GREENPEACE INSTALL SOLAR ARRAY AT KYOTO'S MOST FAMOUS TEMPLE

Kyoto, JAPAN - 30 November 1997

Greenpeace today installed a solar array within the grounds of one of the most famous Buddhist temples in Japan.. Monks of the Kiyomizu-Dera Temple, established over 12oo years ago, allowed a team of seven Greenpeace activists to build a 16 square metre array and erect a 50 square metre banner in order to draw attention to climate change. The banner read; "Climate chaos or solar future: the choice is ours."

The temple is set in the wooded hills above Kyoto, 11 kilometres from the conference centre where governments begin a ten-day meeting tomorrow to agree on how far industrialised countries cut their greenhouse gas emissionss to protect the climate.

Matthew Spencer, Greenpeace International Climate Campaigner said: "Global climate change is not inevitable. Clean energy technology is available now. If governments of the industrialised world were to agree to reduce their emissions by a fifth over the next five years money would pour from fossil fuels into renewables and kick-start clean energy projects all over the world."

When Kiyomizu-Dera Temple was established, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide was around 280 parts per million (ppm). It stayed that way for the majority of the last 1200 years until the end of the last century when fossil fuel use increased dramatically. Concentrations are now 30 per cent higher and escalating. The increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is leading to increasing temperatures and sea level rise. This year, 1997, will be the hottest year on record. To stabilise concentrations at current levels, governments would have to agree to keep the majority of fossil fuels locked up under the ground and phase-in renewable energy rapidly.

The solar array installed in the temple is made of 18 crystalline silicon panels with a peak output of 1.5 kW. The electricity from the panels will be used to power an LED notice board that will broadcast messages from Greenpeace supporters and visitors to the temple for the duration of the climate conference, which concludes December 10.

Japanese solar companies are currently increasing their manufacturing capacity dramatically in response to growing consumer demand for solar roofs. Kyocera, a multinational company based in Kyoto, expect to sell 100,000 solar panels (6 megawatts [MW]) worldwide in 1997, up from 650,000 panels (4MW) in 1996, and plan to open 100 dedicated solar sales offices in Japan alone by the year 2000.

Matthew Spencer added; "As governments go into negotiations for a climate protection agreemnet they should be thinking about the opportunities they can create for the sunrise industries like solar photovoltaics rather than listening to the misinformation from oil companies. Their motto should be 'out with the old, in with the new."

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Greenpeace press officer Holger Roenitz in Kyoto on +81 20 25 529 28

Kalee Kreider (Greenpeace USA) on +81 20 24 915 02

Matthew Spencer on site at +81 20 25 186 15