Tokyo is one of the biggest metropolises in the world, home to about 14 million people, so it shouldn't come as a shock that the city's energy supply is a major topic of discussion.
In an exciting move, the city's government has announced that starting in 2025, developers will be required to include solar panels on a certain percentage of new buildings constructed within city limits. For example, in the Musashino area, and many of Tokyo's other wards, 7 in 10 new buildings must have rooftop solar panels.
The rule would impact 50 main developers in the Tokyo area erecting homes or commercial buildings with at least 20 square meters of roofing.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike lauded the decision, saying, "I hope this will be a turning point in history that will make people say, 'Tokyo has changed.'"
The move comes as Japan centers its efforts to lower the amount of harmful carbon pollution it creates in order to limit the overheating of the planet. Considering how many people live in Tokyo and how the burning of dirty energy sources like coal, oil, and methane gas negatively affects air quality, this program could benefit millions of people.
Plus, if trends continue, solar power will only get cheaper and cheaper. This, alongside an enhanced subsidy program for clean solar power, could mean that the citizens of Tokyo are soon going to be saving big on home energy.
Alongside this new requirement, even more money- and energy-saving Tokyo housing standards will be implemented by 2025, requiring more energy efficiency and better insulation.
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