Tokyo by 2025 will require solar panels on new homes.
In the first mandate of its kind, the Japanese capital’s local assembly now requires all new houses built in Tokyo by large-scale homebuilders after 2025 must install solar panels. This mandate requires around 50 major builders to equip any new homes of up to 21,500 square feet with renewable energy sources, mainly solar panels.
According to Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, just 4% of buildings in the city can currently have solar panels. The hope is that with this new mandate, Tokyo will be able to half their greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 as compared to the 2000 levels. With Japan currently standing in 5th place as one of the worlds largest carbon emitters, there truly is no time to waste as stated by Risako Narikiyo, a member of the local assembly.
"In addition to the existing global climate crisis, we face an energy crisis with a prolonged Russia-Ukraine war… There is no time to waste." - Risako Narikiyo
The metropolitan government also believes that this measure will save residents money as well. The 4 kilowatt panels will cost around 980,000 yen (€6,725) to install, but the government estimates that this will be covered by electricity sales revenue within 10 years
Sources:
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/tokyo-makes-solar-panels-mandatory-new-homes-built-after-2025-2022-12-15/
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-12-15/tokyo-makes-solar-panels-mandatory-for-new-homes-built-after-2025
https://www.livemint.com/news/world/solar-panels-mandatory-for-new-homes-after-2025-in-this-japanese-city-11671086565523.html
https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/12/16/no-time-to-waste-tokyo-makes-solar-panels-mandatory-for-nearly-all-new-homes
