Offshore photovoltaic farm in east China sends electricity to grid

The first phase of an offshore photovoltaic (PV) power-generation platform built in the sea off Dongshan County, east China's Fujian Province, started supplying electricity to the grid on Friday.

The project, operated by the China Three Gorges Corporation, is the country's first offshore PV project built in a sea area with high wind speeds, and the first offshore PV project in Fujian.

With a planned installed capacity of 180 MW, the project is equipped with a 110-kilovolt onshore booster station and an energy-storage system.

"In the future, the Dongshan offshore PV project will seek to combine power generation and fishery breeding to become a floating power plant and a sea fish farm," said Liao Jianxin, general manager of the Fujian branch of China Three Gorges Corporation.

The site area of the offshore PV project covers approximately 203 hectares. After the project is fully completed, it will provide 300 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity on average annually, equivalent to the power generated by 90,200 tonnes of standard coal.

In September 2023, the National Energy Administration proposed supporting pilot offshore PV projects in areas with favorable solar energy resources and construction conditions.

China also encourages the integration of photovoltaics with other industries. A white paper released earlier this year promoted the co-development of PV projects and marine aquaculture.