China has recently launched the world’s largest solar power plant with an annual capacity of over 6 billion kilowatt hours. The 5GW facility is located in the desert region of Xinjiang province, covering 200,000 acres, equivalent to the size of New York City. This solar farm is powerful enough to meet the electricity demands of a country the size of Luxembourg or Papua New Guinea.
The new solar farm surpasses the Ningxia Teneggeli and Golmud Wutumeiren projects to become the largest in the world. China has been a leader in solar power adoption and has increased its capacity by more than 50 percent in 2023. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has praised China’s commitment to renewables, with the country expected to install more than half of the new renewable capacity globally by 2028.
In addition to its large-scale solar farms, China also has significant potential for rooftop and building-mounted solar panels. A report by Longi Green Energy Technology suggests that fitting solar panels on rooftops and buildings in China could generate enough electricity to power households in China and South-East Asia combined. However, concerns have been raised about overcapacity and potential trade tensions due to the surge in solar panel production in China. In response, US President Joe Biden announced an increase in tariffs on Chinese solar cell imports from 25 percent to 50 percent.
