Canadian Solar, headquartered in Canada, announced that its 100 MWp Azuma Kofuji solar project in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, recently started commercial operations. it is Canadian Solar’s largest project in Japan and the largest operating solar project in Fukushima Prefecture to date.

The solar project, which spans 460 acres, will power utility Tohoku Electric Power Company at $0.26 per kWh for more than 18 years as part of the Japanese feed-in tariff program. It is expected to generate 106,800 MWh of clean energy to power about 31,000 homes and save over 50,000 tons of CO₂-equivalent emissions per year.

It is worth noting that Azuma Kofuji was built on previously abandoned farmland. Canadian Solar “worked closely with local communities and the government on the land conversion process and successfully passed the Environmental Impact Assessment overseen by Fukushima Prefecture,” said Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar. It shows how the public and private sectors can work closely together to help revitalize the local community and economy.

“We are proud to be involved in rebuilding economic and energy resilience in Fukushima’s hometowns while supporting Japan’s ambition to be carbon neutral by 2050,” added Dr. Qu added.

To date, Canadian Solar has 470 MWp of utility-scale solar projects in Japan, either operating or under construction, and two partnership platforms in the Canadian Solar Infrastructure Fund and the Japan Green Infrastructure Fund. Driven by our differentiated technology and massive manufacturing scale, Canadian Solar has become one of the leading solar companies in the Japanese solar market.

The Azuma Kofuji project used Canadian Solar’s HiKu Series PV modules. Long-term operations and maintenance will be performed by Canadian Solar’s local subsidiary. It will also donate part of its proceeds to support local agricultural sector activities in Fukushima City.