English

My name is Fukuda, Executive Vice President and Senior Vice President of Kyushu University (responsible for industry-academia-government-society collaboration). Kyushu University established the Research and Education Center for Offshore Wind on April 1, 2022. With the establishment of the Center, I was appointed as its Director. I am determined to devote myself to the development of the Center. I thank you in advance for your support.

In October 2020, then Japan’s Prime Minister Suga declared in his policy speech that Japan would aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero, that is, to realize a carbon-neutral, decarbonized society by 2050. Subsequently, in December 2020, the government announced its “Vision for Offshore Wind Power Industry,” in which it set a target of achieving 30 to 45 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power capacity installation by 2040 (more than 10 times the actual 2018 level). The government considers offshore wind power to be the trump card for making renewable energy the main source of power, and by setting the above ambitious installation target, it promises to create significant demand. It is expected that the government will use this demand as a springboard to attract and create a wind power industry, build a robust supply chain with domestic suppliers, and furthermore, with a view to developing the next-generation floating offshore wind turbine technology and other technologies for deployment in Asia, work on technological development and international collaboration.

Supported by the government’s clear policy, the expansion of the offshore wind business has a clear direction; however, since almost all major Japanese wind turbine manufacturers had already withdrawn from the wind industry as of 2019, this expansion will be driven by the introduction of foreign-made offshore wind turbines. Despite these circumstances, the harsh wind conditions and social environment unique to Japan will not change, and there is a mountain of issues to be addressed, including the formation of a domestic supply chain, the shortage of wind industry personnel, energy security, and suitability for Japan’s wind conditions and social environment.

Kyushu University is the only university in Japan capable of developing wind turbines combining its unique wind turbine/floating structure technology (hardware) and wind condition analysis/fluid structure analysis technology (software). Furthermore, under the Designated National University Corporation Concept, Kyushu University aims to become Japan’s Green Innovation Hub, contributing to creating innovative technologies, making policy recommendations and developing human resources, and presenting innovations in wind energy technologies, including offshore wind power generation.

Kyushu University has established the Research and Education Center for Offshore Wind, aiming to become a world-class center for research and education related to offshore wind power by consolidating related research resources based on the above-mentioned offshore wind power research achievements. At the same time, Kyushu University has also decided to establish the Consortium for Offshore Wind Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration, which aims to bring together the experience, know-how, and capabilities of Japan’s industry, academia, and government with the Center as its core. By establishing these two organizations, Kyushu University hopes to tackle issues related to offshore wind power and actively contribute to making offshore wind power the main source of power in Japan and to realizing a decentralized energy society. We look forward to your cooperation and encouragement in the operation of the Center. Thank you very much for your support.

April 1, 2022