Sumitomo and utility Shikoku Electric Power have secured a corporate PPA for a series of solar carports the two companies will deploy at 12 facilities owned by Japanese retailer Aeon Mall.
The projects will range in size from 140 kW to 2.4 MW and are located in Tokyo, Chiba, Yamanashi, Gifu, Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara, and Wakayama. The project developer is Sun Trinity, a joint venture between Sumitomo and Shikoku Electric.
The companies said that solar carports tend to be more expensive than rooftop installations, but they expect costs to be competitive due to the high volume. They provided few details about the PV technology, but said the carports are designed to maximize car space, using bifacial modules with minimal load-bearing columns.
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The partners said they plan to eventually install solar carports at more than 50 stores across Japan by 2025.
Aeon Mall said its long-term aim is to secure more locally produced, locally consumed renewable energy via PPAs covering wind, hydrogen, and battery energy storage systems.
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We’re going to be seeing a lot more of this Rx for accelerating widely distributed (sub)urban micro grids, probably by REITs too. The higher initial cost of behind-the-meter canopies relative to rooftop solar is offset by the much larger parking lot area available, more convenient maintenance access & integration with stationary batteries +parking lot BEV charging systems. And those modular canopy structures will last for 75 years with minimal maintenance. That’s 3 generations of improving solar panels.