The 20th Smart Energy Week [Autumn] 2023, a comprehensive international exhibition featuring five exhibitions including PV EXPO [Autumn] 2023 (17th [International] Photovoltaic Power Generation Expo [Autumn]), was held at Makuhari Messe on September 13 ~ 15.

Although there were no exhibits from major solar cell manufacturers, China’s Akcome and Mingyang Smart Energy exhibited high-power solar cell modules of over 700W and 600W using heterojunction type (HJT) cells. Lightweight, flexible crystalline silicon solar modules were also proposed, which are suitable for installation with load-bearing restrictions. There were also numerous exhibits of solar panels for vertical installation, as well as mounts and installation methods for roof, field, and solar sharing.

In the power generation business, there were many proposals for on-site rooftop PPAs and self-consumption solar. Off-site PPAs with subsidies were also actively introduced. As a new trend, some companies introduced large-scale grid storage battery projects exceeding several tens of MWh.

At the PV EXPO, over 100 seminar programs with diverse topics were held. In keynote speeches at PV EXPO, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) presented keynote speeches on the national movement toward carbon neutrality by 2050 and their efforts to expand the introduction of renewable energy, especially solar power generation. In a special lecture titled “Current Status of Perovskite Solar Cells,” NEDO and Enecoat Technologies, a startup from Kyoto University, introduced the latest trends in technological development and the prospects and challenges for future widespread use.