Two Japanese firms are teaming up to develop a major solar power facility combined with battery storage on the northernmost of the country’s main islands.
SB Energy, the renewables division of telecoms firm Softbank is working with Mitsubishi UFJ Leasing on a 102.3MW solar PV project combined with 27MWh of lithium-ion battery storage.
SB said the 50-50 joint venture Softbank Yakumo Solar Park, spanning 132 hectares, will be the largest solar-plus-storage development in Japan to date.
Construction of the facility is set to start in April 2018 with commercial operations beginning in the 2020 financial year.
Softbank said it plans to build and operate a total of more than 500MW of solar power infrastructure across Japan, including its Koyagi solar facility in Nagasaki (pictured).
In 2013, Softbank launched a joint venture with Californian fuel cell company Bloom Energy to provide off-grid power in Japan.
