A "What If" Dialogue on Solar Power on a Golf Course - May 2004

A "What If" Dialogue on Solar Power on a Golf Course - May 2004
When I think back to those days, it was a time when society as a whole was searching for ways to use land. It had been more than a decade since the bubble burst, and here and there I often saw abandoned golf courses that had fallen into financial difficulties. The wide fairways were quiet and the grass was growing unused, and the sight was somewhat empty. It was natural that I thought, "What if we put solar panels on this land?

The Kyoto Protocol had been adopted, and the responsibility for reducing greenhouse gas emissions was becoming increasingly heavy on Japan. There was a lot of discussion about how energy should be used, and expectations for renewable energy were growing. As I walked along the fairway, I imagined how much electricity would be generated if the panels were arranged in the shape of a river on one hole. According to estimates, a 10kW system placed over 14,000 square meters per hole could generate as much as 1 million kWh of electricity per year. If converted to electricity, this would be equivalent to 24 million yen. When I saw the figures, I could picture a scene of land that had been lying dormant being transformed into a field of energy.

Of course, the dream did not end there. The huge initial investment, the difficulty of signing a contract with the power company, and the barriers of the legal system. I felt the weight of reality, but I was still convinced that I could do it. I was convinced that a system that would make use of idle assets and balance the environment and the local community would be necessary.

Looking back now, I realize that my "what if" at that time was not a fantasy. Later, mega solar power plants would be built on closed golf courses all over Japan. The scene I had envisioned in the middle of the fairway had become a reality in just a decade or so. I now realize that the "what if" dialogue in that article was indeed anticipating the future.