China claims first as all-in-one floating wind, solar and fish farming unit hits the water - Recharge
China claims first as all-in-one floating wind, solar and fish farming unit hits the water | Recharge
China has deployed what’s claimed to be the world’s first integrated floating wind, solar and fish farming system.
Chinese developer Longyuan and turbine-maker Shanghai Electric launched the debut system off Nanri Island in Fujian Province.
The floating unit consists of a three-column semi-submersible platform, 4MW Shanghai Electric wind turbine, PV modules and a hexagonal caged zone within the platform’s central area for aquaculture.
“The pioneering convergence of wind power, photovoltaics, and aquaculture presents a new horizon for the industry,” claimed a statement from the project partners.
The importance of aquaculture in Chinese and other Asian coastal economies has made its integration into burgeoning offshore wind developments there a key focus for the industry.
Another major Chinese wind player, Mingyang Smart Energy, said earlier this year it plans to deploy a foundation and net cage system by the end of 2023.
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: hydropower
Hydropower — electricity generated by turbines capturing energy from moving water — was for many years the primary contributor of renewable energy to the U.S. electricity grid. Its growth was rapid into the 1970s, and since then has offered a stable supply of power, while a declining share of all generation. For many years, hydropower was seen as clean energy and an unalloyed good, but a greater understanding of the impact of dams on ecosystems and wildlife has led to the removal of some dams. As of 2019, hydropower trails wind as a renewable source of power generation.