FUKUSHIMA—A new problem has befallen the already notorious mega solar project on Mount Sendatsuyama: glaring light reflecting off the photovoltaic panels is blinding drivers at the foot of the summit.

The Fukushima prefectural government and the Fukushima city government were flooded with complaints starting in autumn 2024 from residents concerned about the possible risk of traffic accidents as the large-scale solar farm in the municipality nears completion.

The Sendatsuyama mega solar plant’s plan involves placing 96,000 panels on the mountain. The project was previously lambasted for tarnishing the local scenery after construction left patches of bare land on the mountainside.

Regarding the latest controversy, the solar farm’s Tokyo-based operator, Amp-lify Co., formerly Amp Co., notified Fukushima Prefecture that same fall that it would “embark on a survey.”

The company had received a forest development permit from the prefecture to build the facility.

However, the company has yet to release its evaluation results 10 months following the surfacing of the concerns about glare, and the issue remains unresolved.

MAJOR ROAD HAZARD

One complaint Fukushima Prefecture received was from a truck driver who called on Sept. 24 last year after a scare on the road.

“The shine reflecting from the solar panels was so bright that I nearly got into a traffic accident,” recalled the driver. “The situation is extremely risky.”

The local said he was stunned when he found himself suddenly unable to see almost anything in front of him during a portion of his drive. Blocking his sight was a wall of immense light bouncing off the mega solar farm 10 kilometers west of the Tohoku Expressway.

He argued that “some sort of countermeasures, such as changing the angle of the panels, should be implemented before an accident actually occurs.”

According to the prefectural government’s call records, the man stated that he was driving southward from the Fukushima Junction to the Azuma Parking Area along the expressway at around 10:30 a.m. earlier that day.

“The light came from the solar power plant, which has recently been a hot topic on the internet and elsewhere,” he said toward the end of the conversation.

The prefecture’s agricultural and forestry office overseeing the northern part of Fukushima wasted no time in sharing this with Amp-lify. The company is the Japanese arm of Canada’s Amp Solar Group Inc., or Amp Energy, and is responsible for the plant’s operations.

A company representative responded by stressing that it was “the first time for us to hear such a complaint.”

“We will consider conducting an inspection to determine whether similar phenomena are observed in the vicinity,” the utility official was quoted as saying in reply to the prefectural government.

Fukushima Prefecture on Oct. 16 contacted the Amp-lify side again to follow up on the progress of the inspection.

Amp-lify answered that it would hold a relevant meeting “on Oct. 21” with the Tokyo-based Japan Weather Association (JWA), which carried out the solar farm’s environmental impact assessment. The company added that the envisioned probe would take about a month.

The results of this have yet to be shared, and the prefectural government has criticized the company for not producing any findings. Each time the prefecture asked about the progress, Amp-lify simply responded, “The final outcome is still unavailable.”

Regardless of its inability to offer any definitive outcome, the company was aware that light pollution was a potential danger long before it drew local ire.

REAL ANSWERS ELUSIVE

The JWA’s environmental impact assessment report from 2021 concluded that the farm’s potential negative effects “will be reduced to the lowest extent possible within viability” by implementing a range of environmental protection measures.

“Using low-reflective cells for the solar panels” and “meticulously arranging and angling them” were among the strategies listed in the report, as was a call to prioritize “taking steps to prevent light pollution in the surrounding area.”

Nevertheless, Fukushima has seen complaints pour in, not only about damage to the local scenery but also “the blinding light from the panels.”

A city representative has reportedly confirmed that the glare is indeed an issue after touring the areas around the power plant.

Similar criticism was likewise raised during the dialogue organized by a citizens’ group that invited related personnel from Amp-lify on July 1.

One attendee pointed out that there is “sometimes no choice but to drive through streets with strong lights shining head-on.”

The same attendee went on to emphasize this with a warning.

“It would go beyond the point of no return if children were hit,” the attendee said. “Steps must be put in place as soon as possible.”

The Amp-lify side refrained from commenting on concrete countermeasures, reiterating that “inspection results have yet to be obtained.”