Solar power technology continues to grow, with Japan set to be home to the world's biggest floating solar panel farm.
Japanese electronics giant Kyocera Corporation plans on having the solar panel up and running by March of 2016 on top of the Yamakura Dam reservoir, according to Gigaom.
The project is the latest in Japan's push for solar energy as a main power source in response to the Fukashima disaster, which led to the country's decision to shut its nuclear plants down.
The new plant will include 50,000 modules tasked with collecting solar energy above a water surface area close to 180,000 square meters, and an education center will be built nearby to teach local students about environmental issues, Discovery News reported.
The engineering team behind the solar farm believes it will generate more than 15.6 megawatt hours (MWh) each year, which is enough energy power around 4,700 homes. The company estimates the plant will collect enough solar power to counterbalance 7,800 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
"When we first started R&D for solar energy in the mid 1970s, the technology was only viable for small applications such as street lamps, traffic signs and telecommunication stations in mountainous areas," said Nobuo Kitamura, senior executive officer at Kyocera.
"Since then, we have been working to make solar energy use more ubiquitous in society. We are excited to work with our partners on this project, taking another step forward by utilizing untapped bodies of water as solar power generation sites."
The farm is Japan's latest venture into collecting solar energy over open water, following the installation of the Kagoshima Nanatsujima plant.
