4 years later the buying price of photo-voltaic generated electricity would be reduced by more than half

Recently the NHK News on-line reported the following:

太陽光発電の買い取り価格引き下げへ ４年後にも半額以下に

2018年9月12日 19時50分

経済産業省は電力会社が太陽光発電を買い取る際の制度を見直し、買い取り価格の水準を一段と引き下げる方針を決めました。早ければ４年後には買い取り価格を事業者向けで、今の半額以下に引き下げたいとしています。

これは12日、経済産業省が開いた審議会で決まったものです。

再生可能エネルギーは、国が毎年買い取り価格を決めて、各電力会社が長期間、事業者から買い取ることを義務づけていますが、太陽光発電では事業者間の競争を促そうと、2000キロワット以上発電できる大規模な事業者については、入札で買い取り価格を決めています。

しかし、依然として発電コストが高止まりしているとの指摘があることから、今後、入札の対象をより小規模な事業者にも拡大することになりました。

経済産業省は入札への参加が増えれば、さらに競争が促され、太陽光発電の買い取り価格の水準が引き下げられるとしていて、事業者向けでは、2022年度にも今の１キロワットアワー当たり、現在の18円から8.5円程度に、家庭向けでは2025年度にも現在の26円から11円程度に引き下げたいとしています。

電力会社が太陽光発電を買い取る際の費用は電気料金に上乗せされていて、経済産業省は制度の見直しによって発電コストを抑え、家庭や企業の負担軽減につなげたい考えです。

Translation

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry had decided a policy to review the system in which a power company bought photo-voltaic generated electricity in order to reduce its price level. It was assumed that towards the enterprises that provided photo-voltaic generated electricity, as early as 4 years later the present purchase price level would be reduced to less than half.

This was decided by a vetting meeting of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry held on the 12th.

The country decided the purchasing price every year, for an extended period, all power companies were required to buy from the enterprises. Regarding the large-scale enterprises which could generate electricity over 2000 kilowatts, in order to induce competition between enterprises that generated solar electricity, renewable energy were bought through tendering to decide the price.

But because there were comments that the generated electricity cost was still high, from now on the targeted tenderer would be expanded to cover smaller scale enterprises.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry assumed than when participation in tendering was expanded, more competition would be brought in, and that the standard buying price of the photo-voltaic generated electricity would go down. For enterprise, in fiscal year 2022 it would go down from the present 18 yen per 1 kilowatt hour to about 8.5 yen; and for homes in fiscal year 2025, it also would be reduced from the present 26 yen to about 11 yen.

The power company added the cost of buying solar energy to its electricity charges, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry had the intention to suppress the cost in generating electricity by reviewing the system and linked it to the reduction of burden on households and enterprises.

          This is good news for electricity consumers in Japan.