Canadian Solar has commenced commercial operations at two photovoltaic (PV) parks in Japan, marking its first portfolio realized under the Asian country's feed-in premium (FIP) regime.
The portfolio includes a 1.2-MWp solar farm in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and a 1.9-MWp plant in Daisen Town, Tottori Prefecture, the solar technology group announced on Monday. Canadian Solar also unveiled a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Toyota Tsusho Corp (TYO:8015) for the plants' output. Under the agreement, the Japanese power retailer will purchase all electricity generated and receive the Non-Fossil Certificates (NFCs), which will be supplied to Toyota Tsusho's corporate customers.
“This PPA marks the beginning of our commitment to support Japanese corporations in meeting their clean energy needs for operations both in Japan and globally,” said Ryota Yamada, general manager of Canadian Solar's Japan Energy Group.
Equipped with CS7N-660W bifacial modules, both sites were initially awarded a feed-in tariff (FIT) in tenders held in 2020 but later transitioned to the FIP scheme in response to the growing demand for renewable energy.
As of the end of March, Canadian Solar had 240 MWp of solar and 1.7 GWh of energy storage in its development pipeline in Japan.