Japan added between 5.8 GW and 6 GW of solar last year, according to estimates provided by Tokyo-based solar consultancy RTS Corp.
The estimation indicates Japan’s cumulative solar capacity may now be firmly past the 100 GW threshold. According to data available on the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme’s (IEA-PVPS) website, Japan reached approximately 100 GW of solar at the end of 2024, after adding 5.5 GW of solar in 2024 and 6.2 GW in 2023.
Izumi Kaizuka, RTS Corp principal analyst and director of the company's business development division, told pv magazine that last year’s deployment figures comprise an estimated 1.6 GW of residential solar, 2 GW in the commercial and industrial (C&I) segment and 2.2 GW of utility-scale installations of 1 MW or larger.
Kaizuka said Japan’s feed-in tariff (FiT) and feed-in premium (FiP) programs were key market drivers last year, while noting that the frequency of corporate power purchase agreements in the C&I and utility-scale markets signed outside the FiT and FiP schemes is increasing.
She added that the residential sector, which enjoyed accelerated demand last year, has been buoyed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government legally requiring the installation of solar systems on newly-built houses since last April. The city of Kawasaki has a similar measure in place.
Kaizuka told pv magazine the level of installations in 2026 is likely to keep pace with 2025, but suggested a small rush may take place, as the government has decided to discontinue FiT and FiP for solar systems of 10 kW capacity or larger beginning fiscal year 2027. In December last year, the government also announced plans to tighten regulations governing utility-scale projects.
Nevertheless, the Japanese government positioned solar as the largest power source in the energy mix for 2040 in its seventh strategic energy plan. Finalized in February 2025, the plan sets a renewables ratio of 40% to 50% by 2040. Solar is expected to account for between 23% and 29% of total electricity generation, the largest share given to any generating technology, equivalent to between 203 GWac and 280 GWac of solar capacity.
Kaizuka said Japan’s solar sector would benefit from the easing of regulations surrounding agrivoltaics, which she said have significant potential in Japan. Authorities decided to suspend incentives for over 300 agrivoltaic projects in mid-2024.
Japan held four utility-scale solar auctions in 2025. Its 23rd auction concluded in March, allocating 93 MW of solar capacity with an average price of JPY 5.06 ($0.032)/kWh, followed by a 24th auction completed in July, procuring 79 MW of solar at an average price of JPY 4.06/kWh. A 26th auction signed 75.3 MW of solar at an average JPY 7.13/kWh. The application process for the 27th round began in January.
Japan is also working to implement next-generation solar technologies. In September, the government launched applications for subsidies to accelerate perovskite deployment. It previously set a target of 20 GW of perovskite solar capacity by 2040.
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