A project between Japanese green tech startup PXP Inc and Tokyo Gas Co is developing a film-type solar cell for installation on industrial roofs with low load-bearing capacity.
A statement released by the two companies says the work combines PXP’s chalcopyrite solar cells, which weigh less than 1 kg per square meter, with Tokyo Gas’s construction methods to deploy the cells on low load-bearing roofs, such as slate roofs.
It added that the capacity installable on such roofs in Japan is estimated at approximately 169 gigawatts by 2050, more than double the country’s current installed capacity.
The project, billed as the first time chalcopyrite solar cells will be installed on roofs with low load-bearing capacity in Japan, is working to establish panel structure and construction methods and determine the performance, durability and safety of such solar panels.
The two companies are aiming to launch the service in fiscal year 2026.
Image: PXP Inc
BIPV project
Elsewhere in Japan, a group of Tokyo-based partners is working on a building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) pilot project.
The project will see inner windows featuring perovskite solar cells installed at the Telecom Center Building in the Aomi district of Tokyo.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Bureau of Port and Harbour has signed an implementation agreement with Toshiba Energy Systems and Solutions Corporation, YKK AP Corporation, Kandenko Corporation and Tokyo Teleport Center to deliver the project.
It is subsidised by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Bureau of Environment through a support program for developers.
Toshiba said 10 next-generation film-type solar cells will be installed. The power generation performance of the cells will be analysed to support their implementation in other existing buildings.
Installation work is set to begin in early August, with the pilot scheduled to run until January 2026.
Image: PXP Inc
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