Tokyu Land and Shizen Energy established ReENE Shizen Farm, an agrisolar-focused joint venture, the companies announced on April 21, 2025. The new venture aims to develop 10MW of agrisolar capacity within about two years, prioritizing local power consumption.
According to the statement, the joint venture’s first project will be a 708kW asset on the premises of Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine in Obihiro City, Hokkaido. The power plant follows a demonstration project between the university and Shizen Energy’s wholly-owned subsidiary Hokkaido Shizen Energy. It will use vertical solar panels which, in addition to requiring less space than traditional panels, also allow peak shifting depending on their orientation.
The site is awaiting approval for agricultural land conversion that will allow it to be used for the power plant. Once operational, the joint venture will supply the asset’s output to the university through a PPA. The planned commissioning date has not been disclosed.
Tokyu Land and Shizen Energy’s partnership comes amid increasing difficulty of securing unutilized land suitable for solar development, which is prompting developers to consider alternatives including agrisolar and floating arrays. For Shizen Energy, the push into agrisolar follows its entry into floating solar through a joint acquisition with SMFL Mirai Partners of Suiden Mizuumi Ichi from France’s Ciel et Terre.
Both agrisolar and floating are also supported by a Ministry of the Environment subsidy that is currently open for applications.
