China is harnessing the power of the sun with a massive new offshore solar farm in Dongying, Shandong Province.
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Funded by Guohua Energy Investment Co, a CHN Energy subsidiary, the 1GW offshore solar PV project is connected to the state grid and is the country’s largest open sea solar project.
The 2,934 solar arrays are secured by large-scale steel truss platform piling technology for offshore installations. It is the first project in China’s photovoltaic industry to implement 66kV offshore and onshore long-distance transmission lines, delivering greater transmission capacity at a lower cost.
Once fully operational, the project is expected to generate 1.78 billion kilowatt-hours annually—enough to meet the power needs of approximately 2.67 million people.
It will also save 503,800 tons of standard coal and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 1.34 million tons.
Australia recently welcomed its largest floating solar farm at Gippsland Water in regional Victoria, which is being used for the Drouin Wastewater Treatment Plant.
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The 350kW system features 644 individual solar panels and floats on one of the plant’s treatment lagoons.
