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Nissan Leaf

Nissan has demonstrated a super-green way to recharge its Leaf battery car - using solar power.
Japanese automaker Nissan is testing a super-green way to recharge its Nissan Leaf electric vehicle using solar power.

Electricity generation and storage for regular consumers are drawing attention in Japan after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami caused massive blackouts in the countrys northeast.
With the country steeped in power-saving mode, energy generation has become all the rage among Japanese automakers.

Nissan Motor Co on Monday unveiled a new charging system that gets electricity from solar power that can also be stored in the lithium-ion batteries used in its Nissan Leaf electric car.

The 488 newly installed solar panels at Nissans global headquarters will produce enough electricity to charge 1,800 Nissan Leaf a year, allowing drivers plugging into one of its seven charging spots to travel on carbon-free energy.

The firm is targeting cumulative sales equivalent to 100,000 electric cars worth of second-life batteries in 2020.

Two weeks ago, Toyota Motor Corp began a test-run of a model home that manages electricity consumption and taps into weather forecasts to maximise the use of solar power. The project, led by Toyota City and comprising about two dozen companies, will run a trial through 67 houses to be sold by Toyotas housing unit, Toyota Home, by the end of 2013.