Out of China’s Dusty Northwest Corner, a Solar Behemoth Arises
- Solar farm to cover equivalent of 7,000 U.S. city blocks
- Minsheng New Energy managing $2.3 billion project in Ningxia
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As China adds record amounts of renewable energy, a solar farm under construction in the Ningxia region of the country’s northwest takes efforts to a new level.
The project, being developed in phases by the clean energy unit of China’s biggest private investment group, will cover 4,607 hectares, or slightly more than 7,000 U.S. east coast city blocks. It will boast capacity of 2 gigawatts when complete, surpassing the scale of photovoltaics in place in Thailand at the end of 2015. The 15.6 billion-yuan ($2.34 billion) plant will need about 6 million panels and will be the biggest the world has ever seen.