Rendering of the floating solar power plant on the Yamakura Dam reservoir. Kyocera Corporation

Japanese electronics manufacturer Kyocera Corporation announced today that construction has begun on the largest floating solar power plant in the world in terms of energy output, according to a press release from Kyocera. The 13.7 megawatt (MW) power plant will float on the waters of the Yamakura Dam reservoir in Japan. The plant is being constructed by Kyocera TCL Solar, a subsidiary of the Kyocera Corporation.

This is Kyocera's fourth floating solar power plant in Japan and the latest in a series of innovative solar plants, such as India's solar powered airport and ambitious plan to cover canals with sun-harvesting panels. The Yamakura Dam solar plant is scheduled for launch at the end of March 2018. Once it is complete, the 50,904 270-watt modules spread out over 180,000 square meters should pump out 16,170 megawatt hours (MWh) per year. This is equal to about 19,000 barrels of oil or enough to power almost 5,000 households.

Map of floating solar power projects by Kyocera TCL Solar. Kyocera Corporation

Kyocera has been developing floating solar power plants since 2014 to take advantage of the abundant lakes and reservoirs in Japan. In March their first two plants went online—a 1.7 MW and a 1.2 MW plant. A third 2.3 MW plant was launched in March 2015. The Yamakura Dam solar plant represents a major increase in energy output for the floating solar panel design. The generated electricity is planned to be sold to the Tokyo Electric Power Company.

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