President Barack Obama has expressed concern that the U.S. will be surpassed by other countries in the race to develop and use alternative energy technology.
China is the country that is most often cited as an up-and-comer in the renewable energy arena. To see the truth of that concern one need look no further than China’s recent plans to build the world’s largest solar power plant in Inner Mongolia.
The good news for the U.S. is that an American company, First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR), headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, will construct the plant.
Located in Ordos City, the 2 gigawatt (GW) solar power plant project will commence construction on June 1, 2010 with the 30 megawatt (MW) Phase 1. Phases 2, 3 and 4 are to be 100MW, 870MW, and 1,000MW, respectively. Phases 2 and 3 are to be completed by 2014 and Phase 4 is to be completed by 2019. For comparison the world’s largest solar installation today is a 60 MW farm in Spain.
“This major commitment to solar power is a direct result of the progressive energy policies being adopted in China to create a sustainable, long-term market for solar and a low carbon future for China,” First Solar CEO Mike Ahearn said. “We’re proud to be announcing this precedent-setting project today. It represents an encouraging step forward toward the mass-scale deployment of solar power worldwide to help mitigate climate change concerns.”
The project is part of a planned 11.95GW New Energy Industry Demonstration Zone in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia. The New Energy Industry Demonstration Zone is expected to combine solar, wind, hydroelectric and biomass power sources to provide a steady supply of renewable energy to the region that includes the Chinese capital.
“Solar energy will play a significant role in achieving China’s low carbon future,” said Yun Guangzhong, Mayor of Ordos City. “We are very pleased to be partnering with one of the solar industry’s global leaders in a project of such significance.”
The project will operate under a feed-in-tariff which will guarantee the pricing of electricity produced by the power plant over a long-term period.
“The Chinese feed-in tariff will be critical to this project,” Ahearn said. “This type of forward-looking government policy is necessary to create a strong solar market and facilitate the construction of a project of this size, which in turn continues to drive the cost of solar electricity closer to ‘grid parity’ – where it is competitive with traditional energy sources.”
Alison Pruitt is a freelance writer/editor living near Washington DC. She has written about a variety of issues, including education, healthcare, IT, the arts, and energy/environment -- and has worked with the U.S. Department of Energy. She has a B.A. from Oberlin College and a Ph.D. in English Literature from Rutgers University.
Any opinion contained in this article is solely that of the writers, and does not necessarily shapes or reflect the editorial opinions of Energy Boom.
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