AGC to install a largest roof-mounted PV system in Japan

This PV power system will have a power-generating capacity of approximately five megawatts and is scheduled to begin operation in March 2013. AGC’s thin and strong Leoflex™ (*) will be used on the roof areas where conventional solar panels are too heavy to install. By fully utilizing the available roof space, this will be one of the largest rooftop PV power generation systems in Japan.

Since the enforcement of a feed-in-tariff system for renewable energy in July 2012, megawatt-scale solar installations have been growing in Japan, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to secure land space for PV installations at a reasonable lease rate. As an alternative to ground-mount installations, rooftop solar installations, using the rooftop of plants, warehouses and public facilities, are gaining popularity.

AGC decided to build a large-capacity PV power generation system on the rooftop of one of its plants, and selected the Takasago Plant, which has the largest roof area available for PV installation. In order to maximize the installation area without roof reinforcement work, AGC will use ultra-lightweight solar panels featuring AGC’s Leoflex (panel weighing less than 6 kg/m2) for the roofs where conventional solar panels (approximately 12 kg/m2) cannot be installed due to loading weight restrictions. By using Leoflex-installed solar panels, AGC will successfully expand the total installation area by approximately 20%.

[Profile of Mega Solar System at the Takasago Plant]

Location: 5-6-1 Umei, Takasago-city, Hyogo prefecture, Japan

Area of installation: Approximately 70,000 m2 (“Leoflex”-installed ultra-lightweight solar panels: 13,000 m2)

Power generation capacity: Approximately 5 Megawatts (equivalent to power used by roughly 1,500 general households)

Annual power generation: Approximately 5,300 MWh/year

Start of operation: March 2013 (plan)

By fully utilizing the special features of Leoflex, AGC will continue to offer innovative solutions that meet the needs for thinner and lighter-weight products in housing, solar and various other markets .

Note: “Leoflex” is stronger than conventional soda-lime glass and is resistant to cracking, which helps to significantly reduce the weight of solar panels and other glass-installed applications.

Media Contact

Toshihiro Ueda, General Manager, Corporate Communications & Investor Relations

AGC Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.

(Contact: Satoshi Yoshida; Tel: +81-3-3218-5603; E-mail: info-pr@agc.com)

1. Solar panel using “Leoflex,” a chemically strengthened specialty glass