This is a panda.
Aside from being the cutest of the bears… it’s also a strong symbol of China.
So Chinese solar merchants have appropriated the beloved bear in a charming way to help raise awareness about clean energy among the young people in China. They’ve ditched the traditional grid or circle arrays that solar panels are typically arranged in for a more playful layout.
Ok… that’s a goosed up version… it doesn’t really look that clever, but it’s still cool…
The new solar power plant in Datong, China, built a 248-acre solar farm in the shape of a giant panda.
The first phase, which includes one 50-megawatt plant, was completed on June 30, 2017. The project just began delivering power to a grid in northwestern China, and a second panda is planned for late 2017.
China Merchants New Energy Group worked with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to make the Panda Power Plant a reality.
Called the Panda Power Plant, it will be able to produce 3.2 billion kilowatt-hours of solar energy in 25 years, according to the company. That will eliminate approximately million tons of coal that would have been used to produce electricity, reducing carbon emissions by 2.74 million tons.
The groups hope to build more panda-shaped solar plants throughout China in the next five years.
