Total module shipments from Japanese companies in the first quarter of the 2013 financial year increased 304% compared to the same period last year, according to figures published by the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association (JPEA).

The figures for solar cells and module shipments for the first quarter of the Japanese financial year, from April to June, were based on a survey it conducted by JPEA.

Total shipments of modules from Japanese companies was 1,664MW, a year-on-year increase of 304%. Out of this figure 1,654MW went to the domestic market, and around 9,960kW overseas, only representing around 0.6% of the total.

Total sales of cells by Japanese companies was 579.3MW, representing an increase of 149.4%, of which 554MW were shipped domestically and only 25.3MW abroad.

By product type, 592.5MW of monocrystalline silicon cells were shipped, representing a year-on-year increase of 244.9%, polycrystalline cells 885.8MW – up 444.5% from the previous year’s equivalent period – while thin-film and others represented 185.6MW.

JPEA is an organisation founded in 1987 to further PV in Japan, headed by Mitsubishi Electric director Setsuhiro Shimomura.