Orix to Take Lease of Seino Holding's Roofs for Solar Generation

The lease and financial conglomerate Orix is going to take the lease of 18-building roofs which are owned by the distribution company Seino Holdings.

Orix plans to install solar facilities of 5.6 MW in total on these roofs.

So far the company has build 49 solar power generators on leased roofs throughout Japan.
The current output capacity amounts to 27.2 MW in total.

Asahi via Nikkan Kogyo: 2013/07/26 05:01
http://www.asahi.com/tech_science/nikkanko/NKK201307260016.html

Sharp's Cleaning Robot for Megasolar Panels

Sharp developed a robot for cleaning solar panels of mega-watt scale.

The company has already started a trial operation with six cleaning robots at 84 MW solar station in Thailand.

Nikkan Kogyo: 2013/07/25
http://www.nikkan.co.jp/news/nkx0320130725bjaj.html

Feasibility Study on Solar-Diesel Hybrid Station in Indonesia and Myanmar

Hitachi Zosen and Mizuho Bank are going to conduct a feasibility study on solar-and-diesel hybrid power generation in Indonesia and Myanmar.

The study is financed by Global Environment Centre Foundation (GEC), which is entrusted by the Ministry of Environment for the purpose of promoting Japan's Bilateral Offset Credit Mechanism.

Response: 2013/07/24 16:00
http://response.jp/article/2013/07/24/202821.html

Free Software by Sharp Engineering to Detect Faults in Solar System

Sharp Engineering developed an application software for Android smartphones and tablet computers, which wirelessly sends measurement data from so-called "PV analyzer" about solar power generation to these mobile devices.

The user can utilize the data easily to detect trouble and breakdown of the solar system.

The company will provide the software for free.

SmartJapan: 2013/07/25 10:00
http://www.itmedia.co.jp/smartjapan/articles/1307/25/news046.html

Solar Frontier's CIS Thin-film Solar Panel: "as Thin as Smartphone"

Solar Frontier, a subsidiary of Showa Shell Sekiyu, announced on 23rd that it would start selling a new product of CIS thin-film solar panel in November. The new product is 6.5mm thick and is said to be "as thin as Smartphone."

Moreover, it weighs 40% less than existing models.

Nikkei 2013/7/23 22:13
http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASDD230KM_T20C13A7TJ2000/

Toyama Prefecture to Construct 1.75 MW Solar at a Filtration Plant

Toyama prefectural government announced on 23rd that it would construct a megasolar facility of 1.75 MW scale at its currently inactive filtration plant in Toyama city.

The construction starts this month. And the operation will commence by March 2014.

Chunichi Shimbun: Toyama: 2013/07/24
http://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/toyama/20130724/CK2013072402000032.html

Renewable Energy Accounted for 1.6% of All Electricity Generation in FY 2012

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) released the statistic report on the introduction of renewable energy in Japan during the fiscal year 2012 (April 2012 to March 2013).

According to the report, renewable energy excluding hydro power generation increased by 0.2% from the previous fiscal year to become 1.6% of all the electricity generated in the country.
(If hydro is included, renewable energy accounts for 10%.)

Some of the data are as follows:

(%)      FY2011  2012
Wind          0.5   0.5
Biomass     0.5   0.5
Solar          0.2   0.4 (0.2% increase)
Geothermal 0.3   0.3

It can be said the commencement of Feed-in-Tariff scheme in July 2012 made solar power generation spread throughout Japan.

Sankei Biz: 2013/07/22 07:30
http://www.sankeibiz.jp/business/news/130722/bsd1307220731002-n1.htm

Canadian Solar to Expand Solar Assortment in Japan

Canadian Solar in Ontario, Canada, is going to expand the assorment of its solar panel products in Japan.

It will add four products to its current three. Moreover, the company will prepare three different forms of PV panel to meet the demands.

Asahi via Nikkan Kogyo: 2013/07/23 5:31
http://www.asahi.com/tech_science/nikkanko/NKK201307230017.html

Sharp's New Products of Transparent Solar Panel

Sharp announced on 22nd that it would start selling five new products of transparent solar panel on 31st.

The products can be used as window glasses and walls.

Their height is from 0.7 to 1.4 meters, the width about one meter. The thickness is 9.5 mm. And the maximum output is from 46 to 80W.

The cost will be 200 to 250 thousands JPY per square meters including system appliances.

Sankei Biz: 2013.7.23 05:00
http://www.sankeibiz.jp/business/news/130723/bsc1307230503006-n1.htm

Leftover of Udon Noodle to Make Biogas

The business association "Consortium for Recycling Udon Entirely" in Takamatsu city of Kagawa prefecture recently settled that it would aim at commercialization of producing bioethanol and methane gas from leftover of udon noodles.

The group has conducted feasibility studies on making biogas from udon waste and concluded that the business would get a profit.

Kagawa prefecture is famous for its udon noodle. It even identifies itself as "Udon prefecture."

Nikkan Kogyo: 2013/07/17
http://www.nikkan.co.jp/news/nkx0520130717hlat.html

Used Diapers to Be Fuel Pellet

Yomiuri Shimbun reported today the recent trend of recycling used diapers to make fuel pellets.

Yomiuri 2013/07/22
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/eco/feature/20130716-OYT8T00470.htm

Geothermal Excavation Study Started in Sapporo, Hokkaido

Idemitsu Kosan, Inpex, and other entities started on 16th an excavation study for their geothermal power generation project.

The project site is in a national forest, which spreads in Akaigawa town and Sapporo city of Hokkaido prefecture.

The study is going to dig 1,500 to 2,000 meters to know the geological structure and the underground temperature.

Hokkaido Shimbun: 07/17 16:00
http://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/news/chiiki/480006.html

Mitsui Sumitomo's Insurance for Microhydro Power Generation

Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance started selling insurance for microhydro power generation.

The insurance service is named "General Compensation Plan for Mini- and Micro-hydro Power Generation," which deals with four areas of potential risk: fire, civil engineering structure, liability, and weather derivative.

The company plans to make the sale of the insurance 300 million JPY scale in two years.

Sankei Biz: 2013/07/22 07:00
http://www.sankeibiz.jp/business/news/130722/bse1307220701000-n1.htm

Solar Swindle of Over 5,000 JPY in Ashikaga, Tochigi

A man in his seventies in Ashikaga city, Tochigi prefecture, was swindled out of his money of more than 5,000 JPY.

In April the man received a call from an alleged lawyer and was told that he would be able to take back his loss in futures market.

Then he was solicited to invest in a solar company.

FNN: 2013/07/19 06:11
http://www.fnn-news.com/news/headlines/articles/CONN00250159.html

Solar Swindle of 5,800 JPY in Numadu, Shizuoka

Shizuoka prefectural police released on 19th that a 73-year-old woman in the city had been swindled out of her 5,800 JPY.

Since April the woman received calls from alleged employees of solar power company "Ohayo Ace" and was solicited for investment in the company.

And she sent and paid money for seven times.

Sankei: 2013/07/19 14:33
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/affairs/news/130719/crm13071914370014-n1.htm

NEDO Started Feasibility Studies on Organic Photovoltaic

NEDO announced on 16th that it had started feasibility studies on organic photovoltaic panels.

The agency granted for for projects from three entities.

Of them three are on Dye Sensitized Solar Cell, one on Organic Thin-film.

Tainavi News: 2013/070/21 12:00
http://www.eco-front.com/news_a6e4aPdsdk.html
NEDO: Press Release (in Japanese) 2013/07/16
http://www.nedo.go.jp/news/press/AA5_100212.html