japan

IPP Sonnedix, operating via its Japanese operator, Nippon Solar Services (NSS) has closed financing and selected an EPC contractor for its 30MW Miyako-based 'mega solar' PV plant in Iwate Prefecture.

Solar PV installations are expected to surpass 60GW worldwide in 2016, up from the 50.6GW deployed last year, according to the latest figures from SolarPower Europe.

Thin-film manufacturer Solar Frontier has begun commercial production at its new 150MW plant in Tohoku.

Sumitomo Corporation, Japan’s leading general trading company, is implementing a 60MW solar PV project in Minamisoma, Fukushima, at a ¥22 billion (US$ 201 million) investment.

Another large-scale solar PV plant has been completed on a former golf course in Japan, a 51MW project built by financial services company Orix Corporation.

GE and Virginia Solar Group have initiated commercial operations at a 32MW Kumenan solar farm in western Japan.

Solar investment firm GSSG Solar has announced the financial close and ground breaking of its new 47MW PV project in Japan.

Sharp Corporation’s energy solutions business, which includes its activities in solar, will continue to operate as a brand in its own right, following the sale of a majority share in the group by Foxconn.

Thai coal mining company Banpu will invest up to US$170 million in Japan’s solar market, according to a report by news agency Reuters.

State Grid Corporation of China, Korea’s main utility, one of Japan’s biggest renewables developers and Russia’s grid operator have formally indicated their interest in building a massive interconnected grid across Asia.