Ricoh Selects Miyagi Plant in Japan for Perovskite Solar Cell Mass Production, Targeting Hundreds of MW by 2030

Ricoh Company, Ltd. has chosen its Tohoku Site in Miyagi Prefecture as the location where it will begin manufacturing inkjet-printed perovskite solar cells, part of a mass production push backed by a Japanese government support program.

The announcement, made on October 27, 2026, sets a target of several hundred megawatts of annual production capacity by 2030, with the company planning eventual expansion to gigawatt scale. The production site will be located in Shibata, Miyagi Prefecture, and will operate under Ricoh Industry Co., Ltd.

Government backing through the GX Supply Chain Program

The manufacturing plan follows Ricoh's selection under Japan's GX (Green Transformation) Supply Chain Development Support Program, administered by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

With that designation secured, the company intends to move beyond research, development, and demonstration work and into commercial-scale production of the solar cells. Mass production is targeted to start by 2030. The selection adds to an earlier government endorsement.

In September 2025, Ricoh's technology development and demonstration project for inkjet-printed perovskite solar cells was chosen for support under the Green Innovation Fund administered by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

Ricoh says it will build on the results of its development and demonstration activities to advance toward mass production and commercialization and to help strengthen Japan's industrial competitiveness in the GX field.

Why perovskite cells matter for building installation

Ricoh positions the initiative within the broader shift toward a decarbonized society and growing renewable energy use. Perovskite solar cells are expected to find applications because of their thin, lightweight, and flexible nature.

These characteristics make it possible to install them on rooftops and walls of buildings that lack the load-bearing capacity for conventional silicon solar cells, opening up new opportunities for power generation where standard panels cannot easily go.

The company is also candid about what stands in the way of broader adoption. Improving power generation performance and durability is not enough, Ricoh notes. The field still faces the challenge of establishing technologies that enable stable-quality mass production and of reducing production costs, hurdles the new Miyagi facility is meant to address.

Inkjet printing of every functional layer

At the heart of the manufacturing approach is inkjet technology that Ricoh has developed over many years, spanning printhead technology, ink supply technology, and printing system technology.

Inkjet printing allows precise control of microscopic droplets, meaning the right amount of material can be deposited exactly where needed. Ricoh plans to use this capability to pattern-print all functional layers of its perovskite solar cells.

The company says this method improves material utilization and streamlines manufacturing processes, supporting its goals of high productivity and low-cost production.

Know-how drawn from printers and organic cells

The project also leans on technology from a different part of Ricoh's business: organic photoconductor technology developed through the innovation of its multifunction printers.

That background led the company into research and development of organic solar cells, and the know-how accumulated in that work is now being applied to perovskite solar cells.

According to Ricoh, it is drawing on both its long-established inkjet and organic photoconductor technologies to enhance cell performance and establish mass-production technologies.

Functional Printing as the strategic frame

The perovskite solar cell effort forms part of Ricoh's medium- to long-term growth strategy around "Functional Printing," applying the inkjet technologies developed through its commercial and industrial printing businesses to manufacturing processes such as coating and deposition of functional materials.

Inkjet-printed perovskite solar cells are one of the projects being pursued under that strategy. The company says it will continue advancing the commercialization of Functional Printing and cultivating new growth areas.

Existing perovskite activities in orbit and in consortia

Ricoh's work in perovskite solar cells already extends beyond the laboratory.

The company's related activities include installations on the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency cargo transfer spacecraft HTV-X1. Ricoh also participates in a consortium with Daiwa House and NTT Anode Energy that was selected for the NEDO Green Innovation Fund.

With the new Miyagi production site planned and METI program support in place, Ricoh says it aims to expand the real-world deployment of inkjet-printed perovskite solar cells as it works toward its 2030 mass production target.