Jun 21 2010
DK Matai, investor and philanthropist, engineer turned entrepreneur, has outlined Japan’s plan for sending its first satellite equipped with solar panels into space.
This satellite could then wirelessly beam down to earth, gigawatt-strong streams of energy. Matai also explained that from this Wireless Power Transmission (WPT), each solar stream would be producing enough energy for powering almost 300,000 homes eco-efficiently.
Japan’s current primary solar market resides with PV home systems. In 2009, the residential sector contributed 429.1 MW capacity of domestic shipments. Thanks to a government policy implemented in 2009, the nation is experiencing, of late, an increase in interest in household solar PV installations. The incentives offer liberal subsidy for all homeowners who install PV systems.
SBI Energy reports that, over the coming five years, the global solar market is forecasted to grow 27.5% to $173 billion in the year 2014 from $66 billion in the year 2010. The solar panel market is expected to constitute a major share of this amount, forecasted to increase to $83 billion in the year 2014.
Japan has emerged once again as a chief investment hub. Feed-in tariffs have created much excitement among many project developers, thus creating surplus incentive for growth.