Event Report: Promoting Local SDGs with Shiojiri City's First On-Farm Solar Sharing Project, Completion Ceremony Held for 'Kirara Seikatsu Club Nagano Power Plant'

Kirara Seikatsu Club Nagano Power Generation Co., Ltd., a company funded by the Seikatsu Club Consumers' Co-operative Union (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Shoichi Murakami), held a completion ceremony on Saturday, June 13, 2026, for its agro-photovoltaic (solar sharing) power plant, which installs solar panels on farmland to generate electricity and conduct agriculture simultaneously.

The newly completed 'Kirara Seikatsu Club Nagano Power Plant' is the first on-farm solar sharing project in Shiojiri City. The initiative involves installing solar panels over a field used to grow Chinese chives, an ingredient for gyoza handled by Seikatsu Club. The farmland is managed by Kirara Farm Co., Ltd., a group company of the gyoza manufacturer and partner producer, Misei Shoji Co., Ltd. Members of Seikatsu Club Nagano have deepened their exchange by participating in activities such as planting the chives. The plant's nickname, 'Hatake no Hatsudensho Sora-iro' (The Sky-Blue Field Power Plant), was also conceived by members, and a sign facing the Japan Alps Salad Road was unveiled at the end of the ceremony.

The installed solar panels are a 'tracking type' that automatically move to follow the sun's path, allowing for efficient power generation even as the sun's position changes with the time of day and season. The electricity generated here is sold to Seikatsu Club Energy and becomes part of the power used by Misei Shoji Co., Ltd., which utilizes the supplied 'Seikatsu Club Denki,' and by the Seikatsu Club Nagano/Okaya Center.

Comments from Ceremony Attendees

Mr. Nao Komatsu, President and Representative Director, Kirara Seikatsu Club Nagano Power Generation Co., Ltd. 'Although slightly delayed from our original schedule, we were able to complete the project thanks to everyone's efforts. We will grow these chives together with the co-op members. Energy will be produced above the field. The chives will then go to a cut-vegetable factory and become Seikatsu Club's frozen gyoza. I hope this solar sharing project will be the first step in circulating production and consumption locally. Amid global instability, I hope that producing not only food but also energy can help protect the lives of everyone in the community.'

Mr. Takashi Momose, Mayor of Shiojiri City 'On this perfect day for power generation, I sincerely congratulate the completion of the Kirara Seikatsu Club Nagano Power Plant, the first on-farm agro-photovoltaic power station in Shiojiri City. Seikatsu Club and Shiojiri City have a comprehensive partnership agreement in a wide range of fields, including food safety, promotion of natural energy, and local community development. The 'Hatake no Hatsudensho Sora-iro' initiative is a circular, participatory, and sustainable advanced endeavor where electricity is generated in a field where members also participate in farm work, and that electricity is then used to manufacture gyoza. As global warming becomes an increasingly serious problem in people's lives, I have great expectations for your efforts to realize local SDGs.'

Ms. Hitomi Arisawa, President, Seikatsu Club Nagano (right) & Ms. Yuko Tsuzuki, Director, Seikatsu Club Nagano (left)

Ms. Hitomi Arisawa, President, Seikatsu Club Nagano 'Since the official name 'Kirara Seikatsu Club Nagano Power Plant' is a bit long, we decided to come up with a nickname. We settled on 'Hatake no Hatsudensho' (The Field Power Plant), and to make it more familiar, we wanted to add a word for blue, relating to the sky above the field. There are 78 words for blue in Japanese, so it was quite difficult to choose. Among navy, ultramarine, and light blue, 'sora-iro' stood out. 'Sora-iro' means the color of the daytime sky on a clear day, a bright blue darker than light blue, which I thought was exactly the color of the Shiojiri sky! While 'Sora-iro' is still a small effort, we want to move forward with big dreams for the future.'

Ms. Yuko Tsuzuki, Director, Seikatsu Club Nagano 'Over the past year, members of the Shiojiri branch have participated in planting and harvesting in this chive field about once a month as a farm work experience. Seven members have already volunteered for future work, but we will be short-handed, especially in the summer. We are planning a system where people can work for one to two hours in the morning or evening at their convenience, so we want to involve a wide range of members. In the future, we also plan to regularly recruit not only members but also local parents and children for chive harvesting experiences, so we want to focus on building our community.'

About 'Seikatsu Club Denki' 'Seikatsu Club Denki' is renewable energy electricity sold by Seikatsu Club Energy Co., Ltd., aiming to phase out nuclear power and achieve domestic self-sufficiency for all electricity sources. In addition to the newly completed Kirara Seikatsu Club Nagano Power Plant, solar, wind, and biomass power plants are operating in various regions across the country, supplying electricity as 'Seikatsu Club Denki' to members' homes, producers' factories, and Seikatsu Club facilities.

About Seikatsu Club Established: 1965 | Members: Approx. 420,000 | Total Business Turnover: Approx. ¥100 billion (as of March 2025) Seikatsu Club is a consumers' co-operative union composed of 33 regional co-ops in 21 prefectures. It delivers safe food products that meet its own standards, such as being primarily domestic, having reduced additives, and using fewer pesticides. Through its collective purchasing activities of items that consider health and the environment from production to disposal, it aims to realize a sustainable society. It also promotes 'Connected Local SDGs' to expand the circle of circulation and symbiosis across regions and generations by cooperating with all involved, including producers, members, and production areas.