Photo/Illutration Apartment buildings with rooftops covered with solar panels (Provided by Daito Trust Construction Co.)

Photovoltaic (solar) cells densely line the roofs of two apartment buildings in Yachiyo, Chiba Prefecture, generating as much as 13.5 kilowatts of power at each building.

That is enough to meet the energy needs of four-and-a-half ordinary households.

The apartment buildings were built last September by Daito Trust Construction Co. and an affiliated company covered the installation and maintenance costs of the solar cells.

Because of that, the owner--Chiyoko Fukuda, 63, who is eligible for the monthly rooftop rental fee of 15,000 yen ($112)--said she is content with the contract.

“I am just leasing out the upper coverings,” said Fukuda. “I invest no money but can receive a small sum. If I ever get more land, I want to rent more.”

Apartment contractors are increasingly turning to generating power on housing complex rooftops.

Housing providers are promoting the new business by saying it brings benefits to both residents and owners, while contributing to the spread of renewable energy.

Leading Daito Trust Construction is forging ahead with a project to lease apartment building roofs from their owners so solar panels can be set up to sell produced electricity to residents or distribute it via the government’s feed-in tariff system for clean energy. 

A representative of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy said placing photovoltaic cells on apartment building roofs is a good idea, given the feed-in tariff system’s conditions were eased earlier this fiscal year even for residents who do not consume much self-generated power on their own. 

“Putting (solar panels) on rooftops will rarely cause trouble to those living nearby,” said the agency official. “Renewable energy can be popularized this way, in harmony with regional communities.”

Daito Trust Construction has installed solar panels on 18,850 rental apartment buildings for which it is responsible as of the end of June, accounting for more than 10 percent of all its housing complexes.

Total electricity generation is estimated to reach a level high enough to cover the annual consumption of 62,000 households.

“The rooftops of buildings of rental apartments are like agricultural fields (for making power),” said a senior Daito Trust Construction official. “Selling as many energy-saving homes as possible will also mean we can contribute to environmental conservation.”

Sekisui House Ltd., which is well known for its Sha Maison leased housing brand, is pitching solar cell-mounted apartment buildings where residents can use the produced electricity or sell it.

Orders for some 15,000 such buildings had come in by April this year. The orders rose more than 1.5 times year on year over the last three months, according to the company.

Though the owners of those buildings need to bear the solar panels’ introduction and maintenance expenses, they will allow residents to reduce their utility expenses. For that reason, the occupancy rates for such properties are said to be high despite their relatively expensive rents.

Daiwa House Industry Co. constructed 5,700 rental apartment buildings furnished with solar panels between fiscal 2015 and 2021 as well.

In its basic energy plan finalized in October last year, the government is looking to raise the ratio of solar power to the total electricity production twofold, to 14 to 16 percent, by fiscal 2030 from 7.9 percent in fiscal 2020.

However, vacant land and other areas on which to build large solar farms are limited. In addition, plans to erect such farms often face opposition from local residents.

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