TOKYO -- Japan will boost the amount of power it plans to generate using hydrogen, looking to burn about 10 million tons annually by 2030, roughly equivalent to the output of more than 30 nuclear reactors.
The new target is being set to allow Japan to reach zero net carbon emissions by 2050, a goal set by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in October.
While the plan is to utilize solar and wind energy to reduce the country's carbon footprint, the output of those sources varies with the weather, so existing power plants would still be needed. If instead noncarbon-emitting hydrogen can be used as fuel, greenhouse gas emissions can be cut even further. In addition, excess power generated from renewable sources when weather conditions are optimal can be used to produce stores of hydrogen.
