KYOCERA PROMOTES THE USE OF RENEWABLES IN JAPAN

30 October 2013

Kyoto / Neuss − Following the severe earthquake and tsunami in north-eastern Japan in March 2011 and the subsequent problems at Fukushima’s nuclear power plant, public interest in renewable energy and non-nuclear electricity supply has increased dramatically. Kyocera Corporation is supporting this shift by supplying and building several large-scale PV plants in Japan, showing its commitment to the use of sustainable energy resources and environmental protection.

Here is an outline of Kyocera’s most important solar projects over the last two years:

Kagoshima Mega Solar Power Plant (70 MW)

In April 2012, Kyocera Corporation announced the construction of the largest PV power plant in Japan to date, in collaboration with a number of other companies. Scheduled to go online in early November 2013, a total of 290,000 polycrystalline silicon solar modules will generate around 78,800 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity per year, equivalent to the consumption of roughly 22,000 average households.

SoftBank Izumiotsu Solar Park in Osaka (19.6 MW)

In collaboration with Mitsui & Co., Ltd. and SB Energy Corp. (a subsidiary of SoftBank Corp.), Kyocera Solar Corporation is currently working on the construction of the SoftBank Izumiotsu Solar Park in the Japanese prefecture of Osaka. Around 80,000 Kyocera modules with a total power output of 19.6 megawatts (MW) will supply the equivalent amount of clean electricity for roughly 5,700 local homes. The plant is set to go online in July 2014.

Solar Power Plant at Kyocera’s Fukushima manufacturing site (1.5 MW)

Since mid-September 2013, Kyocera Chemical Corporation has been operating a 1.5 MW PV system at its manufacturing site in Koriyama, in the Japanese prefecture of Fukushima. The annual yield is equivalent to the energy used by around 430 average Japanese households and should off-set roughly 876 tons of CO2 emissions annually. It is the largest solar power generating system installed at a Kyocera facility, out of the 27 such company sites worldwide to date. The electricity is sold directly to Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. and fed into the public grid.

Furthermore, Kyocera Corporation has been supplying solar modules to various other solar projects such as the 3.6 MW Kizuna Solar Park in Miyagi Prefecture. The solar plant is located in a city that was badly affected by the 2011 tsunami. Installing the PV system was part of reconstruction measures taken in the affected region. In addition, Kyocera is delivering 30 MW of solar modules to agricultural facilities throughout Japan. The project was set up by the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (Zen-Noh) and Mitsubishi Corporation and is part of one of the country’s largest solar projects.

Kyocera takes part in a social contribution mega-solar power plant project

Furthermore, Kyocera Corporation is taking part in a socially responsible investment project that provides a new business model for the spread of renewable energy. In the project, profits from the sale of electricity generated by PV systems are donated to local non-profit organizations (NPOs) that support social contribution and citizen's activities. Kyocera is supporting the construction of PV power plants developed through the cooperation of Ryukoku University (in Kyoto city), the local government and business collaborations as a socially responsible investment and an
ecological project.

Kyocera has been producing high-quality solar modules with highly dependable output for more than 38 years. That is one of the main reasons why the company’s PV systems have been selected for use in numerous commercial and social responsibility projects throughout Japan.

 

For more information about Kyocera:www.kyocera.eu

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