Panasonic Targets Factory Rooftops for Solar Expansion in Japan

Panasonic Corp. is aiming to sell more solar panels specifically designed for the rooftops of factories and warehouses, a market it sees ripe with potential as Japan introduces rules that threaten to stymie the development of larger solar farms built on open land.

Panasonic will start selling panels in June that are able to be installed more efficiently on corrugated factory roofing, Kazuhiro Yoshida, who heads the Osaka-based company’s solar division, said in an interview yesterday. The newer products are designed to more than double generation capacity by fitting more panels on a single rooftop, Yoshida said.