KYOCERA supplies 305 kW of solar power to villages in Mongolia

KYOTO, JAPAN: Kyocera Corp. has installed a total of 305.1kW of solar power systems to two villages in Mongolia through the World Bank's Renewable Energy for Rural Access Project.

The installations are among the largest stand-alone solar power generating systems in the world. The systems were installed this summer and are now currently helping to provide electricity for the daily needs of the local residents.

The World Bank project aims to increase electricity and improve reliability of electricity service through the use of solar energy to help improve the living conditions of the herder population and off-grid village communities.

Kyocera was selected to supply the solar power generating systems for the project because of the company's years of experience in the solar energy business in Mongolia, and the durability of its high-quality modules to harsh weather conditions. The systems were supplied and installed by the company's subsidiary, KYOCERA (Tianjin) Sales & Trading Corp. (KTST).

The two systems, 202.5kW and 102.6kW (total of 305.1kW), have been installed in the villages of Gobi-Altai and Bayantooroi, respectively, which are both located in the Gobi Desert region of western Mongolia.

The region, which is faced with a harsh environment that can reach -30°C in the winter and previously suffered from volatile power supply, now has a stable 24-hour-a-day electricity supply thanks to the solar power generating systems installed by KTST. While helping to greatly improve the living conditions of the villagers, the systems also enable the children to study by light at night, and contribute to the growth and development of the area and environmental preservation.

Kyocera began its solar energy business in 1975 based on the vision of contributing to the betterment of humankind through solar power. Striving to spread the blessing of the sun's energy across the world, the company has a long history of proactively installing solar power generating systems in rural areas of Asia and Africa.

In 1983, the company started by installing a system in the village of Kankoi, Pakistan; in 1985, another system for rural electrification in Gansu Province, China; and a solar-powered pump for an irrigation station in Thailand the following year.

Kyocera has been active in the solar energy business in Mongolia for many years, taking part in a project by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) to supply portable solar power generating systems for 200 nomadic herding families' yurts between 1992 and 1996.

Further, in 2011, with the Japanese government's Official Development Assistance (ODA), Kyocera modules will be used for a 453.18kW grid-tie system for the Genghis Khan International Airport in Ulan Bator City.

Kyocera will continue to promote the use and technological development of solar energy for the advancement of society and humankind, and to contribute to environmental preservation.