Tokyo Report: Govt to Promote Home Use of Solar Power

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)--The government will introduce a subsidy program early next year to encourage households to install solar power generation systems as part of Japan's efforts to combat global warming.

The program will apply to photovoltaic generation facilities priced
at 700,000 yen or less per output of one kilowatt, including installation
cost. A household will need a 10-year warranty from the manufacturer to be
eligible for the program.
Average solar power generation systems capable of generating 3 to
3.5 kilowatts of electricity cost some 2 million yen, and the program will
cover 200,000 to 250,000 yen of the price.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has set aside 9 billion
yen to finance the program under a supplementary budget for fiscal 2008,
which ends next March 31. For fiscal 2009, METI is seeking an appropriation
of 23.8 billion yen for the program.
With the combined outlay, the ministry plans to provide subsidies
to 135,000 households.
As of fiscal 2008, 12 prefectures, including Aichi and Kyoto, and
284 municipalities have already adopted financial support programs of their
own for the installation of solar cell power generation systems by
households. In fiscal 2009, the Tokyo metropolitan government plans to
launch a subsidy of some 300,000 yen per system.
A household in Tokyo's Sumida Ward will be eligible for a total of
up to around one million yen from METI and the ward office, enough to cover
half the price of an average photovoltaic generation system.
The government worked out its support program based on its action
plan to reduce Japan's emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse
gases by between 60 pct and 80 pct by 2050 from current levels.
The action plan also envisages promoting the use of
environment-friendly next-generation motor vehicles and energy-efficient
light bulbs, while halving the price of solar cell power systems in three to
five years and increasing the number of installations 10-fold by 2020 and
40-fold by 2030.
To clear its targets, METI aims to create a favorable cycle of
increased sales and production and price reductions, through the subsidy
program, ministry officials said.
As METI envisages combining its program with those offered by local
governments, it plans to accept applications through organizations for the
promotion of photovoltaic generation and other entities that now process
applications on behalf of local governments.