Solar Industry in Japan Could Generate 10 Trillion Yen and 110,000 Jobs by 2020

Image by remintola. Some Rights Reserved.

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry released a report March 18, 2009, outlining the best-case future directions for the country's solar power generation-related industries. The report is the result of six meetings of its Study Group on a PV System Industry Strategy since December 2008.

According to the report, the group's vision for the solar power generation related industries is a "future-oriented, energy society system" that integrates solar power generation with other natural sources of energy, electronic equipment and related technologies, such as home electronics and storage batteries, while also maintaining system power quality.

The industries could reduce power generation costs to about half the present level by promoting mass production and technology innovation in the short term, and increase Japan's share of global solar cell production from the present level of around a quarter to over one-third by 2020 in the medium to long term. If successful, the report predicts the economic effect related to solar power generation-related industries would create about 10 trillion yen (about U.S.$105 billion) and employ up to 110,000 people.

Specific strategies the report listed were "supply-side efforts" such as reduction of power generation costs; "demand-side efforts," including collaboration with housing manufacturers and overseas development; and efforts to "improve the institutional environment," including the excess power sales system.

Study Group on PV System Industry Strategy releases a report
http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/data/
20090318_02.html

Posted: 2009/07/06 06:00:15 AM