20MW Solar PV Power Plant, China

20MW Solar PV Power Plant, Yichang City, Hubei, China - As Developer, Owner and Operator

Yichang Smartpower Green Electricity Co. Ltd

An operating company as a subsidiary of CES, we have developed and supplied electricity to the local state grid. The Solar PV Power Plant had secured full Commercial Operation Date in January 2018, and started generating revenue since then.

Conventionally, land-based photovoltaic power plant converts agriculture lands into photovoltaic power that would aggravate the competition for land between food and energy production. However, our Yichang Plant is "Agro-photovoltaic" based, which allows the continuing of agriculture activities with the construction of photovoltaic power plant on agriculture lands.

The photovoltaic modules (solar panels) are mounted at a certain height over the crops to allow mechanical farming equipment to manoeuvre underneath the modules. The plant's ability to absorb sun's heat enhances the performance of the modules. The mixed-use of the land also allows the plant to receive higher levels of government incentives/subsidies for the renewable plant.

Prospects of China Renewable Energy Market

China's growing energy needs are increasingly met by renewables, natural gas and electricity while coal demand falls back. The rise of electricity and of renewables are closely interlinked as China diversifies and cleans up its power mix - the share of coal in total generation falls from two-thirds today to less than 40% in 2040 as a result.

By 2040, electricity becomes the leading source of final energy consumption in China, overtaking coal in the late 2020s, and oil shortly thereafter. Strong deployment and policy support continue to bring costs down for renewables, and solar PV becomes China's cheapest form of electricity generation. Installed low-carbon capacity, led by hydropower, wind and solar PV, grows rapidly and makes up 60% of total capacity by 2040.