About North Energy

We install and sell solar power generation equipment, mainly in Hokkaido.
When the company was founded in 2014, it sold power plants as investment targets for the purpose of selling electricity using FIT (Feed-in Purchase Scheme)★. From Hokkaido to Okinawa, we have installed and sold 787 power plants, focusing on low voltage★.

After the FIT system ends, we install and sell non-FIT power plants to new power companies.
Following the liberalization of the electricity retail market in 2016, many new retail electricity companies were established. In 2020, the then Suga Cabinet issued the "Carbon Neutral Declaration by 2050" and, at the same time, enacted the Energy Supply Structure Enhancement Act, making it mandatory for new power companies to increase the proportion of carbon-free energy sources. In response to this need, we have delivered 130 power plants within Hokkaido to date.

In addition, we propose and install self-consumption facilities to local governments and companies. Following the aforementioned carbon neutral declaration, the wave is now sweeping across prefectures, cities, towns, and villages. However, in Hokkaido, snowfall during the winter is an obstacle to its widespread use. A typical solar power plant will not generate electricity if snow accumulates on the panels. Local governments and businesses in snowy regions need to take action toward becoming carbon-free, but are hesitant to take the first step because they are worried that their capital investments will be wasted if they do not generate electricity during the winter.

Last December, with the cooperation of Horokanai Town, we started a demonstration experiment of "vertical double-sided solar power generation" in collaboration with UNIVA Japan. In fact, it turns out that snow, which was previously thought to be an enemy of power generation, can actually be an ally. The pure white snow surrounding the power plant reflects the sunlight, making it more efficient at generating electricity than a normal outdoor power plant. By installing the modules (panels) vertically, snow does not accumulate, and the light reflected by the snow results in increased power generation. Another attractive feature is that it requires a smaller installation area than a conventional power plant. Since they were originally designed to be agricultural power plants (power plants attached to fields or pastures), there are many options for installation methods. We are also receiving an increasing number of inquiries from local governments in snowy regions from central to northern Hokkaido. We have also begun handling thin modules that utilize wall surfaces, broadening the range of proposals we can offer.

It is still a growing company. We would like to contribute to achieving carbon neutrality by seeking various changes.

★FIT (Fixed Purchase Scheme)
A system in which the government promises that electric power companies will purchase electricity generated from renewable energy sources at a fixed price for a certain period of time. In Japan, the purchase price started in 2012 at 40 yen/kWh, which was high by global standards, but the unit price has continued to fall year by year, and is currently 10 yen/kWh (regional utilization requirement = mandatory self-consumption of a certain percentage).

  ★Low pressureThe explosive spread of solar power generation in Japan, involving low-voltage grid-connected facilities of less than 50kW, is largely due to the increase in low-voltage power plants. When the power plant's output is 50kW, the modules (panels) are typically overloaded by 150 to 200%. We have installed and sold 912 low-voltage power plants across Japan.

North Energy Co., Ltd.
President and CEO: Eisei Kosaka