Renewable Energy-Related Subsidies in Japan
A variety of other subsidies for the promotion of renewable power generation and consumption is available in Japan in addition to the FIT and FIP subsidy schemes. The subsidies are financed using Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s and Ministry of Environment’s budgets and operated by a variety of organizations.
FY2024 subsidies financed by METI and MoE
Japan Energy Hub Pro members can see more details about each subsidy including application timeline, applicant and project eligibility, and examples of projects awarded the subsidy in the past among other things by clicking on the subsidy name.
| Subsidy | Full Subsidy Name (Japanese) | Purpose | Expenses Covered | Subsidy Rate | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional independent grid system planning for power distribution market entry | 再生可能エネルギー導入拡大に資する分散型エネルギーリソース導入支援事業のうち、「配電事業等の参入を見据えた地域独立系統の構築・計画策定支援」 | Subsidizing the costs related to the construction of "regional independent power grids" that supply power independent from the general T&D companies in the event of disaster-related power outages, etc. in order to help establish power distribution businesses, etc. | meti-fy2024-04 | ||
| Quantitative study on the potential of hydrogen production and utilization | 水素社会構築技術開発事業における地域水素利活用技術開発のうち、「水素製造・利活用ポテンシャル調査」 | Conducting the R&D necessary to create a hydrogen supply chain that combines various regional supply and demand characteristics for promoting regional hydrogen utilization | Equipment, labor, outsourcing, and other expenses | Up to 66% | meti-fy2024-09 |
| Demonstration project for the establishment of a stable and efficient manufacturing and transportation system for woody biomass fuel (chips and pellets) | 木質バイオマス燃料等の安定的・効率的な供給・利用システム構築支援事業のうち、「木質バイオマス燃料（チップ、ペレット）の安定的・効率的な製造・輸送等システムの構築に向けた実証事業」 | Build and commercialize a system that takes advantage of technological advancement and regional characteristics to allow forests and woody biomass power generation businesses to coexist in a sustainable manner | Equipment, labor, outsourcing, joint research, and other expenses | Up to 66% | meti-fy2024-13 |
| Technological development of quality and safety assessment of materials and products necessary for establishing a hydrogen society | 競争的な水素等サプライチェーン構築に向けた技術開発事業（助成）のうち、「共通基盤整備に係る技術開発」 | Support technological development that contributes to quality, safety, etc. evaluation of materials and products necessary to realize the development of a hydrogen society; specifically, building a database related to steel materials in a hydrogen environment and installing quality control equipment for liquefied hydrogen-related facilities | Equipment, labor, outsourcing, joint research, and other expenses | 50% | meti-fy2024-20 |
| Consumer-led solar power generation equipment installation | 需要家主導太陽光発電導入促進事業のうち「需要家主導型太陽光発電導入支援事業」 | Accelerate and maximize the utilization of renewable energy by supporting consumers working together with power retailers and generators to install solar power generation equipment | Design, equipment purchase, land development, construction, and connection expenses related to the subsidized equipment | Between 33% and 66% of eligible expenses | meti-fy2024-01 |
| Reduction of solar power generation equipment, etc. cost to support achieving storage parity | 民間企業等による再エネ主力化・レジリエンス強化促進事業における「ストレージパリティの達成に向けた太陽光発電設備等の価格低減促進事業」 | Accelerate the utilization of renewable energy as the mainstay, strengthen resilience, and contribute to the realization of the 2050 carbon neutrality target by subsidizing projects that introduce self-consumption solar power generation and storage batteries through on-site PPAs, etc., and help achieve storage parity | Construction, equipment, operating, and administrative expenses | The subsidy rate depends on the type of equipment and other factors; below rates are for reference only: - 40,000-50,000 yen/kW for solar power generation equipment - 53,000 yen/kWh for commercial and industrial stationary storage batteries - The upper limit of the related CEV (Clean Energy Vehicle) subsidy for EV charging/discharging equipment | moe-fy2024-01 |
| Installation of remotely-controllable power generation equipment, systems, etc. to contribute to the reduction of renewable power generation curtailment | 民間企業等による再エネ主力化・レジリエンス強化促進事業における再エネ主力化に向けた需要側の運転制御設備等導入促進事業のうち、「再エネの出力抑制低減に資するオフサイトから運転制御可能な発電側の設備・システム等を導入する事業」 | Support projects that introduce remotely controllable power generation-side equipment to create reduce power generation curtailment and help the expansion of non-dispatchable (solar and wind) renewable power generation | Construction, equipment, operating, and administrative expenses | 33% (50% for projects on remote islands as defined under the Electricity Business Act) | moe-fy2024-13 |
| Utilization of reservoirs for solar power generation | 民間企業等による再エネ主力化・レジリエンス強化促進事業における新たな手法による再エネ導入・価格低減促進事業のうち地域における太陽光発電の新たな設置場所活用事業の「ため池事業」 | Accelerate the utilization of renewable energy as the mainstay, strengthen resilience, and contribute to the realization of the 2050 carbon neutrality target by subsidizing projects that use reservoirs to install solar power generation equipment, etc. | Construction, equipment, operating, and administrative expenses | 50% of eligible expenses | moe-fy2024-04 |
| Integration of solar power generation equipment with buildings' windows, walls, etc. | 民間企業等による再エネ主力化・レジリエンス強化促進事業における新たな手法による再エネ導入・価格低減促進事業のうち、「建物の窓、壁等の建材と一体型の太陽光発電設備」 | Promote the introduction and cost reduction of solar power generation using new methods to effectively utilize local renewable energy potential while coexisting with the local community | 50% or 60% of eligible expenses | moe-fy2024-06 | |
| Project to establish quality standards for woody biomass fuel (chips and pellets) | 木質バイオマス燃料等の安定的・効率的な供給・利用システム構築支援事業のうち、「木質バイオマス燃料（チップ、ペレット）の品質規格の策定委託事業」 | Contribute to improving the quality of woody biomass fuel, establish fair energy trading, and revitalize market activity | Labor and other expenses (including overhead) | Up to 66% | meti-fy2024-14 |
| Technical development to reduce hydrogen supply cost at consumption sites | 競争的な水素等サプライチェーン構築に向けた技術開発事業（助成）のうち、「需要地水素サプライチェーンの構築に係る技術開発」 | Support technological development of equipment related to hydrogen supply cost reduction in demand centers including hydrogen production equipment, compressors, liquifiers, pipelines, lorries, trailers, etc. | Equipment, labor, outsourcing, joint research, and other expenses | 50% | meti-fy2024-18 |
| Utilization of hydrogen for heat demand, etc. on-site where electrification is difficult | 水素社会構築技術開発事業における地域水素利活用技術開発の地域モデル構築技術開発うち、「電化が困難な熱需要等に対するオンサイト水素等を活用した、ユーザー視点での工場のＣＮ化に関する実証」 | Conducting the R&D necessary to create a hydrogen supply chain that combines various regional supply and demand characteristics for promoting regional hydrogen utilization | Equipment, labor, outsourcing, and other expenses | Up to 66% | meti-fy2024-11 |
| Technology development and feasibility study execution to establish a regional model for hydrogen production and utilization | 水素社会構築技術開発事業における地域水素利活用技術開発の地域モデル構築技術開発うち、「地域コミュニティでの水素供給から供給・利活用までを想定したモデル構築に関する実証」 | Conducting the R&D necessary to create a hydrogen supply chain that combines various regional supply and demand characteristics for promoting regional hydrogen utilization | Equipment, labor, outsourcing, and other expenses | Up to 66% | meti-fy2024-10 |
| Capital investment to strengthen domestic manufacturing infrastructure for storage batteries and related materials | 蓄電池の製造サプライチェーン強靱化支援事業における「蓄電池・部素材等の設備投資支援」 | Developing large-scale manufacturing infrastructure, manufacturing infrastructure for parts and materials that are currently only produced in Japan, and manufacturing infrastructure using unique technology to strenghten domestic storage battery and related components/materials manufacturing | 33% (50% for equipment investment meeting certain conditions) | meti-fy2024-25 | |
| Renewable heat utilization and power generation cost reduction plan formulation | 民間企業等による再エネ主力化・レジリエンス強化促進事業における新たな手法による再エネ導入・価格低減促進事業のうち、再エネ熱利用・発電等の価格低減促進事業の「計画策定事業」 | Supporting the planning of projects that aim to renew renewable energy heat utilization facilities, factory waste heat utilization facilities, and hot spring supply facilities by adding energy-saving equipment, or self-consumption or self-sustaining renewable power generation equipment (excluding solar) if they meet specified cost requirements | Personnel and operating expenses | 75% | moe-fy2024-07 |
| Utilization of waste disposal sites for solar power generation | 民間企業等による再エネ主力化・レジリエンス強化促進事業における新たな手法による再エネ導入・価格低減促進事業のうち地域における太陽光発電の新たな設置場所活用事業の「廃棄物処分場事業」 | Accelerate the utilization of renewable energy as the mainstay, strengthen resilience, and contribute to the realization of the 2050 carbon neutrality target by subsidizing projects that use waste disposal sites to install solar power generation equipment, etc. | Construction, equipment, operating, and administrative expenses | 50% | moe-fy2024-05 |
| Renewable heat utilization and power generation equipment installation (B) | 民間企業等による再エネ主力化・レジリエンス強化促進事業における新たな手法による再エネ導入・価格低減促進事業のうち再エネ熱利用・発電等の価格低減促進事業の「設備等導入事業B」 | Supporting the projects that aim to renew renewable energy heat utilization facilities, factory waste heat utilization facilities, and hot spring supply facilities by adding energy-saving equipment, or self-consumption or self-sustaining renewable power generation equipment (excluding solar) if they meet specified cost requirements | Construction, equipment, operating, and administrative expenses | 50% | moe-fy2024-09 |
| Development of digital technologies, etc. to decarbonize manufacturing processes and improve efficiency of storage batteries and materials | 蓄電池の製造サプライチェーン強靱化支援事業における「蓄電池・部素材等の技術開発支援」 | Developing technologies to establish superiority and indispensability, to decaronize manufacturing processes, and to manage data in manufacturing processes and improve productivity relted to storage batteries and related parts/materials | 50% | meti-fy2024-26 | |
| Feasibility study for introducing hydropower generation | 水力発電の導入加速化事業の水力発電導入加速化事業費における「初期調査等支援事業」 | Support projects surveying flow rates necessary for commercialization, investigation of promoising locations, and solving problems of coexistence between local residents and businesses in hydropower plant development | 50% | meti-fy2024-23 | |
| Investigatation of remaining potential and capacity of existing hydropower plants | 水力発電の導入加速化事業の水力発電導入加速化事業費における「既存設備有効活用支援事業」 | Supporting projects that survey potential additional capacity, output improvement, and resilience strenghtening of existing facilities | 25% to 66% | meti-fy2024-24 | |
| Utilization of agricultural land for solar power generation | 民間企業等による再エネ主力化・レジリエンス強化促進事業における新たな手法による再エネ導入・価格低減促進事業のうち地域における太陽光発電の新たな設置場所活用事業の「営農地事業」 | Accelerate the utilization of renewable energy as the mainstay, strengthen resilience, and contribute to the realization of the 2050 carbon neutrality target by subsidizing projects that use agricultural land to install solar power generation equipment, etc. | Construction, equipment, operating, and administrative expenses | 50% | moe-fy2024-03 |
| Hydrogen and ammonia supply infrastructure development | 水素・アンモニア供給基盤整備事業 | Developing essential hydrogen and ammonia supply infrastructure through the creation of large-scale demand and efficient supply chain to create an internationally competitive industrial cluster | Up to 66% of eligible expenses | meti-fy2024-16 | |
| Carbon intensity calculation method research for hydrogen production by electrolysis in Japan | 競争的な水素等サプライチェーン構築に向けた技術開発事業の総合調査研究のうち、「国内の水電解等水素製造における炭素集約度算定方法の検討調査」(委託) | Support projects that identify and organize issues with carbon intensity calculation, and outline possible policies for resolving them based on the actual operation of hydrogen production (electrolysis) plants | meti-fy2024-22 | ||
| Standalone storage battery and electrolysis equipment installation for balancing power supply | 再生可能エネルギー導入拡大に資する分散型エネルギーリソース導入支援事業のうち、「調整力等の供出が可能な系統用蓄電池等導入支援」 | Subsidizing the installation cost of grid-scale storage batteries and water electrolysis equipment that can be used for balancing power, etc. to accelerate the utilization of renewable energy | meti-fy2024-03 | ||
| New pumped hydropower plant development feasibility study | 揚水発電の運用高度化及び導入支援補助金の「新規開発可能性調査支援事業」 | Strenghten pumped hydropower generation market by subsidizing the introduction of new facilities since pumped storage is becoming increasingly important to even out non-dispatchable resource generation but is challenging due to high costs and the risk of being shut down in the future. | Labor, outsourcing, and other business expenses (including travel, venue, equipment, rent, consumables, printing, assistant personnel, and other miscellaneous expenses) | Up to 33% of eligible expenses | meti-fy2024-08 |
| Co-located storage battery installation | 需要家主導太陽光発電導入促進事業のうち「再エネ電源併設型蓄電池導入支援事業」 | Accelerate and maximize the utilization of renewable energy by supporting consumers working together with power retailers and generators to install solar power generation equipment and co-located batteries | Design, equipment purchase, land development, construction, and connection expenses related to the subsidized equipment (limited to costs required for the introduction of storage batteries) | Up to 25% | meti-fy2024-02 |
| Technological development of low-cost and advanced hydrogen stations | 競争的な水素等サプライチェーン構築に向けた技術開発事業（助成）のうち、「水素ステーションの低コスト化・高度化に係る技術開発」 | Support the technological development of equipment related to lowering the cost and increasing the sophistication of hydrogen stations including storage equipment, compressors, pressure accumulators, pre-coolers, dispensers, etc. | Equipment, labor, outsourcing, joint research, and other expenses | 50% | meti-fy2024-19 |
| New solar power generation equipment installation methods in buildings | 民間企業等による再エネ主力化・レジリエンス強化促進事業における新たな手法による再エネ導入・価格低減促進事業のうち「建物における太陽光発電の新たな設置手法活用事業」 | Accelerate the utilization of renewable energy as the mainstay, strengthen resilience, and contribute to the realization of the 2050 carbon neutrality target by subsidizing projects that use parking lots to install equipment such as solar carports and storage batteries | Construction, equipment, operating, and administrative expenses | 33% (separate rates for EV storage batteries and charging/discharging equipment) | moe-fy2024-02 |
| Technical development to establish a large-scale hydrogen supply chain | 競争的な水素等サプライチェーン構築に向けた技術開発事業（助成）のうち、「大規模水素サプライチェーンの構築に係る技術開発」 | Support technology development that will contribute to upscaling, diversifying, and improving the efficiency of equipment necessary for building a hydrogen supply chain including large-scale marine transportation equipment (such as hydrogen carriers and domestic receiving ports), hydrogen generation equipment, etc. | Equipment, labor, outsourcing, joint research, and other expenses | 50% | meti-fy2024-17 |
| Research on the status of cost reduction in hydrogen stations | 競争的な水素等サプライチェーン構築に向けた技術開発事業の総合調査研究のうち、「水素ステーションの自立化に向けたコスト低減状況に係る調査」(委託) | Encourage the development of an internationally competitive industrial cluster through large-scale demand generation and efficient supply chain construction by developing essential hydrogen and ammonia supply infrastructure | meti-fy2024-21 | ||
| Pumped hydropower plant upgrades contributing to revenue growth and cost reduction | 揚水発電の運用高度化及び導入支援補助金の「運用高度化支援事業」 | Strenghten pumped hydropower generation market through subsidizing upgrades since it is becoming increasingly important to even out non-dispatchable resource generation but is challenging due to high costs and the risk of being shut down in the future. | Building and equipment construction/installation and repair expenses; miscellaneous expenses related to building and equipment construction/installation (e.g., surveying, testing, design, removal and disposal, and civil engineering expenses); outsourcing expenses | Up to 33% of eligible expenses | meti-fy2024-07 |
| Development of container and modular type data centers contributing to the efficient use of local renewable energy | 民間企業等による再エネ主力化・レジリエンス強化促進事業のデータセンターのゼロエミッション化・レジリエンス強化促進事業のうち、「地域再エネの効率的活用に資するコンテナ・モジュール型データセンター導入促進事業」 | Supporting the development of energy-efficient containerized/modular data centers utilizing local renewable energy | Construction, equipment, operating, and administrative expenses | 33% | moe-fy2024-23 |
| Plan formulation for decarbonization in heating field/cold regions | 民間企業等による再エネ主力化・レジリエンス強化促進事業における新たな手法による再エネ導入・価格低減促進事業のうち、熱分野・寒冷地での脱炭素化先行モデル創出事業の「計画策定事業」 | Supporting projects that formulate plans for creating advanced decarbonization models in heating field/cold regions | Personnel and operating expenses | 75% | moe-fy2024-10 |
| Renewable heat utilization and power generation equipment installation (A) | 民間企業等による再エネ主力化・レジリエンス強化促進事業における新たな手法による再エネ導入・価格低減促進事業のうち再エネ熱利用・発電等の価格低減促進事業の「設備等導入事業A」 | Supporting the projects that aim to renew renewable energy heat utilization facilities, factory waste heat utilization facilities, and hot spring supply facilities by adding energy-saving equipment, or self-consumption or self-sustaining renewable power generation equipment (excluding solar) if they meet specified cost requirements | Construction, equipment, operating, and administrative expenses | 33% | moe-fy2024-08 |
| Building a model for utilizing local renewable energy by controlling power generation/consumption in public facilities | 民間企業等による再エネ主力化・レジリエンス強化促進事業のうち、「公共施設の設備制御による地域内再エネ活用モデル構築事業」 | Support the building of models that effectively utilize local renewable power and increase the renewable energy usage at public facilities, etc. | Construction, equipment, operating, and administrative expenses | Up to 66% of eligible expenses | moe-fy2024-24 |
| Conversion of power consumers' existing resources to IoT for demand response | 再生可能エネルギー導入拡大に資する分散型エネルギーリソース導入支援事業のDRに対応したリソース導入拡大のうち、「DRの拡大に向けたIoT化推進」 | Subsidizing the cost of conveting power consumers' existing resources into IoT resources that can be used for demand response | meti-fy2024-06 | ||
| Demonstration of manufacturer-led technological development of equipment to meet decarbonization needs such as general-purpose heat demand | 水素社会構築技術開発事業における地域水素利活用技術開発の地域モデル構築技術開発うち、「汎用的な熱需要等の脱炭素化ニーズに対応するための、メーカーが主体となった機器の技術開発に関する実証」 | Conducting the R&D necessary to create a hydrogen supply chain that combines various regional supply and demand characteristics for promoting regional hydrogen utilization | Equipment, labor, outsourcing, and other expenses | Up to 50% | meti-fy2024-12 |
| Residential and commercial/industrial power storage system installation for demand response | 再生可能エネルギー導入拡大に資する分散型エネルギーリソース導入支援事業のDRに対応したリソース導入拡大のうち、「DRに活用可能な家庭・業務産業用蓄電システム導入支援」 | Subsidizing the cost of residential battery systems, etc. that can be utilized as demand response resources | meti-fy2024-05 |
