Kyocera TCL Solar completes 8.5MW solar project in Shiga, Japan

kyocera solar

Kyocera TCL Solar, a joint venture between Kyocera and Tokyo Leasing Corporation, announced the completion of construction of 8.5MW solar power plant in Shiga Prefecture, Japan.

The solar plant is the largest such project in Shiga, officials said. It will generate an estimated 9,300 megawatt hours (MWh) per year — enough electricity to power approximately 2,900 typical households.

Project planning began in October 2013, when Shiga Prefecture was publicly seeking companies to construct a solar power plant on underutilized land on Yabasekihanto Island, located on Lake Biwa.

Construction of the project was started in October 2014.

The multi-faceted project also includes emergency power-supply equipment consisting of a 4-kilowatt (kW) Kyocera solar power generating system and a 16.2kW storage battery, as well as solar streetlights with clocks powered by 95-watt Kyocera solar modules.

In addition, the plant features a nearby observation deck where year-round visitors can view more than 33,000 solar modules from an elevated vantage point with Japan’s largest fresh water lake in the background.

In another related development, Kyocera TCL Solar donated eco-lesson kits including miniature solar-powered cars and trains to the Center of Shiga to Act against Global Warming to help students experiment and discover potential solutions for Global Warming.

Kyocera and Century Tokyo Leasing are developing solar power plants at multiple sites in Japan — many of which are being repurposed on underutilized land such as abandoned golf courses, including a 92MW plant in Kagoshima, 23MW plant in Kyoto, 29.2MW plant in Tottori and 27MW plant in Fukushima.

Rajani Baburajan

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