The plant will provide enough power to supply around 4,700 households and will be developed through a Joint Venture company, Kyocera TCL Solar LLC. The 13.4 MW floating solar power plant will operate on the Yamakura Dam reservoir which is managed by the Public Enterprises Agency of Chiba Prefecture in Japan for industrial water services. It will be the largest floating solar installation in the world.
The Public Enterprises Agency of Chiba Prefecture has been seeking companies to construct and operate a floating solar plant on the dam in order to reduce its environmental footprint. The agency selected Kyocera TCL Solar on the basis of its experience and expertise in the development of utility-scale solar power plants in Japan. It is hoped that the plant will commence operations in March 2016 after negotiations with related parties, such as the Tokyo Electric Power Company, have been concluded.
“When we first started R&D for solar energy in the mid 1970’s, the technology was only viable for small applications such as street lamps, traffic signs and telecommunication stations in mountainous areas” said Nobuo Kitamura, senior executive officer and general manager of the Corporate Solar Energy Group at Kyocera. “Since then, we have been working to make solar energy use more ubiquitous in society, and have expanded our business to residential, commercial and utility-scale solar applications. We are excited to work with our partners on this project, taking another step forward by utilizing untapped bodies of water as solar power generation sites.”
Around 50,000 Kyocera modules will be installed over a water surface area of 180,000m2, generating an estimated 15,635 megawatt hours per year, enough electricity to supply 4,700 typical households and offsetting around 7,800 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
Kyocera TCL Solar will build and operate the plant while Century Tokyo Leasing will provide financing. Kyocera Group will supply the solar modules and related equipment in addition to construction, operation and maintenance. The floating platforms will be manufactured by Ciel et Terre, a French company that is also supplying platforms for a similar project in Hyogo Prefecture, also being constructed by Kyocera TCL Solar.
The Joint Venture will also cooperate with local companies on construction and operation in addition to establishing an environmental education facility adjacent to the plant.
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