Sunlight Chips Away at Mountains--The Paradox of Mega Solar Development in Gifu and Kyoto in the 2020s

Sunlight Chips Away at Mountains--The Paradox of Mega Solar Development in Gifu and Kyoto in the 2020s
The problems surrounding the ongoing construction of mega solar power plants in Ena City, Gifu Prefecture, and Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture, are symbolic examples of the "new environmental destruction" of the decarbonized age. By cutting open mountainsides and installing giant solar panels, topsoil was lost and rainwater flowed directly onto the ground surface, resulting in increased risk of landslides and flooding. Local residents filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction against the construction of the solar panels because they were suspicious of the way the local environment had been sacrificed in the name of "promoting renewable energy.

From the late 1990s to the 2000s, the focus of Japan's environmental policy shifted from "pollution prevention" to "global warming countermeasures," and the introduction of a feed-in tariff (FIT) in 2012 led to a rapid expansion of solar power generation. Initially welcomed as an alternative to "nuclear-free energy" in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident, overdevelopment for investment purposes has since spread across the country. Deforestation proceeded uncontrolled by local governments, creating what has been called a "renewable energy bubble.

In the cases of Gifu and Kyoto, development plans that ignored the shape of the land caused mountain land to collapse, threatening the safety and landscape of the region. In Nantan City, in particular, residents' growing sense of crisis over the loss of the rich satoyama culture and agricultural landscape highlighted the contradiction of "development for the environment" falling into the wrong hands. The structure of the project, which calls for the promotion of renewable energy while causing the destruction of nature, is reminiscent of the "public works panacea" of the former era of rapid economic growth.

On the other hand, this issue has also provided an opportunity for local communities to regain their energy sovereignty. In Ena City and Nantan City, energy cooperatives have been set up by local residents to explore the introduction of "small-scale, decentralized" renewable energy. Rather than one-way development by large-scale capital, the next generation of renewable energy projects must be based on the formation of local consensus and consideration for nature.

This issue can be positioned as an extension of the National Trust movement and regional environmental conservation. Just as citizens in the past "bought and protected nature," citizens today are at the stage of "choosing and protecting energy. The questioning of the relationship between energy policy, regional autonomy, and coexistence with nature is now the touchstone for testing the maturity of environmental thought in Japan.