TOMODACHI U.S.-Japan Clean Energy Local Partnership Program
2015 TOMODACHI U.S.-Japan Clean Energy Local Partnership Program
Program Dates
April 5 – 15, 2015
- There was a lunch reception and presentation in Tokyo on April 17
Program Description
The reassessment of Japan’s energy profile that began with the tragic March 2011 Tsunami Disaster and nuclear accident has opened opportunities for bilateral collaboration on advancement of clean and renewable energy.
Complementing ongoing ministry-level dialogues on energy cooperation, the proposed program aims to support efforts to engage on clean energy at the local level by bringing forward-looking and influential prefectural, municipal, private sector, and non-governmental organization representatives together with counterparts in the United States to see and learn firsthand how local communities and state governments stateside have implemented green energy policies that put themselves ahead of the national curve.
To further the objectives of the Tohoku Green Communities Alliance established by President Obama and Prime Minister Noda in 2012, the program includes participants from tsunami-impacted areas of Miyagi prefecture in Tohoku, a region poised to adopt the latest microgrid and other clean energy technologies as it rebuilds from the March 2011 disaster.
The group visited three cities: Sacramento, San Francisco, and Denver where they went to smart communities, tour energy efficient buildings, and view leading-edge renewable and smart energy systems in the United States. Through meetings with government officials, national laboratory researchers, industry representatives, NGO leaders, and citizens groups, program participants gained exposure to U.S. clean energy technology and policy, examined how these might be applied in their home communities, and interacted with potential U.S. partners.
The visit follows the TOMODACHI sponsored Tohoku Green Communities Alliance Exchange Program in November 2012 when they traveled to Golden, Colorado and Greensburg, Kansas.
Objectives
- To have participants see and learn firsthand about U.S. renewable, smart, and clean energy technology and policy; examine how these might be applied in their home communities; and interact with potential U.S. partners;
- To illustrate ways in which stakeholders have successfully introduced innovative clean energy policies at the local, municipal, and state levels as a reference point for similar activity in Japan;
- To enhance engagement on clean energy at the local level with citizens groups, NGOs, utilities, and private industry.
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