Japan eyes next-gen solar power equivalent to 20 nuclear reactors

TOKYO (Kyodo) — The Japanese government is planning to generate some 20 gigawatts of electricity, equivalent to the output of 20 nuclear reactors, through thin and bendable perovskite solar cells in fiscal 2040.

The industry ministry plans to designate next-generation solar cells as the key to expanding renewables to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 when it reveals a draft of the country’s revised energy plan in December, according to industry ministry officials.

Since Japan has the second largest share after Chile in the global production of iodine, the primary material for producing perovskite solar cells, it can build an independent supply chain for a stable supply that should help improve its economic security.

Solar panels have quickly spread throughout Japan after the 2011 nuclear disaster triggered by a devastating earthquake and tsunami, accounting for nearly 10 percent of the country’s power generation in the fiscal year through April 2024.

However, there is only so much space left in Japan to house large conventional silicon-based solar cells.

As perovskite solar cells are light and resilient to bending or distortion, they can be placed on building walls, windows, and car roofs, among other places.

While companies such as Sekisui Chemical Co. have been working on commercializing perovskite solar cells, the full-fledged introduction of the technology is not expected until the 2030s as there are a number of challenges that still need to be overcome such as its short lifespan due to poor cell durability and cost reductions.

Japan’s share of global solar panel production has declined to less than 1 percent from around 50 percent in 2004, overwhelmed by Chinese makers producing solar panels supported by massive state subsidies.

The Japanese government seeks to export perovskite solar cells in the future after fostering the technology as a major domestic renewable energy.