China fires up world’s largest open sea solar farm

A massive offshore floating solar park in China has begun generating power, according to a statement from state-owned China Energy Investment Corporation (CHN Energy). The country is the largest energy consumer in the world and has sought to accelerate transition towards renewable energy sources.

The one-gigawatt (GW) photovoltaic (PV) project, located eight kilometers off the eastern coast of Dongying City in Shandong Province, successfully connected its first batch of PV units to the grid on Wednesday, the company said.

The farm is the first and largest of its kind in the world, covering an area of about 1,200 hectares and featuring nearly 3,000 PV platforms measuring 60 meters in length and 35 meters in width, added CHN Energy.

Upon completion, the project is expected to generate enough power to meet the annual needs of over 2.6 million urban residents in China.

The project also includes fish farming to make better use of the marine space.

Floating solar, in which modules are installed either on pontoons close to sea level or platforms elevated above the water, is seen as a potential solution for space-constrained areas, according to Reuters.

Another floating solar project, a 202-megawatt (MW) farm located in eastern Shandong province, was commissioned two years ago and is now operational.

In May, China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) began construction of a two GW offshore solar plant near the coast of eastern Jiangsu province. It is located in an area designated for warm water discharge from the Tianwan nuclear power plant. 

In August, China inaugurated the world’s largest single-capacity offshore wind turbine in its southernmost Hainan province.

As the world’s second-most populous country, China is the largest energy consumer globally, and will “strive to achieve carbon neutrality” before 2060, Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang said earlier this week at the UN Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Ding Xuexiang called on developed countries to take the lead in “fulfilling emission reduction obligations.” Developing nations should do their best “within their capabilities,” he added.