China Plans World's Biggest Solar Plant
October 21, 2009
The world’s biggest solar power plant is coming to Inner Mongolia. It will be built in Ordos City, a Chinese industrial zone in the middle of the desert. The park will be bigger than Manhattan and will eventually generate two gigawatts of renewable energy.
This park is unique because so many solar panels are being installed in a single place. This is not only a new experiment for China but for the whole solar energy industry -- an experiment in how to plan, implement and maintain such large-scale projects.
“It will be the biggest solar project in the world,” said Brandon Mitchener from First Solar. “Enough to power three million Chinese homes and the equivalent of two nuclear power plants, at least when the sun is shining overhead.”
Breakthrough for solar energy industry
The solar expert Michael Schmaeler said the fact that China had chosen a Western company although there were so many Chinese solar companies marked a breakthrough.
“We are seeing China transforming itself from just a solar electricity producer into a solar energy consumer. It will take place slowly of course but I think it’s an important sign,” he said.
The project is part of China’s renewable energy policy, which is currently being developed on a massive scale. The government expects China to be generating 20 gigawatts of solar energy by 2020.
A way out of the crisis?
The ambitious plans are also part of the current strategy to find a way out of the world economic crisis.
The Chinese are the biggest producers of solar technology in the world but demand for their products has dropped dramatically as Europe’s solar energy market has crashed.
The creation of more demand for renewable technologies in China should help strengthen the domestic economy and create long-term prospects for the market.
Is there enough expertise?
Although many have welcomed China’s new energy policy, there is some scepticism that the Chinese have enough expertise to successfully manage this extensive solar energy project.
Since even Shanghai has a shortage of skilled technicians, some experts wonder how remote places such as Ordos will be able to ensure there is enough expertise on the ground.
Furthermore, some international companies are worried that copyright and patenting laws might be violated.
But Michael Schmaeler does not share these fears: “It’s about accumulating and getting access to Western technology, too. That simply makes sense. I think it is a legitimate goal to get access to Western technology.”
He even says that it is a win-win situation: for the Chinese, for First Solar and for the whole solar industry, adding that First Solar’s low-cost production brings much-needed competition.
Author: Verena Degens
Editor: Thomas Bärthlein