80% Of 47 Japanese Prefectures Suffer Headaches with Their Solar Power Plants

Solar energy, expected to replace nuclear power as a main source of electricity, has turned into a big headache across Japan, as solar power stations have proven to be eyesores and their impact on the environment destructive, Yuki Takahashi, Naoko Furuyashiki and Daisuke Oka reported for Mainichi Japan.

A Mainichi Shimbun survey found that of all 47 prefectures in Japan, 80% have problems with solar power energy in one way or another.

Known as the "sunny land" because of its many fair-weather days, the western Japan prefecture of Okayama is highly suited to solar power generation. Upon entering the city of Akaiwa -- renowned for its white peaches -- the profusion of solar panels makes the gentle slopes of the mountains look like they've been coated in black "sumi" ink.

Wholesale oil distribution giant Idemitsu Kosan Co. began operating a mega solar power plant in Akaiwa in April 2021.

A total of 320,000 solar panels cover an area of 82 hectares, and pump out 65 million kilowatt-hours per year. According to residents, there were landslides in 2018 and 2020 on the solar panel-covered slopes. "My rice paddies were buried in sand and mud," a local 62-year-old farmer told the Mainichi Shimbun.

"Things like this didn't used to happen." Another farmer said, "Sand and mud have come flowing down and muddied the waters, and I'm worried about how it'll affect rice cultivation." Boars, possibly having lost their natural habitats, have also come down from the mountains.

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