I did not mention wind generation.
Fewer solar panels (PV) means more land is required to collect the same amount of electricity. In other words, for PV, less electricity is collected per acre, the further away from the equator.
Japanese buildings are over-engineered for a reason; frequent earthquakes. The added weight of solar panels, on buildings in Japan, would not be negligible. The reason that solar panels, in Japan, must be heavier is because of the frequent earthquakes and hail storms, they experience there. Because solar cells are so fragile, in Japan, they have to be placed on specially built platforms and inside of specially built cases, designed to absorb the additional energy from frequent earthquakes. The buildings there, themselves, would not provide the additional absorption (energy dampening) required. In addition, the glass encasements, for those fragile cells, must be built from extra strong, extra expensive, heavier glass and other materials, to deal with the frequent heavy hail storms there.
Cheap grid storage, if and when it does come, would have nothing to do with selling PV generated electricity to the grid, at wholesale prices, and buying electricity from the grid, in a different location, at retail prices, in foreign countries, for Japan. It will, however, reduce the need for supplementing, during the evenings, during inclement weather, and during daily variations. Still, batteries and the yearly replacement thereof, is an added cost; making PV that much more expensive, than it already is. Producing electricity with PV, for Japan, no matter where, would cost far more than what China pays to produce electricity with coal. China will continue to produce much of it’s electricity with coal, for well over a 100 years, until it has a cheaper way to do so.
Offshore PV, built on artificial islands, would be even more expensive.
The problem I identified is Japan’s current inability to compete economically with China, in terms of relative cost of equivalent energy. I merely identified that problem. I never said that there was no solution to that problem. Nor, did I say that it was hopeless for Japan to compete economically with China. PV, for Japan, however, is a hopeless means of achieving that end, though.
To compete economically against China, it is not nearly enough for Japan to become energy self sufficient. Energy self sufficiency, at any cost, is just not good enough to compete economically against China, for Japan. To compete economically against China, Japan will have to generate energy, at a comparative cost, to what China pays for it’s energy. At less relative cost would be best. This objective is attainable for Japan; but, not if Japan gets caught up (invests too much time and money) in prospective alternative energy sources (going down dead end roads) that do not, nor ever could, pencil for it.
I haven’t seen any German goods being sold in Walmarts, anywhere throughout the United States. I am unfamiliar with the markets in Europe.
Japan must look for, or develop, alternative energy sources to attain energy self-sufficiency, which will allow it to become competitive with China. PV is just not one of them; and, never will be. If Japan does the math (comparative cost analysis), objectively and thoroughly, this conclusion will become painfully obvious. Prospective sources of alternative energy, which could not allow Japan to become economically competitive with China, in time, such as PV, should be rejected, out of hand. PV would never pencil for Japan, in any amount of time, what to speak of in time.
Dan