China Inches Closer to Bringing Its Massive Floating Solar Farm Online

Solar energy is of great interest to both corporations and consumers around the world. China is one nation where solar energy can make a very big impact over the coming years. China Three Gorges Corp. is now building the world’s biggest floating solar power plant. With a price tag of US$151 million, the expectations for this project are pretty high.

China’s Floating Solar Plant is Coming

It is not the first time we’ve heard of plans by China to build a massive floating solar energy plant. It is evident that renewable energy sources are of great interest to this Asian country right now. Although China still has a somewhat thriving coal industry, solar energy is an industry well worth exploring in the next few years. As we’ve learned about China, they don’t shy away from rolling out massive projects either.

With a price tag of US$151 million – or 1 billion yuan – the undertaking by China Three Gorges Corp. is pretty spectacular. The goal is to create a 150-megawatt floating solar energy facility. Work on this project began in July of this year, and it seems part of the plant has already been connected to the grid. With solar panels fixed to floats on the surface of a lake, this facility should be more than capable of sustaining households across China.

How this venture will play out in the near future has yet to be determined. Its initial success is a big step in the right direction, but there is still a lot of work to be done. China is setting a remarkable precedent in the world of floating solar energy facilities. This particular venture is expected to be completed in May of 2018, and is only one of many such facilities being constructed in the country right now.

Ground-mounted solar energy farms are still the go-to solution in most countries around the world. This was once the case in China as well, but things have come to change in the recent past. More specifically, it is very difficult to realize the full potential of ground-mounted solar farms right now. Grid congestion is the culprit in this regard, and there is no real way to counter that problem. Instead, it makes more sense to look into floating solar energy activities, as there is plenty of room to work with across all of China.

When this facility is fully up and running, it will be the largest floating solar power plant in China. Right now, that title belongs to the Sungrow Power Supply Co. farm, which produces 40 megawatts of power. Interestingly enough, these two facilities are located in the exact same province. It will be interesting to see how all of these efforts affect energy consumption and production across China over the next few years.

Renewable energy is the next logical frontier for our society as a whole. The time has come to move away from fossil fuels in every possible way. With technological advancements in harvesting, storing, and using renewable energy, things are looking rather bright right now. Seeing China make a meaningful impact in this regard is a positive first sign, to say the very least.