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The global solar cell market is projected to expand to 13.31 trillion yen in 2030, up about 290% from 2010, research firm Fuji Keizai Co. said Tuesday.

Cosmo Oil Co. is set to flip the switch on three large-scale wind power stations in the Kanto, Chubu and Kansai regions as early as 2014, supplying roughly 90,000 kilowatts of electricity – enough for 30,000 households.

Now that a law introducing feed-in tariffs for solar power has passed in the Diet, Japanese manufacturers of solar panels are working on a product certification system to ensure product quality.

U.S. exports of solar products climbed 83 percent last year to $5.63 billion as increasing production in China drove up sales of manufacturing equipment and raw materials, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Japanese domestic shipments of solar panels may increase by as much as 10 times in “a fairly short period” after the government approved renewable energy subsidies, a solar industry group’s chairman said.

A team of scientists from Kyoto University and Tohoku University have developed a manufacturing technology that will ensure greater power-generating efficiency in solar cells.

Solar and wind power companies welcomed Friday’s passage of a bill promoting renewable energy, while a steelmakers association expressed relief that the measure makes allowances for industries that use massive amounts of electricity.

After limping along for the last 6 months, Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto Kan announced his resignation today, paving the way for the country’s sixth leader in just 5 years. He was in power for 449 days – relatively long when compared to any other prime minister since Koizumi.

Japan’s upper house of parliament Friday passed into law a renewable energy bill that opens up the power generation industry.

Sharp Corp., Kyocera Corp. and Panasonic Corp. look to increase their sales of solar cells to a record total of 3.1 million kilowatts for the current year ending March, up 35% from a year earlier.