TOKYO -- The city of Choshi lies to the east of Tokyo, right where the elbow of the Boso Peninsula juts out into the Pacific. It is known for two things -- seafood and soy sauce -- and was devastated by B-29 air raids in World War II. Now, off its rugged coastline, a Japanese utility and a European powerhouse are trying to spark a national energy revolution.
Last year, Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings switched on its first commercial offshore wind plant there, with turbines fixed to the seabed and towering 126 meters above the waves. The installation has a maximum output of 2.4 megawatts, but for Tepco this is only the beginning.
