Comparing Prices and Costs of Solar PV in Japan and Germany

Renewable Energy Institute, REI (formerly called Japan Renewable Energy Foundation, JREF) is a non-profit organization which aims to build a sustainable, rich society based on renewable energy.

There is a considerable difference in the price of solar PV systems among the advanced industrialized nations where deployment of solar PV is increasing. In particular, the price of solar PV systems in Japan is relatively high compared to global standards. Given this situation, and with the aim to revise the price structure of solar PV systems in Japan, we compare the price of solar PV systems in Japan with that in Germany, where the price of solar PV has come down, and explain the cost difference for each item included in the system price. Then, we analyze the elements in which the most significant differences were found between Japan and Germany.