― Gainare Tottori was the first, and Mito HollyHock the second, to apply for the subsidy. Could you tell us what prompted you to pursue renewable energy projects at such an early stage?

Tsukano：We (Gainare Tottori) applied first, but Mito HollyHock had actually announced the launch of their green transformation (GX) project before us. Mito was by far the quickest to get the ball moving.

Seta：That’s right. On 15th May 2024, as Mito HollyHock celebrated its 30th anniversary, we announced the GX Project as a new initiative. Initially, our GM at the time, Takuro NISHIMURA, learned about solar sharing from Mr. Tsujii at the J.LEAGUE in 2023. However, when we first heard about it, various circumstances at the club prevented us from acting on it immediately. Around the same time, an agricultural initiative the club was pursuing became the catalyst for the current solar sharing project.
In 2021, the club launched an agricultural business called “GRASS ROOTS FARM” to address regional agricultural challenges such as declining farming populations and increasing abandoned farmland. Through this initiative, we developed a soy meat burger made from soybeans grown with environmental conservation in mind, which won the “Meiji Yasuda Local Vitality Award” at the 2023 J.LEAGUE SHAREN! Awards. This led us to think more deeply about how to connect regional challenges with what the club could do about them.

We thought that if we could grow soybeans on formerly abandoned farmland, process them into plant-based meat, and implement solar sharing on the same fields, we could contribute even more to creating a sustainable community.
When we shared this idea with Meiji Yasuda, who had given us the SHAREN! Award, they said it was very interesting, which encouraged us to seriously consider launching the solar sharing project.
Besides Meiji Yasuda, we also bounced ideas off various other parties, including companies introduced by the J.LEAGUE and local banks, and it became clear that the project seemed viable, including from a social relevance perspective.
As we researched it further, we discovered that solar sharing equipment can be depreciated annually, which meant that, once in the operational phase, cash flow could be predicted to a reasonable extent. This was also a significant factor.
However, the initial costs couldn’t be ignored. Since we don’t have ample budgets, even though the operational phase outlook seemed promising, management decided it would be difficult to make such a significant initial investment in a new venture, so we couldn’t take the first step readily.
Then the J.LEAGUE established the subsidy programme, which reduced the burden of initial costs and enabled us to proceed with a full-scale launch.

― When designing the subsidy programme, what aspects did the J.LEAGUE focus on in particular?

Tsujii：As an underlying premise, the J.LEAGUE Sustainability Department has a mission to contribute in a sustainable way that enables communities and clubs to develop together—socially, economically, and environmentally. Within this, we considered it important to have two perspectives: “protecting local nature, culture, and history” and “promoting renewable energy.”
Based on this thinking, we consciously designed the programme to support renewable energy projects that would spread positive impacts among stakeholders, including various ripple effects within the community.

Tsukano：We entered the turfgrass business in 2017 and had been increasing our production area year by year.
Then, in 2022, Yonago City and Sakaiminato City were selected as the first “Decarbonization Leading Areas” supported by the Ministry of the Environment, laying the foundation for regional collaboration in which everyone, including local government, was committed to achieving carbon neutrality.
San-in Godo Bank and Local Energy, two of Gainare’s sponsors, were participating in this movement. One day, Local Energy approached us for a consultation.
They brought a photo, apparently taken in Germany, showing turfgrass being cultivated between vertical solar panels, and asked, “Would it be possible to produce turfgrass in this way?”
I told them, “If you’re asking whether it can be done or not, I’d say it probably can.” That was how I first learned about solar sharing.
That photo left a strong impression on me. While I saw value in solar power generation itself, I also felt that placing panels on flat land and surrounding them with fences for security purposes created a somewhat desolate landscape, no matter how much land was available.

Tsujii：Indeed, converting farmland allows you to place solar panels directly on the ground in what’s called “ground-mounted” installations, without needing to farm. However, while this produces electricity, it doesn’t increase the farming population or produce crops. It is somewhat doubtful whether this truly contributes to sustainable community development.

Tsukano：Exactly. Then, just as I became interested in solar sharing, which enables both farming and solar power generation, Mr. Tsujii introduced me to Mr. Mitsuhiro HIGASHI of TERRA.

Tsujii：Mr. Higashi is very passionate, isn’t he?

Tsukano：I had exactly the same impression. Mr. Higashi has a strong belief in “valuing people who farm.” He said he “prefers a model where farming thrives, farmers’ income is secured, and there’s also revenue from selling electricity,” which really resonated with me. When Mr. Higashi visited the abandoned farmland in Yonago, he gave his seal of approval, saying “The land is flat with good sun exposure, making it ideal for solar sharing,” which solidified our resolve.
Being selected as a Decarbonization Leading Area gave us community support, a significant advantage. We also had cooperation from San-in Godo Bank, and because we were already in the turfgrass business, we had connections with the Agricultural Committee, which made securing the farmland relatively straightforward. Furthermore, we had Local Energy, which has expertise in the power business.
Just when we felt we had no choice but to proceed, the J.LEAGUE subsidy programme was established, so we applied immediately.

Tsujii：It aligned well with local needs and the times. But I think it was only possible because you had been working with the community on various issues and building relationships day by day.

― What were the most challenging aspects before actually starting the project?

Seta：Initially, we considered installing on the farmland where we had been running our agricultural business since 2021, but various circumstances made this difficult.
Since we needed to find new farmland, we used something called the Abandoned Farmland Bank, which lists abandoned farmland, to search for potential sites.
To implement solar sharing, you need consent not only from the site landowner but also from all adjacent farmers and landowners, so finding and coordinating potential sites took the most time.

Tsujii：Like Gainare, HollyHock has been involved in agricultural initiatives for a long time, and I felt that the person in charge at the time had also built a very good relationship with the local community.
On the other hand, one factor might be that HollyHock deals with agricultural produce. It’s understandable that landowners and farmers, in particular, would be cautious about the environment in which food products are grown—the things that people eat, after all.
The differences in what each business handles may have created different hurdles in securing farmland than those faced by Gainare.

Tsukano：For us, building the business scheme was the most challenging. Initially, we intended to start the project with us as the main entity, but our club’s certified public accountant raised concerns.
Since we didn’t have power business expertise in-house, it was reasonable advice that having the club handle everything would be risky.
So, we held repeated discussions with Local Energy to explore business models and eventually launched with them as the main entity, while we handled the agricultural component.

Seta：In our case, we also faced hurdles in deciding where to sell the electricity. Selling power requires registration as an electricity retailer, so we arranged for UPDATER, which sells 100% renewable energy, to handle that aspect. However, we had to find buyers ourselves.
The farmland we’d been using for GRASS ROOTS FARM, the solar-sharing farmland, and our training centre “Atsumare” are all in Shirosato Town, so we first proposed selling to the town government.
Since HollyHock doesn’t have designated management of Atsumare—it’s owned by Shirosato Town—we initially thought the neatest cycle would be to cover Atsumare’s electricity consumption with the solar sharing.
However, we discovered that the expected power generation from solar sharing and Atsumare’s electricity consumption were completely different.
Also, Shirosato Town was quite progressive regarding electricity liberalisation, so there were hurdles in meeting the conditions for an electricity sales contract due to tendering requirements and other factors.

― How did you resolve these challenges?

Seta：Just when I thought we’d hit a dead end, Shirosato Town came back with a counterproposal. They suggested that the roadside station might match the solar sharing output reasonably well.
Solar power generates more during the day and less at night, and we found this roughly matched the electricity consumption pattern at the roadside station, which has more visitors and requires more power during daylight hours.
However, as we examined this more closely, we found that trying to cover everything with solar sharing power could result in insufficient or excess power relative to consumption, given the seasonal variations in generation and other factors, creating potential concerns for the roadside station, UPDATER, or HollyHock in terms of contracts or financial burdens.
However, further discussions brought up the existence of another roadside station in Shirosato Town.
If we tried to conclude the power deal with just one roadside station, there would always be surplus risk, but by distributing the power supply to two locations and purchasing the remainder from UPDATER, we thought this risk could be avoided.
From there, negotiations on pricing and other financial aspects took considerable time, and the process was quite hard, but we finally reached an agreement to sell power to the two roadside stations.

Tsujii：Power selling prices involve many factors, making calculations extremely complex. Mr. Seta, who started from knowing nothing, studied extensively and managed to launch the project in a short time, which I genuinely think is impressive.

Tsukano：As we have heard from Local Energy, the procurement prices fluctuate surprisingly dramatically, which really shows the difficulty of the power business.

Tsujii：What I think is really great about this initiative is that, despite the negotiations with the local government being quite difficult, you managed to get the roadside stations powered by 100% renewable energy.
While electricity is invisible, making it 100% renewable is extremely beneficial to society, and taking the lead on this and making it happen is a clear demonstration of club value.

Seta：Hearing that, Mr. Tsujii has made me recognise the significance of this initiative anew. Within Ibaraki Prefecture, only Tsukuba City has been selected as a Decarbonization Leading Area. However, of our 15 hometown municipalities, 13 have declared their commitment to achieving net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, and Shirosato Town is among them.
Shirosato Town has also established a sustainability department, so we agreed to collaborate.
So, I think this initiative has provided quite meaningful benefits for the local government, as it has delivered results in renewable energy through public-private collaboration.
I believe that by realising this project, we’ve demonstrated the potential to expand it to the hometowns of other J.Clubs, and it has become a model case.

Tsukano：For us, thanks to Local Energy, we didn’t struggle to find buyers, but hearing their perspective, I feel there’s still considerable potential or room for improvement.
Tottori Prefecture alone purchases a substantial amount of electricity from outside the region, so if we could cover that with local generation, those funds could be redirected to other purposes that benefit the region. And when local governments face challenges they can’t address alone, I hope they’ll consider using J.Clubs like us.
This applies beyond solar sharing—when attempting public-private collaboration, in the case of typical private companies, there is often demand to justify why a partnership is being established with that particular entity. Yet J.Clubs somehow don’t face this issue and tend to be accepted readily by local communities. I think that’s a strength of J.Clubs.
So, I think it’s very important for J.Clubs to proactively communicate with local governments when they’re facing difficulties, asking “Is there anything we can do to help?” I can’t think of many other private organisations that could do the same thing.

Tsujii：That’s precisely the value that the J.LEAGUE and J.Clubs possess.

― I really feel that you’re each developing projects rooted in your respective regions. What are your thoughts on future prospects?

Seta：We’re growing vegetables on our farmland, and we’re currently working towards obtaining Organic JAS certification. While the production and transport of chemical fertilizers emit CO2, organic farming not only eliminates those emissions but also enhances soil biodiversity. This leads to increased carbon sequestration in the soil through photosynthesis, making organic farming a form of "climate action" in itself.
Ibaraki is an agricultural prefecture boasting one of the highest agricultural output values in the nation, which is exactly why we want to make it a region that actively pursues organic farming.
However, organic farming is more challenging than conventional farming, so we’ve taken time to develop it in cooperation with JA (Japan Agricultural Cooperatives).
Going forward, we’re also considering hiring people with disabilities to help out with our agricultural work, creating a small but functioning economic cycle.
We want to make HollyHock’s fields a community gathering place, sharing the expertise we’ve gained with other farmers and providing education for children.
For children’s education, lectures alone might not be enough to ensure knowledge sticks, so we want to incorporate our strength—football.
Through gamification—incorporating football’s game elements into education—knowledge is absorbed naturally. We hope to pass on important lessons to the next generation this way.
On a global scale, our actions might be modest, but by increasing our allies and leading the way in creating “new norms,” I hope that in 10 or 20 years, Mito HollyHock will have contributed to building a brand where people say, “People from Ibaraki Prefecture are somehow really cool.”

Tsujii：Indeed. For example, it’s not realistic for HollyHock or Gainare to create another 50 solar-sharing installations on their own, nor for the J.LEAGUE to increase the current subsidy tenfold.
However, when we take action, it attracts attention from society and the region, and stakeholders gather, expanding our circle of allies. I think that is our major role. The real value we possess is that when the circle of action expands, people will say it started with a J.Club.

Tsukano：As someone responsible for the agricultural business, I believe our first priority is to grow turfgrass properly.
If we grow good turfgrass, things like its pleasant scent and the beauty it takes on when freshly mowed become triggers that draw people in, curious about what the J.Club is doing.
So, we could tap into that. Even if it’s just once or twice a year, if we say, “we’re having a crab soup party on the turf,” local people will surely come.
We can create spaces where everyone rolls around on the turf and enjoys themselves, and I hope people will come to feel that “It’s great that we have that turfgrass and solar sharing.”
Fortunately, the business’s economic viability is secure, so I think it would be wonderful to expand solar sharing and create a landscape where colourful solar-sharing installations spread along the JR Sakai Line, along which the GeGeGe no Kitaro train runs between Yonago and Sakaiminato.

Tsujii：If you could achieve that, it might become a major tourist attraction.

Tsukano：It would be wonderful if people gathered to see it and the region became more vibrant as a result.

Seta：While we’re grateful to be recognised to some extent as a role model, launching the project wasn’t the goal—we believe it’s important to continue it over the medium to long term.
Since our contract with Shirosato Town spans many years, I think we can truly call ourselves a role model only by maintaining this consistently.
On the other hand, what I want to convey to those considering creating such a project is that making a declaration can be effective in engaging stakeholders. When we decided to launch a solar sharing project, almost nothing had been decided—not the subsidy, the selling price, the electricity retailer, or the partner companies.
However, by making our declaration, we attracted attention from various parties and gained more allies, which became a driving force for us to follow through on what we’d announced.
We’re currently receiving enquiries from other clubs, and we try to share information as fully as possible. By doing so, the circle expands as others think, “Maybe we can do this too.”

Tsukano：Sustainability is certainly something we want to keep in mind. For us, the cities of Yonago and Sakaiminato being selected as a Decarbonization Leading Area was a catalyst, but it’s not about finishing with “We’ve created a business model.” Rather, it’s important to continuously engage stakeholders and expand the circle.

Tsujii：To repeat what’s been said, I believe this is something that J.Clubs are uniquely positioned to do. To expand this circle, the J.LEAGUE will continue our efforts, and I have high expectations for the future of both Mito HollyHock and Gainare Tottori.