05 March 2012 - Kyoto / Neuss − The Kyocera Group and SoftBank Group subsidiary in charge of renewable energy business, SB Energy Corp., today announced that the two companies have been selected by Kyoto City to build and operate a 4.2-megawatt (MW) solar power plant. The utility-scale solar power plant will be the first of its kind in Kyoto Prefecture, and becomes the largest solar power installation in the prefecture.
Helping Kyoto move towards energy independence, Kyocera Group companies will be in charge of solar module supply (KYOCERA Corporation), system design and material procurement (KYOCERA Solar Corporation), and the construction of the mega-solar project (KYOCERA Communication Systems Co., Ltd.).
SB Energy will be the operator of the large-scale solar power plant, and aims to have the system operating in time for the start of the new feed-in tariff (FIT) which will go into place on July 1, 2012.
Approximately 17,000 Kyocera modules equaling 4.2MW of solar power will be installed at two facilities (2.1MW each) in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto City. This will generate roughly 4.2GWh of electricity annually, which is enough to supply power for approximately 1,000 households*1.
The system will use Kyocera’s patented anti-dust modules which have a structure that prevents dust and water from collecting on the surface — by allowing rain water to wash off build-up via drainage channels along the frame of the module (these modules are only available to the Japanese market). This helps prevent the adverse effect of dust build-up on the module’s glass surface which decreases the power output.
Kyocera holds the top share*2 in the Japanese market for installation volume of large-scale, public- and industrial-use solar power by meeting the diverse requirements of customers with a wide range of products and individually tailored engineering technology. Kyocera will continue to meet the needs of its customers and contribute to solving environmental problems starting with the reduction of greenhouse gases.
