China's "Solar Great Wall" aims to generate 100 gigawatts by 2030, providing renewable energy for Beijing, creating 50,000 jobs, combating desertification, and investing up to $100 billion in solar infrastructure along the Yellow River.
The total project investment is RMB12 billion ($1.65 billion). The Mengxi Blue Ocean Photovoltaic Power Station is also special because it hosts the first large-scale outdoor solar testing base in the Gobi desert, helping China gather more data on setting up solar power plants in challenging environments.
Does China have a solar power plant?
China aims to solve this with the West-East Power Transmission and Western Development initiative by setting up renewable energy projects in sparsely populated western regions. As part of this initiative, it has now converted a former coal mining site into its largest single-capacity solar power plant.
The increasing demand for clean energy and China's aim to reach net zero emissions by 2060 have increased renewable energy installations in the Asian country. However, large-capacity solar power plants require large tracts of land, which is difficult to achieve in densely populated regions with high electricity demand.
How can China solve a large-capacity solar power plant problem?
However, large-capacity solar power plants require large tracts of land, which is difficult to achieve in densely populated regions with high electricity demand. China aims to solve this with the West-East Power Transmission and Western Development initiative by setting up renewable energy projects in sparsely populated western regions.
Once a coal mining site, the Otog Front Banner, Ordos in Inner Mongolia is now home to the Mengxi Blue Ocean Photovoltaic Power Station, China's largest single-capacity solar power plant. The facility is designed to generate 5.7 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity every year, sufficient to power two million households.
China has announced plans to build a giant solar power space station, which will be lifted into orbit piece by piece using the nation's brand-new heavy lift rockets. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works.