Japan's Youth Enter Agriculture with Agrivoltaics

The decrease in the number of agricultural workers is an important social issue for Japan. In such an environment, the entry of young people into agriculture through agrivoltaics is spreading.

University students experiencing farm work with agrivoltaics.

In Japan, the agricultural population has declined by 70% over the past 20 years, while the number of young people entering the agricultural business has remained at a very low level.

On the other hand, more and more young people are interested in building a sustainable society due to the growing interest in climate change issues. Such young people have started to address energy and agricultural issues through agrivoltaics.

In the future, it is necessary to use renewable energy sources to reduce the environmental impact of agricultural production. By learning about agrivoltaics, which combines renewable energy and agriculture on farmland, the next generation will gain a new sense of value.

"Solar Panel Tax", Japanese local governments to tax solar panels

The year 2021 marked a major turning point in the history of Japan's energy policy. In December, Mimasaka City, Okayama Prefecture passed its own taxation ordinance on solar panels in its assembly.

This initiative, which was in direct opposition to the global trend of climate change countermeasures and the spread of renewable energy, had a huge impact on Japanese society.

With the rapid spread of solar power generation under FIT in Japan, the development of solar power generation has increasingly become a problem for local residents. However, this taxation ordinance is not intended to solve that problem.

The mayor decided to take advantage of the local community's opposition to the solar power project and slap a new tax on it to finance a policy with a completely different purpose.

The new taxation ordinance will increase tax revenue by 100 million yen per year in Mimasaka City. While this will benefit the current generation, it will stall investment in renewable energy. Therefore, the future generations will have to pay the price.

By March of this year, the Japanese government will have to approve or reject this decision by Mimasaka City. If the government approves, there will be more local governments that will impose similar taxes.