A giant offshore solar energy plant went live in Shandong Province, east China, on 13 November, when its first panels were connected. Likely to be seen as setting a world-standard, the 1-gigawatt facility is claimed to be a world-first and the largest of its kind, occupying an area of approximately 1,223 hectares, eight kilometres off the coast of Dongying City.
Colossal infrastructure project
An important plank in China’s green transition, following the launch of the world’s largest single-capacity offshore wind turbine earlier this year, the new offshore PV plant will “serve as a model for the development of large-scale offshore PV projects in the industry,” according to hopes expressed by the state-owned company. But, having successfully connected the first photo-voltaic (PV) panels, there is now more work ahead.
Developed by CHN Energy’s Guohua Energy Investment Co., Ltd, the project’s scale is colossal, comprising nearly 3,000 PV platforms with the help of steel trusses and fixed pile foundations. Each individual platform “measures 60 meters in length and 35 meters in width,” a company press release revealed, adding that: “Notably, this project marks the first time in China that a 66-kilovolt offshore cable paired with an onshore cable has been used for high-capacity, long-distance transmission in the PV sector.”
Fishing and reduced emissions combined
Once properly up and running, the project is “expected to generate 1.78 billion kilowatt-hours of power annually, enough to meet the needs of approximately 2.67 million urban residents in China,” CHN said. The solar energy produced will be “equivalent to saving an estimated 503,800 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1.3447 million tons.”
Another sustainable aspect of the project, is the combination of solar energy and food production on the same site in an “integrated fishing and PV” model. Fish farming will take place in the same marine area in order to maximise its “comprehensive utilisation”, CHN noted.
Finding room for solar
CHN is not the only firm getting creative with where to put solar panels. From wineries in California to stadium rooftops in Norway, many locations appear to hailing the advent of vertical solar panels as a breakthrough when it comes to space-saving and efficient use of land.
In Switzerland, a trial is taking place where PV panels have been fitted along rail tracks, while in Portugal a floating PV plant the size of four football pitches has been installed on a reservoir in the Alentejo region.
