Solar panels on Zhuangzitou Mountain

Will China build solar farms in politically sensitive regions?

The IEA notes that China met its own 2020 target for solar energy capacity additions three years early. There may be another incentive behind China’s drive to build solar farms in some politically sensitive regions.

Where is China's largest solar plant?

China is home to many sizeable solar farms – including the huge 850-megawatt Longyangxia Dam facility on the Tibetan Plateau, with its four million panels. And the largest solar plant in the world at the moment is in China’s Tengger Desert – its capacity exceeds 1,500 megawatts. You may also like:

Is Xinjiang a solar farm?

The new solar farm has impressed even Elon Musk. Xinjiang is sparsely populated and abundant in solar and wind resources. This makes it an ideal site for massive renewable energy bases that transmit most of their power over long distances to China’s densely populated eastern seaboard.

Why are solar panels so popular in China?

“It is like industrial policy for the government.” According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) more than 60% of the world’s solar panels are made in China. The government has a clear economic interest, then, in ensuring that there is high demand for solar panels.

Are China's big solar farms influencing energy policy?

China is not only home to some of the biggest solar farms; its technology looks set to influence energy policy across the globe. But how feasible are these grand plans? Fly over “Datong County”, a region in northern China, and you’ll see two giant pandas. One is waving at you. They are made of thousands of solar panels.

Why is China's solar farm based on a giant panda?

“It is designed and built as the image of the Chinese national treasure – the giant panda,” explains a document from Panda Green Energy, the company that constructed the farm. China has more solar energy capacity than any other country in the world, at a gargantuan 130 gigawatts.