Here is What 4,000,000 Solar Panels Look Like

When China decides to do something, the country usually goes all out. In 2013, China started construction on the Longyangxia solar panel power plant on the Tibetan plateau, and the facility has now grown to over four million panels.

Longyanxia Solar Panel Farm

Longyangxia Solar Facility / Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory




The facility spans over 27 square kilometers (10 square miles), and can generate up to 850 MW of power.

China has been investing heavily in renewable energy over the last several years. In 2015, China invested over 103 billion dollars into renewable energy and added over 15 GW of solar capacity. To put this in perspective, the United Kingdom has roughly 8.8 GW of total solar capacity. In one year, China almost doubled the solar energy generation capabilities of the UK.




The middle kingdom is definitely putting money into meeting their goal of reducing the carbon intensity of its economy by roughly 40% below 2005 levels. China has budgeted roughly 350 billion dollars to go towards renewable energy between 2017 and 2020. If this trend continues, the country will be able to fulfill the commitment it made at the Paris Agreement to peak its carbon emissions by 2030.

Comments (4)

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  2. Reply Zafer Kutluğ

    Is there a surface cleaning needs for these 4.000.000 PV?
    How you keep them clean?

    1. Reply Solar Consultant

      Hi there,

      Usually solar panels do not require much cleaning; even from snow (check out this article).

      If this plant was a solar thermal one where they use mirrors to concentrate sunlight, then the mirrors would definitely need periodic cleaning to maintain the plant’s efficiency.

      -Solar Consultant Team

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