Japan's Okinawa Prefecture Restricts Solar Power For The First Time

For the first time, Okinawa Electric Power Company has restricted the supply of electricity from solar power plants and other renewable sources. The Japanese utility said they were forced to take the measures in response to high solar radiation levels and low energy demand during the holiday period.

The control period will run from 8am (GMT +9) to 4pm and will be in place for at least three days, depending on weather and electricity demand, the company said. It noted that the measure was in place from 1 January, when electricity demand amounted to approximately 669 MW against a supply of 738 MW.

Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost prefecture in Japan. There are currently reportedly around 1,400 solar installations in Okinawa Prefecture. In March this year, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) issued the first "power shortage alert" for the Tokyo area after an earthquake hit the region. In June, Mitsubishi and Japanese utility Kyushu Electric Power Company said they would work together to use grid-scale battery storage to reduce the impact of solar power restrictions on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan.

According to Japan's Institute for Sustainable Energy Policy (ISEP), Kyushu Island has completed around 10.5 GW of installed photovoltaic power and 600 MW of installed wind power under the country's feed-in tariff scheme by the end of 2021. The estimated full-year curtailment rate for the region is about 4.4%, up from 3.8% in the previous year.