Hanwha to build huge floating solar power farm

A consortium of Hanwha General Chemical and Korea Midland Power has been selected as preferred bidder to build the world’s largest floating solar power plant in Dangjin, South Chungcheong, on Thursday.

The project to build the 100-megawatt solar power plant has been led by the Korea Rural Community Corporation. Once the Hanwha-led consortium is confirmed as the winner of the bid, it will build solar power facilities capable of producing 80 megawatts of electricity while the Korea Rural Community Corporation builds the rest of the complex.

The plant, scheduled to be completed for operation by 2020, will become the largest solar power plant in Korea and the world’s largest solar power plant built on water, taking up an area equal to roughly 168 soccer fields and producing enough power to meet the needs of 140,000 people, or all the households in Dangjin. Construction is scheduled to begin from 2019.

Currently the largest floating solar power plant is a 40 megawatt plant in Anhui Sheng, China, Hanwha said.

Floating solar power plants can be built by combining the technology used to build general solar power plants on land with a floating structure, according to Hanwha. The company said it is an effective way to make use of space and a way to naturally cool down modules used for power generation.

“We will pursue this project to take part in the new administration’s energy goals to raise the portion of renewable energy to 20 percent of the total energy produced by 2030,” said Cha Moon-hwan, head of Hanwha Solar Power, a subsidiary of Hanwha General Chemical in charge of the solar power plant’s construction.

Hanwha Group has made solar energy a key growth engine for the company.

BY KIM JEE-HEE [kim.jeehee@joongang.co.kr]