Plans for a huge solar farm to be constructed in China have recently been revealed. Once completed in 2027, it is expected to be the biggest solar farm on Earth. This project in Inner Mongolia, expected to cost eleven billion dollars, would reportedly help the nation significantly increase its capacity to generate renewable energy.
(Photo : Pexels/Vincent Delsuc )
$11 Billion Solar Farm Project in China
More than half of the solar capacity deployed in the United Kingdom, the 8-gigawatt project of China can power about 6 million houses. Apart from five gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy storage at the site, the integrated energy project will include four gigawatts of wind power, four gigawatts of coal-fired electricity, and two hundred megawatts of solar thermal.
Under China's Three Gorges Renewables Group, the initiative is anticipated to start in September 2024 and be completed by June 2027. Conversely, the predicted 200,000 acres or 809km2 farm will be nearly 30km2 larger than New York City, New York, United States of America, and around 100 km2 bigger than Singapore Island.
In addition, the project will produce additional power sources, record-breaking size, and solar energy output. As of this June, China's Xinjiang solar farm remains the largest, with a 3.5 gigawatts (GW) capacity. Nevertheless, China's progress in the construction of solar infrastructure appears to be years ahead of that of other countries, even though exact data can be challenging. Compared to the estimated one terawatt (TW) of solar energy produced worldwide, it is claimed that China has installed more than 300 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity. This indicates that China can generate one-third of the solar energy produced on Earth.
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China's Solar Farms
In May, Premier Li Qiang, the second-highest official behind Xi Jinping, announced that the country would speed up building wind, hydroelectric, and solar panel farms. As the United States and Europe work to revitalize renewable energy production and assist businesses in avoiding bankruptcy, China is making significant headway in this area.
Last year, China fully operationalized its solar energy industry, unleashing its full potential. It erected more solar panels than the United States of America has ever done in its whole existence. Almost half of the wholesale price of the panels it sells was reduced. In addition, the company's fully-construction solar panel exports increased by 38 percent, while its shipments of integral components nearly doubled.
China's economy is faltering, yet the nation is boosting its investment in renewable energy, more significantly, solar power, a pillar of a significant bet on technological development. Leaders of China claim that a 'new trio' of companies that comprises solar panels, electric cars, and lithium batteries has allegedly replaced an 'old trio' of industries, including furniture, clothing, and appliances. China aims to use growing sectors like solar power, which Mr. Xi refers to as new productive forces, to revive a stagnating economy for more than ten years.
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