Mitsui Home and Tokyo Gas have unveiled plans to introduce Japan’s first combined on-site and virtual solar purchase agreement (PPA), reducing factory emissions and maximizing energy consumption on rooftops.
Mitsui Home and Tokyo Gas have agreed to deploy Japan’s first combined on-site and virtual power purchase agreement (PPA) using thin, lightweight solar panels at Mitsui Home’s factory in Saitama Prefecture.
Tokyo Gas said in an online statement that it will install a 1 MW system over the entire roof area of the factory, powered by panels that weigh about 40% less than conventional modules.
The on-site PPA will supply the factory directly, while excess production will be sold to the market and its environmental value transferred to Mitsui Home’s factories in Chiba and Kansai through a virtual PPA.
The project is expected to generate approximately 1,170 MWh of renewable electricity annually and reduce emissions from Mitsui Home’s domestic factories by approximately 506 tons, equivalent to a 44% reduction at its sites in Saitama, Chiba, Kansai and Kyushu.
The companies described the scheme as a model for addressing rooftop load limits and excess energy restrictions as Japan looks to expand solar capacity under the Seventh Strategic Energy Plan amid a shortage of suitable land.
The initiative also complements other ongoing innovations in Japan’s renewable energy and energy storage sectors.
For example, in January, Japan strengthened its lead in solid-state batteries, supporting four major R&D projects from Toyota, Idemitsu, Mitsui Kinzoku and TK Works with more than $660 million in subsidies to support commercialization by 2030.
In July, PXP Inc and Tokyo Gas began developing lightweight chalcopyrite solar cells for low-load industrial roofs, while a consortium including Toshiba and YKK AP started a perovskite window pilot at the Telecom Center Building in Tokyo.
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