China's 50 megawatt giant panda-shaped solar power plant

Hong Kong-based Panda Green Energy announced that the world’s first Panda Power Plant was officially connected to the grid.

By moving away from the traditional method of solar installations which are designed in a way of filling fields with uninspiring rows of PV panels, Panda Green Energy built its solar plant in the shape of a giant panda.

China has created a giant panda-shaped power plant. (Image: UNDP)

Today, China is a world leader when it comes to solar power capacity and this latest installation only goes to show the country’s effort to make solar power more appealing to young people.

What’s the capacity?

Located in the city of Datong, a prefecture-level city in northern Shanxi province of China, the now called “Datong Panda Power Plant” has an installed capacity of 50 megawatts, spread across 100 hectares.

This is just a first phase of a 100 megawatt planned project.

The 100 megawatt Panda Power Plant, when completed, would provide 3.2 billion kWh of green electricity in 25 years, equivalent to saving 1.056 million tons of coal, or reduce 2.74 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

What does it look like?

Careful though!

You may have seen the “above image” on social media but that is not really what the solar power plant looks like.

That image you’ve seen is an artist’s impression of the Panda Green Energy Group’s first panda solar plant. In reality, the install looks somewhat different.