TOKYO -- Japanese retail conglomerate Aeon will invite solar power providers to lease the rooftops of its malls and install panels to supply electricity to the stores below.
The plan, a first for a large Japanese retailer, is to lease out the rooftops for free to four providers, including MUL Utility Innovation, a leasing affiliate of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. The solar companies will install the equipment at their own cost, but they will be able to charge Aeon rates as high as big utilities, allowing them to recoup the expenses.
