Tokyo introduces mandatory installation of solar panels in new homes

Tokyo is mandated to install solar panels in new homes to cut the city’s carbon emissions in half.

According to Kyodo News, many houses built in Tokyo must be equipped with solar panels from April 2025. The National Assembly passed new laws requiring large construction companies to install solar panels or other renewable energy supply systems for homes smaller than 2,000 square meters. The move is the first of its kind in Japan and aims to cut the city’s carbon emissions by half.

Tokyo introduces mandatory installation of solar panels in new homes

The government estimates that a tariff of 980,000 yen (approximately 6,900 euros) for a 4 kW plant could be amortized in about six years from savings and a subsidy of 100,000 yen per kW. The cost of rent can also be reduced through other means.

This measure applies only to about 50 construction companies that supply the market with more than 20,000 square meters. Therefore, it is difficult to say what percentage of new housing will be affected by this legislation. This measure should have a significant impact anyway, as the Tokyo government estimates that by 2050, half of the existing buildings (of which 70% are residential buildings) will be replaced by new buildings.

A measure to halve the city’s carbon footprint.

Between 2012 and 2021, Japan averaged between 800,000 and 900,000 new buildings per year, according to Statista, and Super Zenecon is the company that dominates the Japan’s construction market.

Japan is the fifth country that emits the most carbon, but it aims to become carbon neutral by 2050. It’s also not the only country making solar installations mandatory. In France, regulators recently approved a bill requiring more than 80 car parks to be equipped with solar panels. The French government has explained that this initiative, which is aimed mainly at car parks on motorways and major axes, could generate up to 11 GW, the equivalent of 10 nuclear reactors.