Date: 22/10/2010

Toshiba to set up a 1MW solar photovoltaic project for Hokuriku Electric Power Company

Toshiba Corporation has been awarded with a major contract to develop mega solar photovoltaic power generation project for Hokuriku Electric Power Company, under which a Toshiba's system will be installed in the Toyama Photovoltaic Power Station. When completed, the plant will have a generating capacity of approximately 1 MW. The order is the sixth that Toshiba has secured for a multi-MW solar photovoltaic project, and follows an order won earlier this month for the Fukuyama Solar Power Plant from The Chugoku Electric Power Co., Inc.

Construction of the Toyama Photovoltaic Power Station will start this month, and it is scheduled to come on line in February, 2011. The plant will have an annual capacity of approximately 1 million kWh, sufficient to generate electricity for approximately 250 households.

It is reported that Toshiba was selected as prime contractor for development of the plant, and will be responsible for all engineering work prior to the start of construction, the procurement of major equipment and components, and plant construction. The variable output of the photovoltaic cells will be converted to clean AC by integrated 250kW output power conditioners developed by Toshiba Group. The plant will also be equipped with multi-crystal photovoltaic modules from Kyocera Corporation.

Driven by a growing awareness of the need to counteract global warming, the global market for solar photovoltaic systems for utilities and industrial plants is expected to reach 2.2 trillion yen in fiscal year 2015