City Project to Get Emissions Credits for Solar Energy Consumed by Households

The City of Toon in Ehime Prefecture, which has the highest penetration rate of residential photovoltaic (PV) systems in the prefecture, has been working on its Sun's Blessings Smile Project since October 2010. Recognizing the environmental value of the solar electricity generated and consumed by individual households, the project aims to utilize this as a source of emissions credits.

Based on Japan's Domestic Credit System, the project will earn emissions credits, by adding up carbon dioxide (CO2) reductions achieved by the use of solar energy at individual households. This emission reduction project was approved by a national organization, the Domestic Credit Certification Committee, on October 1, 2010.

Specifically, the project invites individual households with PV facilities to join the city's solar system owners association, where the members are asked to report their total power generation once a year. Using this data, the association sums up the amount of electricity consumed by each household, then submits an application to the committee for review and certification as domestic emissions credits.

Obtained credits will be purchased by the city's Society of Commerce and Industry and used for offsetting CO2 emissions related to events in the city and for developing carbon offset products. Revenues from emissions trading are to be distributed among the members in the form of specialty products made in the city. As of December 2010, the solar system owners association has 49 members.

Home Solar Power Generation Project Wins Ministry Approval for CO2 Emission Credits (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/029844.html

Posted: 2011/03/10 06:00:15 AM