Known for its historic landscapes and seasonal beauty, Shinjuku Gyoen is now emerging as an unexpected showcase for clean energy innovation.

A short video introduction is also available on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/3LBDFmvooUA

Shinjuku Gyoen is a large park in Tokyo, originally an Imperial garden, now open to the public. It is known for its diverse gardens, including Japanese, French Formal, and English Landscape gardens.

Location: Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden 11, Naito-cho, Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, Japan

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Road surface: “Wattway” PV modules for road surfaces by Colas

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The Ministry of the Environment (MoE) has installed a PV system on the roof of the Shinjuku Gyoen Museum, which showcases the history and culture of Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, a facility under its jurisdiction. All electricity used by the museum is supplied by this PV system.

MoE is implementing concrete initiatives toward RE100 at Shinjuku Gyoen and procures 100% renewable electricity. Furthermore, under the “FY 2024 Project for Evaluation and Demonstration of Renewable Energy Promotion Technologies toward the Simultaneous Realization of Nature Positive and Carbon Neutrality (including solar pavement technologies),”

MoE selected TOA Road Corporation. The project, titled “Verification of the Installation of Pavement-Integrated PV Power Generation on Garden Walkways Compatible with Natural Landscapes,” aims to examine the harmony between the landscape and pavement-type PV systems at Shinjuku Gyoen, which offers high scenic value and a rich natural environment, making it suitable for assessing social demand. The pavement-type PV system is called Wattway, a PV system that can be installed on paved surfaces, jointly developed by Colas (France) and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission – National Institute for Solar Energy (CEA-INES).