Monday, June 1, 2015

Biggest floating solar power plant built in Hyogo

Article originally published on www.jw.asahi.com, in May 26th, 2015
KASAI, Hyogo Prefecture--The world's largest floating solar power plant has been built on Sakasamaike Pond here.
A ceremony was held May 24 to mark the completion of the mega power plant, which can generate 2.3 megawatts and is capable of producing enough electricity to supply 820 households.
Nine thousand solar panels, each measuring about 1.7 meters by 1 meter, are spread on resin floats on the surface of the water.
The power plant will be operated by an affiliated company of Kyocera Corp. and the electricity generated will be sold to Kansai Electric Power Co.
A portion of the operator’s annual income of about 100 million yen ($821,000) will be paid to a local residents group in charge of maintenance of the pond as a rental fee for the site.
When solar power plants are constructed on water, power-generation capacity can be maintained at a high level as the cooling effect of the water prevents the panels from heating up, officials said.