Japan is known as a country that is big on preserving the environment, and 80km from Oi, Fukui Prefecture, lies the village of Sanno, Hyogo Prefecture that comprises of 11 households, which makes up the rather paltry population of 42 folks with an average age of slightly more than 60. What is so special about Oi? Well, it has its fair share of nuclear reactors, where one of them was reactivated recently after the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear meltdown crisis happened sometime last year. Well, when we take into consideration a different village – Sanno, which has gone solar. Located alongside the riverbank lies 216 solar panels, where the sign shows, “Sanno Neighborhood Association Solar Power Generating Installation.”
Sanno is said to be the first municipality in Japan that actually gains its entire electrical need from a renewable energy source, which is a way of showing the world that it can be done, being possible under the right circumstances. Will the rest of the world under similar circumstances be willing to follow the steps of the Sanno village?