Continuing from last year, the largest in Japan at home centers, for 346 vehicles! Solar carports installed at Joyful Honda Utsunomiya Store!

Shirokuma Electric Power Co., Ltd. (Minato-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO Kanzou Tanimoto, hereinafter Shirokuma Electric Power) and Joyful Honda Co., Ltd. (Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture, President and CEO Ikuo Hirayama, hereinafter Joyful Honda) have installed solar carports in the parking lot of Joyful Honda Utsunomiya Store, commencing operations on July 1, 2026.

● Overview of this initiative

The solar carports at Joyful Honda Utsunomiya Store, the second such installation following the Joyful Honda Chiba Newtown Store which began operations in July last year, will accommodate 346 parking spaces (including 2 priority parking spaces). The estimated annual power generation is 1,207,090 kWh*1, and it is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 486.4 tons*2 annually. The introduction of these solar carports will increase the self-sufficiency rate to 17.3%*3. Furthermore, this initiative is expected to reduce electricity costs by providing a stable source of self-consumed power, unaffected by external factors such as the energy situation.

This solar carport was installed under a third-party ownership model (PPA*4). NaF LLC (Minato-ku, Tokyo, Representative Member NCS RE Capital Co., Ltd., hereinafter NaF), a joint venture invested in by Shirokuma Electric Power and NCS RE Capital Co., Ltd. (Minato-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO Takashi Arai, hereinafter NCS RE Capital), will own the power generation equipment. Shirokuma Electric Power will be responsible for design, construction, operation management, and power supply to Joyful Honda.

<Solar Carport Installation Overview>

Location

421-1 Isooka, Kaminokawa-machi, Kawachi-gun, Tochigi Prefecture

Operation Start Date

July 1, 2026

Installation Area

5471.4 m2

Number of Parking Spaces Installed

346

Effects (Estimated)

Power Generation

1,207,090 kWh/year

CO2 Reduction

486.4 tons

Self-Sufficiency Rate

17.3%

*1 Calculated using the solar cell power generation calculation method based on "JIS C8907"

*2 Calculated based on the emission factor of electricity purchased from TEPCO Energy Partner (for FY25 reporting: 0.000431 t-CO2/year)

*3 Ratio of electricity generated by solar power to annual demand

*4 An initiative where companies install solar power generation systems using their own idle land or roof space, and purchase the electricity generated there through long-term contracts. The power generation equipment is owned by the power generation operator, allowing for installation without initial costs, making it easy to adopt. Another advantage is that the generated electricity becomes a self-consumed power source, unaffected by external factors and allowing for stable planning.

● Solar Carports Attracting Attention and Shirokuma Electric Power's Vision

As an electric power company specializing in green energy, Shirokuma Electric Power operates with three pillars: power generation, storage, and sales.

In addressing the challenges of renewable energy, the company is focusing on solar carports, which do not require securing new development land. Since commercializing the business in 2020, they have been developing the "Shirokuma Carport," which offers higher usability, greater power generation, and no installation costs. Moving forward, they will continue to contribute to solving issues and promoting green electricity to play a part in realizing a decarbonized society.

● Joyful Honda's Practical GX Initiatives

Joyful Honda is promoting the creation of stores with low environmental impact, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2040. As of June 2026, solar power generation facilities for self-consumption have been installed in 11 stores. They achieved their GX target for 2025 of a 43% reduction in CO2 emissions (compared to FY2013) one year ahead of schedule (achieving a 57.6% reduction), steadily advancing their efforts towards carbon neutrality. Under these circumstances, there was a challenge that rooftop installations alone were insufficient to meet the stores' electricity consumption. Therefore, solar carports that effectively utilize existing land were considered, and the Shirokuma Carport was adopted due to its power generation capacity, design, and track record of installation in commercial facilities. Further expansion, including the installation of carports at other stores, is under consideration.

【About Shirokuma Electric Power Co., Ltd.】

A green electric power company specializing in green energy, operating three power businesses: generation, storage, and sales. They are involved in electricity retail, solar carport business, grid-scale battery development, and electricity market operations. Additionally, they focus on solving green electricity challenges, such as using AI to find optimal generation sites and developing systems to control large-scale storage batteries with algorithms.

Company Overview

Company Name: Shirokuma Electric Power Co., Ltd. (Reading: Shirokuma Power, formerly afterFIT Inc.)

Founded: October 2016

Representative: President and CEO Kanzou Tanimoto

Head Office Location: 2-4-6 Shiba-daimon, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Business Activities: Green Electric Power Business

URL: https://corp.shirokumapower.com

【About Joyful Honda Co., Ltd.】

A company operating home centers in the Kanto region. They operate many large stores in suburban areas, with the New Port Hitachinaka store boasting a site area equivalent to 5.1 Tokyo Domes, making it one of the largest in Japan. In addition to large home centers, they are accelerating the opening of specialized retail stores such as pet shops and pro shops. Furthermore, based on the TCFD framework and adhering to the ISSB's IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards (IFRS S1 & S2), they are promoting sustainability information disclosure and actively working towards carbon neutrality.

Company Overview

Company Name: Joyful Honda Co., Ltd. (Stock Code 3191, TSE Prime)

Established: December 15, 1975

Representative: President and CEO Ikuo Hirayama

Head Office Location: 1-16-2 Fujisaki, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture

Capital: 12 billion yen

Business Activities: Home Center Business, Home Renovation Business

【About NCS RE Capital Co., Ltd.】

A strategic subsidiary of NEC Capital Solutions, Ltd. (Stock Code 8793, TSE Prime), engaged in asset solution business and renewable energy-related business. They inherited this business from NEC Capital Solutions, Ltd. as of October 1, 2024, and as a member of the NEC Capital Solutions Group, they are promoting initiatives for the realization of a next-generation circular society.

Company Overview

Company Name: NCS RE Capital Co., Ltd.

Established: July 26, 2024

Representative: President and CEO Takashi Arai

Head Office Location: Shinagawa Intercity Tower C, 2-15-3 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Capital: 500 million yen (100% investment from NEC Capital Solutions, Ltd.)

Business Activities: Asset Solution Business, Renewable Energy-Related Business, etc.

URL: https://www.necap.co.jp/RE/

【About NaF LLC】

Promotes a series of businesses related to green energy power generation facilities through investment from NCS RE Capital Co., Ltd. and Shirokuma Electric Power Co., Ltd.

Company Overview

Company Name: NaF LLC

Established: May 2023

Representative Member: NCS RE Capital Co., Ltd.

Business Activities: Development, land acquisition, management, leasing, rental, operation, and power supply of green energy such as solar power, and related services.