Japan's PV industry is changing fast. The feed-in tariff has brought about over 30GW of installed capacity, with large-scale solar outnumbering residential by about 10 to one. Ahead of this week's PV Expo in Tokyo, Andy Colthorpe takes a look at some of the issues expected to dominate.
Major PV energy provider SunPower has said its recently launched ‘Helix’ Roof product was able to be installed by at least two and a half times faster than competing commercial rooftop systems, after consultancy DNV GL undertook a ‘Mounting System Installation Efficiency Test’ in December 2015.
Solar power company Canadian Solar announced that it has agreed to a financial agreement in which Goldman Sachs Japan will establish a US$26 million project finance bond for the 10.2MW Aomori-Misawa solar power plant in Rokunohe-cho, Kamikita-gun, Aomori Prefecture, Japan.
As another big US CSP project bites the dust having previously rejected the suggestion that it should re-apply as a PV project, John Parnell explores whether CSP, especially power towers, risk becoming the Betamax of solar energy.
Just hours after Taiwanese electronics maker Foxconn looked poised to buy a majority stake in Japan’s Sharp, the deal has been delayed, according to various reports.
