company moving in the right direction for the environment?
14There is no simple answer says one expert.
15Ryo Takagi is a professor at Kogakuin University and specialist in electric railway systems.
16He says bigger environmental gains would come from changing rural operations from diesel fuel to hydrogen power or switching to electric automobiles.
17Tokyu's action is better than nothing, but Takagi said, "I am not going out of my way to praise it as great...."
18Tokyu official Yoshimasa Kitano says the company plans more action toward cleaner operations.
19"We don't see this as reaching our goal but just a start," Kitano said.
20Such steps are critical for Japan, the world's sixth-biggest carbon polluter.
21The country has a goal of becoming carbon-neutral by the year 2050.
22About 20 percent of Japan's electricity comes from renewable sources, says Japan's Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies.
23That is far behind New Zealand, for example, where 84 percent of power used comes from renewable energy sources.
24New Zealand hopes to make that 100 percent by 2035.
25The renewable sources driving Tokyu trains include hydropower, geothermal-power, wind power and solar power.
26That information comes from Tokyo Electric Power Co., the utility that provides the electricity and looks at its energy sourcing.
27Since Japan's 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima, the country has shut down most of its nuclear plants and increased use of coal-fired power plants.
28Japan aims to have 36 to 38 percent of its energy come from renewable sources by 2030.
29I'm Jill Robbins.
1Japanese railway company, Tokyu, says it now uses only renewable energy to power its train operations. That means Tokyu's huge network of train lines in and around Tokyo do not produce any carbon dioxide emissions. 2The change took place April 1. 3Tokyu employs 3,855 people and connects Tokyo with the nearby city of Yokohama. It has more than 100 kilometers of railway tracks serving 2.2 million people a day. 4It is the first railroad operator in Japan to have reached the goal of zero carbon emissions. It says the carbon dioxide reduction is equal to the yearly average emissions of 56,000 Japanese households. 5Nicholas Little is director of railway education at Michigan State University. He praised Tokyu for supporting renewable energy. But he noted it is also important to improve ways of creating renewable energy. 6"...The bigger impacts come from increasing electricity generation from renewable sources," Little said. "The long-term battle is to increase production of renewable electricity." 7So, is Tokyu's move to renewables just a campaign for good publicity? Or, is the company moving in the right direction for the environment? 8There is no simple answer says one expert. Ryo Takagi is a professor at Kogakuin University and specialist in electric railway systems. He says bigger environmental gains would come from changing rural operations from diesel fuel to hydrogen power or switching to electric automobiles. 9Tokyu's action is better than nothing, but Takagi said, "I am not going out of my way to praise it as great...." 10Tokyu official Yoshimasa Kitano says the company plans more action toward cleaner operations. 11"We don't see this as reaching our goal but just a start," Kitano said. 12Such steps are critical for Japan, the world's sixth-biggest carbon polluter. The country has a goal of becoming carbon-neutral by the year 2050. 13About 20 percent of Japan's electricity comes from renewable sources, says Japan's Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies. 14That is far behind New Zealand, for example, where 84 percent of power used comes from renewable energy sources. New Zealand hopes to make that 100 percent by 2035. 15The renewable sources driving Tokyu trains include hydropower, geothermal-power, wind power and solar power. That information comes from Tokyo Electric Power Co., the utility that provides the electricity and looks at its energy sourcing. 16Since Japan's 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima, the country has shut down most of its nuclear plants and increased use of coal-fired power plants. 17Japan aims to have 36 to 38 percent of its energy come from renewable sources by 2030. 18I'm Jill Robbins. 19The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. 20____________________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22emissions - n. something sent out or given off 23impact - n. a powerful or major influence or effect 24average - adj. a number that is calculated by adding quantities together and then dividing the total by the number of quantities 25utility - n. a company that provides electricity, water, etc.