Producing electricity using solar power plants is the fastest growing area of green energy. To date most Solar energy in the world is generated by China, India and the USA, followed confidently by the Middle Eastern countries.
The solar industry is booming, especially in the desert regions of Asia and the Middle East, where huge solar farms are being expanded and rebuilt at a rapid pace. The Digital Trends publication has collected information about the largest solar power plants (SPPs) operating in the world today.
Tengger Desert Solar Park, the largest solar power plant in the world.
Location: China.
Object area: 43 sq. km.
Generation capacity - 1547 MW.
Tenger Solar Park, also known as the Great Solar Wall, is located in Zhongwei City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China. The SPP is located on the territory of the Tenger Desert, occupying about 3.25% of its area.
The Tenger Solar Park is larger in size than ten Central Parks in New York, and the maximum power of the solar power plant is about 1.5 gigawatts, which is comparable to that of most nuclear power plants. Given that there is plenty of room for further expansion, the Tenger Solar Park is likely to remain the largest solar power plant in the world in the near future.
Bhadla Solar Park, the largest solar power plant in India.
Location: Rajasthan, India.
Object area: 40 sq. km.
Generation capacity - 1365 MW.
Bhadla Solar Park is located in Jodhpur district in the Indian state of Rajasthan in the northwest of the country. Today, the solar power plant's capacity is about 1,365 MW, but the facility continues to expand, and by December 2019 it is planned to reach its design capacity of 2,255 MW. Thus, the Bhadla solar park has a chance to win the title of the largest solar power plant in the world. With its help, India plans to achieve an ambitious goal - to receive 17% of the electricity produced in the country from solar installations.
Longyangxia Dam Solar Park.
Location: Tibetan Plateau, China.
Object area: about 30 sq. km.
Generation power - 850 MW.
The Longyangxia solar power plant is located in the Chinese province of Qinghai, on the western side of the 1280 MW hydroelectric power station of the same name and forms a single energy complex with it. SES and HPP complement each other: solar power plants help save money water resources hydroelectric power plants, and that, in turn, compensates for differences in energy production by solar panels.
Villanueva solar power plant, the largest solar power plant in North and South America.
Location: State of Coahuila, Mexico.
Object area: about 24 sq. km.
Generation capacity - 828 MW.
Enel Green Power, which operates the Villanueva solar power plant, first commissioned the Villanueva 1 solar park with a capacity of 427 MW, and at the beginning of 2018, the Villanueva 3 park with a capacity of 327 MW was added to it. The total investment in the Villanueva solar power plant is estimated by the company at $710 million. According to Enel, there are approximately 2.5 million solar panels, capable of generating more than 2,000 GWh of electricity per year. Villanueva is the largest operating solar power plant Mexico, with the help of which the country plans to increase the share of renewable energy sources in total electricity generation to 35% by 2024.
Kamuthi Solar Power Station.
Location: Tamil Nadu state in southern India.
Object area: about 10 sq. km.
Generation capacity - 648 MW.
At the end of October 2018, the Kamuti complex is considered the sixth largest solar power plant in the world, although earlier, by the time of commissioning in September 2016, this solar power plant claimed first place. total amount investments in the project - 47 billion Indian rupees, which at the current exchange rate is almost 640 million US dollars.
The site has 2.5 million solar panels, which will provide enough electricity for 750 thousand people. The panels are cleaned daily by robots, which themselves are also charged from solar energy.
Solar power plant Solar Star (translated as solar star). The largest solar power plant in the USA.
Location: California, USA.
Object area: about 13 sq. km.
Generation capacity - 580 MW.
Construction of the solar power plant began in 2013 and was completed in 2015. The facility has 1.7 million solar panels, which can provide electricity to approximately 255 thousand households. With the help of this and other projects, California authorities plan to completely switch the state to alternative energy by 2045.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park is the largest solar power plant under construction in the world.
Location: United Arab Emirates, about 50 km south of Dubai.
Planned area of the facility: 77 sq. km.
The planned generation capacity is 5 GW by 2030.
Although the plant's current capacity of 213 MW pales in comparison to other solar power plants, it is the largest solar energy project underway in the world today. By 2020, generation capacity should reach 1000 MW, and in another two decades it is planned to increase the figure to 5000 MW.
The solar park in the UAE will not only be the largest in area and power. The tallest tower-type solar power plant will be located on its territory. With a height of 260 m, it will be built at the fourth stage of the project and will add an additional 700 MW to the solar power plant’s capacity.
The largest thermal solar power plant in the world June 20th, 2017
The world's largest solar power plant, Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating Station, has been operating in the California Mojave Desert since 2014. Its design capacity is about 400 megawatts: this amount of energy will be enough for 140 thousand homes in California.
The $2.2 billion project was implemented by the American company NRG Energy with the support of the US Department of Energy. 350 thousand giant mirrors located on an area of 13 square meters. kilometers, reflect sunlight, heating water and turning it into steam, which in turn spins a turbine that produces electricity.
Let's find out more about it...
Experts emphasize that new station will significantly reduce emissions carbon dioxide: as if 72 thousand cars were removed from California roads. In such “sunny” states as Arizona, Nevada, California and others, 17 sites have already been allocated for the construction of similar solar power plants.
At the same time, projects are being implemented more slowly than planned, encountering, oddly enough, protests from the “greens.” The fact is that although in the long term such stations benefit the environment, in fact the construction of the stations itself pollutes the areas allocated for them, depriving turtles and other representatives of the desert fauna of their usual habitats.
However, the US plans to become a world leader in the use of clean energy. Now it occupies no more than 1% of the total energy market in the country, but by 2020, according to the adopted state program, a third of all produced energy should be transferred to renewable sources.
This station is the largest in the world, covering an area of 14.24 square kilometers (5.5 square miles). This object is called Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. This station belongs to the type of thermal solar power plants.
This plant is capable of producing about 30% of all “thermal energy” produced in the United States. The facility features 3 towers 140 meters high, surrounded by 300,000 mirrors the size of garage doors. All these mirrors focus the sun's rays onto a collector located at the top of the tower. At the top of the tower there is also a water reservoir, where all the thermal energy, collected by mirrors.
Each tower has its own control center, plus there is also general center control, from where the operation of the entire system is controlled. However, according to the company that created the station, the system does not have storage for molten salt coolant, as is the case with smaller projects such as Crescent Dunes.
It is worth noting that each of the mirrors can change the angle and direction of tilt upon command from the center. The mirrors are washed once every two weeks. As far as can be understood, it is used special system mirror washing + a special team of cleaners cleaning mirrors at night. To control all mirrors, a proprietary SFINCS (Solar Field Integrated Control System) system was created.
The entire system consists of 22 million individual parts(rivets, bolts, etc. do not count).
The total cost of the project was 2.2 billion US dollars, of which 1.4 was a federal loan.
At the same time, water vapor is generated in the system, which is directed to the blades of turbines, which produce energy that is sufficient for the needs of 140 thousand California households.
True, it was not without problems. For example, the focused rays of the sun burn birds flying over the station. This fact is the reason for protests from US environmental organizations. But, despite all the protests, the project was completed and put into operation.
Finally, the design still has room to develop. BrightSource Energy engineers are already proposing to abandon water boilers and use special saline solutions, which will further increase the efficiency of the system while maintaining its environmental and energy qualities.
86 employees are employed in servicing the station. The estimated period of operation is 30 years, during which the station will provide electricity to 140 thousand houses from the cities of the district.
Life modern society has long been impossible without electricity. Now 90% of the infrastructure in Russia is computerized, and almost all databases are presented in in electronic format. In such a situation, they are simply necessary, and here such an invention as a power plant comes to the aid of people. water, thermal, gas, nuclear and solar. The most big Russia located in the south of Altai.
Nuclear power plants: already history
Until recently, they were widely used to generate electricity. The first one in our country appeared in Obninsk and existed for about fifty years, ceasing to function in 2002. Power energy block The Obninsk nuclear power plant was 5 MW, and during the first experimental launch it generated electricity with a power of 800 W.
Atom stations They have a complex design and require special operating conditions. To eliminate the possibility of failures and the occurrence of accidents with radiation leaks, a large maintenance staff is required.
Therefore, throughout the entire existence of nuclear power plants, experts have been trying to create generators that will generate energy with minimal emissions of carbon dioxide and other harmful substances into the atmosphere. And also those whose work would be generally more environmentally friendly and less dangerous.
The era of solar power plants
By 2015 it was stopped significant amount nuclear power plants around the world. It seems that an alternative has finally been found that corresponds to the scale of the 21st century.
The number of solar power plants on the planet is constantly growing. At least five major projects have been launched and completed over the past decade. Today, the largest solar power plant in the world is located in California.
Designs that convert the sun's rays into - powerful and relatively safe compared to nuclear installations source of energy. The station’s “fuel” is obtained using solar modules, which are square panels that distribute sunlight or concentrate it in a certain way - for example, on boilers, similar to the Ivanpah station. The water in the boilers is heated, and the resulting steam sets turbines in motion, thanks to which electricity is generated.
Largest solar power plants
Today, stations of this type are used in at least ten countries, including China, India, and Germany. USA and Russia. A large percentage of solar power plants are located in America, mainly in the state of California. They were not built here by chance, because... it is in this band that the most is concentrated a large number of sunlight per year. These structures occupy large areas, and their sizes are simply amazing:
- Installation in Imperial County. This is the most powerful solar power plant in the world. Its modules move with the sun throughout the day, which allows them to receive maximum sunlight for processing.
- Station "Ivanpah" (Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System), Mojave Desert, USA. This building is famous for its number of solar modules - there are nine million of them, and they are located on an area of about fourteen square kilometers. The peak power of the installation is 550 mW.
- State of Nevada, USA. The large generator is equipped with modules manufactured by First Solar, and the company is promised reimbursement for construction costs of up to thirty percent.
- Solar farm Topaz. The world's largest solar power plant, which was inaugurated in November 2016 and has a 550 MW generator.
Which use sunlight to generate electricity, fully meet the requirements of the century high technology. So far, the only harmful factors that solar power plants have on environment- they are a significant hindrance in the life of birds. As for the safety of the structures themselves, the worst thing is the risk of fires.
Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating Station is located in the Mojave Desert, 3 hours east of Los Angeles. Its construction took about three years, cost 2 billion 200 million dollars, and finally, in the spring of 2014, it was put into operation. The station produces absolutely clean energy, without the need to burn any fuel.
The $2.2 billion project was implemented by the American company NRG Energy with the support of the US Department of Energy. 350 thousand giant mirrors located on an area of 13 square meters. kilometers, reflect sunlight, heating water and turning it into steam, which, in turn, rotates a turbine that generates electricity. Experts emphasize that the new station will significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions: as if 72 thousand cars were removed from California roads. In such “sunny” states as Arizona, Nevada, California and others, 17 sites have already been allocated for the construction of similar solar power plants.
At the same time, projects are being implemented more slowly than planned, encountering, oddly enough, protests from the “greens.” The fact is that although in the long term such stations benefit the environment, in fact the construction of the stations itself pollutes the areas allocated for them, depriving turtles and other representatives of the desert fauna of their usual habitats. However, the United States plans to become a world leader in the use of environmentally friendly clean energy. Now it occupies no more than 1% of the total energy market in the country, but by 2020, according to the adopted state program, a third of all produced energy should be transferred to renewable sources.
This station is the largest in the world, covering an area of 14.24 square kilometers (5.5 sq mi). This object is called Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. This station belongs to the type of thermal solar power plants.
This plant is capable of producing about 30% of all “thermal energy” produced in the United States. The facility features 3 towers 140 meters high, surrounded by 300,000 mirrors the size of garage doors. All these mirrors focus the sun's rays onto a collector located at the top of the tower. At the top of the tower there is also a water reservoir, where all the thermal energy collected by the mirrors is directed.
Each tower has its own control center, plus there is a common control center from where the operation of the entire system is controlled. However, according to the company that created the station, the system does not have storage for molten salt coolant, as is the case with smaller projects such as Crescent Dunes.
It is worth noting that each of the mirrors can change the angle and direction of tilt upon command from the center. The mirrors are washed once every two weeks. As far as can be understood, a special mirror washing system is used + a special team of washers cleaning the mirrors at night. To control all mirrors, a proprietary SFINCS (Solar Field Integrated Control System) system was created. 
The entire system consists of 22 million individual parts (rivets, bolts, etc. do not count).
The total cost of the project was 2.2 billion US dollars, of which 1.4 was a federal loan.
At the same time, water vapor is generated in the system, which is directed to the blades of turbines, which produce energy that is sufficient for the needs of 140 thousand California households.
True, it was not without problems. For example, the focused rays of the sun burn birds flying over the station. This fact is the reason for protests from US environmental organizations. But, despite all the protests, the project was completed and put into operation. 
86 employees are employed in servicing the station. The estimated period of operation is 30 years, during which the station will provide electricity to 140 thousand houses from the cities of the district. 
Last week, a huge solar power plant officially began operating in California's Mojave Desert, which fascinates with its beauty. The design capacity of the power plant is 400 megawatts, which, according to experts, is enough for 140 thousand homes in California. Let's find out more about it.
Experts emphasize that the new station will significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions: as if 72 thousand cars were removed from California roads. In such “sunny” states as Arizona, Nevada, California and others, 17 sites have already been allocated for the construction of similar solar power plants.
At the same time, projects are being implemented more slowly than planned, encountering, oddly enough, protests from the “greens.” The fact is that although in the long term such stations benefit the environment, in fact the construction of the stations itself pollutes the areas allocated for them, depriving turtles and other representatives of the desert fauna of their usual habitats.
However, the US plans to become a world leader in the use of clean energy. Now it occupies no more than 1% of the total energy market in the country, but by 2020, according to the adopted state program, a third of all produced energy should be transferred to renewable sources.
This station is the largest in the world, covering an area of 14.24 square kilometers (5.5 sq mi). This object is called Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. This station belongs to the type of thermal solar power plants.
This plant is capable of producing about 30% of all “thermal energy” produced in the United States. The facility features 3 towers 140 meters high, surrounded by 300,000 mirrors the size of garage doors. All these mirrors focus the sun's rays onto a collector located at the top of the tower. At the top of the tower there is also a water reservoir, where all the thermal energy collected by the mirrors is directed.
Each tower has its own control center, plus there is a common control center from where the operation of the entire system is controlled. However, according to the company that created the station, the system does not have storage for molten salt coolant, as is the case with smaller projects such as Crescent Dunes.
It is worth noting that each of the mirrors can change the angle and direction of tilt upon command from the center. The mirrors are washed once every two weeks. As far as can be understood, a special mirror washing system is used + a special team of washers cleaning the mirrors at night. To control all mirrors, a proprietary SFINCS (Solar Field Integrated Control System) system was created.
The entire system consists of 22 million individual parts (rivets, bolts, etc. do not count).
The total cost of the project was 2.2 billion US dollars, of which 1.4 was a federal loan.
At the same time, water vapor is generated in the system, which is directed to the blades of turbines, which produce energy that is sufficient for the needs of 140 thousand California households.
True, it was not without problems. For example, the focused rays of the sun burn birds flying over the station. This fact is the reason for protests from US environmental organizations. But, despite all the protests, the project was completed and put into operation.
Finally, the design still has room to develop. BrightSource Energy engineers are already proposing to abandon water boilers and use special salt solutions, which will further increase the efficiency of the system while maintaining its environmental and energy qualities.
86 employees are employed in servicing the station. The estimated period of operation is 30 years, during which the station will provide electricity to 140 thousand houses from the cities of the district.
