China’s largest floating solar power plant goes online

China recently announced that its world’s largest floating solar power plant is now online and generating renewable energy while being connected to the local power grid.

Located in the city of Huainan, the 40-megawatt power plant was built by Sungrow, a manufacturer of photovoltaic (PV) inverter systems. The facility is now afloat in water that is four to ten meters deep.

The area where the solar power plant floats was formerly a place of coal mining operations because of which the water at that location is mineralized making it mostly useless. The lake was itself created years after the mining operations. The land surrounding it collapsed, forming a cavity in turn which was filled with rainwater, informs Futurism.

Studies show the floating solar power plants are beneficial since they make positive use of the useless land and water. Along with that, the water also cools down the system and the ambient temperatures naturally, advancing generation and also preventing long-term damage from heat.

Floating panels also does not take up much space in heavily populated areas like China with population of approximately one million people in each of its more than 100 cities.

Moreover, in order to prevent fresh water evaporation, the floating PV solar panels are customized to efficiently work regardless of high humidity levels.

From being among the worst offenders in the land of carbon emissions and climate change, these floating PV arrays have become a world leader in the adaptation of renewables in its mission to make the future greener and more sustainable, reported Science Alert.

Such advancements like this floating solar power plant are evidence that there are infinite ways to deal the problem in more practical and effective way. The future of renewables also depicts the future of humanity.