課題を抱える中で…福島市・先達山メガソーラーが完成　景観悪化や土砂災害への懸念　さらには光害も

A massive solar power plant constructed on Mt. Sendatsu has been completed and has begun selling electricity. However, in addition to concerns about landscape degradation and disaster risk, a new problem has emerged: "light pollution," where the intense light reflected from the panels interferes with driving. Numerous challenges remain in coexisting with the local community. ■Mega-solar Plant Completed Motokazu Matsutani lives at the foot of Mt. Sendatsu. As usual, during his morning walk, he gazed at the solar panels covering the eroded mountainside. "During construction, you can see the bald mountain, but they said it would disappear once construction was complete, and that they would plant greenery. It's truly bizarre that this has been approved and yet abandoned," he said. Mr. Matsutani and his friends founded the "Sendatsuyama Watch Group" in January 2025 and questioned its construction. The mega-solar plant on Mt. Sendatsu was completed on July 31st. ■Concerns about Landscape Degradation and Disasters Construction of the Sendatsuyama Solar Power Plant began in November 2021. Approximately 96,000 solar panels have been installed, and from the end of September, they will sell enough electricity to Tohoku Electric Power Company to power 16,000 average households annually. However, as full-scale construction began, concerns grew over the deterioration of the landscape and the risk of landslides, causing widespread controversy. ■Panel Reflections Become a Problem As completion neared, a new issue emerged: "light pollution" caused by reflections from the solar panels. The first person to report this problem to Fukushima Prefecture in late September 2024 was a truck driver driving on the Tohoku Expressway, who said, "The reflected light was so bright that it almost caused a traffic accident," and "Something should be done, such as changing the angle of the panels, before an accident occurs." ■Reports of Light Pollution Continue to Stream Following this, Fukushima Prefecture and Fukushima City continued to receive reports of "impediments to driving." The strong reflected light spreads in a straight line around the time the setting sun begins to shine. Tsuyoshi Umemiya, vice president of the "Sendatsuyama Observation Group," was one of those who experienced the dazzling light while driving. "Around 5 p.m., the light started to come out, like there was another sun, and it was so intense that I couldn't really look directly at it," he said. ■Raising the issue to the operator... At a dialogue meeting with the operator held on July 1, 2025, Umemiya confronted the operator about the "light pollution" issue, saying, "If a child were to be hit by a car, it would be a huge problem. I want them to understand that this is something that needs to be addressed quickly." In response, Amp announced that it has been conducting simulations of the reflection conditions since 2024 and intends to share the information with Fukushima City and others once the results are available. Fukushima City requested a "status report" and "measures" from the operator in July and is still awaiting a response. ■Can we coexist and prosper? The Sendatsuyama mega solar power plant will continue selling electricity to Tohoku Electric Power for the next 20 years. Is "coexistence and prosperity" possible? The day has begun where we must once again face that question. Matsutani Motokazu, representative of the Group for Keeping an Eye on Mt. Sendatsu, said, "If further problems arise, who will bear the responsibility if something wrong is done? I really think that citizens, government, and businesses alike need to think a little more seriously about this. We need to think of it as everyone's problem." #Fukushima #News