Japan to add 8 GW of PV capacity in 2014, Globaldata

Japan will add 8 GW of new PV systems this year, according to a new report from UK-based market research company Globaldata. Of this new capacity, 5.1 GW will be installed in the second half of 2014, thanks to the recent introduction of new measures implemented by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

The METI, in fact, has cancelled approvals for a total of 647 previously approved PV projects in early September. These projects, whose approvals were cancelled after the project owners failed to begin construction on the PV plants, have a combined capacity of 1,820 MW and represent 7% of the large-scale PV capacity approved by METI since 2012.

At the same time, the METI introduced a new measure that will force developers that were been granted approval for their projects in 2014 to have a finalized site and equipment contract within 180 days. »These steps – Globaldate notes - have created an immediate opportunity for module suppliers, although the installed cost of PV systems in Japan is generally higher than in other matured markets. From 1 April 2014, sales tax rose by 3%, making the total tax levy on solar PV systems around 8%.