TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Japan PV Expo opened in Tokyo on Wednesday, attracting hundreds of international exhibitors including Taiwan’s largest solar panel manufacturer, TSEC Corp.
TSEC General Manager Hung Chen-jen (洪振仁) led the delegation as the company has been cultivating the Japanese market for more than 10 years. According to TSEC, Japan is a mature market for solar products, with 4-5 GW of installations each year, more than twice the amount installed in Taiwan, per UDN.
With media reporting that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government may mandate a requirement for new residential buildings to be equipped with solar panels beginning from April, demand for solar panels is expected to increase. Also, residential electricity rates in Japan are 40-50% more expensive than in Taiwan, leading to wider adoption of residential solar energy installations.
TSEC said the number of newly installed households in Japan has reached approximately 200,000 per year, with an installed capacity exceeding 1 GW. This accounts for almost 60% of Taiwan's total installed capacity.
TSEC believes there are many business opportunities for companies that launch solar panels suitable for the Japanese residential market. The company added that Japan has an island climate like Taiwan, requiring solar products to have a high degree of weather resistance.
According to TSEC, the 600MW salt flats solar power farm in the Changbin Industrial Park is more advanced than most solar farms around the world. TSEC believes it can share its experience with this solar farm to help Japanese customers install similar projects.
TSEC said Chinese solar panel makers mainly specialize in ground-mounted solar systems, whereas TSEC offers smaller residential solar power products and highly specialized products for salt flats. The company believes that this is the competitive advantage it brings to international markets such as Japan.
