Straits Times

Japan's solar cell market more than tripled in the year to March, as government incentives spurred households to purchase the eco-friendly technology, industry data showed on Tuesday.

Shipments of solar cells and modules in Japan rose 263 per cent from the previous financial year, the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association said.

Nearly 90 per cent of the shipments were for household use, due to government cash subsidies and tax incentives for homeowners to install the greener technology.

The Bosch Group has opened a $92 million new southeast Asian headquarters here, where it will sink 15 million pounds (S$31 million) into solar technology research over five years.

Located at Bishan Street 21, the new facility has nearly 21,000 square metres of usable floor space, and can support at least 1,000 staff. It currently houses all 5oo of the German conglomerate's local staff, so activities previously carried out at six different locations around the island are now brought under one roof.

The drive to put electric cars on Singapore's roads has moved up a gear, with the Government seeking proposals from vendors for a network of charging stations to be ready by end-November.

The invitation was posted on the government e-commerce site Gebiz last Friday.

In it, the Energy Market Authority (EMA) - the lead agency of an electric vehicle trial here - is looking to build up to 63 charging stations across the island, with three of them capable of quick charging.

Japan is planning to offer economic aid to countries rich in rare metal resources, with an eye on securing supplies of the materials used in environmentally friendly cars, a report said on Monday.

In the first of such deals, Japan is looking to offer tens of billions of yen in loans as early as May to help build a 100-megawatt geothermal power plant in Bolivia, the business daily Nikkei reported, without citing sources.

Japan will also study potential demand from countries in Africa and Asia for such aid, it said.

PANASONIC Corp has developed more powerful batteries for use in everything from laptops to electric vehicles, the Japanese electronics maker said on Friday.

The new lithium-ion batteries are 20 per cent to 30 per cent more powerful than current batteries, according to Osaka-based Panasonic. They can raise the cruising range of electric vehicles on a single charge from 200 kilometres to about 270 kilometres, it said.

The World Bank announced on Wednesday US$5.5 billion (S$7.5 billion) would be invested in solar energy projects in five countries of the Middle East and North Africa in a bid to combat climate change.

The Washington-based bank's Clean Technology Fund approved financing of US$750 million on Dec 2 to boost the use of concentrated solar power, an advanced technology that concentrates sunlight to harness energy.

Futuristic concept cars, plug-in hybrids, zero-emission electric vehicles and even a hydrogen-powered scooter jostled for the limelight as the Tokyo Motor Show kicked off on Wednesday.

From a super-skinny Nissan electric car that leans when going around bends, to a lightweight Toyota sports car and a Daihatsu vehicle with a design based on a basket, Japanese makers showed off their visions of the future.

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Germany launched a campaign Wednesday to put 1 million electric cars on the road by 2020, making battery research a priority as it tries to position the country as a market leader.

The program, which draws on 500 million euro ($1 billion) set aside in an economic stimulus package earlier this year but leaves many financing details up to the next government, drew criticism for being too vague.

'It is our aim to make Germany into the market leader for electric mobility,' Economy Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg said after the Cabinet approved the plan.

Germany's solar power industry, until recently the world leader in the technology, is facing an unprecedented crisis, analysts say, outshone by cheaper competitors from Asia, most notably Chinese firms.

Q-Cells, the world's biggest solar cell producer, last week issued a far from glowing set of results, with losses of 700 million euros (S$1.43 billion) in the first half of the year.

As a result, the German firm said it would cut 500 jobs from its workforce of 2,600 and put others on part-time working arrangements.

Brunei, one of the world's top oil and gas producers, is venturing into alternative energy with the construction of Southeast Asia's largest solar power plant, officials said on Thursday.

The plant will supply 1.2 megawatts of electricity to the national grid, the equivalent of powering about 400 homes, according to Japan's Mitsubishi Corporation which is fully funding the project.

Osamu Ito, general manager of Mitsubishi's operations in the tiny kingdom, said construction was under way after a groundbreaking ceremony this week, and that the facility will be operational by mid-2010.