What is Japan's Super Solar Panel?

As an important participant in the global energy transformation, Japan has accelerated the innovation of solar energy technology in recent years, aiming to achieve fundamental changes in the energy structure through disruptive technological breakthroughs. In March 2025, the super perovskite solar panel project officially launched by the Japanese government and Mitsui Chemicals Group became the core carrier of this strategy. The project plans to build a power generation capacity of 20 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, which is equivalent to the power generation of 20 1-gigawatt nuclear reactors and can meet the electricity needs of 6 million households. The proposal of this goal is not only a strengthening of Japan's energy security strategy (the current energy self-sufficiency rate is only 12.6%), but also a response to the global carbon neutrality goal.

From the perspective of technical path, Japan chose perovskite materials as a breakthrough, mainly based on its high efficiency, light weight and low cost. Compared with traditional crystalline silicon cells, the theoretical conversion efficiency of perovskite cells can reach more than 30% (the current highest efficiency in the laboratory has reached 26.34%), and the production energy consumption is reduced by 60%. In addition, perovskite materials can be made into flexible films, which are suitable for scenarios such as building integration (BIPV) and mobile devices, breaking through the application boundaries of traditional photovoltaics.

Optimization Of Perovskite Material System

Japan focuses on stability improvement and bandgap engineering in perovskite material research. The titanium-based perovskite cell developed by the Tokyo University team has increased the conversion efficiency to 21.1% by introducing a composite structure of titanium dioxide and selenium, and still maintains a power generation efficiency of more than 90% under low light conditions. In addition, Japanese companies are also exploring all-inorganic perovskites (such as CsPbIBr₂) to solve the thermal stability problem of organic-inorganic hybrid materials. In Toshiba's pilot project in Fukushima, thin-film perovskite components were used to successfully achieve 24-hour stable power supply, verifying its reliability in complex environments.

Manufacturing Process Innovation

Mitsui Chemicals Group uses solution coating to replace traditional vacuum evaporation, reducing the production cost of perovskite film to 1,000 yen (about 6.80 US dollars) per square meter, which is only 1/3 of crystalline silicon cells. At the same time, the roll-to-roll continuous production technology developed by the company can achieve a production capacity of 1,000 square meters per hour, laying the foundation for large-scale mass production. It is worth noting that Japan has made a breakthrough in the packaging technology of perovskite components. Through nano-level passivation layer treatment, the service life of the components has been extended from 1,000 hours in the laboratory stage to more than 25 years.

System Integration And Energy Storage Matching

To solve the intermittent problem of solar energy, Japan deeply integrates energy storage technology with super solar panels. For example, in the eel farm project in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, Chint Power adopts the "photovoltaic + energy storage" mode. Photovoltaic power generation during the day meets 90% of the electricity demand, and is supplemented by the lithium battery energy storage system at night to achieve stable power supply throughout the year. In addition, the Elementa 2 Pro energy storage system launched by Trina Solar uses supramolecular liquid thermal conductivity technology to control the battery temperature difference within 3°C, extending the life to more than 10 years, providing a feasible solution for large-scale energy storage.

Policy Framework And Capital Investment

The Japanese government has listed solar energy as a core strategic direction through the "Green Growth Strategy" and the "Roadmap for the Realization of a Hydrogen Energy Society". In March 2025, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced that it would invest 400 million yen (about 19.66 million yuan) in perovskite projects in the next five years, and jointly established the "Perovskite Technology Innovation Alliance" with 150 companies to promote industry-university-research collaboration. In addition, Tokyo will require new residential buildings to install solar panels from April 2025, and it is expected to increase power generation by 40,000 kilowatts per year, accounting for 6% of the current total power generation.

Market Mechanism and Business Model

Japan has introduced the "Fixed Premium Subsidy" (FIP) policy, implementing a dual pricing mechanism of "market electricity price + premium subsidy" for photovoltaic power. For example, Mitsui Chemical's 20GW project can enjoy a subsidy of 20 yen (about 0.9 yuan) per kilowatt-hour, and the cost is expected to drop to 10-14 yen in 2040. In terms of business model, Japan promotes the "virtual power plant" (VPP) and "shared energy storage" models to achieve flexible scheduling of distributed energy through smart grids. For example, SoftBank Group's 102.3MW photovoltaic project in Hokkaido, equipped with a 27MWh energy storage system, achieved an annual revenue growth of 15% through the peak-valley electricity price difference.

International Cooperation and Patent Layout

Japan actively participates in the global perovskite technology competition, cooperates with the EU PEPPERONI project to develop perovskite/silicon stacked batteries, and plans to build a 5GW-level "super factory" by 2030. In terms of patent layout, Japanese companies such as Panasonic and Toshiba have 347 patents in the field of perovskites, accounting for 20% of the global total, second only to China (56%). However, the Chinese company Trina Solar leads the world with 481 patents, showing the fierce competition between China and Japan in this field.

Technical Bottlenecks

Stability Problem: Perovskite materials are prone to decomposition in high temperature and high humidity environments. Toshiba's Fukushima pilot project uses vacuum packaging technology to increase the weather resistance of components to 25 years, but large-scale application still needs to be verified.

Toxicity Problem: Lead-based perovskites have potential environmental risks. The Japanese team is developing lead-free perovskites (such as Cs₂AgBiBr₆), whose conversion efficiency has reached 12%, but it still needs to break through the stability bottleneck.

Industry Chain Support

The mass production of perovskites depends on key links such as target materials and packaging materials. Japan has shortcomings in the production of high-purity titanium raw materials and needs to rely on imports. However, the rare earth deoxidation technology developed by the University of Tokyo can reduce the production cost of titanium by 40%, paving the way for the large-scale application of titanium-based batteries.

Grid Absorption Capacity

The penetration rate of renewable energy in Japan's power grid has reached 22%, but areas such as Hokkaido have experienced "abandonment" due to insufficient grid capacity. In fiscal 2023, Japan's solar energy reduction reached 1.76TWh, equivalent to twice Australia's annual power generation. To solve this problem, Japan is promoting the construction of a "super grid", planning to achieve national grid interconnection by 2030, and introducing virtual power plant technology to optimize power dispatch.

Reshaping the energy landscape

If Japan's super solar project is successful, the global photovoltaic installed capacity will exceed 1500GW in 2030, equivalent to 15% of the current global power generation installed capacity. This will significantly reduce dependence on fossil energy, and it is estimated that by 2040, global carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by 2 billion tons/year.

Technology spillover effect

Breakthroughs in perovskite technology will drive the development of flexible electronics, photocatalysis and other fields. For example, Japanese companies are exploring the application of perovskites in smart windows and automotive photovoltaics, and the relevant market size is expected to reach US$50 billion in 2030.

Geopolitical impact

Japan's technological leadership may change the global energy supply chain. At present, China occupies 80% of the global photovoltaic module market, but Japan's layout of core perovskite patents (such as Panasonic's 347 patents) may weaken China's dominance. In addition, Japan's cooperation with Southeast Asian countries (such as Vietnam and Indonesia) will promote the construction of the "Photovoltaic Silk Road" and strengthen its energy influence in the Asia-Pacific region.

Japan's super solar panel project is a disruptive revolution in energy technology, and its success or failure will profoundly affect the global energy transformation process. Despite facing multiple challenges such as technology, industrial chain and power grid, Japan is gradually building a complete ecosystem from material research and development to system integration through policy innovation, technological breakthroughs and international cooperation. If perovskite technology can be commercialized on a large scale in the next decade, it will not only reshape Japan's energy structure, but also provide key support for the global carbon neutrality goal.