Aug 15th - Mega Solar; Japan's largest solar power facility starts operation

As renewable energies to replace nuclear power draw attention, the largest solar power facility in the country, dubbed Mega Solar, has started operations in Kawasaki.

With the addition of another facility to commence operations in December, the combined size of Mega Solar facilities will cover an area the size of seven Tokyo domes. The combined energy from the plants will reach 20,000 kilowatts, enough energy to provide for 5,900 households.

Mega Solar is a joint project between Kawasaki City and Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO). The city government provides the land to build the solar power plants and promote solar power generation through the project, while TEPCO will operate the solar power plants as a power supply facility.

The project consists of the Ukishima Solar Power Plant with an approximate output of 7,000 kW. It was built in a landfill owned by Kawasaki City. The second plant is at Ogishima and has an approximate output of 13,000 kW.

Aug 15th - Tokyo Seeks Big Growth in Solar, Wind Power

Japan's parliament is set to approve a landmark bill on renewable energy that was championed by Prime Minister Naoto Kan as a way to reduce the nation's dependence on nuclear power, and which would break the monopoly of the 10 major utilities.

The final passage of the bill, which aims to bolster investment in renewable energy following the worst nuclear-plant accident in the country's history, is expected by the end of the month. Its approval also paves the way for the unpopular prime minister to step down.

Mr. Kan has predicted the legislation would spark "explosive growth" in solar and wind power. He made a commitment to raise the share of renewable energy to at least 20% of total power supply by early 2020s.

The main feature of the bill is a requirement that utilities purchase power from outside providers, such as private companies or cooperatives, under certain circumstances. This rule is seen as opening the door for much greater use of alternative energy sources, an area where Japan lags, accounting for just 9% of total supply.

The legislation, known as a feed-in-tariff law, puts the industry minister in charge of setting the prices at which utilities are obliged to purchase electricity from renewable-power generators.

Big manufacturers, already hurt by power shortages and the effects of the high yen on exports, are expected to face higher electricity bills as a result.

The idea was given little chance of winning legislative approval until the Fukushima disaster created a groundswell of opposition to nuclear power. Mr. Kan's personal efforts also are credited for its success. He said his work was inspired by a visit in 1980 to a wind farm in Denver, Colo., and has insisted he wouldn't leave office until the law is enacted.

But even with the new legislation, Hisashi Hoshi, an analyst at the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan, said "achieving the [20%] target will not be easy without offering generous incentives."

The challenge of connecting a large number of renewable-power generators to the grid is another hurdle. Upgrading the grid is expected to take time and cost up to ¥2 trillion ($26 billion), according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

To ease the burden on heavy electricity users, such as electric-furnace steelmakers, the legislation leaves open the possibility of reducing a new surcharge for large power users. The concession came after fierce opposition to the legislation from the steel industry.

The feed-in-tariff is expected to galvanize Japan's solar-panel makers, such as Sharp Corp. andKyocera Corp., and give a much-needed boost to the wind-power industry. But even Sharp is of two minds, since it also ranks as a major consumer of electricity and doesn't want to see costs go up as it tries to compete with foreign rivals.

The prospects of new opportunities in renewable energy has also spurred new entrants, such as mobile-phone group Softbank Corp., which is looking to develop mega solar projects in regions hit by the March 11 earthquake.

Japan has been strong in solar-panel production, but that advantage is rapidly eroding in the face of competition from China. A boom in renewable energy could result in an increase in Chinese imports instead of developing a local green industry and creating jobs.

The Japan Business Federation, the nation's largest business lobby, also known as Keidanren, has consistently opposed feed-in-tariffs. "The government should focus on ensuring stable energy supply for the next five years," Keidanren said in a statement on energy policy last month. "It must avoid a policy that results in rises in energy prices."

Source; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903918104576504362770587244.html

Feb 25th - Mitsubishi Corp To Join In 200 Megawatt Solar Power Project In Spain

Japanese trading house Mitsubishi Corp. said Friday it will take part in a 200-megawatt solar power generation project in Spain, making it the first Japanese company to own concentrated solar power plants under commercial operation.

The Tokyo-based company said it has acquired a 15% stake in Acciona Termosolar from Acciona Energia, a group company of Acciona S.A. of Spain.

The project's total cost is around EUR1 billion and is expected to generate about 450 million kWh.

The Spanish company is world largest independent non-utility renewable energy developer and owner. It operates four CSP plants in southern Spain, three of which are already operating commercially. The remaining plant is slated to go onstream this autumn.

Feb 7th - Itochu Forms Holding Firm To Promote Solar Power Business In USA

Itochu Corp. on Tuesday created a holding company in California, which it claims to be the largest marketer of solar power generation systems in the United States, through management integration of its two local subsidiaries, the major trading house said.

The new firm, SolarNet Holdings LLC, aims to better compete against Chinese solar panel makers to tap rapidly growing U.S. demand for solar energy.

The holding company now owns all shares in Itochu's two subsidiaries -- SolarNet LLC and Solar Depot LLC, both based in California.

SolarNet operates DC Power Systems, a wholesale distributor of renewable energy products, and solar energy systems integrator Stellar Energy GP Inc.

Solar Depot is a wholesale distributor and systems integrator of solar electric and thermal systems.

Jan 24th - Toshiba, Tokyo Electric Power Co. Consortium To Build Large Solar Farm In Bulgaria

Toshiba Corp. and Tokyo Electric Power Co. will team up with the Japanese government to build one of the world's biggest solar power stations in Bulgaria,

The total project cost is estimated to exceed 100 billion yen. The solar power plant will be built in the eastern city of Yambol by the end of fiscal 2011. It will start out with an output capacity of roughly 50,000kw, then gradually be expanded, with a goal of raising the capacity to 250,000kw in five years.

Toshiba, Tokyo Electric, Itochu Corp.and the government-backed Innovation Network Corp. of Japan will set up a local joint venture, investing around 50 billion yen. CEZ Group, the seventh-ranked European power utility that operates in multiple Eastern European countries, will also take part, contributing 10-20 billion yen.

A European Union member, Bulgaria faces the urgent need to bolster the use of renewable energy sources to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. By tapping Japanese technology, the Eastern European nation aims to pave the way for obtaining 16% of its power from renewable energy sources by 2020, up from roughly 7% now.

The Japanese government will back the project through Innovation Network's investment. The Bulgarian government will extend support by setting a fixed purchase price for power from solar plants.

Japanese Economy and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda and Bulgarian Economy and Energy Minister Traycho Traykov will agree to support the Toshiba consortium in a meeting early next week.

Jan 24th - Sharp Builds Joint-Venture Solar Farm In Italy

Sharp Corp. has finished construction on its first joint-venture solar power station with major Italian power utility Enel SpA in Serragiumenta, Italy.

Boasting an output capacity of 5,000kw, this new facility can generate enough power to supply about 2,800 average homes.

Sharp and its Italian partner plan to build and operate more joint-venture solar farms, centering on the Mediterranean region, targeting a total power generation capacity of 500,000kw by the end of 2016.

Jan 24th - Panasonic, Lintec and Kyushu University Develops New Thin-Film Solar Tech

Public-Private Research Body Develops New Thin-Film Solar Tech

Public and private entities have jointly developed a substrate for organic thin-film solar cells that can turn light into electricity as efficiently as silicon solar cells.

Kyushu University worked on the project with Panasonic Electric Works Co. and Lintec Corp.. All three are members of Beans Laboratory, a public-private research association.

The substrate was made of organic semiconductor materials that contained arch-shaped protrusions measuring 40 nanometers in diameter. Experiments showed that the substrate with protrusions converted more light into electricity than the one without protrusions.

Organic thin-film solar cells are particularly light due to their sheetlike shape. They are said to offer significantly lower production costs than conventional silicon solar cells, but they are less durable than silicon products.

They do offer a wide range of potential applications, however. As organic thin-film solar cells are bendable and can generate electricity from fluorescent lights, they will most likely be used in mobile devices and wall outlets. Commercialization is targeted in 2015.

Jan 21st - Toshiba and Tokyo Electric Power Led Consortium To Build Large Solar Farm In Bulgaria

Toshiba Corp. and Tokyo Electric Power Co. will team up with the Japanese government to build one of the world's biggest solar power stations in Bulgaria, The Nikkei learned Thursday.

The total project cost is estimated to exceed 100 billion yen. The solar power plant will be built in the eastern city of Yambol by the end of fiscal 2011. It will start out with an output capacity of roughly 50,000kw, then gradually be expanded, with a goal of raising the capacity to 250,000kw in five years.

Toshiba, Tokyo Electric, Itochu Corp. and the government-backed Innovation Network Corp. of Japan will set up a local joint venture, investing around 50 billion yen. CEZ Group, the seventh-ranked European power utility that operates in multiple Eastern European countries, will also take part, contributing 10-20 billion yen.

A European Union member, Bulgaria faces the urgent need to bolster the use of renewable energy sources to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. By tapping Japanese technology, the Eastern European nation aims to pave the way for obtaining 16% of its power from renewable energy sources by 2020, up from roughly 7% now.

The Japanese government will back the project through Innovation Network's investment. The Bulgarian government will extend support by setting a fixed purchase price for power from solar plants.

Japanese Economy and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda and Bulgarian Economy and Energy Minister Traycho Traykov will agree to support the Toshiba consortium in a meeting early next week.

19th Jan - Tamura Improves Reflective Material For Solar Cells, LED Lights

Tamura Corp. has developed an improved type of white reflective material for solar panels and LED lights that features around 10% higher reflectivity than its current product.

By better reflecting back the infrared light and the parts of the visible spectrum that are normally lost because they pass through, this material can help solar panels generate more power and make LED lights brighter.

The new reflective material is a type of white liquid made from a mixture of resin and pigments. Tamura found a way to reduce the relative amount of resin without sacrificing strength so that the liquid could contain relatively more light-reflecting white pigment. The new formulation can reflect 90% of infrared and visible light, compared with the 80-85% the firm's current product.

In addition, the new material helps simplify the manufacturing process for solar panels. Its insulating properties eliminate the need for an insulator between the reflective sheets and the circuits for collecting generated power.

Solar panels and LED lights are typically use white reflective sheets to bounce back lost light. Tamura's reflective material is a liquid, so it can be applied using printing and spraying to the glass substrates under solar panels and the substrates of LED lights.

Tamura will ship samples of the new material next month to makers of solar cells and LED lighting. It plans to begin volume production this April, aiming for sales of around 2 billion yen in fiscal 2013.

Nov 30th - Sumitomo To Invest In French Solar Power Project

Sumitomo Corp. plans to take a stake in photovoltaic facilities now under construction in southern France and slated to come onstream next spring.

This is the first time that a Japanese company participates in a French solar power project.

Eco Delta Developpement, a French energy resources firm based in Marseilles, is building 30,000kw of solar plant facilities for roughly 14 billion yen in Les Mees, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.

Sumitomo will obtain a 49.9% stake in the management company already established to oversee the plant operations. The Japanese trading house will also shoulder half of the project's costs. The facilities will supply power to a French power utility for 20 years, ensuring stable earnings, according to Sumitomo.

The French government plans to increase its domestic solar power generation capacity from roughly 130,000kw to 5.4 million kilowatts in 2020. With France and other European countries expected to pursue solar power projects, Sumitomo aims to accelerate its investment in the region.

Nov 9th - Toppan Printing Boosting Solar Cell Protective Sheet Capacity

Toppan Printing Co. plans to raise production capacity for protective sheets used in solar cell panels to 2.5 times current levels next spring.

The company will invest some 5 billion yen to construct a new building at its plant in Fukaya, Saitama Prefecture, to increase production of protective sheets, which are attached to the back surface of solar panels to keep out dust and moisture and extend panel life. The new facility will expand the plant's floor space to 28,000 sq. meters from 8,000 sq. meters.

Once the expansion is completed in March, the plant will be able to produce enough protective sheets for 5 gigawatts of solar panels each year, compared with 2 gigawatts at present.

Toppan's Fukuya Plant is expected to be at full capacity in the spring.

The Fukaya plant currently makes enough protective sheets for just under 1 gigawatt of panels annually, but demand is climbing rapidly. The company decided to beef up capacity because existing facilities are expected to be at full production next spring.

Toppan Printing is cultivating demand from foreign manufacturers in China and Taiwan, as well as from Sharp Corp. and other domestic manufacturers. It aims to increase its overseas sales ratio for protective sheets to 60-70%, up from around 40% at present.

Nov 5th - Sharp to Acquire Recurrent Energy as Wholly-owned Subsidiary U.S. Developer of Distributed Solar Projects for 305M USD

Sharp Corporation announces the completion of acquisition procedures for Recurrent Energy, LLC (hereinafter “Recurrent Energy”), a U.S. developer of distributed solar projects, making Recurrent Energy a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sharp as of November 4 (U.S. local time). The purchase price is 305 million U.S. dollars. Since the two companies reached the acquisition agreement on September 21 (U.S. local time), Sharp has been taking necessary procedures to make Recurrent Energy a wholly-owned subsidiary, while obtaining approvals from relevant authorities. Demand in the North American photovoltaic market is expected to expand greatly, due to an increase in the number of projects for power companies. In this field, the role of a solar power developer is significant. Recurrent Energy, a leading solar project developer and generating company in the U.S., develops and markets solar power generation plants by collaborating with power companies. Recurrent Energy holds an approx. 2 GW project pipeline of solar power generation plants located in the U.S. and Canada, and is also developing business in other areas, including Europe. Sharp will be able to function as a developer in the photovoltaic field through this acquisition, and further expand its business in this area. With Recurrent Energy’s know-how as a developer, Sharp aims to become a total-solution company in the photovoltaic field, extending from developing and producing solar cells and modules to developing and marketing power generation plants. Overview of Recurrent Energy Company Name: Recurrent Energy, LLC Location: San Francisco, California Establishment: 2006 Field of Business: Development of solar power generation plants

Oct 19th - Japan Smart-Grid Project May Help Spawn New Export Industry

The smart grid that Okinawa Electric Power has begun operating on the island of Miyako-jima holds tremendous value for Japanese companies because it can verify technologies they can apply to develop businesses overseas.

The government is trying to nurture smart-grid technologies as a new export industry. In fact, the pilot smart grid on Miyako-jima is a steppingstone to verification projects in the West, in which the Japanese government will help domestic companies participate.

The load-leveling control system for Miyako-jima's grid was developed by Toshiba Corp. while the sodium-sulfer storage battery complex was developed by NGK Insulators Ltd.  and the panels for the solar power system were developed by Sharp Corp.  Kyocera Corp. and Kaneka Corp.

Because nations have different standards and specifications for their power infrastructures, Japanese companies have focused their smart-grid efforts on the domestic market. But this has raised concerns that the firms may miss opportunities in what is expected to be the rapid installation of next-generation power infrastructure in Europe, which is introducing wind power and other renewable energy sources, and in the U.S. and newly emerging economies, where demand for electricity continues to expand.

The Miyako-jima project is a way for Japanese companies to test their smart-grid technologies domestically. But the Japanese government is also supporting their efforts to expand the business abroad.

For example, it will support the construction of a test facility in the U.S. state of New Mexico, where 19 Japanese firms will participate starting in fiscal 2011. And it will back the participation of Japanese firms in verification experiments to be conducted in Spain and France.

Oct 19th - Smart Grid Goes Live On Okinawa Island (Toshiba)

-In a significant first for Japan, Okinawa Electric Power Co. has begun operating a smart grid to control the supply of renewable-energy-derived electricity for the 55,000-strong population of the remote Okinawa Prefecture island Miyako-jima.

Okinawa Electric operates a large solar power facility.

The launch on the island is important because it marks the nation's first autonomous system of smart-grid infrastructure that uses massive storage batteries to stably supply electricity by offsetting wild fluctuations in the production of solar and wind power.

The infrastructure Okinawa Electric is operating links the existing power grid to a 4mw solar power plant and a sodium sulfur (NaS) battery complex capable of storing 4mw of power. Some lithium ion batteries have also been installed.

The utility spent 6.15 billion yen on the infrastructure, two-thirds of which was subsidized by the central government.

Toshiba Corp.  manufactured the load-leveling control system and other major components of the grid. The storage batteries were supplied by NGK Insulators Ltd.

In addition to controlling the supply of power to the grid from the new solar power plant, the system also controls power from existing 4.2mw wind farms situated on Miyako-jima.

Up until now, Okinawa Electric has leveled the load to the grid from the wind farms by increasing and decreasing the fuel burned in a thermal power plant. By switching to the use of storage batteries and other smart-grid technologies, the company will be able to increase its use of renewable energy resources on the island without increased dependence on the thermal power plant.

The government plans to subsidize the installation of solar power systems in Japan and achieve a more than 10-fold increase in generation capacity to 28,000mw in 2020. Smart-grid technologies are essential if this renewable-energy-derived electricity is to be supplied in a stable way to the national power grid.

16th Nov - Sharp, Sanyo Introducing Cutting-Edge Solar Cells

Sharp Corp. and Sanyo Electric Co. plan to release new solar cells with a higher efficiency than those now on the market, it has been learned.

By the end of the year, Sharp is expected to spend as much as 10 billion yen on its Sakai plant in Osaka Prefecture to build new production lines with a total production capacity of 200,000kw annually. That would increase the firm's total capacity to 1.07 million kilowatts.

Silicon crystals are used in the photovoltaic solar cells. The electrodes, which generate the electricity, are attached to the back of cells rather than their surface. This increases the area of the cells that absorb sunlight and boosts generating efficiency by one-fifth over conventional cells to more than 20%.

Sanyo, meanwhile, is scheduled to release a new solar cell in February that is expected to have the world's highest efficiency. The new product is a HIT (Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin-layer) cell composed of thin-film silicon laid atop silicon crystal. The new technology reduces energy loss when electricity passes through cells by smoothing out the area where the film and crystal meet. The cells boast a power generation efficiency of 21.6%, half a percentage point higher than the company's current top-performing cells. The new product will put Sanyo back on top in the efficiency race for the first time in six years, beating U.S. firm SunPower Corp.'s product, at 21.4%.

Sanyo's new solar cell will be made by subsidiary Shimane Sanyo Electric Co. and Sanyo's Nishikinohama plant in Kaizuka, Osaka. Early next year, Sanyo will set up a new production line at its plant in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture.

In fiscal 2011, the company aims to sell new-model solar cells with a total generating capacity of about 55,000kw, bringing its total for the solar cell business to some 600,000kw annually.

In fiscal 2013, it hopes to start making solar cells with a power generation efficiency of 23% at a plasma panel display plant in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture that is owned by parent company Panasonic Corp.

Eurus Energy Japan will build a solar power generation plant in Osaka.

Nikkei

Solar Powered Apartments

Sekisui House says it will start selling apartments fitted with solar cell systems from next month. The firm is planning to piggyback on changing government legislation, which will require power companies to pay JPY48 per kW/hr for sustainable micro power generators (i.e., home-based solar cell and wind turbine owners) feeding to the national grid, from November. Right now, the utilities pay just JPY8per kW/hr. According to Sekisui, the new power systems will add about JPY5.6MM to the price of a typical four-room apartment, but amortized, this works out to just JPY5,000/month.

Global market for solar cells to hit JPY10trn

Research firm Fuji Keizai has issued a report saying thatthe global market for photovoltaic cells will hit JPY10trn (US$106bn) in the next ten years, through to 2020 -- a 500% increase over current demand. The global market size in 2008 was JPY2.11trn (US$22.44bn), and although the growth rate for this year has slowed because of the economic slowdown, Fuji Keizai is predicting a strong recovery in 2010. (Source: TT commentary from nikkei.co.jp,Aug 28, 2009)

Japanese utilities to start purchase of consumers' solar power

A Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) program designed to subsidize home owner's costs of installing solar power panels will kick off later this year. The plan allows home owners to sell power back to grid power operators at a fixed (high) price, thus allowing them to off-set their solar investments -- a cost-recovery process that takes about 10-15 years. The power companies will inturn get their money back by passing on the higher costs to general consumers. The power companies will payJPY48 per kw/hr for such solar-produced domestic power,about double the current rate of power.

Sanyo Denki will increase production of solar batteries to meet increasing domestic demand.

Sanyo Denki will increase production of solar batteries to meet increasing domestic demand. [NIKKEI]