The feed-in tariff (FIT) system drove a surge in PV installations, according to the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association.
The gains are the largest since the association started tracking shipments in 1981.
Shipments of modules to utilities spiked from roughly 53.6MW to 724.2MW during the year, while sales of panels for residential installations jumped from 1.2GW to roughly 1.87GW.
In April, the government reduced its solar FIT by 10% to ¥37.8
