Sharp Corp. said June 23 that it was teaming up with regional utility Kansai Electric Power Co. to build one of the biggest solar power facilities in the world in western Japan. Kansai Electric, or Kepco, will build the plant using Sharp solar panels on an industrial waste landfill in the city of Sakai in Osaka prefecture, at a cost of five billion yen (US$47 million), Sharp said.
Construction is expected to be completed by early 2012.
The two firms will also install solar power panels on the roof of a Sharp liquid crystal display panel factory and other plants in an industrial complex in Sakai. Together they will be one of the world's largest solar power facilities, Sharp said.
The government of Sakai city is also involved in the project, which is projected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 10,000 tons a year.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2008
