CGN New Energy Holdings, a Chinese renewable energy developer, has successfully launched a 400MW offshore floating solar project in Laizhou Bay. This marks the country’s pioneering large-scale deep-water offshore solar initiative.
Situated in the Bohai Sea, close to Zhaoyuan City in Shandong province, the venture spans 6.4 square kilometers and comprises 121 PV sub-arrays. Grand Sunergy, a Chinese module producer, supplied its Seapower series of modules for the endeavor. These bifacial panels utilize heterojunction (HJT) cells to optimize electricity generation.
The manufacturer highlights that its modules incorporate rubber edge sealing and a waterproof junction box to enhance their durability in a setting where electrical components are susceptible to damage from high humidity and salt spray. The company asserts that the utilization of edge sealing techniques has decreased the modules’ water permeability by 99.9% compared to prevailing industry norms.
Given China’s significant influence in the worldwide solar industry, the launch of the nation’s inaugural utility-scale deep-water floating PV project marks a crucial achievement for its solar sector. Data from S&P Global indicates that floating solar initiatives will have a more substantial impact on China’s energy portfolio, with over 3.5GW slated for deployment by 2030. Forecasts suggest that China and India will lead in new floating capacity expansions, jointly representing 43% of the anticipated 20GW that S&P Global projects will be operational by the decade’s end.
Floating solar advancements have garnered heightened interest in recent times, as developers strive to optimize solar power generation without consuming extensive land areas, which are becoming scarcer as solar initiatives expand in scale. As an illustration, just this month, Malaysian company Cypark Resources Berhad inaugurated a 100MW solar venture, incorporating 35MW of floating solar technology.
The trend towards implementing novel floating solar ventures is evident in Europe as well, as developers in Italy and the Netherlands reveal intentions to set up over 100MW of additional floating solar capacity.
