Total S.A., one of the seven "Supermajor" oil companies in the world, started up commercial operation of a 25-MWp solar power plant, the company's second solar power plant in Japan. It is connected to the electricity distribution grid and will supply enough electricity to serve over 8,000 Japanese households through the regional utility company. The plant operates with solar panels developed by SunPower, a subsidiary, and Total has actually been filing patents in the Thin Film Photovoltaics sector since 2009. This suggests that even as an oil and gas company, Total had anticipated the rise of solar technology and invested in IP. Its foresight may have helped position the company to conduct business in the renewable energy sector as it is doing today.
