Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co., Ltd. announced that it has completed the installation of Japan’s first offshore floating photovoltaic power generation system for practical use. The company installed about 100 solar panels in the central breakwater area of Tokyo Bay “Umi-no-Mori Water Stadium ” designated water surface for a technical demonstration. 

This project is using subsidies from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government under the “Tokyo Bay eSG Project” previous study.   

The demonstration period is scheduled to last until the end of March 2025. The project will use multiple floating systems and mooring systems compatible with offshore locations to acquire and verify various data, such as the durability of floating PV system in an offshore environment and comparisons of power generation with land-based solar power generation.

Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co., Ltd.  plans to start generating electricity next spring.

Offshore solar power can generate a large amount of electricity due to the cooling effect of the water surface, and it also allows to use a large amount of space while available land space is limited for new PV power plant development.

A leading Japanese trading house Marubeni started generating electricity at an offshore solar plant in Taiwan last December. The company says the facility generates about 240 thousand kilowatts. It says it plans to carry out a similar project in Japan in the future.

In this project, Tokyu Land Corporation will also conduct a technical demonstration of floating solar power generation on offshore. It is expected that the establishment of the technology will promote the spread and expansion of water-based solar power generation as a new market.