Japan’s largest floating PV plant catches fire after Typhoon Faxai impact

Kyocera’s 13.7 MW floating project at the Yamakura Dam was damaged by 120mph winds the typhoon brought to the coastal city of Chiba. Firefighters said the blaze may have been generated by the strong heat produced by panels stacking up.
The latest typhoon to hit Japan wreaked havoc at the country’s largest floating PV project. | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s photostream/Flickr

Typhoon Faxai arrived this morning at the coastal city of Chiba and has already shown its destructive power: around 100 flights were cancelled and 1 million households were without electricity amid extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure.

And the strong rain and winds claimed another victim: Japan’s largest PV power plant, inaugurated by Kyocera in March 2018 at the Yamakura Dam in Ichihara City.

Japanese media reported the wind tore several modules off the project and stacked them. That contact between loose panels and those that remained moored to mounting structures, said firefighters, overheated the modules, creating the conditions for a fire.

The YouTube channel of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper showed the extent of the fire that, according to firefighters, involved around 50 panels.

 

The solar plant covers around 44 acres of water and features 50,904 solar modules provided by Kyocera Corporation.

A Kyocera spokesperson told pv magazine the fire was extinguished at around 5.20pm local time and the extent of the damage caused was under investigation.

All the power generated by the project – which was started by the Public Enterprises Agency of Chiba Prefecture to reduce the organization’s environmental impact – is sold to TEPCO Energy Partner Incorporated.

More about
Written by

Comments

Floatovoltaics: A Solution to Keep Us Afloat in our Fight Against Climate Change? | Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs
Jan 27, 2023

[…] for example, strong rain and winds due to Typhoon Faxai overheated the modules of the array and led to a fire. Moreover, shading large portions of the reservoir – which prevents the growth of harmful algae […]

Puffer fish inspired floating PV structure – Solar Consults
Dec 04, 2021

[…] the capacity of a conventional system. The tubes are also said to offer better protection from waves and wind. Because of the elongated shape, the tubes can partially conform to the shape of the waves, […]

Occupational safety and health in FSPV | RMHP
May 13, 2021

[…] PV plant catches fire after typhoon faxai impact. pv magazine; September, 2019. Available from: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2019/09/09/japans-largest-floating-pv-plant-catches-fire-after-typhoon-f…. Accessed December 9, […]

Occupational safety and health in FSPV – Prevent Health Problems
May 13, 2021

[…] PV plant catches hearth after storm faxai influence. pv journal; September, 2019. Out there from: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2019/09/09/japans-largest-floating-pv-plant-catches-fire-after-typhoon-f…. Accessed December9, […]

Rising solar: Investing in Japan’s energy transition – Atlantic Council – The Sellside Channel
Oct 09, 2020

[…] in the resilience of some of these projects, such as fortifying assets from natural disasters, including typhoons. Investing in grid improvements and smart grid technologies to enable flexibility will be critical, […]

Rising solar: Investing in Japan’s energy transition | taktik(z) GDI
Oct 09, 2020

[…] of some of these projects, such as for­ti­fy­ing assets from nat­ur­al dis­as­ters, including typhoons. Investing in grid improvements and smart grid technologies to enable flex­i­bil­i­ty will be […]

» Floating the solar photovoltaic boat – Physics World – physicsworld.comsolarequipmentinstaller.com
May 23, 2020

[…] the roughness of the environment. Even on inland lakes and reservoirs there will be corrosion and storm damage issues to consider. In all locations, there will also be local environmental concerns in terms of […]

» Floating the solar photovoltaic boat – physicsworld.comsolarequipmentinstaller.com
Mar 29, 2020

[…] the roughness of the environment. Even on inland lakes and reservoirs there will be corrosion and storm damage issues to consider. In all locations, there will also be local environmental concerns in terms of […]

The Week in Energy: External Forces Threaten Supply |
Sep 17, 2019

[…] Japan’s largest floating PV plant catches fire after Typhoon Faxai impact. […]

Typhoon Faxai Destroys Japan’s Biggest Floating Solar Plant
Sep 10, 2019

[…] Japan’s largest floating PV plant catches fire after Typhoon Faxai impact […]

S M Wasi Alavi
Sep 09, 2019

Dears,Me also among renewable energy sources enthusiasts,have few PV’s on my roof just provide around 3KVA hardly 2 +months. It appears that many factors aren’t considered in optimal cooling designs & stability in extreme weather conditions if encountered!!!