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Solar Ark - Wikipedia
Coordinates: 35°19′51″N 136°40′16″E / 35.330941°N 136.671186°E / 35.330941; 136.671186
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Solar Ark
The Solar Ark inside Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. Gifu Plant
Map
Established1 April 2002
Location180 Ohmori, Anpachi, Gifu, 503-0195 Japan
TypeScience museum
Public transit accessJR Gifu-Hashima Station
WebsiteSolar Ark

The Solar Ark (ソーラーアーク, Sōrā Āku) is a Japanese arc-shaped solar photovoltaic power generation facility located in Anpachi, Gifu Prefecture[1][2] The facility is 315 meters wide and 37 meters tall, one of the largest solar buildings in the world, and is located in the geographical center of Japan. It can be seen from the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, which runs past on an adjacent railway.[3] During its years of operation between 2002 and 2022, over 5000 panels produced approximately 530,000 kilowatt-hours of energy annually, with a maximum system power of 630 kilowatts. The company described it as an "ambassador for environmentally responsible energy".[4]

The Solar Ark was an enterprise partner with the 2005 World Exhibition, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, and featured an hands-on, outdoor light exhibition as part of the Expo. A a museum of solar energy, called the Solar Lab, was previously located at the center of the Solar Ark.

History

The Solar Ark was constructed by Sanyo Electric Co.[4] Initially, the company had intended to create the largest photovoltaic system in the world, with a 3.4 megawatt output, to mark the organisation's 50th anniversary. By 1998, designers had already been in discussions about the Solar Ark's appearance. Sanyo had planned on using cutting edge solar technology available to them at the time, using a combination of crystal silicon and thin-film amorphous silicon with 14-15% efficiency. However, during the initial planning, Sanyo had to recall several monocrystalline cells, which were the predecessors of the hybrid technology mentioned before, due to insufficient output.[5][6]

Sanyo Electric Co. still decided to go ahead with the Solar Ark's construction; however, instead of using the previously planned technology, Sanyo instead, used the recalled monocrystalline cells, stating that the development was to "show our sincere regret that this problem has occurred and to express our willingness and determination to both remember what happened and how important it is to maintain quality." Construction was completed in December 2001.

Panasonic acquired Sanyo, and as part of its corporate restructuring and re-branding strategy, the red Sanyo logo on the Solar Ark was replaced with a blue Panasonic logo in August 2011.[7]

In 2022, solar energy generation ended at the site, and all corporate logos were removed. Panasonic sold the land to an Osaka real estate developer, and media reports initially indicated that the building would be demolished in the future.[8] However, in December 2024, the real estate developer sold the northern half of the site (60% of the total land) to real estate developer UI JAPAN, announced the building would not be demolished, and instead would explore other ways to utilize the site.[9]

Design

The Solar Ark viewed from below
Panasonic Solar Ark

The Solar Ark's design was inspired by the vision of an ark embarking on a journey to the 21st century. This idea led to the Solar Ark's size and overall symbolic shape of being an example of producing clean energy. In total, the construction area for the Solar Ark is 3294.48 m2 reinforced concrete was used for the base of the construction. From one end to the other, the total length of the Solar Ark is 315 metres. The ark is 31.6 metres tall from the centre of the structure. There are 5,046 solar panels in total. Twelve single-crystal silicon solar cell modules per unit were assembled on the ground, and 470 units were lifted up and attached to the main body of the Solar Ark.[2]

The weight of the actual body of the ark (pillars being excluded) is 3,000 metric tonnes and is constructed from structural steel. This construction material helps give the impression of the solar ark being suspended in the air. Each column is 2 metres in diameter and 31 meters in length and the Solar Ark is 315 metres long.[10] The entire Solar Ark chassis is supported by four “G-Columns” which are custom built pillars by Kubota and in total, these pillars weigh approximately 5,000 tonnes. These high-quality pillars are homogeneous, the result of the seamless method of construction that utilizes centrifugal force. Due to the Solar Ark's sturdy building materials, the Ark is able to resist winds of up to 34 meters/second and level 7 earthquakes on the Japanese scale.

The ark is surrounded by 5-meter high water fountains and two ponds, each having their own cascade. The entrance to the Solar Ark has solar wings which are composed of HIT solar cells that generate electricity on the topside and underside while also functioning as awnings that allow sunlight to filter through. Between the individual solar panels, there are, in total, 75,000 red, green, and blue computer controlled LEDs which are activated at night to produce images and words across the ark.

Museum

The Solar Energy Museum, also called the Solar Lab, was formerly a museum and exhibition center located at the site, in a structurally separate building, that provided information about solar energy. There were several exhibitions, workshops, and science classes held at the Solar Lab, primarily aimed at youth to help educate about the workings and importance of photovoltaic science. The Solar Lab was divided into ten zones that provided a wide range of activities for visitors. Activities included a solar system simulator, an adventure wall, an artistic approach to the sun, a solar library, and a control deck where visitors could view real-time data related to the power being generated by the Solar Ark.

Awards

The Solar Ark received several awards and notable achievements during its operation:

  • Good Design Award 2002 Architecture and Environment Design/Architecture Design
  • The 5th "Renewing Your Hometown" 21st Century Fine Art Awards (Honorable Mention)
  • The 12th "Facilities that Publicize Energy" Award (Exhibition Category)
  • The 12th Advertising Contest on the Environment, Grand Prix of Environment Advertising Award (Presented by State Minister for the Environment)
  • The 2nd Environment and Facility Prize, Outstanding Performance Award (Environmental Design Category)
  • Energy Publicity Center Award for PR Activity, the 14th Director-General of the Natural Energy Agency Award, 2004

References

  1. ^ "Large-Scale Solar Power Generation Facility 'Solar Ark'". Panasonic Corporation of North America. Archived from the original on May 18, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Kriscenski, Ali (January 14, 2008). "SOLAR ARK: World's Most Stunning Solar Building". Inhabitat. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  3. ^ 見どころ＞お立ち寄りスポット (in Japanese). Anpachi official website. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Sunsology Blog". The Sunsology blog. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  5. ^ "The Future of Things Article". The Things of the Future website. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  6. ^ "Photon International on the ark". Article on recalled solar panels. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  7. ^ 「ソーラーアーク」のブランド表記の変更について. Panasonic and Sanyo Electric press release (in Japanese). June 24, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  8. ^ "新幹線車窓の「岐阜の箱舟」解体へ…田園風景の「潜水艦」とも呼ばれた名物". MSN (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  9. ^ "東海最大級の大型物流倉庫、岐阜・安八町に計画　旧三洋跡地、ソーラーアークは存続見通し". Gifu Shimbun (in Japanese). 2025-01-08. Archived from the original on 2025-01-09. Retrieved 2025-01-16.
  10. ^ "Sustainability: Sanyo's Solar Ark". Ideabing.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2013.

35°19′51″N 136°40′16″E / 35.330941°N 136.671186°E / 35.330941; 136.671186

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