Sakai Solar Power Plant — Japan

Sakai Solar Power Plant is a 28 MW solar power plant in Osaka, Japan. It is operated by Kansai Electric Power Co Inc. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 12k homes (estimated). It ranks #402 of 692 Japan power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2011, it is around 15 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, solar supplies about 9.8% of Japan's electricity; the national grid averages 477 gCO₂/kWh (32.7% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1026551.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000830605; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 28 MW, Sakai Solar Power Plant is well above the median solar plant in Japan (13 MW). Technically it is described as PV. Solar PV converts sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts or fuel; output varies by time of day and weather, so it pairs with storage or flexible backup.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Key facts

Share of Japan solar capacity

0.5% of 5,680 MW across 324 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

0 of 24 dated solar plants in Japan are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Capacity vs largest solar plants in Japan

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Kansai Electric Power Co Inc. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 34.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 35% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 36/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Solar PV loses ~0.35%/°C above 25°C cell temperature — roughly 1.0% at warm-season highs here (estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #62 largest solar power plant of 324 in Japan by capacity.

Japan has 324 solar power plants in this dataset, together about 5,680 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• Sakaiko · Gas · 2,000 MW · Osaka
• Sakai Port power station · Gas · 2,000 MW · Osaka
• Nanko · Gas · 1,800 MW · Osaka
• Senboku Natural Gas power plant · Gas · 1,109 MW · Osaka
• MITSUI CHEMICALS OSAKA · Other · 108 MW · Osaka
• OSAKA REFINERY POWER · Other · 168.9 MW · Osaka

Location

Coordinates 34.5842, 135.4086 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions