Japan Repurposes Closed Golf Courses for Solar Power
Japan has limited flat land for large solar installations, so developers are placing arrays on abandoned golf courses left from the 1980s economic boom. A Bloomberg review found that former courses host about 9 percent of Japan's large-scale solar capacity, and more than a tenth of announced or under-construction capacity is planned for such sites. These locations are generally cheap, flat, and already connected to the grid, helping avoid conflicts tied to clearing forests.
Japan’s terrain and population density leave few sites for utility-scale solar. Many golf courses built during the 1980s boom later lost users and shut. A Bloomberg review found former courses hold 9 percent of Japan’s large solar capacity, while at least 10 percent of announced or under-construction utility-scale capacity is planned there.
After the 2011 Fukushima accident, reactor closures and solar incentives spurred new projects. Some went onto abandoned farmland, including contaminated land in Fukushima, or into foothills, where forest clearing raised landslide concerns and public opposition. Former courses offer cheaper, flatter, grid-connected land.
The shift could affect rural landowners, former golf-course operators, nearby residents, and energy consumers. Reusing already developed, grid-connected sites may reduce pressure to clear forests and lower some land-use conflicts. It may also bring new revenue or construction activity to areas with closed courses, though communities could face changed landscapes and local debate over project size, access, and environmental trade-offs. How benefits and burdens are distributed may depend on planning and community engagement.