4.4 MW Conduit-type Hydro Station in Uozu, Toyama

Hokuriku Electric Power announced on 7th that it would start construction of a hydro power station of 4.4 MW scale in Uozu city of Toyama prefecture.

The station is a conduit-type plant, and it will have a penstock of 300 meter elevation.

It is rather difficult in Japan to newly construct a dam to make electricity.
So that the company is going to make a short cut in a river in order to take enough elevation.

Hokuriku Electric chose a conduit type after an interval of 26 years.

The annual generation will be 1,740 kWh, which equals to the consumption of 4,800 households a year.

The station will start operation in May 2016.

Hokuriku Electric Power: Press Release (in Japanese) 2013/05/07
http://www.rikuden.co.jp/press/attach/13050701.pdf
SmartJapan: 2013/05/09 07:00
http://www.itmedia.co.jp/smartjapan/articles/1305/09/news023.html

Mini-Hydro at Water Purification Plant in Bihoro, Hokkaido

Bihoro town in Hokkaido is preparing for installation of a mini-hydro generator at Hinami water purification plant.

The town applied for a subsidized project by Ministry of Environment and recently received an informal settlement.

The generator will start operation by the end of the fiscal year 2013.
The output and other specifications seems not to be clear at the moment.

Hokkaido Shimbun: 2013/05/03 07:50
http://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/news/donai/462883.html

Woodone in Hiroshima to Embark on Selling Electricity by Biomass

Woodone, a manufacturer of building materials from wood in Hiroshima, announced on 2nd that the company would newly install an in-house biomass power station and embark on selling electricity by the Feed-in-Tariff.

The total generation of the station will be 5,800 kW. 5,000 kW out of the total amount will be sold to a power company at a fixed price for 20 years.

(Generation by non-utilized wooden material for 32 JPY per kWh, normal wooden material for 24 JPY per kWh, and recycled wooden material for 13 JPY per kWh)

The commercial operation will start in 2015. And the company estimates annual sales of 700 million JPY.

Woodone Press Release (in Japanese): 2013/05/02
http://www.woodone.co.jp/news/pdf/20130502biomass.pdf

Fuji Electric to Implement Megasolar in Nankan, Kumamoto

It was settled that Fuji Electric would start a megasolar business in Nankan town of Kumamoto prefecture.

The station is of 1.0 MW scale with the land area of 30 thousand square meters. It will start operation in October.
The cost is estimated to be about 400 million JPY.

This is the third megasolar project in the town.

Kumamoto prefecture currently has 28 megasolar projects, whose total output will be 74 MW.

Kumamoto Prefecture: Press Release 2013/05/02
http://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/soshiki/157/fujidenki-nankan.html

Kyowa Exeo Got Order of Megasolar in Kofu, Yamanashi

The telecommunication constructor Kyowa Exeo received an order from Yamanashi Broadcasting System (YBS) in Kofu city of Yamanashi prefecture over YBS's mega solar project.

For Kyowa Exeo, this is the second megasolar project in Yamanashi.

The project will install a solar power station with about 4,700 panels at a radio transmitting station of YBS. The contract amount is 400 million JPY.

SankeBiz: 2013/05/06 06:00
http://www.sankeibiz.jp/business/news/130506/bsc1305060500000-n1.htm

"Solar Bag" Wins Popularity, Additional Production

The leather wholesale trader Chord＆Co. in Tokyo announced on 8th that the company's "Halos," which might be called as "Solar Bag," was sold out.

The company said the sales were more than it had expected in spite of the bag's price relatively expensive.

An additional production has started recently.

The bag is 100% made-in-Japan.
And the thickness of its flexible solar panel is 1 mm.

The output of the solar panel depends on types of the bag.
As for "Halos Messenger Bag"(42,800 JPY), it has a 4W size panel.

"Halos" by Chord＆Co.
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/chordandco/halos-004/
Kyodo PR Wire: 2013/05/08
http://www.47news.jp/topics/prwire/2013/05/241168.html

Invitation of a Solar Project in Suo-Oshima, Yamaguchi

Suo-Oshima town in Yamaguchi prefecture is inviting from the public an entrepreneur with a solar project at an old hostel in the town.

The hostel for youths "Oshima Seinen no Ie" has not been utilized after its closing in March 2011.

Its flat area of about one thousand square meters will be rented for a solar project. The town estimates a 50 kW scale station is possible there. Also, it has settled the rent higher than 72,000 JPY a year.

The application deadline is on May 14th, 2013.

Chugoku Shimbun 2013/05/07
http://www.chugoku-np.co.jp/News/Tn201305070017.html

WTO upheld Japan and EU over Ontario's Green Energy Act

Here is a source in English out of many:

CBC News: 2013/05/06 2:25
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2013/05/06/business-wto-green-energy.html

Yamagata's Strategy Needs 230 Wind Turbines by 2030

SmartJapan reported on 7th about Yamagata prefecture's "Energy Strategy," settled in March 2012 following the Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

According to the strategy, the prefecture aims to raise the ratio of renewable energies to the total electricity consumption from 2 % in 2010 to 25 % in 2030.

The total output of renewable energies will have to be 880 MW in 2030: half of them will be by wind energy, one third by photovoltaic.

It is estimated that the solar part will be achieved without much difficulties, but that the wind part will face a challenge.

So far the prefecture has 19 wind turbines (2 kW scale) including off-shore types.

The prefecture will need 230 turbines of 2 kW scale, that is 211 more turbines, not only in the sea-side area but also in the inland plateau, the report wrote.

SmartJapan 2013/05/07 09:00
http://www.itmedia.co.jp/smartjapan/articles/1305/07/news016.html

Mitsui Fudosan Started Construction of 1 MW Solar in Yashio, Saitama

Mitsui Fudosan started construction of a distribution facility in Yashio city of Saitama prefecture.

The building will be equipped with a solar power station of 1 MW scale on the roof.

The construction will be completed in February 2014.

Response: 2013/05/07 18:29
http://response.jp/article/2013/05/07/197434.html

"Petit Solar" on Farmland: Restrictions Eased

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan published in late March a new operation policy about solar facility on farmland.

If solar panels are propped up high, a "temporal diversion" of the basement land can now be approved.

Some of the conditions are:
1) The support frames are simple and easy to be removed.
2) The area divided by support frames is as minimum as required and is proper.
3) It is reliable to cultivate crops with enough sunlight under the panels.
4) There must be enough space under the panels for agricultural machines to be used efficiently.

And the entrepreneur should report the status quo once a year in order to prolong the approval.

The area of abandoned agricultural fields has been increasing in Japan. It can be said that the ministry changed its policy on solar facility on farmland at last.

Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun: 2013/05/06 7:00
http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASDD300HQ_R00C13A5000000/

17 Prefectures to Embark on Mega Solar

According to the Asahi Shimbun, 17 prefectures out of 47 in Japan replied to the news company that they were or would be constructing mega-solar facilities in order to sell electricity to power companies.

The 17 governments embark on solar business by themselves or by establishing semi-public corporations.

The output planned so far is 99.7 MW in total.

Asahi: 2013/05/06 05:00
http://www.asahi.com/business/update/0505/TKY201305050239.html

Solar Powered Electric Bus in Maebashi, Gunma

A field test of a small electric bus partially powered by solar energy has started in Maebashi city of Gunma prefecture.

It is a four-day experiment conducted by the city, Gunma University, a not-for-profit organization, and local companies.

The bus runs by battery and solar power. Its maximum speed is 19 km per hour. The capacity is 10 persons.

Yomiuri 2013/05/03 09:26
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/eco/news/20130503-OYT1T00209.htm