Tokyo

Japanese policymakers are now looking at rooftop solar panels as land is scarce in the country and agrivoltaics, building-integrated PV (BIPV), and floating solar are still in their infancy, reports Mark Hutchins.

Tokyo Gas is planning what it claims will be the world’s largest airport PV facility at Narita International Airport. The plant will be used to supply the facility with electricity and heat.

Scientists applied a model where rooftop PV and electric vehicle batteries are integrated into the energy system of nine Japanese cities. Their findings suggests that such a system could meet more than half of every city’s total energy demand by 2030, and as much as 95% in some cases. The model also reveals opportunities to cut both pollution and energy costs for urban populations in Japan.

The Japanese electronics giant announces plans to sell solar cells individually this year, but confirms it is poised to halt module production at its fab in Shiga, Japan, in March.

The Japanese clean energy developer has broken ground on a new large-scale installation in Tochigi Prefecture – one of three such projects the company is embarking on in the region.