The fourth report of the “Renewable Energy for Regional Revitalization” series, which highlights local cities working to deploy renewable energy for regional revitalization, focuses on Nasushiobara City in Tochigi Prefecture.
Nasushiobara City is known for its thriving dairy industry and has established itself as “the top city in Honshu for raw milk production.” Dairy farming consumes a significant amount of electricity, making measures to prevent power outages essential. Recently, due to changing global conditions, production costs—including electricity rates—have skyrocketed, creating a need for the introduction of self-sufficient, decentralized power sources that utilize renewable energy. To enhance the region’s sustainability, the city is promoting the installation of solar power systems and battery storage units in dairy facilities, public facilities, and homes. At dairy facilities, solar power generation is helping to reduce electricity costs associated with heat stress mitigation measures for dairy cows. By implementing adequate heat stress countermeasures, it has also become possible to minimize declines in milk production during the summer.
Going forward, the city plans to promote the adoption of renewable energy that utilizes untapped resources, such as solar power generation at the site of the former municipal solid waste landfill and biogas power generation using livestock manure and urine. To expand community-integrated solar power generation, the city has designated promotion zones while taking care not to damage the surrounding natural and living environments. The city aims to create a sustainable community where residents can feel confident that “if they live here, they will survive,” even in an era of frequent disasters, while making the most of renewable energy.
Series “Renewable Energy for Regional Revitalization” (all contents are in Japanese)
This series highlights innovative initiatives by local governments that use renewable energy to address local challenges, including promoting local energy production and consumption, creating new industries, and improving public services. Through examples from municipalities across Japan, the series shares insights into advancing renewable energy in ways that benefit local communities.
No.1 Utilizing Offshore Wind and Biomass to Attract Data Centers, a Growing Industry (Ishikari, Hokkaido) 16 July 2025No.2 From Disaster to Resilience: Solar Power and Batteries Drive Recovery and Energy Independence (Miyako, Iwate) 17 December 2025
No.3 An Island Where Solar Power and Batteries Protect Residents’ Daily Lives (Miyakojima, Okinawa) 2 September 2026
No.4 The “Dairy Kingdom” Takes on Locally Produced, Locally Consumed Energy (Nasushiobara, Tochigi) 17 September 2026
