SHANGHAI: Workers have completed the inspection and cleaning of solar panels at a large floating photovoltaic power generation project in the Lingcheng district of Dezhou, Shandong province, China. This project spans an area equivalent to 800 standard football fields and is located over the Dingzhuang reservoir, which supplies industrial water for the Dezhou power plant operated by Huaneng Power International Inc.
As one of the largest floating photovoltaic farms globally, the project includes over 600,000 solar panels divided into 81 sections, each equipped with advanced monitoring inverters. The panels, supported by floating devices, allow for improved light absorption and power generation efficiency.
Since its connection to the grid in 2021, the project has generated approximately 1.26 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, resulting in an annual average saving of 200,000 tonnes of standard coal and a reduction of 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Additionally, it contributes to a reduction in water evaporation by 1.6 million cubic meters each year.
Shandong province has been rapidly advancing its clean energy initiatives, with the installed capacity of new and renewable energy growing at an average annual rate of 25.2% since 2021. By the end of June this year, the installed capacity of new energy power generation in Shandong surpassed 100 million kilowatts, enabling the generation of 190 billion kilowatt-hours of green electricity annually.
As of late October, the cumulative installed capacity of new energy and renewable energy power generation in Shandong has exceeded that of coal-fired power generation, marking a significant shift towards greener energy sources in the region.