Solar power milestones celebrated in China and Australia

Footage has emerged of a massive new offshore* solar farm being built in China that is set to provide clean energy to millions of residents.

The video shows the initial power units of China’s first 1-gigawatt offshore photovoltaic* project connected to the State Grid, China’s State Power Investment Corporation confirmed on Wednesday.

The project marks a big step forward for China, and the world, and could serve as a model for other countries around the world looking to use offshore solar energy in the transition away from fossil fuels.

The offshore photovoltaic project in Dongying, in east China’s Shandong Province, is funded by Guohua Energy Investment Co, a CHN Energy subsidiary* and is the largest offshore solar project in China’s open sea regions.

According to CHN Energy, the project employed large-scale steel truss platform piling technology for offshore installations, which was used to install 2934 photovoltaic platforms.

It has been the first project in China’s photovoltaic industry to use 66-kilovolt offshore and onshore long-distance transmission lines, delivering better transmission at a lower cost.

Once completed, the project is forecast to generate 1.78 billion kilowatt-hours each year, which should be enough electricity to power the homes of about 2.67 million people in China.

It has also been forecast to save 503,800 tons of standard coal and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 1.34 million tonnes.

The project comes as Australia reached its own solar milestone, with tech whiz turned likely Trump staffer Elon Musk reposting a tweet from physics engineer Alex Tourville on X about Australia’s solar energy generation.

The post, which features a picture of tradies on a house roof installing solar panels read: “NEWS: Rooftop solar delivers milestone of 80.5 per cent share of electricity generation in Western Australia.

“Yesterday at 1:30 PM, distributed solar PV accounted for 2.12 gigawatts of output*, with natural gas and coal both reduced to shares of 8.6 per cent and 8.3 per cent respectively.”

Musk’s repost – which has attracted over 50 million views – was accompanied by his comment: “Solar power will be the vast majority of power generation in the future”.

His appointment to the Trump presidency team as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has made Musk one of the most powerful and influential men in the world, along with being one of the richest.

According to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), more than 30 per cent of Australian households have solar rooftop panels.

The Australian Government’s Australian Energy Regulator’s latest paper – State of the Energy Market 2024 – was released last week and states: “solar output has more than tripled in Australia since 2017–18.”

“In 2023–24 it accounted for over 11 per cent of total generation, up from 10 per cent the previous year,” it reads.

The paper also reports: “Australia is the largest per capita* user of rooftop solar in the world.”

HISTORY OF SOLAR POWER IN AUSTRALIA
Australia is a sunburnt country – so it may not be surprising to find out that it has been instrumental in the development of solar power. Here are some of our most notable solar achievements, according to energy supplier AGL.

1. Solar hot water systems – In the 1950s, the CSIRO conducted world leading research to come up with the very first solar powered hot water systems. In 1973, an oil shortage saw power prices surge and Aussies took up solar hot water systems with gusto.

2. Solar PV* panels – Australian telecommunications provider Telecom (now known as Telstra) adapted solar PV panels from those used on spacecraft to be used for telecommunications facilities in remote areas in 1978.

3. Solar efficiency – In 1989 Australian university UNSW made the world’s first solar PV system that had 20 per cent efficiency.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• offshore: at sea, not on land
• photovoltaic: the conversion of light into electricity
• subsidiary: a company controlled by another larger company
• output: the total amount of electricity a solar panel generates over time, measures in kilowatt-hours
• per capita: for each person, or per person
• PV: short for photovoltaic (see above)

EXTRA READING
Australia explores solar from space
Army of cyborg roaches a step closer
Solar tags to save koalas from bushfires

QUICK QUIZ
1. How many photovoltaic platforms were installed in China’s massive new offshore solar farm?
2. It was the first project in China’s photovoltaic industry to use what?
3. How many homes should it be able to power each year once it is finished?
4. By how much could the farm cut carbon dioxide emissions by?
5. How many Australian households have rooftop solar panels, according to ARENA?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Why is solar power important?
This news story makes it clear that China’s and Australia’s increasing adoption of solar energy is a positive thing, however it doesn’t really tell us why. That is because the author has assumed that readers have background knowledge that will help them to understand.

Write an additional paragraph that could be added to the news story that explains the ‘bigger picture’ about renewable energy (including solar) and why it is important.

(You will need to use your own background knowledge or do some research to help you.)

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Science

2. Extension
Write a list of three benefits and three disadvantages of solar energy. Then do the same for another source of renewable energy.

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Science

VCOP ACTIVITY
To sum it up
After reading the article, use your comprehension skills to summarise in a maximum of three sentences what the article is about.

Think about:

• What is the main topic or idea?
• What is an important or interesting fact?
• Who was involved (people or places)?

Use your VCOP skills to re-read your summary to make sure it is clear, specific and well punctuated.