Combined solar PV and biomass power generation plant is the first of its kind in China. 1.44 MW solar element due to come online later this month.
China’s first combined solar-biomass power plant has begun its initial operation… sort of.
The biomass element of the Zhejiang Longquan Biomass Power Plant is complete and functioning, its two biomass power generators boasting a combined capacity of 162 million kWh of electricity annually.
The solar element, a 1.44 MW PV power generation system, is scheduled for completion later this month, with the plant expected to begin pumping out combined solar and biomass power by the summer.
Solar will add 1.3 million kWh to the plant’s electricity output, equivalent to burning 430 tons of coal a year.
Biomass within the east China region is sourced from local businesses and civilians, who can earn money for providing sawdust and other biodegradable or recycled rural waste for the plant.
China is on course to install more than 17 GW of solar PV capacity in 2015, according to a recent forecast from IHS. The country’s own National Energy Administration (NEA) has set the target of 15 GW of solar PV this year, with an increasing amount coming from distributed generation.
