What moved you to join Shizen Energy Group (SEG)?

In my previous job, I worked at a government agency promoting the development of oil and gas resources, but from my fourth or fifth year as a fresh graduate, I felt that I wanted to work not with fossil fuels but with renewable energy, which is growing globally, and that I wanted to be involved in business “independently” at an operating company rather than in the "support" position of a government agency.
Kawado-san, a director of Shizen Energy, and I had originally known each other since I was a student through a leadership program hosted by a university. I met Kawato for the first time in a while, heard about our company, and thought, "I can do what I want to do," which led to my joining the company.

What do you want to accomplish in Shizen Energy Group?

I want to do a job that I can be proud of for my children, grandchildren, and other people who will live on in the next generation. I want to hand a better world to them - a clearer sky, bluer oceans, and greener forests.
First of all, I want to enhance my skills and contribute to making SEG the No.1 company in Japan and in the world.

Tell us about your career.

As a new graduate, I joined a governmental organization promoting resource development, and worked there for 4 years and 3 months. I worked on budget summarization and directors support in Management Planning Division, in Oil & Gas Development Division, providing financial support (capital funding/governmental guarantee) to oil & gas exploration/development projects carried out by Japanese companies overseas. Then, I was seconded to METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) for about 3 months, where I worked on revision of laws on resource development (and experienced 200 hours+ overtime in a month, in the so-called "National Diet support"). During this time, the price of crude oil fluctuated, experiencing something like a bubble and collapse.
As the world's energy policy moves toward decarbonization, I took advantage of this trend to de-fossilize my own career and joined Shizen Energy.

What social problem do you think needs to be solved?

Sense of blockage in each generation.
For example, I was born in 1991 along with the collapse of bubble economy, and was called "Yutori Generation" (generation that received "pressure-free" education) or told that the years following the collapse of bubble were "the lost 20 (or 30) years". I really felt resentful that the 20 years I had lived was considered "lost". When I was job hunting, I was determined that once I started working I wouldn't let anyone say things like that to me. That was how I found value in working in the energy sector, which was the foundation of economy in a country like Japan with limited resource. My wish "for the next generation" may also have come from the same thought.

What moved you to join Shizen Energy Group?

I was moved by the book "Challenging the World of Energy, the Work of 22 People" (co-authored by Kawado, the RD and a crew member.) The book matched the key phrases "do what you love, what you are good at, and what helps others" I used when I was searching for a job in graduate school. Shizen Energy was a perfect match to what I was looking for. Soon after finishing the book, I went to the internet and found out that Shizen Energy was having a mid-career job fair. I cancelled all my plans and left Kyoto for Tokyo. From there, I was an intern student, a part time worker and now I am an employee of Shizen Energy.

What do you want to accomplish in Shizen Energy Group?

My goal for the time being is to create (and complete) my assigned power plant.I joined the company having an aspiration of wanting to be a part of creating a sustainable and lively system that local communities could operate, just like a power plant. I realized that this would not start without building a power plant. Whenever I visit places for work, I feel the rich nature and admire their environment however, I also realize first-hand that depopulation is progressing. Having a power plant as an element, I would like to be a part of a series of processes where each local community develops by utilizing their own unique environment and resources.

Tell us about your career.

I am now at my first year working for Shizen Energy, the first company I joined after graduation. I studied environmental civil engineering (biological wastewater treatment) feeling “I want to visit more sites!” This led me to living in a village in the Philippines during graduate school having “the impact of water usage from development and agricultural communities” as a research topic. Initially, I wanted to become an engineer but then I decided to master the skills of a “communication specialist who understands engineering” and this is where I am right now.

What social problem do you think needs to be solved?

There are less opportunities where people get jumbled together.
When I was a child, I lived in a housing complex where I played with my neighboring friends in small spaces. I would literally run around outside from morning to night with friends of various ages, and with mom and dad.It was as if I had many siblings. I would like to live a life where I am surrounded and connected with many people.They do not necessarily have to be my relatives or acquaintances. I believe that living in such environment would make people more kind to one another and enhance our imagination. I would like to bring Japan and other parts of the world closer to such a world starting with installing power plants. The world pictured in “Mushime to Anime (Exploring Insects and Animation) ” by Takeshi Yoro and Hayao Miyazaki is my ideal world.

What did move you to join in Shizen Energy Group?

One of my colleagues at the time was leaving the company for Shizen Energy. I was interested in the problems of conflict and disparity caused by the uneven distribution of fossil fuels, as well as environmental issues, and I was interested in renewable energy, a new industry that could change society. In a market where large companies are entering one after another, Shizen Energy Group is growing rapidly as a venture company while maintaining its own culture and values, which gave me a great impact.

What do you want to accomplish in Shizen Energy Group?

I want to create projects that prove "100% renewable-powered energy" is not just a dream. With the business environment changing at a dizzying pace, such as falling FIT prices and natural disasters that occur every year, I believe it is my important mission to continue to successfully complete construction projects one by one that leads to the future. I'm also an engineer, so I want to try new technologies such as hybrid power generation, storage batteries, and smart grids.

Tell us about your business career.

I joined the EPC company mainly engaged in the petrochemical business as a new graduate and worked there for about 10 years.I was consistently in charge of overall management of overseas projects. I spent about half of my 10 years overseas negotiating with customers and managing construction work. The longest stay abroad was in Venezuela and the United States where I gained a great deal of experience while being surrounded by very professional people, and I am putting all of my experiences in use now.

What social issue do you think is needed to be solved?

I am deeply concerned about little children being waitlisted for daycare facilities. Also, poverty unequivocally deprives humans of dignity, the ability to think and the right to choose their future. I hope that one day people will be free from poverty in the world.

What's the most memorable experience you've ever had in your life?

When I was young, my family often took me camping, skiing and to the oceans; and I still love to play in nature. Some of the things that remain clear in my mind are the meteor shower I saw at a camp in Nagano Prefecture, the dark blue sea of Okinawa's Zamami Island, the horizon of Mongolia, and the pristine seas and jungles of Venezuela. During my school days I volunteered at an NPO, where I built an elementary school in Cambodia. The power of the glittering smiles on the faces of the Cambodian children will stay with me for the rest of my life. It is essential for me to connect with people and to play with nature.

What moved you to join Shizen Energy Group (SEG)?

“I want to solve social problems through business.” This has been my wish when I was in college. I had a range of experiences since graduation, domestic and overseas, from business enterprises to charity / non-profitable organisations. Being introduced by one of my friends, I had got to know kenny-san(Ken Isono), one of the founders, and I became attracted by his stance towards environmental / energy-related issues, taking a bull horn and tackling them, whilst growing by leaps and bounds as a business at the same time. I felt this company is the place to make my wish come true, so I joined it.

What do you want to accomplish in Shizen Energy Group?

The company roadmap has been always the same since I joined here in 2013. To maintain the blue planet, we have always wanted to promote the introduction of high-quality renewable power plants, design how to use energy better, solving local issues and so forth.
Due to the lack of capital and credit, we could really implement what we wished before, but now we have grown to become able to implement what we truly would like to attempt.
I personally would like to make contributions towards solving climate change issues through continuous new challenges.

Tell us about your career.

I started my career in a large ads / media company with a wide range of experiences of sales, business planning, marketing and new business creation and so on.
I could not give up on my wish to see the centre of non-profitable world, so I took a risk and quit the job, and decided to take a Master’s degree in UK, visiting South Asia and Africa or internship and personal research.
I worked in Shanghai for a year after leaving UK, and I was fortunate enough to get the chance to work here.
In Shizen Energy, I have mainly been working on financing for the renewable projects with investors and banks, sometimes creating fund schemes, as well as dealing with other side-scopes such as project development, project management and so on. The workstyle is rather flexible, so you can try something you want to have a go.

What does make you motivated?

I feel motivated when I see how much we could have achieved (some parts of) our fairly big vision together with fellow crews in Shizen Energy with passion, and recognise the resultant trust from our business partners and society at large, which enables us to have greater social impact.
The vision has been consistent since it was small, and we try to navigate ourselves to create even more magnificent future down the line. It might appear rather too big, but I can believe this company, with this crews, can make it happen.
You can climb up a huge wall with perseverance even if you thought it was impossible at first. After an achievement, you see a different view. I personally would like to keep my personal growth by creating an interesting future with other members.

Tell us about your career.

Since I was a college student, I belonged to an environmental NPO, and was involved in a project to deliver solar lanterns to a village without electricity in India, as well as supporting forest development in Nagano Prefecture, where I would later move to.
After studying electricity supply and demand simulations in graduate school, I moved to the village stated above with a population of 800 people as part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' "community-reactivating cooperator squad" program, and for three years before joining SE, I worked there as a temporary employee on various community reactivating projects. I worked together with the locals to produce and sell traditional vegetables on fallow land, set up an online school using an old private house and introduced renewable energy projects into the village.

What moved you to join Shizen Energy Group (SEG)?

I experienced starting a business with the local and national government when I worked for the NPO and the community-reactivating cooperator squad, but I also learned that it is difficult to generate money continuously. I realized that social contribution itself is important, but at the same time, it is also important to have a business in order to create sustainable local initiatives. While I was developing such thoughts, I came across Shizen Energy, and with my interest in renewable energy, I decided to join the company. I was naturally interested in their business, but I also liked the smiles and atmospheres of the crew members in the photos I saw on the website. The group photos were taken at the completion of early projects. After meeting and talking to some of the crew members, I was convinced that Shizen Energy was a good fit for me.

What do you want to accomplish in Shizen Energy Group?

First, I want to create a business in the area I like that has helped me in the past. I am preparing a solar power generation business in a mountain village I used to work for in Nagano Prefecture. Then, I want to create projects in the community that will not only have an impact on the power generation business, but also on people's lives and create a new culture from Japan. One of my ambitions is to build a nice rural school that runs on renewable energy (both financially and electrically), become the principal of the school and help expand future possibilities for children and young people.

What social problem do you think needs to be solved?

Human resources, goods and information are concentrated in limited locations, such as urban areas, losing the attractive characters and cultures of other regions, reducing opportunities to start businesses and to learn new things. Rather than the thought of having countless convenient and standardized cities, the thought of handing down to the future generation a Japan with diverse and colorful regions, just like the four seasons overlapping with one another, each valuing the connection of people is more exciting and I would like to take part in its action.

What moved you to join Shizen Energy Group (SEG)?

The renewable energy business is one of the main reasons because it matches with my background and my passion, but the company culture was the key. When I had my interview, I was still living in London and was not very sure about coming back to Japan. My final interview was with Masaya-san(one of Shizen Energy’s directors) through Skype and it lasted longer than as scheduled. I saw Masaya-san was kicked out of meeting room twice and eventually he had to stand on the stairs to finish it. I felt something different about this company then and decided to go for it.

What do you want to accomplish in Shizen Energy Group?

I do like to challenge and improve myself constantly, and SEG gives me a very good platform for it. I am always amazed by the new staff self-introduction and admire them for their experience. Having so many excellent colleagues around, I am sure I can always be inspired and won't get bored.

Tell us about your career.

I have been working for renewable energies for more than 10 years. Starting from r solar module manufacturers in China for the module certificate test and quality control, then solar module manufacture in Japan for procurement I worked for another sustainable energy company for procurement and project management. Then I moved to London and started my MBA study. Then I moved back to Japan and joined jSE. Time flies!

What social problem do you think needs to be solved?

I'm quite concerned about overconsumption and trash crisis.
Living in a city like Tokyo, we are constantly exposed to commercial advertisement. As a result, we easily buy things we don't need which eventually end up in the trash bin. So, I always tell myself that don't buy things just because you can afford it.
We don't have to make aggressive goals; awareness is the first step, and every effort counts.

What moved you to join Shizen Energy Group (SEG)?

I respected and admired the members who were working hard to build their own company under the slogan "Glocal (Global & Local)" in order to create a new industry of renewable energy.

What do you want to accomplish in Shizen Energy Group?

I want to realize a decentralized, sustainable community through the spread of renewable energy projects. I also want to create renewable energy projects that contribute to rural electrification and poverty reduction in developing countries.

Tell us about your career.

I worked in the international cooperation field for about 15 years. I was involved in finding, reviewing and supervising infrastructure development projects in developing countries (mainly in Southeast Asia and South Asia).
I changed jobs because I wanted to work in a job that specializes in environmental issues, especially the spread of renewable energy. In the near future, I hope to return to the field in developing countries with renewable energy projects.

What does make you motivated?

To regenerate lands that were once developed by humans which are no longer used, such as golf courses and ski resorts, as a stage for creation of renewable energy for the community. Also, to deliver electricity that originates from renewable energy to society by operating power plants.
When I work together with many like-minded colleagues and related parties to make all of this possible through repeated discussions and hard work, I feel that I am deeply involved in the field of manufacturing and infrastructure maintenance, and have a sense of accomplishment.

What social problem do you think needs to be solved?

Global environmental issues, disparity between rural and urban areas.

What do you do on your days off?

Daddy duty! My wife and I have a 10 year old daughter and a 5 year old son, and I keep an eye on them one-on-one while cooking, washing and cleaning. I am happiest when my family is having a picnic at the neighborhood park.

What moved you to join Shizen Energy Group?

When that mail came, I had finished my graduate program and gone back to Kenya to work with my previous employer, I did not feel challenged anymore. A mentor had equally advised that for good experience I needed to broaden my expertise to more than one industry, so I was keen to continue working in the renewable energy sector but more than geothermal. Since I had studied in Japan a bit, it was an easy decision to make.
Further, when I had my interview with Jan, the director of juwi Shizen Energy, the internet from my end was misbehaving and Jan guided me to switch off my camera for the internet to be stable, it made me realise he was a very understanding person and would be a good person to work under. so here I am. SEG has been the challenge I was looking for and way, way more.

Let us know about your specific work content in Shizen Energy Group.

Our team works with Business Development team from project inception, with Project Management team during project construction, and with aftersales team and juwi Shizen Energy Operation members during the plant warranty period. On a day to day basis, I review and participate in negotiations for English-and on rare occasions translated Japanese-EPC Contracts; review/draft supply contracts, contract management together with PM for the executed contracts; standardization of contracts review process through development of prototype documents and risk management terms and conditions; and finally management of team tasks.
Recently, I also provide support legal services to Shizen Energy and juwi Australia.

What do you want to accomplish in Shizen Energy Group?

To learn and better myself as a person in all perspectives. I equally want to learn to relate better with people who are similar to me and mostly with those who are different.

Tell us about your career.

I am a lawyer by profession. I practiced as an in-house legal counsel in Kenya with a state company dealing with exploration, drilling and generation of geothermal energy. After 3 years with the company, the company recommended me for ABE program scholarship and I undertook graduate studies at the International University of Japan for about 2 years. Thereafter I went back home to the same company until early 2018. when a recruiter from a recruitment agency reached out to me about SEG, thus, I joined juwi Shizen Energy in June 2018.

What social issue do you think needs to be solved?

Treating people lesser because they are different than you or they do not fall in your packaging on what is ideal. It may be as big as race, tribal difference, or as small as complexion, hair colour or texture, height difference or speech. The law may legislate on this, but I think it is a moral issue and the law can only do as much, please let's be better people and make people's lives easier if not better in the 'smallest' way we can as we strive for bigger changes.

What moved you to join Shizen Energy Group (SEG)?

When I saw the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster with my own eyes, I had a strong desire to contribute to making Japan and the world better through my work.
At the same time, however, I was spending my days with the hesitation that if I tried to do something as a young person, I wouldn't be able to change society in the end.
It was at this time that I met the company's founders and was struck by the fact that people who are almost the same generation were thinking about what they could do and doing it on their own. At that time, Shizen Energy had just been established, but I had no worries with any of the settings, and before I knew it, I was working for Shizen Energy!

What do you want to accomplish in Shizen Energy Group?

A society where no one is unhappy because of energy

Tell us about your career.

I took part in managing securitized products for a real estate developer. Later, after the earthquake, I became interested in the renewable energy business and experienced work in sales and business planning at a company developing solar power module technology. Since joining Shizen Energy, I have been involved in business development, project financing and asset management business launch, and I am currently in charge of developing the company's business plan and managing the budget in the Corporate Planning Department.

What does make you motivated?

To be able to see the changing landscape of society as a central player. And to be able to immerse myself in the work that we don't yet have an answer for, along with my excellent colleagues.

What moved you to join Shizen Energy Group(SEG)?

I've been interested in environment-related job since I was in high school, and majored in environmental policy and geoinfomatics (GIS) at university.

As I could not find a job directly related to environment as a new graduate, I joined a consulting firm to see different industries. In my third year I went abroad to take an MBA course, during which I had the chance to see many attractive companies, and started to get a better idea of what I wanted to do. SEG started while I was studying abroad. Knowing Ken (one of the representative directors) from university (we were in the same seminar and club), I decided to join the company.

What do you want to accomplish in Shizen Energy Group ?

To help SEG grow from a venture to a company that is respected globally in the field of environment and energy. Furthermore, I wish that SEG's growth and achievements will inspire more venture companies to start up and grow in this industry from Japan, and lead to innovation.

Tell us about your career

I joined a consulting firm as a new graduate, and worked on forming mid-term management plans, marketing strategies, and organizational strategies. I was involved in many different industries, but eventually I focused on energy/resource and pharmaceutical industries. I then studied for two years in Berkeley in California.

What social problem do you think needs to be solved?

Amplification of hatred. Even in our daily lives we often see negative chains that I feel would eventually lead to conflicts between nations. I feel that it is a question of how many of us can stop the negative chain with our own hands.

Natural disasters and climate change happening around the world. Economic disparity is causing a disparity in response capability to the issue as well - I feel that it is a very deep-rooted problem.