Japan solar cell sales growth slows down in Q3

Sales of solar cells in Japan rose 28.7 percent from a year earlier to 347.7 megawatts in July-September.

That marked the slowest year-on-year growth in domestic solar panel shipments, which include both domestic production and imports, since a 17.9 percent increase in January-March 2009, the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association data showed.

Japan is overhauling its energy policies after the Fukushima crisis shattered the public's confidence in atomic safety and kept idled reactors from restarting. Costly oil and gas imports have soared.

Solar panel exports in the July-September quarter fell 11.3 percent from a year earlier to 358.4 MW, Wednesday's data showed, swinging from a 23.3 percent rise in April-June and slowing for the first time since April-June 2009.

Year-on-year growth in domestic shipments peaked at 191.6 percent in October-December 2009, when shipments totalled 190.7 MW, according to the association.

The jump in shipments then was due mainly to the launch in November 2009 of a pilot scheme to require utilities to buy surplus solar power from houses and small businesses.

The association includes major Japanese panel makers such as Sharp Corp, Kyocera Corp, Panasonic Corp and Mitsubishi Electric Corp as well as foreign makers like Suntech Power Holdings.

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