DIC Corporation announced that it has completed the installation of solar power systems at five sites in Japan, a key environmental initiative implemented as part of its sustainability program. The systems will produce a combined total of 1.5 megawatts (MW) of electric power annually for use within the respective sites.
 
This initiative followed the January 2018 installation of Japan’s largest solar power system, with a generating capacity of approximately 1.6 MW, at the Kashima Plant, in Kamisu, Ibaraki Prefecture. The new systems have been installed at the Tatebayashi Plant (Tatebayashi, Gunma Prefecture), Chiba Plant (Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture), Saitama Plant (Kita-Adachi-gun, Saitama Prefecture), Yokkaichi Plant (Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture) and the Central Research Laboratories (Sakura, Chiba Prefecture).
 
The Tatebayashi Plant’s system, built on idle land at the site, has a generating capacity of approximately 1.3 MW, second only to the Kashima Plant. At the other four sites, the installation format was tailored to specific requirements, including ground condition, to ensure improved power generation efficiency and stable operation. The installation of solar power systems at these five sites is expected to yield an annual decrease in CO2 emissions of 900 metric tons.
 
In addition to solar power systems, the DIC Group continues to promote the use of renewable energy by installing biomass boilers, methane gas boilers and wind power facilities with the aim of achieving an optimum energy mix at each site and, at the same time, producing energy and heat for on-site use.
 
The DIC Group’s new medium-term management plan, DIC111, launched in January 2019, outlines a target for reducing CO2 emissions across global DIC Group sites by 30% from the fiscal year 2013 level by fiscal year 2030.