Let it Shine: top solar energy projects worldwide
Australia on Wednesday approved plans for a massive solar hub aimed at powering millions of homes domestically and supplying electricity to Singapore.
The SunCable project is expected to produce 6 gigawatts (GW) and begin delivering power by 2030.
Here’s a look at other major solar projects that have been announced, are under construction, or are already operating worldwide.
Midong solar project, China
Most of the largest operational solar farms are in China, which is adding renewable capacity at a pace that far outpaces the rest of the world.
In June, the Midong solar project in the Xinjiang region was brought online, with an operating capacity of 3.5 GW.
The project is touted as China’s largest to date, surpassing the capacity of the two previous largest solar projects in the Ningxia and Qinghai regions.
But it will likely be overtaken soon as other mega projects are already in the works, including the Tengger solar park in Inner Mongolia.
The project is under construction and is expected to have a capacity of 8 GW, according to the Global Energy Monitor (GEM) solar tracker.
China is building almost twice as much wind and solar energy capacity as all other countries combined.
According to GEM, 339 GW is under construction, including 180 GW of solar energy.
Khavda solar park, India
The Khavda solar park is a massive renewable energy project under construction in a desolate region of Gujarat, India, near the border with Pakistan.
It is a hybrid solar-wind project that is expected to have a capacity of as much as 30 GW when fully operational around 2027.
However, the site has already started generating power, with 551 megawatts of solar capacity coming online earlier this year, according to Adani Green Energy, one of the companies developing the massive site.
It says that when completed, the park will be the largest renewable energy facility in the world and will be able to power 16.1 million homes a year.
India, which currently relies heavily on coal, aims to install 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2070.
Al Dhafra, United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates inaugurated the 2GW Al Dhafra solar power plant last year, weeks before UN climate talks took place there.
It is located south of the capital Abu Dhabi and extends over 21 square kilometers of desert, an area about a fifth the size of Paris.
The project was described at its inauguration as the largest single-site photovoltaic power plant in the world.
It can generate enough power for 160,000 homes in the oil-rich Gulf state.
The UAE aims to triple its renewable energy over the next seven years as it tries to reach net zero by 2050.
Benban solar park, Egypt
Egypt’s Benban Solar Park, built in the western desert about 40 kilometers from the city of Aswan, was connected to the national electricity grid in 2019.
It is often described as Africa’s largest solar project and one of the largest in the world, with a capacity of around 1.5 GW, although that could be increased if planned expansions go ahead.
The $4 billion World Bank-funded project, visible from space, extends over 37 square kilometers (14 square miles) and produces enough electricity to power 420,000 homes, the UN said.
Chill Sun Project, United States
One of the largest planned solar farms in the United States is the Chill Sun Solar Project.
The expected 2.25 GW plant is proposed for construction in the sun-drenched state of Nevada, which is already home to dozens of smaller solar power plants.
The United States is rapidly adding renewable capacity, behind only China, but at a much slower pace.
The country has 40 GW of wind and solar under construction, compared to China’s 339 GW, and generates 16 percent of its electricity from wind and solar, according to Ember, a think tank.
