Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) said the Natural Resources and Energy Agency (ANRE) has suspended FITs and feed-in premiums (FIPs) for 342 agrivoltaic power plants. The plants reportedly violated the revised Agricultural Land Act, which in April introduced stricter restrictions on the deployment of solar energy facilities on agricultural land.
The agency suspended incentives for these projects because they either failed to properly continue farming after the installation of the PV system or failed to obtain agricultural land conversion approval within three years of receipt of the FIT or FIP contract.
The names of the affected PV system owners have not been released.
“These actions were taken based on the law issued in April, added to the existing regulation and guidelines,” Japanese agrivoltaic analyst Makoto Tajima said. pv magazine. “These are collections of previous guidance; nothing is new except stricter action against offenders. This move was prompted by the deteriorating public image against solar energy development, stimulated by mega solar farms, mainly on the mountain slopes. The ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party, is in favor of restricting improper PV parks, including agrivoltaic facilities. After internal consultations of the party, they have prepared a revised regulation and issued a guideline.”
Makoto warned that the new measures and restrictions could have a significant impact on the development of ground-mounted PV and agrivoltaics in Japan.
“We are very concerned about these measures. Solar and agrivoltaic energy development in Japan has slowed since the FIT expired,” he said. “While eliminating bad cases is reasonable, unilateral measures without promoting healthy agricultural voltaic systems could further delay development.”
Japan introduced its first rules for agrivoltaic development on farmland in 2021.
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) recently identified land scarcity and grid congestion as key factors behind the limited success of Japan’s six solar auctions.
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