Inpex Corporation has announced that it has decided to construct a large-scale PV power generation system (INPEX Mega Solar Joetsu) on the premises of one of its subsidiaries (Teiseki Topping Plant) in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture.
According to the company, “participating in photovoltaic business will contribute to Inpex initiatives for renewable energy in line with the ‘Medium- to Long-Term Vision of Inpex’ announced in May 2012”.
The “INPEX Mega Solar Joetsu” array will cover 16,421 square metres and will have a maximum electric generating capacity of approximately 2,000 kW. Its Solar Frontier panels will generate 2.48 million kWh/year of power per annum, equivalent to the annual electricity demand of some 750 households. All the electricity generated by the array will be sold to Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc., which is the region’s largest electricity company. Inpex will start constructing the plant in October and expects to bring the facility on line in March 2013.
Inpex explained in a recent press release that there has been a growing expectation for solar power energy due to the pressing need to resolve power supply shortages in Japan stemming from the Great East Japan Earthquake. Furthermore, Japan launched a feed-in tariff programme to support spreading renewable energy in Japan on 1 July, which “urged us to participate in the solar power generation business” in order to continue “efforts to [provide a] stable energy supply to broader communities.
[Inset: Solar Frontier solar panel manufacturing plant]
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