Zoom-in! Webinar on industry perspectives on photovoltaics (PV)
On 13 December, the 5th session of the “Zoom In! – Japanese-German Energy Transition Talks” series took place on the topic of “Industry Perspective on Photovoltaics (PV) in Germany and Japan”. The series is jointly organized by the Japanese-German Energy Partnership Team and the German-Japanese Energy Transition Council (GJETC) on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). It focuses on current developments regarding the energy transition in both countries. Ms. Asma Rharmaoui-Claquin, Head of Subject Area for Wind (Offshore) and Photovoltaics, German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) and Mr. Takeaki Masukawa, Director General, Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association (JPEA) gave insightful presentations on the current state of PV policies and industry in both countries. Ms. Rharmaoui-Claquin outlined that in order to make the solar industry more resilient without falling short of national expansion targets, targeted measures that lead to closed European value chains and transparency about the costs of all subsidies were highlighted. She argued that financial support should be given to the fabricant to reduce cost through high scale effect on the production of solar plants made in Europe. Mr. Masukawa discussed the effect of the end of the feed-in-tariff (FiT) system in Japan, but underlined, that due to rooftop solar, e.g. on industrial buildings and parking spaces and possible PPAs, the PV market would recover after a year of slow growth. Additionally, he highlighted the great solar capacity of Japan, referencing the before mentioned locations, despite often cited geographic limitations in Japan for the expansion of PV in mountainous terrain.