Who’s getting the world’s largest solar roof? China, of course. The Nanjing South Railway Station, to be specific. Building solar roofs on top of railway stations (where the world’s fastest trains are running) seems to be a growing trend in China.

The 7-MW solar roof on the Nanjing South Railway Station will be powered by solar modules from Chinese solar company China Sunergy, Green Stocks Central recently reported. Just a couple weeks prior to this announcement, China Sunergy also reported that it had received a 120-MW solar supply deal in Italy. Overall, in 2010, China Sunergy “entered into collectively over 600 MW of PV module contracts for year 2011 delivery” the company announced at the time. Looks like a company to keep an eye on.

“China Sunergy is delighted to be the module supplier for the ‘largest stand-alone BIPV project in the world,” Mr. Stephen Zhifang Cai, CEO of China Sunergy, said regarding the Nanjing South Railway Station project last week. “We are very happy to see our high-quality solar panels being used in this landmark project, which will certainly raise public awareness and appreciation of renewable energy. We look forward to playing an increasingly bigger role in building China’s eco-friendly projects.”

Apart from being solar powered, the Nanjing South Railway Station will also be one of the most energy-efficient public buildings in China.

As we all know, China is steaming ahead of the rest of the world on clean energy like solar. I’m sure there are a number of companies there hoping to grow by leaps and bounds in the coming years. And I’m sure there are many in the U.S. that wish they had such opportunities. Maybe if U.S. politicians start making decisions based on the needs of U.S. citizens and not 20th or even 19th-century energy sources, we will catch up.

Related Stories:
1. China’s Multi-Billion Dollar Renewable Energy Program Set for Launch Soon
2. Wow, China IS Serious About Clean Energy!
3. China Adding 500 Gigawatts of Renewable Power by 2020!

Photo Credit: Magalie L’Abbé

Zachary Shahan (2293 Posts)

I'm the director of CleanTechnica, the most popular clean energy website in the world, and Planetsave, a leading green and science news site. I've been covering green news of various sorts since 2008, and I've been especially focused on solar energy, electric vehicles, bicycling, and wind energy for the past few years. You can also find my work on Scientific American, Reuters, Think Progress, GE's ecomagination site, several sites in the Important Media network, & many other places. To connect on some of your favorite social networks, go to zacharyshahan.com or click on some of the links below.