The future of Japan got a little bit brighter with the opening of a
massive 70-megawatt solar power plant in Kagoshima on November 4th.
Government officials have exploded with enthusiasm as they attended its
grand opening and continue to foster legislation to ensure a healthy
market for renewable energy.
The impressively-named Kagoshima Nanatsujima Mega Solar Power
Plant represents the largest investment in solar power by a private
Japanese company. Kyocera Corporation, known worldwide as manufacturers
of electronics such as cell phones and printers, founded a spin-off
nameplate in collaboration with six other companies in order to build
and operate the facility. They procured special financing from a private
bank and cut a deal with the owners of the site where the plant was
slated to be built. Kyocera remains the primary controlling shareholder
of the Kagoshima Mega Solar Power Corporation, and will reimburse its
backers through future sales.
The investors are optimistic about getting their money back. Plans
for the Kagoshima plant were encouraged by the Japanese government,
which then crafted legislation that favors the project. As it operates,
the solar power producers will enjoy a two-fold benefit: firstly, the
2012 institution of the current version of Japan’s feed-in tariff
guarantees a fair rate per kW/hr of energy that accommodates the higher
costs of building and maintaining the specialized technologies used to
produce solar power; and secondly, the tenets of that program require
all local utility providers to purchase 100% of the solar power
available to their grid. Kyocera and its allies as a result are now
providing a product that is guaranteed to sell, and to do so at a
profitable price.
The sprawling complex rests on 314 acres and boasts 290,000 solar
panels. The whopping 70 megawatts of electricity that the Kagoshima
plant produces will power approximately 22,000 homes.
The Kagoshima Mega Solar Power Corporation maintains a sunny outlook
on the future of its operations. Nobuo Kitamura enthuses that in
committing to solar energy the company resembles the “many courageous
samurai” who defied the established order at the very site in 1860s
Japan. It furthermore hopes to serve as a beacon to attract tourists,
investors, and researchers who hope to duplicate the project’s
successes. To this end an adjacent building has been constructed that is
dedicated exclusively to tourism. Educational installations explain the
plant’s design and the science underlying the operation of photovoltaic
panels. The wing also grants an expansive view of the Pacific Ocean and
of the Sakurajima volcano in the distance.
Japan has embraced these efforts with the benefit of a new
perspective on renewable energy following the Fukushima disaster. In
2011, one of the nuclear reactors that provided a majority of the power
for the Eastern section of the country suffered damage from a tsunami
that was triggered by an undersea earthquake. The natural disaster
created a man-made one as it exploited flaws in design and safety
protocols. Coolant leaks, explosions, and public exposure to radiation
soon followed. Japan has since pursued as many alternative energy
sources as it can find in an effort to phase out dependence on nuclear
power.
The Kagoshima Nanatsujima Mega Solar Power Plant now leads the
industry as the largest vote of confidence by public and private
entities. Solar energy has earned a growing enthusiasm in Japan, as
attractions like the Sanyo Solar Ark and the planned Osaka Solar Park
reflect the country’s expectations for the future. Japan may soon serve
as a model for weaning the rest of the world from nuclear energy.
By Daniel Annear
http://guardianlv.com/2013/11/japan-explodes-with-enthusiasm-over-solar-energy/
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