A US thin-film solar power company will partner with Chinese state-owned Guangdong Nuclear Solar Energy Development Co., Ltd. (CGN SEDC), to begin construction of phase one of what will become one of the world’s biggest solar farms.
A memorandum of understanding to begin the project has been signed. The solar farm is to be located in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, and will involve a 30 megawatt (MW) demonstration facility initially. Upon completion, the Ordos facility will be vast, dwarfing existing solar energy farms in Europe and Asia.
First Solar and CGN SEDC claim the plant will generate two gigawatts (GW) of electricity, enough to power three million Chinese homes. The facility itself will cover a staggering 25 square miles of land.
Under the terms of the agreement signed on the 5th of January, CGN SEDC will provide labour and engineering expertise to build the solar farm, and will maintain majority operation and ownership rights of the project. First Solar will supply all solar panels and technological support.
“First Solar is honoured to be working on the Ordos project with CGN SEDC . . . We look forward to working together to make the Ordos project a reality and to contributing to China’s renewable energy goals and market development,” said First Solar president Bruce Sohn.
“We are very pleased to be partnering with First Solar, a global leader in solar PV technology, in developing the first significant solar project to adopt advanced thin-film technology in China,” commented CGN SEDC president Han Qinghao.
The Ordos deal brings with it hope for more bilateral cooperation between the USA and China on renewable energy, an industry which has become a diplomatic sticking point between the two nations as China gains market ascendency in the global manufacture and export of solar and wind technology.
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