Japanese companies actively expand R&D investment in new energy

According to a survey conducted by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, due to the nuclear accident at the 1st nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japanese companies have actively expanded the R&D investment in new energy and energy-saving technologies. In 2011, the total R&D investment of 240 major companies in Japan reached nearly 11 trillion yen, an increase of 6.1% from 2010, and the level returned to 2009 levels. Among them, about 30% of companies have achieved double-digit growth rates in R&D investment.

According to the survey results, about 52.6% of the respondents in the key R&D areas chose “energy-saving technologies such as storage batteries”, 41.9% of the respondents selected “new energy sources such as solar power generation” and chose “new materials” and “supermicro technologies”. Respondents from Semiconductor and Semiconductor accounted for 32.5%, 28.2%, and 11.7%, respectively. In addition, more than 60% of the companies surveyed said that R&D activities were affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. Sixty-five percent said that "taking into account the reliability of nuclear energy, we will accelerate research and development in the new energy sector in the future."

Panasonic will "change the direction of investment and strengthen research and development of new energy." In addition to solar power, it has also developed a research and development plan for smart power metering and home energy management systems. Toshiba will focus on promoting R&D in the energy and environmental fields and will conduct joint research with Tsinghua University in China on energy-saving technologies, railways, hybrid vehicles, and water treatment. Toyota, Nissan, Honda, etc. In addition to electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and batteries, the development of high-performance lithium batteries for automobiles and homes will also be enhanced. Mitsubishi Electric will expand its research and development of smart grid-related technologies.