What Are The Top 5 Largest Solar Power Installations In The World?
The world’s two most populous countries – China and India have begun to invest heavily in alternative energy sources in a bid to move away from fossil fuels. There are a number of reasons for this, but perhaps the most important of these reasons are the fact that reliance on fossil fuels such as coal for power plants means using a finite resource. eventually it is going to run out. But perhaps even more pressing for these two countries is the absolute necessity to reduce air pollution levels which are affecting their urban areas to such an extent that it is leading to health problems among their citizens and having a severe impact on productivity.
As an example China is the world’s largest emitter of carbon – much of it from power plants. In fact China emits twice as much CO2 as the United States. China has recognized the problem and has pledged to source 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030 – and a large amount of this will come from solar projects.
It’s also been recognized by these countries that the rapid advances in solar power technology means that it is now the cheapest form of power generation on the planet – with costs now coming in at around dollar 0.03 per kilowatt hour.
However, the United States which once led the world as far as solar technology and mega installations has not been left in the dust. It still has some of the largest solar farms in the world.
So what are the top 5 solar installations in terms of size and generating capacity?
1. Topaz Solar Farm.
This solar farm in California produces 550 MW worth of power. It was completed in 2014 – built by NASDAQ listed First Solar. First Solar has estimated that the energy produced at Topaz is enough to provide electricity for around 160,000 homes in the California area alone. The project is unusual in that it uses thin film solar panels rather then the silicon based panels that other mega solar installations use.
2. Solar Star.
Another very large solar farm developed by SunPower in Rosamond California was completed in 2015. This solar farm produces 579 MW of power. When it was completed it held the rank of number one in terms of generating capacity – it has however now been overtaken by other projects elsewhere in the world. The farm is highly efficient due to the fact that the panels track the movement of the sun maximizing output. According to SunPower the output is enough to power 255,000 homes.
3. Kamuthi.
In 2016 the Kamuthi Solar Power Project in India was completed. The sheer scale of this solar farm is staggering. With two and a half million panels covering an area of around 4 square miles it is one of the most impressive in the world. It generates 648 MW. It is only one of a series of new solar installations that India has planned in its attempt to generate 100GW of power from solar by 2022. This would allow the country to provide power to 16.4 million U.S. style homes.
4. Longyangxia Dam.
Generating 850 MW’s this solar park in China is another project of staggering scale. With 4 million panels covering ten square miles it held the title of the world’s largest in 2017, but the title soon passed to an Indian project.
5. Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park.
Currently the world’s largest solar installation this project generates 1000 MW. India plans to build several more of projects this size in the coming decade.
