Solar cell sales in Japan rise 72 percent in Q2

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Solar cell sales in Japan rise 72 percent in Q2

Greentech Lead Japan: Solar cells sales in Japan have
risen 72.2 percent year over year to 445.3 megawatts in the second quarter
ending June.

The rise in solar cell sales is triggered by a boost in
demand for non-residential power generation ahead of the launch of a new
renewable power subsidy scheme, Reuters reported. Japan introduced a feed-in
tariff (FIT) program under which regional power utilities buy power from
renewable energy suppliers at pre-set premiums for up to 20 years.

Japan to boost renewable-energy capacity by about 13% by 2013

Under this program Japan will boost renewable-energy
capacity by about 13 percent through the year ending March 2013, Japanese
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said earlier this year.

Utilities must pay above-normal rates to renewable energy
producers under the incentive program. Costs will be passed onto power users as
a surcharge of 0.4 yen (0.5 cent) a kilowatt-hour. An average household will
pay as much as 100 yen a month for the surcharge,

The FIT scheme has attracted solar module vendors into
the market. Many vendors are supplying photovoltaic modules to regional
utilities. Sales to such companies surged to 29.8 MW in the April-June quarter,
four times higher than a year earlier.

Use of solar
energy will help the country move away from reliance on nuclear power source.
Currently imported solar cells account for 29.6 percent of total domestic
sales, up from 15.5 percent a year earlier. This is the highest sales since the
Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association started gathering such detailed data in
2004.

Import of solar panels is expected to rise as many
foreign suppliers are keen to supply solar modules. Meanwhile several Japanese
companies also stopped supplying solar modules to the domestic market.

editor@greentechlead.com

 

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