Above is Yokohama, Japan’s Solar Techno Park. It sounds like the name of an early 1990s massive rave, but the Park is a solar research facility built by international steelmaker JFE to explore alternative energy technologies. Of course, new energy sources are a hot R&D area in Japan right now following the Tohoku earthquake/tsunami and massive nuclear accident at Fukushima. Fifty-two of the 54 nuclear reactors in Japan are now shut down for safety review. From National Geographic:
Located along the industrial coast of the port city of Yokohama, the Solar Techno Park aims to achieve a combined output capacity of 40 to 60 kilowatts this spring. The facility’s most notable apparatus is the HyperHelios (seen here), a photovoltaic system consisting of rows of heliostats with mirrors that follow the sun and a receiving tower.
