14 DAY TRIAL // News from Japan says that a group of daredevils have set the basis for a so-called Renewable Energy Village in the country's Fukushima prefecture.
As reported on several occasions, this region was badly shaken by the nuclear meltdown that occurred in March 2011, when the Fukushima plant was hit by an earthquake and a tsunami.
New Scientist says that, while Tepco is cleaning up the mess the earthquake and the tsunami left behind at the nuclear power plant's site, a bunch of folks are working on reclaiming the land that was lost in the aftermath of the nuclear fallout.
The same source details that the Renewable Energy Village that these people are now building is a solar park that doubles as a farm.
Thus, the project has until now seen the installation of 120 photovoltaic panels whose combined power generation amounts to 30 kilowatts. For the time being, the electricity is sold to a local utility.
What's makes the village stand out is the fact that the solar panels up and running within its perimeter are not laid on the ground, but raised just enough so that people are able to grow crops beneath them. This type of project is known as “solar sharing.”
“People evacuated from areas closer to the plant have given up ever farming their fields again,” explains project leader Ryozo Hakozaki.
“There might be an amusement park feel to the project, but we're trying to show them what the future could hold,” he adds.
The people behind this initiative say that, although eating food grown in soil that's been contaminated by nuclear materials is almost never a good idea, farming in such areas is possible, provided that radiation levels are low, and that the right crops are chosen.
Thus, some plants have been documented to absorb more radiation than others.
The Renewable Energy Village project is underway in the city of Minamisoma. In the months to come, the 120 photovoltaic panels that have so far been installed are expected to be accompanied by several wind turbines.
If funding is secured, recreational and educational facilities such as an astronomical observatory will also be erected in the area.