Solar Shipments in Japan Drop First Time Since 2012 Incentives

(Bloomberg) — Shipments of solar panels in Japan fell 13
percent in the three months to June 30, a sign the market may be
cooling three years after the country introduced generous
incentives to boost the industry.

It’s the first year-on-year decline for shipments of solar
products since the October-December period in 2012, according to
the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association, which released the
data on Monday.

Companies shipped 1,737 megawatts of panels in the first
quarter, 39 percent lower compared with the previous quarter,
according to a statement from the association. Shipments include
a small number of panels produced for markets outside Japan.

Japan introduced an incentive program for clean energy in
July 2012 to diversify its energy sources, leading to a boom in
the solar industry.

The group compiled data from 39 companies including Sharp
Corp. and Kyocera Corp.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Chisaki Watanabe in Tokyo at
cwatanabe5@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Reed Landberg at
landberg@bloomberg.net
Iain Wilson, Jason Rogers

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