The impetus for establishing the company was the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in March 2011. Three friends in their 30s were deeply shocked by this situation, and three months after the earthquake, they founded Shizen Denryoku, an electric power company specializing in natural energy sources such as solar, wind, hydropower, and biomass. About 10 years have passed since then. The company has become one of the fastest growing energy companies in Japan, while continuing to take on unique initiatives such as partnering with people and organizations at the cutting edge of the times, such as artist Olafur Eliasson. What is future-oriented energy that works with the power of nature?

Story: Ken Isono

After the earthquake, the three founders established a company with only the aspirations of 3 million yen. At first, I didn't have any work and had some free time, so the three of us went on a field trip to Germany, an advanced country in renewable energy. At this time, I met juwi, with whom I would later establish an international joint venture. juwi is one of Europe's largest renewable energy companies, but they sympathized with our aspirations, and we were able to establish a joint venture on an equal footing with "Natural Power," which was completely unknown at the time. Thanks to this joint venture, we were able to acquire world-class EPC (Equipment, Procurement, and Construction) technology.

I feel that the most important aspects of the journey so far include the completion of the first mega solar power plant in Koshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture the year after our founding, the establishment of a joint venture with juwi, and recently the This is an initiative to establish a regional power company with Obuse Town that produces and consumes electricity locally. In particular, my encounter with juwi was a big event.

The goal of creating natural energy for one nuclear power plant, which was set at the time of Shizen Power's founding, was achieved in 1, seven years after its establishment. (*Including those under development and construction) Still, how many people around us are using natural energy? In Japan, it is only about 7%. At this point, we are only halfway through our goal of ``changing the world with energy,'' and I don't think we have solved many of society's issues. We are striving to increase the proportion of our own supply while diversifying our power sources, including not only solar power but also wind, small hydropower, and biomass power generation.

Our project in Obuse Town is an example of this, starting with a small hydroelectric power plant, and creating infrastructure for revitalizing a new local culture and attracting people. In Obuse, we are updating the entire infrastructure of the town, including the roads, and are working to create a new town. This area is close to my parents' home and it's my roots, so I'm happy to be able to do business there and participate in town development.

Born in Nagano Prefecture, I grew up in Los Angeles, USA. I was born in Takayama Village, next to Obuse Town, a village surrounded by mountains with hot springs, and is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Japan. Even when I lived in Los Angeles, I grew up surrounded by nature. The view from the room window is the ocean as far as the eye can see. In winter, we could see migrating whales, and felt the breath of nature up close. I feel that this environment is a primeval landscape for thinking about the future of a blue planet.

My biggest influence when I was a child was my grandfather. He was the founder of a company called Orion Machinery (a major industrial machinery company founded in 1946) in Nagano Prefecture, and was what we would now call a social entrepreneur. He has been working on the issue of Buraku discrimination for about 80 years, and through his employment, he has also worked to resolve the issue. I myself experienced racial discrimination when I lived in the United States, and I hope that we can live in a truly equal and non-discriminatory society where ``Heaven does not create one above another, nor one below another.'' I knew from the bottom of my heart that I wanted to do it.

Another person who has been influenced by me is my cousin. I was always practicing snowboarding with him, who is active as a professional snowboarder. Living as a professional and dedicating your life to that path. I learned this way of life from him.
Another example is ``Analects and Abacus'' by Eiichi Shibusawa, who is a distant relative. If I were to describe myself as a business owner, I would say that I am completely committed to the future without worrying about immediate money or profits. Managers like this may be surprisingly rare.

When we founded the company after the earthquake, I thought about what I would do with my life. Even now, this feeling is at the core of who I am. The world is currently undergoing major changes in the wake of this spring's coronavirus crisis. I feel that we have to tackle something bigger than what we were facing when we were founded in 2011. I truly believe that we need to face and solve problems that humanity faces, not just energy.

Many people around the world are now beginning to feel that globalization and centralized social systems are high-risk. The coronavirus poses a crisis for all human beings, regardless of rich or poor. In a society that is beginning to divide, we need to create a new system. It is an autonomous, decentralized and cooperative social infrastructure that we call the "minimum grid." The idea is that by increasing the number of small bases that generate electricity from natural energy, we can reduce the environmental impact and create a society that can respond flexibly to disasters.

I have always faced environmental issues through energy. On the other hand, Miho Matsuura of TWGGY, whom I met through her friend, is a person who is connected to beauty and the global environment. An individual's interest in ``becoming beautiful'' is connected to an interest in environmental issues, a phenomenon common to all humankind. I was shocked, surprised, and happy about that.

During this spring self-restraint period, when I am not working remotely, I am seriously facing ``living'' while catching fish in the sea in front of no one and doing agricultural work in the fields. Up until now, we have been in an age of finding purpose in life, but I feel that from now on, we will be in an era in which we face what it means to be alive.

→Next is Kenji Kajiwara (Representative Director of Neal's Yard Remedies).

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