Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has started accepting submissions for new road surface PV technologies, with field verification planned in pedestrian areas at roadside stations to test performance and electricity consumption prior to societal implementation.
The Japanese government has started promoting renewable energy generation on and along roads as part of the country’s plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
MLIT has issued a call for technologies to confirm the performance of road surface PV systems. Previous field tests in areas where roads and parking lots were simulated showed cracks likely caused by heavy vehicle loads, according to an online statement from MLIT this week.
The ministry said the new initiative will focus on pedestrian spaces at roadside stations and similar light-duty locations, providing conditions closer to real social use. Demonstration projects include social experiments using the electricity generated according to the expected deployment scenarios. The ministry noted that the call for proposals does not cover the certification of companies, products or technologies.
Submission deadlines are December 22, 2025 for expressions of interest, and January 27, 2026 for technical materials. Application guidelines and instructions are available at the Japan Innovation Center of Civil Engineering website.
Road-related PV applications are a growing area of interest in Japan. For example, this week, AirWater and Luxor Solar KK, the Japanese subsidiary of German PV module supplier Luxor Solar GmbH, revealed that they recently installed vertical PV systems in Japanese parking lots under power purchase agreements.
Similar initiatives are also currently underway in Europe. The German state of Bavaria installed a photovoltaic roof system on an airport access road in August, while Luxembourg began allowing solar power near highways in November and Poland began testing PV arrays near major highways in June.
Other countries around the world are also focusing on integrating renewable energy into transport infrastructure. In August, startup Ko-Solar and German R. Kohlhauer unveiled construction plans PV-integrated noise barriers along major transportation corridors in the United States, while in China, counties are rapidly expanding solar installations along highways, including ramps, tunnels and service areas.
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