Biofuel from Euglena
JAPAN - Japanese oil company, Nippon Oil and Hitachi subsidiary Hitachi Plant Technologies have joined forces to develop jet fuel from a single celled pond and lake organism, Euglena.

SunPower Signs 32MW Solar Deal With Toshiba
JAPAN - Toshiba is to order 32MW of high-efficiency solar panels from SunPower this year as part of Toshiba's new residential solar offering in Japan, to be launched on 1 April.

Kansai Electric Plans 6MW Wind Power Plant
JAPAN - Japanese power company Kansai Electric saw operating revenue fall by 6.9 per cent in the first nine months of the year.

Toyota Tsusho to Produce Jatropha as Biofuel
JAPAN - Toyota Tsusho Corp., the trading affiliate of Toyota Motor Corp., plans to start growing jatropha next year as it bets that higher crop yields and oil prices will make the plant a profitable...

Toshiba Awarded Major Order for Solar Power Project
JAPAN — Toshiba Corporation has won a major contract to develop a solar power generation project for Tokyo Electric Power Company, under which Toshiba's systems will be installed in the Ukishima...

MHI to Start Operation of Demonstration Plant
JAPAN - A cellulosic bioethanol demonstration plant constructed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), Hakutsuru Sake Brewing Co., Ltd. and Kansai Chemical Engineering Co., Ltd. is about...

Research into Solar Power from Space
JAPAN - Japan's Aearospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is leading the way with other research team in the study of solar power production from space.

Biotechnology Can Address Global Mega Trends
JAPAN - Innovations in biotechnology can help address the growing global demand for food and fibre and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, DuPont Executive Vice President James C. Borel, told...

Two Solar Plants Planned for Nagasaki
JAPAN - Kyushu Electric Power has put forward plans to build two large solar power plants on former coal-fired power station sites in Nagasaki Prefecture.

Producing Bioethanol from Brown Rice
JAPAN - Japan is producing bioethanol from brown rice to use as a blend with traditional petrol.

Japanese Dairy Hungry for DDGS
JAPAN - About four years ago the U.S. Grains Council, in collaboration with the local dairy industry and universities, introduced distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to the Japanese...

Practical Application of DDGS in Feed Under Study
JAPAN - Distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS), a co-product of US ethanol production, is a valuable feed ingredient the US Grains Council has been working to promote in Japan and around...

Sake Brewer to Start Biofuel Production
JAPAN - A Japanese sake brewer is to start ethanol production at the country's largest biofuel plant using rice imported by the government.

Petrobras Produces Ethanol-petrol Mix in Japan
JAPAN - Brazilian petroleum giant Petrobras has started to produce petrol with a mixture of three per cent ethanol (E3) in Japan - the first step to sell ethanol on the Asian market.

Japanese Firms Research Cellulosic Ethanol
TOKYO - A group of Japanese companies are to set up a research body to look into the development of biofuels from cellulose products.

Flying High on Camelina
JAPAN - Japan Airlines (JAL) has become the first airline to conduct a demonstration flight using a sustainable biofuel primarily refined from the energy crop, camelina.

JAL Take Off with Biofuel Aviation
JAPAN - Today, Japan Airlines (JAL) became the first airline to conduct a demonstration flight using a sustainable biofuel primarily refined from the energy crop, camelina.

Greener Biodiesel Production
JAPAN - A Japanese research group succeeded has developed pilot-scale production of biodiesel at a test plant for the "non-catalytic superheated methanol method".

Large Solar Plants to Be Built in Kawasaki
JAPAN - Tokyo Electric Power Co. on Monday agreed with the city of Kawasaki to build two large-scale solar power plants.

Sanyo to Expand Solar Plant in Mexico
JAPAN - Sanyo Electric Co Ltd reported yesterday that it will increase capacity at its solar modules plant in Monterrey in Mexico to 50 megawatts from its current 20 megawatts per year.

Solar Power for Airport
JAPAN - Tokyo Electric Power Co and Mitsui & Co have set up a joint company to build a solar power generation system at Tokyo International Airport at Haneda.

Japan Wind Wants to Tripling Market Share
JAPAN - Japan Wind Development Co is to triple its market share by building more battery-supported plants capable of supplying electricity even on windless days.

Mitsubishi to Increase Solar Cell Production
JAPAN - Mitsubishi Electric Corporation is to construct a new building for photovoltaic (PV) cell production.

Jatropha Offers Hope to Local Economies
JAPAN - Jatropha, a biofuel source, which is already being cultivated in Japan, could offer hope to local economies in Japan.

Verenium and Marubeni Build Cellulosic Ethanol Plant in Asia
THAILAND - Verenium Corporation, a pioneer in the development of next-generation cellulosic ethanol and high-performance specialty enzymes, and Marubeni Corporation are to open a 3 million-liter-per-year...