[pp.107-114]

Spread of Photovoltaic Power Generation into Farmland under the FiT System

Mariko YUZAKI （Center for Joint Research and Development, Wakayama University）

Abstract:
Japan launched a Feed-in Tariff (FiT) system in July 2012, and the Act on the Promotion of Renewable Energy in Rural Areas came into force in May 2014. This legislation aims to breathe new life into rural communities through the deployment of renewable energy generation plants . Such communities face structural problems including increasingly aged populations, shortage of successors, and price competition stemming from globalization, and abandoned farmland accounted for over 10% of the total area of farmland in Japan in 2010. From the launch of the FiT system up to March 2014, a total renewable energy generation capacity of 68.641 million kW was installed, with photovoltaic energy generation accounting for 95.8% of this total, accompanied by a rapid increase in farmland conversions. In the case of Wakayama Prefecture, 112 permits for farmland conversion were granted for the purpose of power generation in the 24 months after the launch of the FiT system. Citizen-funded and other local community-based renewable energy generation projects have been launched nationwide, but the deployment of photovoltaic power plants on farmland has brought even more dramatic change to local communities, as the FiT system provided an immediately effective means of generating profit. Conversion of farmland to photovoltaic power plants under the FiT system may boost farmer income, but this boom can hardly be described as contributing to the sound development of Japan’s agriculture and forestry sector.

Key Word:
feed-in tariff, photovoltaic power generation, abandoned farmland, farmland conversion, community revitalization

PDFダウンロード（会員限定）