Solar Ark, Science museum in Anpachi, Japan

Solar Ark is a 315-metre-long solar power facility in Anpachi, Gifu Prefecture, completed in December 2001. Its dark facade of 5,046 monocrystalline silicon panels curves gently and is held aloft by four G-Columns, giving the impression of a ship floating above the ground. Large red "SANYO" letters once marked the right side, with smaller white "SOLAR" lettering below.

The museum opened in 2002 as a project marking the 50th anniversary of Sanyo Electric, using solar panels that had been reclaimed after a sales incident in 2000. Panasonic Holdings transferred the facility to an Osaka real estate company in 2022 after power generation ceased.

The name refers to the shape of a giant ship whose curved walls seem to float above a flat plain. Travelers on the Shinkansen recognize the building by its silhouette and by the solar modules that shine differently during the day depending on how light strikes them.

The Solar Ark stands in Anpachi, Gifu Prefecture, beside the Tokaido Shinkansen tracks between Gifu-Hashima and Maibara stations, and can also be seen from the Meishin Expressway. Power generation stopped in 2022, the Solar Lab museum closed to the public in 2009, and the site is not open to visitors; demolition is scheduled to begin in September 2026.

At night, 77,200 LED lamps illuminate the facade and create patterns visible from trains and from the expressway. The installation transforms the building into a glowing object that stretches over several hundred meters and shapes the surrounding landscape after dark.