Business for the future
Shizen Energy was founded in June 2011 by three men in their thirties.
They first met each other at a wind power company where they had been working since 2005.
Ken Isono – Since he was a child, nature has been a big part of his life, especially the nature in Nagano, Hokkaido and California. As he grew up he felt there was a change in the global environment and was affected by the conflict caused by fighting over limited energy supplies, so he started to consider what he was able to do about this and decided to step into renewable energy.
Masaya Hasegawa – Born in Tochigi,he grew up in an environment surrounded by nature, and as such feels very close to the sea and the mountains. He loves surfing,and while he was surfing he started to take an interest in a wind power plant located near the sea.
Kenji Kawado – His grandfather started a business in the post-war reconstruction period in Japan, and he always keeps his grandfather’s words in mind; “Work to help in order for people to live.” He came across the wind power business by chance when he was a student and became deeply impressed with the potential of the infrastructure business. Each with a different background and experience, the three men met at a wind power company.
On 11 March 2011, an unprecedented earthquake and tsunami hit east Japan and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident had a massive impact not only on Japan but also on the rest of the world.
When the earthquake happened, Ken, Masaya and Kenji were working in the same wind power company with a belief in the possibilities presented by renewable energy, possibilities such as reducing environmental footprint, and increasing safety and sustainability and after the earthquake, their belief became even stronger.
“To create a bright future, it is crucial to take our own initiatives to solve problems without blaming others for them.”
“What we can do to assist recovery and contribute to society to the maximum possible extent is to expand renewable energy.”
Thus three months after the Great East Japan Earthquake, they founded Shizen Energy Inc.
Although we faced tremendous barriers when we started our business, we have been making firm progress by taking on new challenges. In 2012, we succeeded in developing our first mega solar photovoltaic plant. In the following years, we established two joint ventures – JUWI Shizen Energy Inc., and JUWI Shizen Energy Operations Inc. with JUWI which is one of world’s leading renewable energy companies.
Starting an energy company from scratch was often considered to be a reckless act. They have faced tremendous barriers many times in these past seven years, but Ken, Masaya and Kenji’s belief that we are only limited by our imagination is reflected in the corporate philosophy of “Changing the World with Energy”,and they have communicated to their employees (or “crew” as they are called in the company).
With a crew of over 160 and with many customers and local communities, they are continuing their challenge to create beautiful future that renewable energy is capable of creating.
The company will continue to go down its own path with belief and build a future. In which people can enjoy constantly changing nature.
