According to reports, a consortium in Japan is conducting an agrivoltaics pilot project involving film-type perovskite solar cells installed above rice paddies.
The initiative aims to examine energy generation alongside agricultural production. The project involves five partners: Sekisui Solar Film, Terra Inc, Himawari Green Energy, Chiba University, and Chiba Bank. Sekisui Solar Film supplies the solar cells, while Terra handles construction and maintenance. Himawari Green Energy is assessing business feasibility, and Chiba University is providing the fields and evaluating impacts on farming and crops. Chiba Bank offers financial support.
The three-year project will verify the performance of the modules in the rice paddy environment. It will also assess effects on the agricultural land, rice yield and quality, and methane emissions. The university will purchase the electricity generated by the installation.
This collaboration follows earlier verification tests on similar technology conducted by Terra and Sekisui Chemical Co., starting in August 2024. Sekisui Solar Film has also previously announced work on flexible perovskite technologies with a Netherlands-based research organization and is developing a production line in Japan targeted for operation in 2027.
Separately, the Japanese government is working to develop new standards for agrivoltaic projects, which will require developers to submit detailed plans.
