Solar power in Japan has been expanding since the late 1990s. The country is a major manufacturer and exporter of photovoltaics (PV) and a large installer of domestic PV systems, with most of them grid connected. [1]
Solar power has become an important national priority since the country's shift in policies toward renewable energy after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011. [2] [3] Japan was the world's second largest market for solar PV growth in 2013 and 2014, adding a record 6.97 GW and 9.74 GW of nominal nameplate capacity, respectively. By the end of 2017, cumulative capacity reached 50 GW, the world's second largest solar PV installed capacity, behind China. [4] [5]
In line with the significant rise in installations and capacity, solar power accounted for 9.9% of Japan's national electricity generation in 2022, up from 0.3% in 2010. [6]
This section needs to be updated.(September 2022) |
Japanese manufacturers and exporters of photovoltaics include Kyocera, Mitsubishi Electric, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Sanyo, Sharp Solar, Solar Frontier, and Toshiba.
During the Reagan administration in the United States, oil prices decreased and the US removed most of its policies that supported its solar industry. [7] : 143 Government subsidies were higher in Japan (as well as Germany), which prompted the solar industry supply chain to begin moving from the US to those countries. [7] : 143
The Japanese government is seeking to expand solar power by enacting subsidies and a feed-in tariff (FIT). In December 2008, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced a goal of 70% of new homes having solar power installed, and would be spending $145 million in the first quarter of 2009 to encourage home solar power. [8] The government enacted a feed-in tariff in November 2009 that requires utilities to purchase excess solar power sent to the grid by homes and businesses and pay twice the standard electricity rate for that power. [9]
On June 18, 2012, a new feed-in tariff was approved, of 42 Yen/kWh. The tariff covers the first ten years of excess generation for systems less than 10 kW, and generation for twenty years for systems over 10 kW. It became effective July 1, 2012. [10] In April 2013, the FIT was reduced to 37.8 Yen/kWh. [11] The FIT was further reduced to 32 Yen/kWh in April 2014. [12]
In March 2016, a new feed-in tariff was approved for electricity generated by photovoltaic power. The Procurement Price Calculation Committee compiled and publicized recommendations concerning the FY 2016 purchase prices and the periods to which they apply. Respecting the recommendations, METI finalized these as follows:
Residential PV feed-in tariffs for systems below 10 kW were updated in 2017 to values between JPY24/kWh to JPY28/kWh depending on the circumstances. These were due to remain unchanged until 2019. [14]
The most recent FIT only concerns non-residential solar power plants. The new non-residential FIT was due to reduce in 2017 from JPY21/kWh in 2017 to JPY18/kWh for facilities certified in and after April 2018. [14]
The government set solar PV targets in 2004 and revised them in 2009: [15]
The targets set for 2020 were surpassed in 2014, and the target for 2030 was surpassed in 2018.
As of July 2021, Japan was aiming at 108 GW of solar capacity by 2030. In May 2021, the Japanese Trade Ministry said that Japan may require up to 370 GW of solar capacity by 2050 to reach the goal of cutting carbon emissions to zero. [16]
Year End | Total Capacity | Yearly Installation | Share of national electricity demand |
---|---|---|---|
1992 | 19.0 | n/a | |
1993 | 24.3 | 5.3 | |
1994 | 31.2 | 6.9 | |
1995 | 43.4 | 12.2 | |
1996 | 59.6 | 16.2 | |
1997 | 91.3 | 31.7 | |
1998 | 133 | 41.7 | |
1999 | 209 | 76 | |
2000 | 330 | 121 | |
2001 | 453 | 123 | |
2002 | 637 | 184 | |
2003 | 860 | 223 | |
2004 | 1,132 | 272 | |
2005 | 1,422 | 290 | |
2006 | 1,709 | 287 | |
2007 | 1,919 | 210 | |
2008 | 2,144 | 225 | |
2009 | 2,627 | 483 | |
2010 | 3,618 | 991 | 0.3% [17] |
2011 | 4,914 | 1,296 | 0.5% [18] |
2012 [19] | 6,632 | 1,718 | 0.7% [20] |
2013 [19] | 13,599 | 6,967 | 1.4% [21] |
2014 [19] | 23,339 | 9,740 | 2.4% [22] |
2015 [19] | 34,150 | 10,811 | 3.5% [23] |
2016 [19] | 42,040 | 8,600 | 4.9% [4] |
2017 [19] | 49,500 | 7,000 | 5.9% [24] |
2018 [19] | 56,162 | 6,500 | 6.8% [25] |
2019 [19] | 63,192 | 7.6% [26] | |
2020 [19] | 71,868 | 7.54% [27] | |
2021 [19] | 78,413 | 9.06% [27] | |
2022 [28] | 83,057 | 9.91% [27] | |
2023 [29] | 87,068 | 10.79% [27] | |
Source: EPIA and IEA-PVPS. All nominal capacity figures are reconverted from WAC to Wp. [30] [31] |
Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially used for electricity generation and as photosensors.
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Solar power accounted for an estimated 12.2% of electricity production in Germany in 2023, up from 1.9% in 2010 and less than 0.1% in 2000.
Financial incentives for photovoltaics are incentives offered to electricity consumers to install and operate solar-electric generating systems, also known as photovoltaics (PV).
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Feed-in electricity tariffs (FiT) were introduced in Germany to encourage the use of new energy technologies such as wind power, biomass, hydropower, geothermal power and solar photovoltaics. Feed-in tariffs are a policy mechanism designed to accelerate investment in renewable energy technologies by providing them remuneration above the retail or wholesale rates of electricity. The mechanism provides long-term security to renewable energy producers, typically based on the cost of generation of each technology. Technologies such as wind power, for instance, are awarded a lower per-kWh price, while technologies such as solar PV and tidal power are offered a higher price, reflecting higher costs.
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Between 1992 and 2023, the worldwide usage of photovoltaics (PV) increased exponentially. During this period, it evolved from a niche market of small-scale applications to a mainstream electricity source. From 2016-2022 it has seen an annual capacity and production growth rate of around 26%- doubling approximately every three years.
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The electricity sector in Switzerland relies mainly on hydroelectricity, since the Alps cover almost two-thirds of the country's land mass, providing many large mountain lakes and artificial reservoirs suited for hydro power. In addition, the water masses drained from the Swiss Alps are intensively used by run-of-the-river hydroelectricity (ROR). With 9,052 kWh per person in 2008, the country's electricity consumption is relatively high and was 22% above the European Union's average.
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As of the end of 2022, solar power in Austria amounted to nearly 3.8 gigawatt (GW) of cumulative photovoltaic (PV) capacity, with the energy source producing 4.2% of the nation's electricity.
Solar power in France including overseas territories reached an installed capacity figure of 11.2 GW in 2020, and rose further to 17.1 GW at the end of 2022. Government plans announced in 2022 foresee solar PV capacity in France rising to 100 GW by 2050.
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Solar power in Thailand is targeted to reach 6,000 MW by 2036. In 2013 installed photovoltaic capacity nearly doubled and reached 704 MW by the end of the year. At the end of 2015, with a total capacity of 2,500-2,800 MW, Thailand has more solar power capacity than all the rest of Southeast Asia combined.
Solar power generated 12% of Bulgaria’s electricity in 2023.
Solar power in Belgium reached an installed capacity of 9.9 GW at the end of 2023, an increase of 1.8 GW from 2022.
Solar power in Switzerland has demonstrated consistent capacity growth since the early 2010s, influenced by government subsidy mechanisms such as the implementation of the feed-in tariff in 2009 and the enactment of the revised Energy Act in 2018. By the end of 2023, solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity had reached 6.4 GW, a notable increase from the 0.1 GW recorded in 2010. Concurrently, the share of solar power in electricity generation has also increased, climbing from 0.1% in 2010 to 5.9% in 2023.