Why is China's solar farm based on a giant panda?

“It is designed and built as the image of the Chinese national treasure – the giant panda,” explains a document from Panda Green Energy, the company that constructed the farm. China has more solar energy capacity than any other country in the world, at a gargantuan 130 gigawatts.

How much power does a Chinese solar farm use?

So while a Chinese solar farm may be billed as having a capacity of, say, 200 megawatts, less than a sixth of that on average actually gets used. The reasons for a low capacity factor can include things over which we have no control, such as the weather. But China’s capacity factors are unusually low.

When did the first Panda solar station start in Datong?

The first Panda Solar Station started operating in Datong in August 2017 (Credit: Getty Images) China is not only home to some of the biggest solar farms; its technology looks set to influence energy policy across the globe. But how feasible are these grand plans?

Is a hydroelectric dam connected to a solar farm at Longyangxia?

A hydroelectric dam is connected to a solar farm at Longyangxia - it is one of the largest photovoltaic power stations in the world (Credit: Nasa Earth Observatory) In such a climate, energy investors are turning away from gigantic, remote solar farms, and toward other opportunities, says Liu.

Where is the world's largest concentrating solar power plant located?

The world’s largest Concentrating Solar Power, the Noor Complex Solar Power Plant, now operates in the Sahara Desert in Morocco where it churns out 510 megawatts of power. Now, according to a report from China Global Television Network (CGTN), the Three Gorges Group in China has announced another evolution in CSP.

Will China build solar farms in politically sensitive regions?

The IEA notes that China met its own 2020 target for solar energy capacity additions three years early. There may be another incentive behind China’s drive to build solar farms in some politically sensitive regions.