Japan’s First Offshore Solar Demonstrator Hits Water in Tokyo

Dutch-Norwegian floating solar company SolarDuck, in collaboration with Japanese partners, has completed the installation of Japan’s first offshore floating solar demonstrator which will be used to power electric vehicles and boats.

Together with its project partners Tokyu Land Corporation, Kyocera Communication Systems Corporation and Everblue Technologies, SolarDuck launched the demonstration of its offshore floating solar unit as part of the Tokyo Bay eSG project.

The demonstration will showcase the production of renewable energy from the offshore floating solar unit, storage of electricity in batteries on the ground, and transportation of the storage batteries.

Rated at 80-100kW, SolarDuck’s offshore floating solar unit has been installed in the central breakwater area of the Tokyo Bay.

The renewable energy generated will be used to power Open Street Corporation's electric mobility vehicles and to power and navigate an electric boat. In addition, the company plans to consider the use of renewable energy for future events in the Takeshiba area of the Tokyo Bay area.

The project is the initiative of Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Policy Planning Bureau, and aims to demonstrate how locally-produced renewable energy can be used for local consumption, and will contribute to the study of urban models that can be deployed in other parts of Japan and abroad.