China has begun construction of what will be the country’s largest floating solar farm, with a capacity of 2 GW. This project is located in the waters of the Yellow Sea near Lianyungang, Jiangsu, on China’s east coast, as reported by China National Nuclear Power (CNNP) in a report published by the Global Times.
About the new floating solar farm
This ambitious project, which involves an investment of approximately US$1.39 billion, will play a crucial role in the reduction of coal use by preventing the by preventing the burning of some 680,000 tons annually. In addition, it will contribute to decreasing carbon dioxide emissions by about 1.77 million tons each year, marking a significant step toward China’s carbon neutrality targets for 2060.
The park, which is expected to be fully operational in 2025 after connection to the state grid in September 2024, will cover an area of approximately 18.68 km². It will consist of two main sections: the marine area with solar panels and the onshore section that will facilitate the flow of electricity through an aerial corridor bridge to an elevator substation before integration into the national grid.
Over its estimated useful life of 25 years, the wind farm is expected to generate 2.23 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually, enough to meet the energy needs of approximately 230,000 people. Additionally, it will be accompanied by an onshore energy storage project with a capacity of 0.4 GW/h, scheduled for completion by the end of June.
Other project benefits
Lin Boqiang, director of the China Energy Economics Research Center at Xiamen University, highlighted to the Global Times the strategic advantage of the project due to its location near the coastal areas of southeastern China, where electricity demand is high and growing. However, Boqiang also commented on the country’s persistent reliance on coal and inadequate generation from renewable sources However, he noted that solar and wind power already account for 15% of the country’s energy production.
Importantly, China’s installed PV capacity reached 216.88 gigawatts in 2023, marking a 148.1% year-on-year increase according to the China Photovoltaic Industry Association.
Follow us on social networks and don’t miss any of our publications!
Inspenet.com YouTube LinkedIn Facebook Instagram X
Source: energias-renovables.com