Solar Energy

China Planning World's Largest Solar Farm

Published

January 2, 2009

2008 was an exciting year for solar energy, and 2009 is shaping up to be even better. Earlier this week, the China Technology Development Group Corp. and Qinghai New Energy Co. announced plans to build a 1 GW solar farm in China— the largest in the world.

Construction will begin this year on the first part of the project— a $150 million, 30 MW crystalline silicon and thin film solar power station in the Qaidam Basin. The full timeline for the project is not currently available.

If the solar farm is completed, it will be nearly twice as large as the largest solar installation to be announced thus far. Optisolar’s planned 550 MW thin film solar plant in San Luis Obispo, CA would supply energy to Pacific Gas and Electric Co.

Photo Credit: NREL

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In this article:China, solar farm

Written By Ariel Schwartz

was formerly the editor of CleanTechnica and is a senior editor at Co.Exist. She has contributed to SF Weekly, Popular Science, Inhabitat, Greenbiz, NBC Bay Area, GOOD Magazine, and more. A graduate of Vassar College, she has previously worked in publishing, organic farming, documentary film, and newspaper journalism. Her interests include permaculture, hiking, skiing, music, relocalization, and cob (the building material). She currently resides in San Francisco, CA.