Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has started promoting renewable energy generation on and along roads as part of the nation’s plans to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
MLIT has issued a call for technologies to confirm the performance of road-surface PV systems. Previous field tests in areas simulating roadways and parking lots showed cracking, likely caused by heavy vehicle loads, according to an online statement issued by MLIT this week.
The ministry said its new initiative will focus on pedestrian spaces at roadside stations and similar light-load sites, providing conditions closer to real societal use.
Demonstration projects will include social experiments that used the electricity generated according to anticipated deployment scenarios. The ministry noted that the call for proposals does not involve the certification of companies, products, or technologies.
Submission deadlines are Dec. 22, 2025, for expressions of interest, and Jan. 27, 2026, for technical materials. Application guidelines and instructions are available on the Japan Innovation Center of Civil Engineering website.
Road-related PV applications are a growing area of focus in Japan. This week, for example, AirWater and Luxor Solar K.K., the Japanese subsidiary of German PV module supplier Luxor Solar GmbH, revealed that they recently installed vertical PV systems at Japanese parking lots under power purchase agreements.
Similar initiatives are also currently underway in Europe. The German state of Bavaria installed a photovoltaic roof system on an airport access road in August, while Luxembourg started permitting solar near motorways in November and Poland began testing PV arrays near major highways in June.
Other nations elsewhere throughout the world are also focusing on integrating renewable energy into transportation infrastructure. In August, startup Ko-Solar and Germany’s R. Kohlhauer revealed plans to build PV-integrated noise barriers along key transportation corridors in the United States, while in China, provinces are rapidly expanding solar installations along highways, including slopes, tunnels, and service areas.
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