At the end of June, the first phase of the Kela photovoltaic power station came into operation. It is the world’s largest hybrid hydro/solar power station, located in the Chinese province of Sichuan on the Tibetan Plateau. Covering an area of about 16 square kilometers (km2), the plant has 2 million solar panels and an annual production capacity of 1 million kilowatts/hour (kWh). It is expected to meet the demands of the Sichuan and Chongping regions during the summer, when consumption peaks. According to the Chinese press, it is the highest solar and hydroelectric project in the world, situated at between 4,000 and 4,600 meters above sea level. Local Tibetans will not be compensated for the land they have had to vacate. The station is part of a clean energy complex under construction in the Yalong River basin that could avoid the use of 600,000 tons of coal. In efforts to boost the production and consumption of clean energy, China still faces the challenge of how to transport this energy to the coastal regions where demand is greatest (List.Solar, June 27; Tibet.Net, June 28).
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A hydrosolar megastation in China
The Kela power station occupies 16 km2 on the Tibetan plateau and features two million solar panels
South China Morning Post
