The “green” movement in China makes news again, this time with solar power. Earlier this summer the country made headlines when it announced plans to build the a first-of-its-kind Forest City, which will be blanketed in nearly one million plants and 40,000 trees. Now, Clean Technica reports that China has exceeded its solar power installation targets ahead of the schedule outlined by the country’s 13th Five-Year Plan.
China has had a fantastically impressive year so far in terms of solar installations, and it doesn’t look like it is planning on stopping anytime soon, as the country managed to install 10.52 GW worth of new solar capacity in July alone.
Further, not only is 2017 a big year for solar installations, but China has already surpassed its 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) target of 105 GW solar installations. (Clean Technica)
Some of the Most Unique Solar Power Installations in China
One of the solar power installations which made this accomplishment possible is a 248 acre solar farm that looks like a giant panda from the air. Constructed by China Merchants New Energy Group, the Panda Power Plant will produce 3.2 billion kilowatt-hours of solar energy over the next 25 years. Generating that much electricity from sunshine will mean one million tons of coal won’t be burned, reducing carbon emissions by 2.74 million tons.
China also houses the largest floating solar power plant. Located in the city of Huainan in the Anhui province in China, the system has a power output capacity of 40 megawatts. The plant doesn’t use valuable land in the densely populated Huainan. In addition, the solar panels help conserve the lake’s freshwater by lowering evaporation. Moreover, the lake keeps the temperature around the solar panels lower. This results in improved efficiency and longer life-span for the panels.
Clean Energy to Offset Devastating Impact of Manufacturing Industry
China is definitely a country that needs new green spaces and sustainable clean energy. Over the last decade, the country has emerged as a manufacturing powerhouse. In 2011, China overtook the U.S. as the world’s largest producer of manufactured goods. With this change came many new production facilities and rapid growth in urban populations. This has resulted in a devastating impact on the environment and air quality.
Thankfully, solar energy installations are getting cheaper and solar technology is now more efficient. As a result, countries are able to set attainable goals for making the transition towards clean energy and away from fossil fuels.
Sources:
-https://cleantechnica.com/2017/07/18/panda-shaped-solar-power-farm-providing-clean-energy-china/
-http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/operations/our-insights/a-new-era-for-manufacturing-in-china
-https://futurism.com/china-just-exceeded-its-2020-target-for-solar-installations/
-https://cleantechnica.com/2017/05/26/china-activates-worlds-largest-floating-solar-power-plant/
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