The last decade has ushered in a new trend in solar development: the proliferation of the solar park.
A solar park is a group of solar plants located in the same location. The thousands of solar panels in these parks are capable of producing new levels of installed capacity, with the largest plants being more than 2 GW today. The concept of a regional solar park represents the future of large-scale solar development, and we’re excited to see where it leads. For now, let’s take a look at the current largest solar parks in the world in order of installed capacity:
Huanghe Hydropower Hainan Solar Park
- Current Installed Capacity: 2.8 GW
- Location: China
- Owner: State-owned by Huanghe Hydropower Development
- Opening Date: October 2020
- It’s also known as the Golmud Solar Park, due to its location in the desert East of Golmud in the Qinghai Province. It currently houses 80 solar power plants. The final capacity is unknown, but it could be up to 4 or 5 GW.
Bhadla Solar Park
- Installed Capacity: 2.7 GW
- Location: India
- Owner: Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation (RREC)
- Opening Date: September 2018
- Geographically speaking, it’s the largest solar park in the world, covering approximately 14,000 acres. Several new plants have been added since 2019– the park will eventually house 30 plants.
Longyangxia Dam Solar Plant
- Installed Capacity: 2.4 GW
- Location: China
- Owner: State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC)
- Opening Date: December 2013
- This cluster of plants is located beside the Longyangxia Reservoir in Eastern Qinghai and it delivers its power in conjunction with a nearby hydro-electricity plant.
Pavagada Solar Park
- Installed Capacity: 2.05 GW
- Location: India
- Owner: Karnataka Solar Power Development Corporation Ltd. (KSPDCL)
- Opening Date: December 2019
- Also known as the Shakti Sthala Solar Power Project, this park is spread across over 13,000 acres of land in Pavagada taluk, Tumkur district, Karnataka.
Benban Solar Park
- Installed Capacity: 1.65 GW
- Location: Egypt
- Owner: New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA)
- Opening Date: December 2019
- This park is located in the western desert of Benban, south of Cairo and northwest of Aswan. The project was initiated as part of the Egyptian government's Sustainable Energy Strategy 2035.
Today, the largest solar parks are primarily located across Asia. However the global push to address the climate crisis with new renewable energy initiatives is encouraging more of these massive developments. Thanks to falling costs, government financial incentives, and increasing recognition of its environmental benefits, we expect to see more large-scale solar parks in the future.
What’s happening in other key solar markets?
The U.S. is expected to add more than 122 GW of utility-scale solar capacity between 2021 and 2025. One of the largest examples is the Westlands Solar Park: a large-scale solar power project located south of Fresno, California. It intends to operate multiple PV power plants with a capacity totaling upwards of 2 GW.
Additionally, Australia is developing what could be the next largest solar park in the world, with plans for commencement in late 2023, electricity production by 2026 and export by 2027. The Newcastle Waters solar park, located in the Outback of Australia’s Northern Territory, will have an installed capacity of 10 GW and will be so big that it will be able to be seen from space.
We’re thrilled to see that such massive solar developments are underway all over the world. If you’re in the early stages of planning a solar project, contact us today to learn more about how our software can help you build your ground mount solar pipeline much quicker.
