Japan has recently turned towards a new, controversial energy source - floating solar panels. According to National Geographic, countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, India, and Italy have announced similar plans. However, Japan plans to build the largest floating solar plant in the world.

The plant is to be built on top of the reservoir of Japan's Yamakura Dam in Chiba prefecture, just east of Tokyo. Once complete, it will cover 180,000 square meters, hold 50,000 photovoltaic solar panels, and power nearly 5,000 households. It will also diminish nearly 8,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

Green Tech Media reports that the project is a collaboration between Kyocera Corporation, Tokyo Leasing Corporation, and French company Ciel et Terre. Century Tokyo Leasing will provide the project financing, and Kyocera Group will supply the solar modules and related equipment in addition to construction, operation and maintenance. The floating platforms themselves will be manufactured by Ciel et Terre.

By placing solar panels on lakes, Japan hopes to free up surrounding land for agricultural use, conservation, or other development. Space on land in Japan is limited, and there are already lots of inland waterways created for rice agriculture and rainwater control that could be used for solar.

There are some potential worries - the solar panels must be waterproof, and withstand the elements well. Ichiro Ikeda, general manager of Kyocera's solar energy marketing division, stated, "That is one reason we chose Ciel et Terre's floating platforms, which are 100 percent recyclable and made of high-density polyethylene that can withstand ultraviolet rays and corrosion."

Furthermore, the frames themselves have been made in order to resist winds of up to 118 miles per hour. This is integral, as Japan is a global hot spot for typhoons, earthquakes, landslides, and tidal waves.

Eva Pauly, international business manager at Ciel et Terre, stated, "Earthquakes have no impacts on the floating photovoltaic system, which has no foundation and an adequate anchoring system that ensures its stability. That's a big advantage in a country like Japan."

Because there is no need for excavation or a foundation, installation is also quick and relatively inexpensive. The floatation structure doesn't need heavy-duty equipment for assembly, making it an ideal system.

Only time will tell whether floating solar technology will sink or swim, but if the project works well it could bode well for the future of energy.