The world leader in solar energy also seems to have the best sense of humor about it, and you’ll never guess who it is. Your first guess might be us here in the United States; and you’d be wrong. What about the Paris agreement? Maybe it’s the French. If that was your guess, you’d still be wrong. The real answer: China! China has been trumping the globe in clean energy expansion in recent years. For example, in 2015, China accounted for $102.9 billion in funds allocated for renewable energy. These funds made up 36% of global contributions among countries dedicated to the issue according to the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management. In fact, many developing countries are increasing their contributions to renewable energy from year to year. One of many exciting projects around the world took place this summer in China: the world leader in solar energy.
Panda Project
The project in question was an undertaking by Panda Green Energy Group Limited, an eco-development provider out of Hong Kong. They put resources into building solar panels in the shape of panda bears to bring power to the Northern part of the Shanxi province in Datong, China. The first half of it’s 100MW potential was hooked up to the grid and started generating power in late June of 2017. According to a press release on their website, a 100MW power plant has enough energy potential over 25 years to save 1.056 million tons of coal! The project is suspected to continue, as the company put forth an initiative to build more panda panels throughout Asia. The Prime Minister of Fiji was one who expressed excitement earlier this year about a potential project.
Why Make Such a Fuss?
Okay, so a country made a fun shape out of solar panels. That isn’t necessarily a revolutionary act. So what’s all the fuss about? Most of the hype is actually because of the underlying message of this project. It was and remains an attempt to increase visibility of solar energy to young people. If young people are excited for change and want to work in the field of renewable energy, more can be done to create a zero emissions planet. And it’s working! There are more initiatives like the Panda Power Plant encouraging young people to look toward the future of energy including a summer camp hosted at the plant which teaches children the importance of scientific innovation. What’s the eventual goal of Panda Green Energy Group Limited? To encourage every person in every household to take the time to get involved in creating an eco-friendly future. That’s a message on which anyone from Lincoln, Nebraska to the Shanxi province in China can agree.
