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Kyocera TCL Solar LLC, a joint ventured between Kyocera Corporation and Century Tokyo Leasing Corporation, has commences construction of a 23MW solar power plant on an abandoned golf course in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Approximately 90,000 Kyocera 270W PV modules will be installed since the commencement on June 28, 2015.
With an estimated 26,312MWh of annual power output, the solar power plant is expected to provide enough power for around 8,100 typical local households. The solar power plant is scheduled to start commercial operating in September 2017, while the electricity generated by the facility will be sold through Japan’s feed-in tariff scheme to the local utility, the Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.
The new solar power plant, located in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, will be the largest solar power installation in the Prefecture. Kyocera established its first major solar energy research center in Fushimi Ward in the mid-1970s. The installation marks not only Kyocera’s latest contribution to the expansion of renewable energy and the development of sustainability in Kyoto, it also marks the 40th anniversary of Kyocera’s entry into the solar energy business.
Revival of Abandoned Gulf Courses
Kyocera and Century Tokyo Leasing, along with two other companies, recently announced that it is also developing a 92MW solar power plant at a site in Kagoshima Prefecture which was originally designated for golf course use more than 30 years ago but subsequently abandoned. In the United States, several cities in states such as Florida, Utah, Kansas and Minnesota are having public discussion and considering proposals on how best to repurpose closed golf courses.
Overdevelopment of golf properties during the real-estate boom of the 1990’s and 2000’s has led to hundreds of idle courses today that are now under analysis for repurposing or redevelopment. Many of these properties are now being reconsidered as sites for new housing development, parkland and a wide range of other commercial uses, including solar farms. Solar can provide a particularly productive and environmentally friendly use for defunct golf courses, which are characterized by expansive land mass, high sun exposure, and a low concentration of shade trees.
