Ministry Launches New Solar Power Purchasing System in November 2009

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Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) launched a New Solar Power Purchase System on November 1, 2009. This system requires electric power companies to purchase, at fixed prices, surplus electricity generated by photovoltaic (PV) panels installed for household use.

METI had planned to implement this system in 2010, but the ministry decided to accelerate the launch to the end of 2009 to promptly promote the widespread use of PV generation, based on the government's plan to expand the scale of PV generation by twenty times the current level by 2020.

The purchase price of electricity from households will be double the current price at 48 yen (U.S.$0.53) per kilowatt-hour (kWh) and the contract period will be ten years. The price will be reviewed on an annual basis, and is expected to be lowered when PV generating costs drop with the widespread use of PV generation.

Solar Industry in Japan Could Generate 10 Trillion Yen and 110,000 Jobs by 2020 (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/029115.html
Japan's Ministries Release Action Plan to Expand Solar Power Generation Installation (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/028848.html
Japanese Ministry (METI) to Subsidize Residential PV Installation (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/028740.html

Posted: 2009/11/14 06:00:15 AM