Japanese Agrisolar Projects at Crossroads with Tighter Rules

Tokyo, Sept. 3 (Jiji Press)–Japanese agrisolar projects, which use land for both solar power generation and agriculture, are at a crossroads with regulations set to be tightened following a series of inappropriate cases, including failures to meet required crop yield standards. Meanwhile, some oppose the tighter regulations, arguing that they could exclude proper operators that seek to preserve farmland and promote smart agriculture using revenue from electricity sales. The first of agrisolar projects started in Japan in 2013. Operators were granted approval to install solar panels on farmland as a temporary conversion of land use, on the condition that crop yields exceed 80 pct of the local average. The projects attracted attention as a way to boost farmers’ income, as the same land can be used for both agriculture and power generation without losing its status as farmland, to which lower property tax rates apply. A total of 6,137 projects had been approved as of the end of fiscal 2023. However, there were many cases in which solar power companies rented abandoned farmland and failed to engage sufficiently in agricultural activities. Crop yields fell short of targets or crops showed poor growth in 1,221 cases, about one-fourth the number of projects in which panels were installed as of the end of fiscal 2023. In response to the situation, the agriculture ministry drafted a set of new requirements, including the minimum production or sales of at least 500,000 yen and keeping the shading rate caused by solar panels below 30 pct. Keisuke Obikawa, 30, a part-time rice farmer in a hilly area close to mountains in Chino, Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, has introduced smart farming technology to remotely control water supply by using revenue increased by selling electricity generated by solar panels. Obikawa warned that the uniform tightening of regulations will narrow the options for maintaining paddy fields in hilly areas near mountains. “I hope projects will be evaluated based on their contribution to farmland conservation,” especially in areas where farmland consolidation is difficult, he said. Masaya Ishida, director at the Renewable Energy Institute, said that there is “too little basis” for applying the shading rate rule to all projects. Ishida is calling for a review of the rule, saying that power generation can be combined with the cultivation of coffee beans, which prefer semishaded conditions, and tea, which requires shading for a certain period. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]