What are the world’s biggest renewable energy projects?

Howard Chapman, Buildingtalk Editor looks at the current claims to be the biggest renewable energy projects of their type in the world.

These include floating solar PV, wind turbines, offshore wind farm, hydroelectric power plant, tidal power plant projects, and land based solar farm.

World’s largest floating solar PV project

Yamakura Dam reservoir, Ichihara City, Japan

Japanese Kyocera has started construction on a floating solar photovoltaic power plant on the Yamakura Dam reservoir at Ichihara City in Chiba Prefecture.

• Capacity – estimated capacity for 13.7MW
• Solar modules – 51,000 installed by in 2018
• Water surface area – floating plant will spread 180,000m²
• Annual power generation – capacity of 16,170 megawatt hours (MWh)
• Carbon reduction will cut 8,170 tonnes of annual carbon emissions
• Life span – floating plant are expected to have a 30-year lifespan
• Wind speed resistance – 118mph

Link to more information

World’s biggest wind turbine

SeaTitan™ 10MW wind turbine

Designed by American energy technologies company AMSC 

• rotor diameter – 190m
• power capacity – 10MW
• hub height – 125m

Link to more information

World’s biggest offshore wind farm

London Array Offshore Wind Farm in the Thames Estuary, United Kingdom

• Wind Turbines – up to 341 turbines, ranging between 3MW and 7MW
• Hub heights – between 85m and 100m above sea level
• Installed Capacity – 1,000MW
• Cost – £3bn

Link to more information

World’s biggest hydroelectric power plant

Three Gorges, China

China is the world’s largest producer of hydroelectricity, operates two of the 10 biggest hydroelectric power plants in the world, including the world’s largest Three Gorges project, completed in 2012.

• Capacity – 22,500MW
• Annual power output – 85TWh
• Height – 181m tall
• Width – 2,335m long gravity dam

Link to more information

World’s biggest tidal power plant

Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station, South Korea

• Power output capacity – 254MW
• Turbines – ten 25.4 MW submerged bulb turbines
• Tidal range – 5.6 m (18 ft)
• Spring tidal range – 7.8 m (26 ft)

Link to more information

World’s biggest solar farm

Topaz Solar Farm, photovoltaic power station in San Luis Obispo County, California

• Capacity – 550 MW in San Luis Obispo County,
• Modules – 9 million CdTe photovoltaic modules
• Annual generation – 1,100 GWh 
• Capacity factor – 23%
• Cost – $2.5 billion

Link to more information

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