TOKYO, August 7, 2013 ― Rakuten Solar today announced that the company will be co-sponsoring the “Nakatsugawa SOLAR BUDOKAN 2013 supported by Rakuten Solar,” in Nakatsugawa, Gifu Prefecture on September 21-22. The Nakatsugawa SOLAR BUDOKAN is a two-day outdoor rock festival and concert powered by solar panels, Green Power Certification1, battery storage, and so forth. Rakuten Solar will co-sponsor the festival with Japan Ecosystem, Co., Ltd.
Rakuten Solar has been testing the business model of running on solar power as it prepares to create an ecosystem for the expanded independent uptake of solar power generation, with initiatives including the Fukushima Pilot Project which began this spring. Rakuten Solar rallied its support behind the Nakatsugawa SOLAR BUDOKAN because its concept of a “summer festival powered by solar power” would contribute to the growth of renewable energy, as well as revitalize the host city of Nakatsugawa. Tourism will also be promoted in the region through the joint Gifu Prefecture and Rakuten Travel “Seiryu-no-kuni Gifu, Meguru Tabi Campaign”2 and the establishment of a dedicated Rakuten Ticket webpage.
Rakuten Solar is marking the occasion with a “Nakatsugawa SOLAR BUDOKAN 2013 Celebration Campaign” that will run from now until September 30. During the promotion period, the first 120 people to host a home inspection with the intention of installing a solar power generation system will win two tickets to the Nakatsugawa SOLAR BUDOKAN, or a kobo glo e-reader if they so choose. Ecosystem Japan will be responsible for issuing green power certificates and running special events across Japan during the campaign. In addition, headquartered in Nakatsugawa-city, Chuo Bussan Co., Ltd. will provide some of the festival’s power by diverting the power it generates from its solar panels to its enenova battery power storage system 3.
Rakuten, Inc. made an equity investment in Ecosystem Japan through its wholly owned subsidiary, RS Empowerment Inc. Ecosystem Japan has a unique business platform and has already sold and installed over 29,000 solar power generation systems. It also leverages its national branch network to hold special events. The Nakatsugawa SOLAR BUDOKAN 2013 plan is a project that combines Rakuten Travel’s Seiryu-no-kuni Gifu, Meguru Tabi Campaign, ticket sales by Rakuten Ticket, and green power certifications issued by Ecosystem Japan. In the future, Rakuten, Inc. and Ecosystem Japan will further develop solution-oriented projects that optimize the use of their respective business platforms.