China is once again showing their motivation to continue to be the number one position in the energy race. This time with the Talatan Solar Park, a massive park that generates energy like no other farm has produced before, and it’s seven times the size of Manhattan.
By combining solar, wind and hydroelectric power, the park is capable of producing around 16,930 megawatts, powering up around 5 million houses. And it doesn’t stop there, plans are to produce 45-50% more energy by 2030.
The country is focused on reducing fossil fuel energy and developing renewable sources for powering regions all around.
The Talatan Solar Park, and what it does
With an area of 420 kilometers, the Talatan Parks is the largest solar park to ever be built in the world. It has a capacity of 16,930 megawatts and is located about 10,000 feet above sea level in Qinghai Province’s Gonghe County. The park itself has 7 million solar panels that can produce up to 4,700 megawatts, and can easily light up 5 million households. In addition to the solar panels, the park features wind turbines that generate up to 4,700 megawatts, and hydroelectric dams capable of producing 7,380 megawatts.
The energy complex can power regions thousands of miles away from the park already, with its high voltage. And soon, it will be more, since the country plans to expand the park to 610 kilometers con continue the energy production to an even bigger scale.
It’s all about reducing greenhouse emissions
For years, China has been trying to increase renewable energy and reduce the impact that has been caused over decades with fuel energy. And they are doing an extensive work; President Xi Jinping had talked about making renewable energy sources six times more important, and they really are onto something. In the first half of the year, China reduced carbon emissions by 1% cutting down the generation of greenhouse gas emissions, and a demand for electricity that has risen 4%.
The main attraction of this park is the huge amount of electricity it is able to produce, however, there’s a lot more to it. The energy complex also promotes other types of renewable energy and even using more electric cars.
The solar panels have another use too: they can work as a wind shield, which reduces wind evaporation and helps vegetation to grow around, which in turn is grazed by sheep, protecting the panels’ environment. It’s a whole ecosystem that favors vegetation, decreasing evapotranspiration, and reducing the possibilities of erosion.
Future plans for the energy complex
Big expansions are planned for the park, that’s what the country has announced, they expect to make it bigger over the next 3 years, hoping to cut carbon emissions once and for all, and integrate renewable energy into a wider view, with industries, transportation, and digital infrastructure.
The goal is to generate up to 1,200 gigawatts of electricity from solar and wind panels by 2030. Reducing the need for fossil fuels and using renewable energy in every sector.
Although the park is already the biggest, they plan to go massive; turbines and dams are being added to continue the gigantic production of energy and become a massive clean energy producer.
Beijing wanted to build something 10 times bigger than Manhattan, and they are really on their way to do it, while the United States on the other hand, is not on the same track.
China continues to reinforce its leadership on renewable resources, while in the United States, is slowing down in the energy race, since President DonalTrump is, on the contrary, reducing his support for clean energy; impacting big projects like the Nevada solar farm that aimed to increase 50% of renewable energy by 2030 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (net-zero) by 2050.