Japan's largest solar panel plant is in full swing in Kunitomi, Miyazaki Prefecture, daily churning out up to 16,000 30-sq.-cm solar panels that have a conversion efficiency rate of more than 12 percent.
That may not seem like much, but by industry standards it's competitive. Brooks Herring, an executive officer at Solar Frontier, the plant's operator, also points out that the production method at the ¥100 billion facility is environmentally friendly.
"No cadmium or lead is used in the production process, and the rare earth minerals we use, like indium, often come from recycled products," he said.