Kyocera TCL Solar LLC has announced plans to build the world's largest floating solar power plant.
The firm, a joint venture between Kyocera Corporation and Century Tokyo Leasing Corporation, will develop and operate the 13.4 MW facility on the Yamakura Dam reservoir.
The solar farm will use approximately 50 000 Kyocera solar modules installed over a water surface area of 180 000 m2. It will generate an estimated 15 635 MWh of energy per year.
Under the plan, Kyocera TCL Solar will build and operate the installation, and Century Tokyo Leasing will provide project financing. The Kyocera Group will be responsible for the supply of solar modules and related equipment in addition to construction, operation and maintenance.
The modules will be installed on floating platforms manufactured by French firm Ciel et Terre, which is also supplying the platforms for a floating solar power plant project in Hyogo Prefecture currently being constructed by Kyocera TCL Solar.
Kyocera and Century Tokyo Leasing jointly established Kyocera TCL Solar LLC in August 2012 to build and operate utility-scale solar power plants in Japan under the country's feed-in-tariff system, which commenced in July 2012. It has so far constructed 28 solar power plants, of which 11 plants have begun operation.
Due to Japan's rapid implementation of solar power, securing tracts of land suitable for utility-scale solar power plants is becoming more difficult in Japan. Floating solar installations are therefore becoming a viable option in the country, which has numerous reservoirs for flood control and agricultural purposes, says Kyocera.
The Japanese firm also says that floating solar farms have benefits over ground-mounted systems: they generate more energy due to the cooling effect of the water and they reduce reservoir evaporation and algae growth by shading the water.
Sian Crampsie
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