Institute for Sustainable Energy Policy

What Institute for Sustainable Energy Policy does

The Institute for Sustainable Energy Policy (ISEP; 特定非営利活動法人 環境エネルギー政策研究所) is a Certified Non-Profit Organization (NPO) incorporated in Tokyo, Japan in 2000. It operates as an independent policy research institute focused exclusively on sustainable energy transition, producing evidence-based research, white papers, and the annual Japan Renewables Status Report (since 2010) while serving as the Japanese-language publisher of the REN21 Global Renewables Status Report (since 2005). Its research covers renewable energy policy, electricity system reform, nuclear policy, climate policy, mobility transformation, district heating, and community power models.

ISEP's outputs include a substantial content library, the ISEP Energy Chart data visualization platform, the ISEP Energy Academy training program, the Community Power Lab research initiative, the Parliamentary Energy Investigation Council (114 sessions by 2025), and the 4DH Forum on next-generation district heating. It does not sell commercial products; rather, its work is distributed free via its website, email newsletter, social channels, and public events, and reaches national government advisory bodies (METI Energy Policy Council, METI Renewable Energy Policy Council, Ministry of the Environment National Environmental Council) as well as local governments including Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Yokohama City, Nakano Ward, and Kita-ku Ward.

The organization's revenue mechanics are characteristic of a Japanese NPO: an ISEP Fan membership program, individual donations, project-based grants, and crowdfunding — exemplified by its September–October 2025 25th-anniversary crowdfunding campaign directed at young-talent cultivation. ISEP is led by founder and Director Tetsunari Iida, a former steel-industry nuclear researcher turned renewable-energy policy advocate, with Mika Ohbayashi as Deputy Director and Shota Furuya as Researcher. The institute maintains international relationships with REN21, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, UNEP-SEFI, and others, and operates from a headquarters in Nakano, Tokyo.

Name

Institute for Sustainable Energy Policy

Legal name

特定非営利活動法人 環境エネルギー政策研究所

Website

https://isep.or.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ISEP is a Tokyo-based Certified NPO founded in 2000 that conducts independent policy research on Japan's sustainable energy transition, publishing the annual Japan Renewables Status Report and advising national and local governments on renewable energy, climate, and community power.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership and donation revenue: ISEP operates a membership program (ISEPファン/会員) and accepts donations (寄付) from supporters. The institute's 25th anniversary crowdfunding campaign (2025) targeted young talent cultivation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ISEP is an independent nonprofit policy research institute that conducts evidence-based research, publishes annual renewable energy status reports, and provides policy advisory services to government bodies. It produces the Japan Renewable Energy Status Report, translates the REN21 Global Renewables Status Report into Japanese, and maintains the ISEP Energy Chart data visualization platform to support sustainable energy transition policy in Japan.

Product overview

The Institute for Sustainable Energy Policy (ISEP) is a certified NPO research institute focused on sustainable energy policy research and advocacy. Rather than a commercial product company, ISEP operates as a policy research organization that publishes comprehensive renewable energy reports (Japan Renewables Status Report and Global Renewables Status Report), maintains the ISEP Energy Chart data visualization platform, and runs educational programs including the ISEP Energy Academy and Community Power Lab. The organization facilitates policy discussion through the Parliamentary Energy Investigation Council and the 4DH Forum, providing research and data to support renewable energy transition in Japan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Japan Renewables Status Report (自然エネルギー白書) Annual comprehensive report compiling Japanese domestic renewable energy data, covering policy developments, market trends, and 100% renewable energy initiatives. Published annually since 2010.
• Renewables Global Status Report (自然エネルギー世界白書) Japanese translation of the REN21 annual global renewables status report. ISEP has continuously translated this publication since 2005, providing comprehensive global renewable energy data.
• ISEP Energy Chart Energy data visualization project that tracks the rapid expansion of renewable energy through interactive charts and data displays.
• Parliamentary Energy Investigation Council (国会エネルギー調査会) Expert team established to discuss energy policy review in parliament, formed due to the absence of an energy policy discussion forum in the Diet.
• 4DH Forum (第4世代地域熱供給フォーラム) Forum focused on next-generation district heating and smart energy systems for decarbonization and renewable energy transition in the thermal sector.
• ISEP Energy Academy (ISEPエネルギーアカデミー) Educational and training programs for young professionals in sustainable energy and environmental policy.
• Community Power Lab (コミュニティパワーラボ) Initiative supporting community-led renewable energy development and citizen participation in energy transitions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trained 400+ interns who now work across energy, environment, and sustainability sectors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• REN21 (Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005ISEP has served as the Japanese translation and publication partner for REN21's annual Global Renewables Status Report since the first edition in 2005. This long-standing partnership makes ISEP the primary Japanese language resource for global renewable energy data and trends.
• Heinrich Böll Foundation (Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005The Heinrich Böll Foundation co-sponsored the 2005 international symposium 'Renewable Energy 2005: From Bonn to Kyoto and Beyond' with ISEP, held in Kyoto on February 11, 2005, as part of the Asia-Pacific Green Kyoto Conference 2005.
• UNEP Sustainable Energy Finance Initiative (UNEP-SEFI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISEP co-hosted the first Japanese UNEP-SEFI workshop on sustainable finance for renewable energy promotion in February 2007, bringing together policymakers, financial institutions, renewable energy businesses, and academics for closed roundtable discussions.
• Hokkaido Green Fund (北海道グリーンファンド)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHokkaido Green Fund co-organized the 'Renewable Energy City Meeting' (自然エネルギー都市会合) with ISEP in July 2008 in Sapporo, bringing together Japanese and international municipal leaders to discuss local government roles in renewable energy promotion.
• National All-Japan Local Energy Association / 全国ご当地エネルギー協会majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerISEP collaborates with the National All-Japan Local Energy Association (JCPA) on community power initiatives and jointly organized the 1st World Community Power Conference in Fukushima in November 2016.
• Japan Renewable Energy Association (JREP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJREP (Japan Renewable Energy Association) is listed as a related website partner, with ISEP collaborating on policy research and advocacy for renewable energy expansion through stakeholder networks.
• Natural Energy Citizens Fund / 自然エネルギー市民基金coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Natural Energy Citizens Fund (representative: Tetsunari Iida) is closely affiliated with ISEP. Both organizations share leadership and collaborate on citizen participation in renewable energy projects, green power certificates, and community energy ownership models.
• Takagi Fund for Citizen Science / 高木仁三郎市民科学基金minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerISEP's director Tetsunari Iida serves as Representative Director of the Takagi Fund for Citizen Science, which co-organized events with ISEP including the February 2006 forum on nuclear fuel reprocessing policy in Aomori.
• Fukushima Renewable Energy Fund / ふくしま自然エネルギー基金minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Fukushima Renewable Energy Fund supports citizen-led renewable energy projects and reconstruction initiatives in Fukushima Prefecture. ISEP collaborates on these initiatives as a related organization.
• 100% Renewable Energy Platform (自然エネルギー100%プラットフォーム)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerISEP supports the 100% Renewable Energy Platform (go100re.jp), a global initiative advocating for 100% renewable energy as the new normal, stimulating discussion about renewable energy adoption.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• REN21 (Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century): Global multi-stakeholder policy network that produces the flagship Global Renewables Status Report. ISEP is REN21's Japanese translation and publishing partner since 2005, and shares the same renewable policy research and global-to-local data translation mission.
• Agora Energiewende: Berlin-based independent energy transition think tank producing policy research and dialogue on renewable energy and decarbonization. Closely comparable in operating model (independent nonprofit, policy research, government advisory, international convening) and target audience (policymakers and civil society).
• Renewable Energy Institute: Japan-based independent think tank founded in 2011 that focuses on renewable energy policy research and advocacy. Closely mirrors ISEP's domestic mission, target audience (national and local government), and policy-research product mix, making it the most directly comparable peer.
• Carbon Brief: UK-based climate and energy policy website producing data-driven analysis, country profiles, and journalism on renewable energy and climate policy. Comparable in translating technical energy data into accessible policy-relevant content and media commentary.
• Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ): Japan's longstanding energy think tank producing economic and policy analysis on energy supply, demand, and decarbonization. Overlaps with ISEP on energy-system research but covers nuclear, fossil fuels, and broader economic modeling, making it a broader energy-research peer.
• Climate Action Tracker: Independent scientific assessment consortium tracking government climate action and renewable energy pledges. Shares ISEP's evidence-based policy evaluation approach and international-to-national translation role, though focused on climate pledges rather than renewable deployment specifically.

Broad incumbents

• World Resources Institute (WRI): Global research organization working on environment and sustainability including energy transition and climate policy. Comparable in policy research and government advisory role, but with much larger scope, budget, and international footprint than ISEP.
• International Energy Agency (IEA): Intergovernmental organization producing authoritative global energy data, policy recommendations, and country reviews. Overlaps with ISEP on renewable energy data and policy analysis, but operates at vastly greater scale and breadth across all energy sources.

Emerging players

• Japan Climate Initiative (JCI): Japanese network of companies, local governments, and NGOs advancing decarbonization. Overlaps with ISEP on Japanese climate and renewable advocacy but is a broader coalition platform rather than a dedicated research institute.

Others

• Heinrich Böll Foundation: German political foundation affiliated with the Greens that funds and co-publishes research on energy transition, democracy, and sustainability. Listed as an ISEP partner (2005 Kyoto symposium co-sponsor); comparable as an adjacent funder/publisher of renewable energy policy research rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/isepjapan
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ISEPJAPAN
• Facebookfacebook.com/isepjapan
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/isepjapan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institute for Sustainable Energy Policy