Tokyo is Making Solar Mandatory by 2025!

Tokyo is Making Solar Mandatory by 2025!

Japan has been named the 7th largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world - but the country has a plan for change.

In 2020, Japan made a huge commitment to hit net zero emissions by 2050 and stated that by 2030, emissions would be reduced by 46%. While these are big statements, the efforts they are making to achieve this are what caught our eye.

With a launch date in 2025, Tokyo will be the first in Japan to see the Solar Power Initiative take off with mandatory solar panels on some newly constructed homes.

Curious how this will look? Let’s unpack these new building policies...

Mandatory Solar on New Builds

As the plan sets in, builders of pre-designed houses will be required to install solar panels. Anyone creating custom-built homes will still have the option to add the panels or leave them out, although with so many solar panel initiatives starting up, there is much more incentive to put them in right from the start. 

In addition,any home builders who provide annual construction and sales of at least 20,000 square meters in Tokyo will also have to install solar panels. 

Each district will have different percentages of builds with solar panels in alignment with how much sunlight will be captured by the panels in each area. While high-rise building areas may only see about 30% solar-panelled builds, low-rise residential areas are expected to see as much as 85%!

Maintaining a Solar Panel City

As we already know, solar panels don’t last forever. Most have a life expectancy of about 20-30 years. To accommodate this, the local government is also creating a system to promote recycling ahead of the large future disposal rates. 

Homeowners and businesses may also lease their solar panels to offset the cost of installation. And of course, subsidies will soon be offered to encourage buy-in for non-mandatory sites. Between these two initiatives, participants can expect to break even on their investment in solar power after just 6 years! 

But Wait, There’s More...

While adding solar panel regulations to new builds will already make a massive difference in carbon emissions, the Japanese government will be taking it one step further by combining this plan with a new energy-saving standards program. 

The program includes taking steps like using high-thermal insulation materials to reduce the need for excessive energy consumption in the first place. 

After receiving approval in April, these new rules will be mandatory for all new residential and non-residential buildings as of 2025. Woohoo!

And of course, Japan isn’t the only country making moves with solar panels! The European Union recently launched their own mandatory solar panel project earlier this year on their mission to make solar the largest electricity source in the EU by 2030. How awesome is that!?

Let the Sun Shine on Japan!

This sunshiny news is so exciting to see. Not only will Japan be reducing their carbon emissions according to plan, but its actions may also inspire the world to follow suit. Imagine a solar-powered world? Ahh, pure bliss.

Don’t forget, if you’re interested in getting a jump start and joining Japan on its solar energy journey, subsidies are already available in Australia too.

That’s all for today folks, have a sunshine-powered day!

If you loved this story we think you’ll also love this story about the incredible Solar Sisters,a group of incredible female entrepreneurs who develop clean energy to bring light to Africa while creating jobs for women… care to take a read? Click here. 

Until next week GFZ’s,

With love 

GFZ team xx