Japan’s solar purchases boom after Fukushima disaster

Japan’s solar purchases boom after Fukushima disaster

Submitted by Pierrot Durand on Sun, 06/02/2013 - 01:45

Installations of solar energy equipment in Japan jumped by a whopping 270 per cent in gigawatts in the first quarter of 2013 as the government has been making efforts to boostclean energy since the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

According to a new report from information & analytics provider IHS Inc, Japan installed 1.5 gigawatts worth of PV systems in the first three months of 2013, up from 0.4 gigawatts in the corresponding period of the previous year.

HIS also said in its report, "Japan is forecast to install $20 billion worth of PV systems in 2013, up 82 per cent from $11 billion in 2012. In contrast, the global market is set for tepid 4 per cent growth."

As per data released by the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association, Japan's local shipments of solar cells & modules increased by their most in nearly three decades in the full last fiscal.

Domestic shipments jumped to 3,809 megawatts in the twelve months through March 31, 2013, from 1,404 megawatts during the previous fiscal year.

The figures highlight the popularity of solar energy equipment in Japan as the government has been under pressure to boost energy supplies in wake of the Fukushima Dai-Ichi disaster that led to the shutdown of almost all the country's nuclear reactors.