Winds of change blowing in favor of moves toward a low-carbon society represent an important opportunity on which Japan must not miss out. Stemming global warming requires using a broad range of renewable energy sources.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has decided to build a wind turbine manufacturing plant in the US state of Arkansas. The new plant, which will fabricate nacelles, a core component of wind turbines, is slated to begin operation in the second half of 2011 with an initial annual production capacity of 600 megawatts (MW). MHI [...]

Despite a patent dispute victory over GE and a US$5.1 million manufacturing tax credit award for its new Fort Smith, Arkansas facility, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry’s efforts to regroup in the global wind energy market are fraught with challenges.

As announced in our previous notice(Note) dated August 8, 2009, the Administrative Law Judge at the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) issued an Initial Determination (ID) that importation of 2.4 MW (megawatt) wind turbines manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) violated Section 337 of the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930. The target date [...]

The Administrative Law Judge at the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) issued an Initial Determination that importation of 2.4 MW (megawatt) wind turbines manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) violated Section 337 of the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930. Subsequently, in October, the USITC decided to review the Judge’s Initial Determination, and the [...]

The United States International Trade Commission (“ITC”) conducted an investigation, based on a complaint filed by General Electric (“GE”), regarding whether MHI’s 2.4 Megawatt variable speed wind turbines infringed certain patents owned by GE. On August 7, 2009, ITC Administrative Law Judge Charneski issued his initial determination that importation of MHI’s 2.4 MW variable speed [...]

General Electric Co., the biggest maker of wind turbines in the U.S., wants a trade agency to block Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. from importing rival energy equipment to the U.S. Turbines made by Mitsubishi, Japan’s largest heavy- machinery maker, infringe three patents, GE lawyer Scott Breedlove told U.S. International Trade Commission Judge Carl Charneski today. [...]

Russian hydrogenerating company RusHydro is planning to sign a memorandum on cooperation with Japan’s Mitsui and J-Power on May 11-12 as part of a project to build wind plants on Russky Island off Vladivostok, acting RusHydro CEO Vasily Zubakin told Interfax. After studying the island’s wind potential, the Japanese companies will begin acting as co-investors [...]

Japan’s second-biggest utility Kansai Electric Power Co said on Friday it would spend about 6 billion yen ($66.96 million) to build its first wind farm in western Japan to help cut carbon dioxide emissions. The company said it would build 12 wind turbines with total capacity of 24 megawatts. Read more

Scientists from the Kyushu University in Japan have designed a massive floating power plant that will combine photovoltaic arrays with windmills. This power plant will be deployed off-shore and it will measure 1.25 miles by 0.5 miles and preliminary tests showed that it’s possible and a new generator like this should be ready in about [...]

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has commenced business in generating electric power by wind turbines in Bulgaria, and selling it locally, through Kaliakra Wind Power AD (KWP), a joint venture established locally with the Bulgarian engineering firm inos Ltd. The wind farm, Bulgaria’s first, has already been built by KWP and is now in operation. [...]

                    Japan’s wind power industry installed only 185 megawatts (MW) of capacity in the year ended in March, 2008, less than half of what it installed in 2006/07, as tighter regulations delayed the contruction of wind farms. Read more

                    Japan’s biggest utility Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said on Thursday it would build its first wind farm in Shizuoka Prefecture, west of Tokyo, to cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Read more

In the country that hosted the Kyoto Protocol and wrote the book on solar policy, the wind-power industry has ground almost to a halt. Among the culprits: policy, cost and technology challenges. Read more