Abandoned golf course in Japan is repurposed as a solar farm

 In addition to this project, Kyocera and Century Tokyo Leasing, along with two other companies, recently announced that it is also developing a 92MW solar power plant at a site in Kagoshima Prefecture of Japan which was originally designated for golf course use more than 30 years ago but subsequently abandoned. In the United States, several cities in states such as Florida, Utah, Kansas and Minnesota are having public discussion and considering proposals on how best to repurpose closed golf courses. Overdevelopment of golf properties during the real-estate boom of the 1990’s and 2000’s has led to hundreds of idle courses today that are now under analysis for repurposing or redevelopment. Many of these properties are now being reconsidered as sites for new housing development, parkland and a wide range of other commercial uses, including solar farms. Solar can provide a particularly productive and environmentally friendly use for defunct golf courses, which are characterised by expansive land mass, high sun exposure, and a low concentration of shade trees.

The new plant will become the largest solar power installation in Japan’s Kyoto Prefecture. The site is located in Fushimi Ward, where Kyocera established its first major solar energy research centre in the mid-1970s.