Greenpeace currently has the largest rooftop solar array in Beijing – but the distinction won’t be held for long.
While China has given the world cheap solar power; in some respects its own domestic efforts have lagged behind.
Greenpeace recently announced its China warehouse in Shunyi, on the outskirts of Beijing, was among the first 50 rooftop solar PV projects connected to the grid in the city.
The group says it also learned that its five-kilowatt solar system is actually the largest rooftop solar power project currently in Beijing.
Things change fast in China and Greenpeace won’t hold that crown for much longer.
A 15MW project will soon be in place on the on the rooftops of participating enterprises at Zhongguancun Opto-Mechatronics Industrial Park in Tongzhou District.
In total, the arrays will cover 150,000 square meters. The first phase consists of a 30,000 square metre installation on the rooftop of Beijing Zhongkexin Electronics Equipment Co., Ltd.; which will be operational by the end of this month. That system will cover over 460 times the area of Greenpeace’s installation.
Rooftop installations in China look set to increase rapidly after a decision by its government last October to allow domestic solar power systems to connect to the grid – and for free.
While countries such as Australia have had a major head-start; it may not be long before China’s rooftop tally catches up, overtakes and leaves us in the dust of its wake. China’s solar target for 2015 is 35 GW, with 10 GW of that total to come from rooftop solar power systems.
However, Greenpeace points out the nation has a few obstacles to overcome to achieve its rooftop solar aspirations – including what is currently a low feed in tariff and somewhat ironically; cost.
The first residential solar power system to be connected to China’s State electricity grid occurred in December last year in Qingdao, Shandong province.
