China has taken a step that will make all countries around the world envious in terms of solar energy. A company affiliated with the China Green Development Investment Group has put the world’s largest solar power plant into operation in the Xinjiang region. This massive facility, called the Xinjiang Midong Solar Project, has a capacity of 3.5 gigawatts and contains 5.26 million panels. This capacity is large enough to power approximately 100 million LED bulbs.
The world’s largest solar power plant is operational in China
This enormous solar power plant, spread over 32,947 acres, will generate approximately 6.09 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. This amount is enough to meet Papua New Guinea’s annual energy needs. The project was built in stages with a total investment of $2.13 billion. The plant is equipped with monocrystalline double-glass PV panels and 129 miles of transmission lines.
Solar energy provided about 4.5% of global electricity in 2022, and this ratio is increasing every year. China made a significant contribution to this growth by accounting for 38% of the new capacity in 2022. The European Union and the United States have shares of 17% and 15%, respectively.
When you see a photo of the world’s largest solar power plant, you’ll notice that the solar panels stretch as far as the eye can see in a desert environment. This means that solar power plants can be established without using valuable agricultural land.
In a similar project in the Gobi Desert, a system using thousands of mirrors to focus light on a central point for steam generation and turbine operation is being used. These innovations demonstrate how quickly solar energy technology is developing and how different designs are being implemented.
The China Green Development Investment Group aims to install more than 20 gigawatts of renewable energy by the end of the year. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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