2016 was a good year for the solar industry. Developers installed more than 76 gigawatts last year, up from 50 gigawatts installed the year before. The U.S. added 14.6 gigawatts while China installed 34 gigawatts in 2016.
In this article, we’ll talk about top 5 largest utility-scale solar plants in the world, none of which located in the U.S. China has the three of the largest solar plants, while India has the two of the largest solar facility in the world. Both countries are betting big on solar to produce clean electricity and help reduce carbon emissions.
5# Kamuthi Solar Power Plant –– India
Kamuthi Solar Power Plant is located in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Commissioned by Adani Power, the plant has a capacity of 648 megawatts. It covers an area of 2,500 acres and uses a self-charged robotic system to clean solar panels.
The project was completed in September 2016 with an investment of around $710 million. It is connected to a 400 KV substation of the Tamil Nadu Transmission.
4# Longyangxia Dam Solar Park –– China
Longyangxia Dam Solar Park, located in the city of Cixi in China, has the capacity to generate 850MW of power, enough to power 200,000 households.
The solar park has 4 million solar panels, spreading over 10 square miles of the desert area.
3# Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park –– India
Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park is 900-MW solar plant in Panyam mandal of Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh. The facility, which covers an area of more than 5,932 acres, was built by solar power developers, the central and state governments. It has more than 4 million solar panels and was built at an investment of over $1 billion.
2# Datong Solar Power Top Runner Base –– China
The world’s second largest solar plant is Datong Solar Power Top Runner Base. The 1000-MW phase one was complete in June 2016. It is scheduled to grow to 3,000 MW in two additional phases.
1# Tengger Desert Solar Park – 1500MW –– China
Tengger Desert Solar Park is the world’s largest solar plant located in Zhongwei, Ningxia, China. Built in 2015, the facility has the capacity of 1547 MW.
Source: Solar Insure