BEIJING: Rows of solar panels stretch across what were once abandoned tidal flats in Dongshan county, Zhangzhou, Fujian province.
Steel pillars driven into the seabed hold the panels above the waterline, allowing aquaculture activities to continue below while clean electricity is being generated above — a visible example of how coastal provinces maximize limited marine space.
The 180,000-kilowatt solar farm, built on more than 200 hectares of mudflats, is the country’s first offshore solar project in a high-wind-speed zone, operated by China Three Gorges Corporation. The project exemplifies how offshore wind and coastal solar are reshaping the province’s energy landscape.
Dongshan is part of a larger national effort. China has to date approved more than 200 offshore wind projects, pushing cumulative grid-connected capacity past 47 million kW — around half of the global total and the world’s top ranking for five consecutive years, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
