Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) conducts research and analyses on financial and economic issues related to energy and the environment. IEEFA’s mission is to accelerate the transition to a diverse, sustainable and profitable energy economy.
In a recent report, IEEFA stated “solar energy is taking an increasingly prominent role in driving the ongoing transformation of global electricity generation markets alongside gains in storage, wind, hydroelectricity and energy efficiency. The cost for solar had declined dramatically over the past few years. The cost of electricity from solar power has now fallen to US 8.6 cents per kWh.
In the report, IEEFA stated that the world’s largest operating utility-scale solar projects are now located in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of India. The ten largest solar projects in the world are as follows:
1. PRC – Tengger Desert Solar Park 1,547 MW
2. India – Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park 1,000 MW
3. PRC – Datong Solar Power Top Runner Base 1,000 MW
4. PRC – Yanchi Ningxia Solar Park 1,000 MW
5. PRC – Longyangxia Dam Solar Park 850 MW
6. India – Adani Kamuthi Solar Plant 648 MW
7. USA – Solar Star 578 MW
8. USA – Topaz Solar Farm 550 MW
9. USA – Desert Sunlight Solar Farm 550 MW
10. Brazil – Nova Olinda Solar Farm 292 MW
It is interesting to note that the PRC has developed massive solar parks, compared to the smaller solar parks in the United States. In the United States, the utilities are going for areal diversification of power plants, which allows power to be more easily redistributed if one or two power plants go down. In my opinion, areal diversification of power plants will increase the probability to maintaining reliable, sustainable power to the consumers.