Wouldn’t it be nice to look at glittering platforms of solar cells floating just offshore rather than towering smokestacks emitting clouds of carcinogens and greenhouse gases into the air? Japan seems to have learned something from the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster following the massive earthquake and tsunami of 2011, and is turning to a greener, more sustainable source of power for future projects.
Electronics giant Kyocera has unveiled a 70-megawatt solar power plant that is now in operation as the country’s largest utility-scale solar facility. Started in July 2012 and officially open in November 2013, the new power plant rethinks the way this island nation could get its energy.
The Kagoshima Nanatsujima Mega Solar Power Plant measures 1.27 million square meters, about the size of 27 baseball stadiums, with a whopping 290,000 solar panels. Especially when compared to the alternatives, it’s anything but an eyesore, even in the shadow of the beautiful Grand Sakurajima volcano.