Solar Power Boom Puts Pressure on Japanese Transmission Systems

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Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The boom in solar-sourced electricity output is proving to be too much of a good thing for some Japanese utilities. A recent survey by Japan's renewable energy foundation found that 20% of the solar project developers who responded to the survey said that they were denied access by local utilities because of overcapacity, while 37% experience limits to the amount of electricity utilities would accept.

The regional utility, Hokkaido Electric Power, reported in April that its transmission system, to which large solar systems are interconnected, had received four times as many applications as it could manage.

According to analysts, Japan's entire electrical system will need a revamp soon if the solar boom continues, as there are concerns that Japanese grids cannot support proposed projects.

Generous feed-in tariffs (FiTs) issued in July 2012 for renewable energy, including solar, caused a rush of new projects. The country's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said that 11,012 megawatts (MW) of non-residential solar photovoltaic (PV) projects were approved since the 2012 FiTs launch and the beginning of this year.

For related information, see August 20, 2013, article - Japan's Renewable Power Incentives Help to Launch Biomass Projects.

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