Panasonic Corp. said its solar-panel operation will probably remain profitable amid growing demand from domestic homeowners.
Shipments in February reached a record level as the nation's feed-in-tariff system for electricity triggered demand for rooftop systems, Kazuhiro Yoshida, who heads the business, said in Tokyo on Monday, declining to elaborate.
Panasonic is targeting Japanese individuals for its HIT-brand solar cells, a strategy that has helped preserve profitability and protect the business from a glut in commercial production, he said. The Osaka-based company is focusing on premium products for residential users as an oversupply in large-scale facilities led to price declines and threatened the survival of Suntech Power Holdings Co., once the biggest solar-panel maker, he said.