SKI Corp, Japanese a mobile phone sales agency, has signalled its intent to build a 24MW solar farm in the west of Japan and to borrow ¥8 billion (US$67 million), for the purposes of doing so.
Thin-film maker Hanergy, which has been the subject of recent press reports over “unusual” share trading, has opened a number of retail stores in its homeland, China.
The cost of solar in Japan declined as much as 15% in one year, but a lack of clear policy direction from the government has left a number of businesses with a “pessimistic” outlook of the industry’s future, according to a survey by the Japan Renewable Energy Foundation (JREF).
Japan has confirmed it will make big cuts to the feed-in tariff (FiT) payable for solar, which have been expected for some time, dropping the rate by around 16%, from ¥32 (US$0.27) per kWh to ¥27 per kWh by July.
Canadian Solar, ReneSola and ET Solar all face being closed out of the minimum price agreement between China and the EU after having allegedly flouted rules of the 2013 deal.
Japan’s residential and small commercial solar industry could represent a “huge, huge opportunity” for suppliers of inverters and module-level power electronics, according to an analyst with market research firm IHS.
Deregulation of the Japanese electricity market, expected to begin next year, could “breathe new life into PV”, according to Shawn Qu, chief executive and chairman of Canadian Solar.
