Japan foray for Lightsource bp: Lightsource bp, the British solar power developer, has expanded to the Japanese market with the acquisition of a 15 MW solar project in Hokkaido whose details it did not share in a statement released. The company says this entry into Japan is an important step in its broader APAC growth strategy. It already operates in the nearby markets of Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and South Korea. Lightsource bp has a development pipeline of more than 58 GW of mature and early-stage projects including around 8 GW in the APAC region. It now operates in 20 global markets. TrinaStorage in Japan: Trinasolar’s TrinaStorage has successfully delivered what it calls the first high-voltage independent energy storage power station project in Japan. The project uses TrinaStorage’s Elementa King Kong 2 energy storage system (ESS). This is a 20-foot container module solution that has passed the rigorous testing of the Japan Electrical Safety and Environment Research Institute (JET). TrinaStorage claims it is the 1st overseas brand to obtain this certification in the Japanese energy storage market. Energy gain for TOPCon modules: According to recent field tests conducted by TÜV Nord in Kagoshima, Japan, n-type TOPCon modules achieved 8.82% long-term energy yield gain over n-type back contact (BC) modules. These modules were studied for a 3-month period from October 2024 to December 2024 as part of a year-long study. The field test was conducted at the Kagoshima Field Testing Base in Japan with bifacial n-type TOPCon and monofacial n-type BC modules installed. TOPCon modules were reported to have generated 174.04 kWh, with a yield gain/W of 8.10% compared to n-type BC modules. Additionally, the performance ratio value of TOPCon modules reached 97.8%, while that of n-type BC modules was 89.9%. JinkoSolar’s Australian ESS business strengthening: JinkoSolar’s energy storage system (ESS) arm Jinko ESS’ SunGiga all-in-one ESS has been independently verified to meet key Australian standards, namely AS3000, AS3008, AS5139, and AS4777. The company says it has so far deployed more than 30 units across Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. It plans to expand further to South Australia and Western Australia. JinkoSolar separately also announced exceeding 1 GW in distribution shipments to Australia in 2024.