Kyocera announced that it has completed installation of its solar modules for the first phase of the SoftBank Kyoto Solar Park (Kyoto City, Japan), and that the approximately 2.1 megawatt (MW) installation began operation yesterday to coincide with the start of the new Japanese feed-in tariff (FIT) for renewable energy. The SoftBank Group subsidiary in charge of renewable energy business, SB Energy, will be the operator of the solar power plant. The first of two phases of the overall project sees 8,680 Kyocera modules equaling approximately 2.1MW of solar power installed .This will generate roughly 2.1GWh of electricity annually, which is enough to supply power for approximately 580 households.
Kyocera’s large size, high-output 242-watt solar modules are being utilized for this project. The system uses 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 — especially for modules installed at a low angle — which decreases the power output
An inauguration ceremony was held on July 1, where SoftBank CEO, Masayoshi Son, and Kyocera founder and chairman emeritus, Kazuo Inamori, both gave speeches to mark the start of operation.
