PV with Lot Sales: A New Form of Personal Investment in Japan

San Diego, Calif. In the United States, community solar is a growing phenomenon. Those who live in an apartment or dont have suitable roofs or land are able to invest in, and benefit from, a larger project. In Japan, investing in a PV with Lot is becoming popular among individuals who dont own land and wish to generate extra income from the nations feed-in tariff (FIT).

PV with Lot projects are popping up everywhere and individual investors can pick any site, independent from the location of their primary residency. This is similar to solar securitization and solar crowdfunding as an individual investment tool for solar, but it is different because individuals have actual ownership over solar projects.

Photo of 324-kW ground-mount system by Nippon Ecosystem

Project developers market PV with Lot investment to individuals such as retirees seeking supplement income and large saving account-holders looking for a high-yield investment. Expected return on investment (ROI) from a PV with Lot ranges from 8 percent to 10 percent, and homeowners can receive a better ROI on a PV with Lot than PV on their own roofs.

When homeowners install solar systems on their rooftops, they receive a FIT rate of 38/kWh only on excess generated electricity for 10 years. Those who invest in a PV with Lot, however, can receive the same rate on all electricity generated for 20 years.

Hitting the Sweet Spot

PV with Lot investments are ideal for systems sized below 50 kW. Under the current national regulations, PV systems sized under 50 kW are connected to low-voltage distribution lines while systems sized between 50 kW and 2 MW are connected to high-voltage distribution lines. A fast-track, or simplified, interconnection process is available for systems no larger than 50 kW, providing minimum time required for an interconnection to be reviewed and approved.

The short project development time is very beneficial for both developers and customers (investors), said Hiromi Ishihara of Asglad Communications, a solar project and real estate developer.

Besides the processing time, interconnecting systems below 50 kW cost significantly less than larger systems. According to one large project developer, it only costs 600,000-700,000 ($5,800-$6,800) to interconnect solar systems to low-voltage distribution lines, compared to 2.4 million ($23,350) for high-voltage distribution lines.

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PV with Lot Sales: A New Form of Personal Investment in Japan