KYOCERA Sakura solar energy center marks 25 years

KYOTO, JAPAN: Since 1975, Kyocera Corp. has continuously been developing its solar energy business with the business rationale, “To bring the power of the sun to the world.” To achieve that goal, in August 1984, Kyocera established the Sakura Solar Energy Center just outside of Tokyo for the R&D and promotion of solar power generating systems. This month, the Center marks its 25th anniversary.

At the time of the establishment of the Sakura Solar Energy Center in 1984, use of solar power generating systems was limited to special applications such as unmanned lighthouses, satellites and wireless repeater stations; and not many people were aware of the possibility of solar power as an energy source used in daily life.

The concept behind the establishment of the Center was to create a comprehensive facility at which to conduct research into solar power products and to facilitate understanding of the benefits of solar energy by introducing it to the world.

Serving our mission, “To deliver light to areas without electricity,” set-up within the facility are solar power generating systems for real-life examples of housing, agricultural pumps, and village electrification that are typically found in areas without electricity in developing countries in Africa and Asia. Kyocera has focused particular attention on experiments and R&D with these installations.

The Center is conveniently located close to Narita International Airport — the gateway to Japan — in Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture, and has been receiving various groups from state visitors and important guests to technical staff and engineers from all over the world for training on solar power applications. In the 25 years since it was established over 50 thousand visitors have come to the Center to learn about solar power technology — contributing to increased global solar energy awareness.

The technology and experience cultivated at the Center is presently being put to work around the world in mainstream grid-connected systems. With the rise in concern for global environmental issues solar energy first started drawing wide-spread attention as a clean energy source in the 1990s. Anticipating this trend, in 1991, Kyocera was the first company to provide commercial grid-connected systems in Japan.

The Center is also equipped with a 43kW solar power generating system that was installed in 1984, and which to this day continues to provide power for the facility’s indoor and emergency lighting. At a time when few other large-scale solar power generating systems existed, the installation was a unique and unprecedented experimental system.