Tokyo Launches Japan’s First Government-Operated Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vessels
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has put into service the country’s first government-operated hydrogen fuel cell vessels — the Tokyo Mirai Maru and the Tsukiji ZERO — marking a significant step in Japan’s push to decarbonise urban maritime operations.FN1 The two ships demonstrate that hydrogen propulsion is no longer confined to R&D consortia: a major municipal authority is now operating them as part of regular public-sector activities.FN1 The launch builds on years of collaborative groundwork, including the Nippon Foundation’s Zero Emission Ships Project, which has been developing hydrogen-combustion and fuel-cell vessel demonstrations since 2022 and plans additional sea trials of hydrogen-engine ships through the end of fiscal 2026.FN2 For Japan, which imports roughly 87% of its primary energy, expanding hydrogen use into coastal transport offers both a decarbonisation pathway and a way to absorb domestically produced or imported green hydrogen into a growing end-use market.
Kawasaki Launches World’s First Commercial 30%-Hydrogen-Blend Power Engine — and Sets Course for the Sea
Kawasaki Heavy Industries has begun commercial sales of the world’s first large gas engine capable of generating electricity from a fuel blend containing up to 30% hydrogen by volume, following an 11-month operational trial at its Kobe facility.FN3 The 8-megawatt-class engine, built on the established KG series platform, is compatible with existing gas pipelines and storage tanks, allowing power plant operators to reduce CO₂ emissions without replacing their infrastructure.FN3 Earlier models in the same series have already accumulated over 240 orders worldwide since 2011, and many of those units are upgradeable to the new hydrogen co-firing specification — indicating strong potential for rapid scale-up.FN4 In parallel, Japan Engine Corporation completed the first land-based trials of marine hydrogen engines, pointing toward a broader national strategy to decarbonise both distributed power generation and ocean shipping through the same dual-fuel architecture.FN3 Development costs are being partially absorbed by NEDO’s Green Innovation Fund, which METI capitalised with approximately ¥2 trillion to support Japan’s path to carbon neutrality by 2050.FN3
Perovskite Solar
Solx & Caelux Announce 3 GW Perovskite-Silicon Tandem Partnership — “The Future Is Here”
On April 21, U.S.-based solar manufacturer Solx and perovskite specialist Caelux announced a five-year, 3-gigawatt strategic partnership to manufacture hybrid tandem solar modules, calling it the largest production agreement of its kind for perovskite glass in the Western Hemisphere.FN5 The collaboration integrates Caelux’s proprietary “Active Glass” — which transforms the conventional top glass of a solar module into a second power-generating layer — into Solx’s Aurora™ platform, achieving conversion efficiency of 28% versus the typical 20–22% of standard silicon modules.FN5 Production is already underway at Solx’s 1-gigawatt facility in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, with beta modules deployed in a live domestic U.S. project; broad commercial volumes are targeted for 2027.FN6 The deal arrives alongside a separate milestone: Tandem PV opened a 40-MW commercial demonstration factory in Fremont, California, signalling that the long-discussed perovskite transition from lab to manufacturing floor is happening across multiple fronts simultaneously.FN7 The announcement marks a notable escalation in the pace at which perovskite technology is moving toward commercial reality after years of stability and cost challenges.
University of Tokyo Reaches 30.2% Efficiency in All-Perovskite Tandem Cell Using FAPbI₃ Nanoparticle Technology
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have fabricated an all-perovskite four-terminal tandem solar cell achieving 30.2% power conversion efficiency, using a novel light-absorbing layer deposition technique based on formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI₃) nanoparticles.FN8 The four-terminal device combines a wide-bandgap top cell at 24.4% efficiency with a narrow-bandgap inverted bottom cell at 21.5%, with spectral splitting directing different light wavelengths to the subcell optimised to capture them — a design the authors say reduces losses from spectral mismatch.FN8 The FAPbI₃ nanoparticle approach addresses a longstanding materials challenge: the desired black α-phase of the compound is metastable and can degrade into a non-functional yellow phase, an obstacle the team tackled through a hot-injection synthesis method followed by controlled thermal annealing.FN8 The results, published in ACS Omega, also open a path toward simplified two-terminal architectures and concentrator photovoltaic systems, though the authors note that the cost of dichroic mirrors for spectral splitting remains a commercialisation hurdle to address.FN8 The finding complements another Japanese contribution published the same week: a team from Chiba University developed the first universal model for energy level alignment at electrode/hole-collecting monolayer/perovskite interfaces, providing a predictive framework that could reduce material screening time and accelerate cell design.FN9
ETH Zurich’s “Living Concrete” Absorbs CO₂ Like a Tree — and Grows Stronger Over Time
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a 3D-printable building material that actively removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere: photosynthetic cyanobacteria embedded in a custom hydrogel continuously mineralise carbon, locking it in stable carbonate form while simultaneously strengthening the material’s structure.FN10 In laboratory trials lasting over 400 days, the material absorbed around 26 milligrams of CO₂ per gram — more than triple the sequestration rate of conventional recycled concrete — with most carbon stored as durable solid minerals rather than ephemeral biomass.FN10 Facade-scale prototypes presented at an architecture exhibition in Venice have already demonstrated annual CO₂ absorption of up to 18 kg per structure, comparable to a mature pine tree.FN11 The research, published in Nature Communications in 2026, positions the material not as a structural replacement for concrete but as an active coating for building surfaces — transforming passive urban walls into distributed carbon sinks at low energy cost.FN10 If successfully scaled, the technology could shift the built environment from being a major emissions source toward becoming a net contributor to carbon removal, complementing both urban green infrastructure and industrial DAC efforts.
Japan’s Grid-Scale Battery Storage Sector Emerges as a Major Decarbonization Business
Japan’s grid-scale battery storage industry is maturing rapidly from a niche technology into a core component of the country’s electricity system, as renewable intermittency, aging thermal baseload, and AI-driven data centre demand converge to create strong market pull.FN12 The sector covers a wide range of chemistry and scale — from lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and flow batteries to emerging solid-state systems — and is being accelerated by government procurement targets and incentives under the GX (Green Transformation) framework.FN12 Battery storage is increasingly recognised as a prerequisite for increasing solar and wind penetration beyond 30–40% of grid supply, and Japan’s constrained geography — limiting the buildable area for large renewable farms — makes high-density storage solutions especially valuable.FN12 Several domestic manufacturers, including Panasonic, Mitsubishi Electric, and Kyocera, are scaling production of grid-scale systems, while international players are also establishing local partnerships, making Japan a competitive and increasingly strategic market for next-generation energy storage deployment.
日本語
東京都が国内初の行政運営型水素燃料電池船を就航——「東京みらい丸」「TSUKIJI ZERO」が出港
東京都は、国内で初めて行政機関が運航する水素燃料電池船「東京みらい丸」と「TSUKIJI ZERO」を正式に就航させた。FN1 これにより、水素船舶は研究コンソーシアムの実証段階を超え、大都市の公共業務として実運用される段階に入ったことが示された。FN1 背景には、日本財団の「ゼロエミッション船プロジェクト」が2022年から進めてきた水素燃焼エンジン・燃料電池船の実証があり、2026年度末にはさらなる水素エンジン搭載船の海上試験も予定されている。FN2 一次エネルギーの約87%を輸入に頼る日本にとって、沿岸海運の脱炭素化は、国産・輸入グリーン水素の需要先を拡大する観点からも重要な一手となる。
川崎重工、世界初「水素30%混焼」商用ガスエンジンの販売開始——既設インフラのままCO₂削減へ
川崎重工業は、体積比30%の水素を天然ガスと混焼して発電できる世界初の商用大型ガスエンジンの販売を開始した。神戸工場での11カ月の実運用試験を経たもので、既存の配管・貯蔵設備をそのまま使用できる設計が特徴だ。FN3 出力は8MW級で、同社のKGシリーズをベースとし、2011年以降に世界で240件超の受注実績があるプラットフォームをアップグレードする形での普及拡大が見込まれる。FN4 船舶向けでも、ジャパンエンジンコーポレーションが水素エンジンの陸上試験を完了しており、陸上発電と海上輸送の両分野で同一のデュアルフューエル方式による脱炭素化を目指す国家戦略の一翼を担う。FN3 開発資金の一部はMETIが約2兆円を投じたグリーンイノベーション基金（NEDO運営）が負担しており、2050年カーボンニュートラルに向けた官民連携モデルの象徴的事例となっている。FN3
ペロブスカイト太陽電池
Solx×Caelux、3GWペロブスカイト・タンデム提携を発表——「未来はもう来た」
4月21日、米国の太陽光パネルメーカーSolxとペロブスカイト技術企業Caeluxが、5年間・3GW規模の戦略的提携を発表した。西半球最大のペロブスカイトガラス量産契約とされる。FN5 Caeluxの「Active Glass」（通常のトップガラスを第2の発電層に変換）をSolxのAurora™プラットフォームに組み込んだハイブリッドタンデムモジュールは、従来のシリコン単層モジュールの20〜22%を大幅に上回る28%の変換効率を実現する。FN5 生産はすでにプエルトリコ・アグアディージャの1GW工場で始まっており、ベータ版モジュールはすでに米国内プロジェクトに投入済み。広範な商業供給は2027年を目指す。FN6 同週にはTandem PVもカリフォルニア州フリーモントで40MW級商業実証工場を開設しており、ペロブスカイト技術の「研究から製造ライン」への移行が複数の戦線で同時進行していることを示す。FN7
東京大学、FAPbI₃ナノ粒子技術で全ペロブスカイト・タンデム効率30.2%を達成
東京大学の研究チームが、ホルムアミジニウム鉛ヨウ化物（FAPbI₃）ナノ粒子を用いた新規成膜技術により、4端子型の全ペロブスカイトタンデム太陽電池で30.2%の変換効率を達成した。FN8 広バンドギャップのトップセル（24.4%）と逆型構造の狭バンドギャップボトムセル（21.5%）を組み合わせた4端子構成で、スペクトル分割により各波長を最適なサブセルに振り分けることで損失を低減している。FN8 FAPbI₃のα相（黒色・光活性相）が不安定なため、非機能的な黄色相に転移しやすいという長年の課題に対し、ホットインジェクション合成法と制御熱アニールを組み合わせることで安定化を実現した。FN8 成果はACS Omega誌に掲載。同週には千葉大学のチームもホール収集モノレイヤー（HCM）界面のエネルギー準位整合に関する最初の汎用モデルを発表しており、材料スクリーニングの効率化を通じてセル設計を加速する知見として注目される。FN9
Tech Breakthroughs · 革新技術
ETHチューリッヒの「生きるコンクリート」——シアノバクテリアがCO₂を吸収しながら自ら強くなる
スイス連邦工科大学チューリッヒ校（ETH Zurich）の研究チームが、大気中のCO₂を継続的に除去する3Dプリント可能な建築材料を開発した。光合成シアノバクテリアを特製ハイドロゲルに組み込んだこの素材は、炭素を安定した炭酸塩鉱物の形で固定しながら、構造的に強度を増し続ける。FN10 400日超の実験室試験では、素材1グラムあたり約26mgのCO₂を吸収し、その大部分を耐久性のある固形鉱物として貯留した——従来のリサイクルコンクリートの3倍超の固定能力に相当する。FN10 ヴェネツィア建築展で公開したファサード規模のプロトタイプ（木の幹状の構造物）は、年間最大18kgのCO₂を吸収し、成木1本に匹敵する性能を示した。FN11 2026年にNature Communications誌に掲載された本研究は、この素材をコンクリートの代替ではなく「建物外壁の能動的コーティング」として位置づけており、都市部の壁面を低コストで分散型炭素吸収源に転換する可能性を示している。FN10
日本の系統用蓄電池産業、脱炭素の本命ビジネスとして本格始動
再生可能エネルギーの出力変動対策、老朽化した火力ベース電源の補完、AIデータセンター急増による電力需要増が重なり、日本の系統用大型蓄電池市場が急速に立ち上がりつつある。FN12 リン酸鉄リチウム（LFP）・フロー電池・固体電池など多様な化学種をカバーし、政府のGX（グリーントランスフォーメーション）政策に基づく調達目標と補助金制度が普及を後押ししている。FN12 太陽光・風力の電力系統への統合比率を30〜40%以上に高めるには大容量蓄電池が不可欠とされており、大規模太陽光用地が限られる日本では高エネルギー密度の蓄電ソリューションの価値が特に高い。FN12 パナソニック・三菱電機・京セラなど国内主要メーカーが系統用製品の量産を拡大する一方、海外勢も国内パートナーシップを通じて参入を加速しており、日本は次世代蓄電池の戦略的市場として国際的注目度を高めている。
References & Footnotes
- Fuel Cells Works, “Tokyo’s First Government Hydrogen Fuel Cell Ships” — Tokyo launches the Tokyo Mirai Maru and Tsukiji ZERO, Japan’s first government-operated hydrogen fuel cell vessels (Apr 24, 2026)
- The Nippon Foundation, “Zero Emission Ships Project” — Consortium plans demonstration tests of hydrogen-engine ships through end of fiscal 2026 (Nov 2024 & Apr 2026 updates)
- ECOticias / Kawasaki Heavy Industries press release, “Japan launches first commercial engine generating electricity from 30% hydrogen blend” — KG series 8MW engine; 11-month trial at Kobe works; NEDO Green Innovation Fund backing (Apr 2026)
- Impactful Ninja / Kawasaki Heavy Industries, “Japan Launches First Commercial Hydrogen-Blend Power Engine” — 240+ orders globally on prior KG series; upgrade path for existing units (Apr 2026)
- PRNewswire / Caelux, “In Major US Manufacturing Milestone, Solx and Caelux Partner to Scale Next-Gen Energy Technology” — Five-year, 3 GW partnership; 28% efficiency Aurora™ hybrid tandem modules (Apr 21, 2026)
- PV Magazine International, “U.S. startups announce partnership to offer domestic perovskite-silicon tandem solar modules” — Production underway in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico; commercial volumes targeted 2027 (Apr 22, 2026)
- PV Tech, “Caelux, Tandem PV announce progress on US perovskite solar” — Tandem PV opens 40 MW commercial demo factory in Fremont, CA (Apr 2026)
- PV Magazine / ACS Omega, “Japanese scientists build all-perovskite tandem solar cell with 30.2% efficiency” — University of Tokyo; FAPbI₃ nanoparticle two-step method; 4T spectral-splitting architecture (Apr 24, 2026)
- TechXplore / Journal of Materials Chemistry A, “Universal model sets standards for perovskite solar cells” — Chiba University team; HCM interface energy alignment model; guidelines for material selection (Apr 23, 2026)
- ETH Zurich / Nature Communications, “A building material that lives and stores carbon” — Cyanobacteria-hydrogel C-ELM; 26 mg CO₂/g over 400 days; 3× better than recycled concrete (2026 study; first exhibited Venice 2025)
- 3DVF / ETH Zurich, “Living buildings are now a reality” — Tree-trunk facade demonstrators absorb up to 18 kg CO₂/year; ETH Venice Biennale & Triennale Milan installations (Apr 2026)
- S1:DR, “Grid-Scale Battery Storage: Japan’s Emerging Energy Business” — Analysis of Japan’s grid-scale battery storage market, policy drivers, and key manufacturers (Apr 26, 2026)