Solar floats to the top with largest site of its kind

A floating solar farm claimed to be the world’s largest has been successfully connected to the grid in China. The announcement was made by inverter supplier Sungrow, which helps operate […]

A floating solar farm claimed to be the world’s largest has been successfully connected to the grid in China.

The announcement was made by inverter supplier Sungrow, which helps operate the 40MW power plant in Huainan.

The 120,000 solar panels float on the surface of a lake formed when old coal mines flooded – the total installation is able to power approximately 15,000 homes.

The company says the water in the lake is heavily mineralised, making it unsuitable for many other purposes, such as agriculture.

A spokesperson from the local government said: “The plant not only makes full use of this area, reducing the demand for lands, but also improves generation due to the cooling effects of the surface.

Solar energy’s 75GW of new capacity in 2016 was led by rapid development in China, India and the US.

The largest floating solar array in Europe was installed in Greater London last year.

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