Japan Hyogo Prefecture installs 6.6 MW Solar

The Enterprise Bureau of Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, has completed two photovoltaic (PV) arrays totalling 6.6 MW at dams in the region, as announced on its website last week.

The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for both systems were provided by a joint venture (JV) between domestic sector players Sanwa Electrical Engineering Co Ltd and Novac Co Ltd. Deployed on the levees of two dams, the solar arrays are equipped with PV panels and inverters made by local firms Sharp Corp and Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corp (TMEIC), accordingly.

The larger of the installations — the 4.99-MW Kodani Dam Solar Power Plant — is located in Himeji city and was put into operation on February 15. Its 19,580 solar modules are expected to generate about 5.5 GWh of electricity per year.

The 1.61-MW Heisou Dam Solar Power Plant is in the city of Kakogawa. Scheduled to be switched on at the very end of this month, the annual output of its 6,314 panels is estimated at about 1.8 GWh in total.

So far, the Enterprise Bureau has 12 solar farms, totalling 29.6 MW. This includes a PV system at the levee of Gongen Dam in Kakogawa city.