Solar Farms Proliferating in Xinjiang
China is the world’s largest investor in renewable energy – wind, solar, and hydro – and Xinjiang, along with Gansu, Qinghai, and Inner Mongolia, is emerging as a key node in China’s renewable energy strategy, particularly for solar. Abundant in sunlight, Xinjiang is renowned for its delicious grapes and raisins and hami melons. But in recent years, the vast province covering almost 1/6th of the country has witnessed exponential growth in solar farms.
Owing to dramatic drops in solar panel prices and lackluster sales in the US and EU, China is increasingly looking to the domestic market for expansion. Solar farms are popping up everywhere in Xinjiang, including isolated off the grid Kazakh villages along the Mongolian border. Installed capacity is expected to double this year and by the end of 2013, China will surpass Germany and the US to become the world’s biggest installer of solar panels.
Watch this interesting Financial Times video report: http://www.ft.com/intl/whats-next-asia