The government has designated dozens of municipalities as "advanced decarbonization areas," recognizing their commitment to achieving net-zero carbon dioxide emissions from households and other civilian electricity consumption by April 2030.

Over the two years to fiscal 2023, which ended in March this year, the government selected 73 locations in 36 prefectures under the initiative, and it plans to increase the number of designated areas to at least 100 by fiscal 2025. Grants provided to local governments are being used to support carbon dioxide reduction efforts and regional revitalization programs, with a strong emphasis on renewable energy.

Some initiatives focus on harnessing the potential of local livestock and agriculture industries.

The town of Kamishihoro in Hokkaido was designated as an advanced area for decarbonization in fiscal 2022. Since January 2017, the town has hosted a project to generate electricity using biogas produced from fermented livestock manure. The electricity is supplied to local users through Kamishihoro Energy, a new local utility company. As of the end of March this year, there were 434 power supply contracts in place.

The town, home to over 40,000 livestock cattle, including dairy cattle, faced a significant challenge in managing the large quantities of manure produced daily.

In response, town officials engaged in discussions with local farmers and ultimately decided to build a biogas plant. This is operated by a local resource recycling center, with the Kamishihoro chapter of Japan Agricultural Cooperatives among its shareholders.

The town's government also plans to use central government grants to develop a large-scale solar power generation system. The project involves the installation of solar panels with a capacity of 2,000 kilowatts on unused town-owned land. The local government aims to increase the number of households and businesses using electricity from renewable energy sources.

An official at the town government's net-zero promotion section said, "Our efforts to solve the problem of cattle manure have advanced our decarbonization goals."

In Kochi Prefecture, the village of Kitagawa was designated as an advanced area for decarbonization in fiscal 2023. Taking advantage of the village's abundant rainfall, the local government plans to introduce small-scale hydroelectric power generation at four sites, including river areas and dams. Construction is set to begin later in the current fiscal year, with completion targeted by the end of fiscal 2028.

Power generation capacity is expected to reach about 740 kilowatts. The electricity generated will be supplied to local communities through the village revitalization public corporation, which is partially owned by the local government, and Shikoku Electric Power.

In addition, the village government plans to launch a "solar sharing," or agrivoltaics, project that will both support agriculture and promote power generation. The project aims to set up solar panels on farmland used for cultivating yuzu, a local specialty citrus fruit, and to use the electricity generated to primarily power electric farming equipment.

The village has been grappling with a dwindling population, a shortage of successor farmers and an increase in abandoned farmland. The village government hopes to boost productivity by adopting smart agriculture, utilizing advanced technology to help offset the labor shortage.

With solar panel installations scheduled to begin as early as fiscal 2026, the local government is currently working on selecting the farmland that will host the panels.

An official at the village government said, "Since there are few precedents for solar power generation on yuzu farms, we're navigating uncharted territory and want to collaborate closely with the people involved."

The central government offers grants of up to ¥5 billion ($34 million) per area over a few years to these advanced areas for decarbonization. In addition to supporting decarbonization efforts that take advantage of local characteristics, the government aims to showcase the selected areas nationwide as model projects.

The initiative aligns with the government's broader goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.