Tokyo

With the introduction of a Feed-in Tariff (FIT) supporting scheme in July 2012 the Japanese solar photovoltaic (PV) landscape changed dramatically. Over a period of two years the market grew threefold and thus attracted new foreign and domestic entries to challenge incumbent market structures. This raises the question which role European businesses could potentially fulfill in such a vibrant and vigorous market environment? In spite of an overall positive growth trend across all market segments for actual PV system installations and authorized installations, large-capacity PV systems - so-called mega solar systems (above 1 MW) - have particularly been attracting interests. For this reason, not only component producers, but a much wider circle of businesses offering financial and developer services as well as Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) services have begun to stream in.

The presentation will provide insights into recent trends and structural shifts of the Japanese PV market and industry - policy measures and regulations deserve, in this regard, a particular attentiveness as they set a trajectory fostering (or at times impeding) future market development. This matter will be further illustrated by reflecting on several market entry strategies and opportunities for European companies (including SMEs) as well as policy recommendations pointing out the need to reduce regulatory barriers. The presentation will be concluded with a discussion on the long-term outlook of the Japanese PV market and its potential for European businesses.

Programme 14:00-14:30   Presentation by Mr. Edgar Hahn, MINERVA Research Fellow, EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation 14:30-15:00   Open Debate

EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation