Book Review:Windmill Power To Save Our Planet by Ushiyama Izumi / Nihon Keizai Shimbun Publisher / November 2012

  Ever since the Fukushima nuclear accident people’s attention has focused on energy issues as well as on ecological problems. As is well known, public discussion today centers on whether we should abandon nuclear reactors or continue their use. This book considers possible options not only to nuclear energy but to other forms of fossil energy as well, like oil, coal and natural gas. With regard to recyclable energy, the main focus in this book is on the production of wind energy, with explanations about its viability and efficiency.
  The author, Ushiyama Izumi, is a first-rate Japanese authority on windmill research. With deep insight and in clear language he speaks on the situation regarding wind energy production, which is currently becoming a major worldwide source of electricity. At the same time, he considers future problems regarding the development of wind energy in Japan, which he considers to be of great value in producing electricity especially if erected at the seashore. It is evident that wind energy offers a viable and realistic option to nuclear and fossil energy. Thus, it opens the way to a new energy generation. For us Japanese, who have experienced the Fukushima nuclear accident, this is a new option full of great promise. At the same time, it is believed that, although Japanese technology regarding the practical use of windmills has lagged behind, it has the potential to make a significant contribution around the world. Promoting this source of energy at the national level will naturally stimulate new businesses and create new opportunities of employment.
  Nevertheless, in order to carry out this paradigm shift even in Japan, it will not suffice merely to find solutions to technological problems. We also need a change of awareness regarding the realities involving ourselves. We need to be aware that each one of us is an energy consumer. Thus, it is important to make a wise discernment concerning the potentials of human intelligence. In this book the author offers a variety of materials for discernment. He stresses the importance of having the determination to create a future and not simply make predictions. This book will help many people envisage a new stage of energy production and will improve knowledge regarding possibilities of recycling energy. This does not only concern energy issues. It also offers an opportunity to reflect on what our societies should be like in coming generations.
 (Yamamoto Keisuke, Jesuit Social Center Staff, Tokyo)

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