Solar Power from the Sea: Chenya Energy
Lines of Offshore Panels as Far as the Eye Can See: One of the World’s Largest Floating Solar Power Plants
Along the scenic western coastline of Taiwan lies Changbin Industrial Park, located in the old port city of Lukang. Here, you will find a particularly spectacular solar power plant floating above the tidal flats, with lines of offshore panels as far as the eye can see. Built and operated by Marubeni Group company Chenya Energy, this floating plant is among the largest of its kind in the world, generating highly important renewable energy for Taiwanese communities.
A typical solar power plant setup has panels mounted and secured on robust steel racks, which are installed on flat land or gentle slopes. The floating panels at the Changbin solar power plant, however, are placed on special buoys, which enable them to float on the surface of the water as well as to rise and fall two to three meters with the daily tides. They are also robust enough to hold up under the strong northeast monsoon winds that move through the Taiwan Strait.
Though the Changbin power plant panels are relative newcomers to the local tidal flats, they are well-integrated into their environment, operating without disturbing the ecosystem. At low tide, the panels lay on the bottom of the tidal flat, continuing to generate electricity as small blue crabs scurry about in the muddy sea. Mussels and shellfish peek out lazily from among the panels, and wild birds like white herons fly in to search for their next meal. This tranquil scene demonstrates how floating solar power plants can coexist harmoniously with their natural surroundings.
However, the smooth integration of the solar panels into the tidal flat ecosystem “did not come about easily—many people are unaware of the numerous challenges involved,” says project manager Alan Chen. The surfaces of the panels are vulnerable to reduced efficiency and damage from salt and other seawater contaminants, so they must be manually cleaned on a regular basis. Ocean currents drive driftwood and various other debris into the protective netting surrounding the plant, and maintenance staff go on daily patrols of the area, riding on jet skis as they search for and remove this debris. At the end of the day, maintaining and managing a floating solar power plant is extremely demanding.
With a total capacity of approximately 250 MW, the Changbin solar power plant operated by Chenya Energy uses around 800,000 panels over 248 hectares, making it a standard solar power plant in terms of area efficiency. The plant’s true significance, however, lies in that it has achieved this level of power generation using tidal flats rather than flat land.
Taiwan has a limited amount of suitable land available for solar power generation. Therefore, tidal flats, lakes, and dams throughout Taiwan are important potential development sites for solar power generation, and Chenya Energy has already pioneered floating solar power plants in several such locations.
Leaving a Beautiful Natural Environment for Future Generations: Contributing to Mitigating Global Warming by Promoting Solar Power
Reflecting on how far the Changbin solar power plant project has come since it began in 2019, Chenya Energy procurement manager Toto Lee recalls, “Getting the project going felt like a constant struggle. We had to contend with soaring material and labor costs, as well as logistical disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.” What helped her to overcome these difficulties, she says, was “my heartfelt aspiration, as a mother of four children, to leave a beautiful natural environment for future generations.”
Chenya Energy’s IR manager and assistant of chairman Taisuke Yanagisawa also remarks, “In my work, I place particular importance on communicating with local communities and information disclosure.” As renewable energy businesses take root in and gain the trust of Taiwanese communities, their scale and positive impact will surely continue to grow.
Looking forward, President Austin Yu passionately describes his vision for Chenya Energy’s future: “We will leverage the experience we have gained from the Changbin solar power plant at other sites, and we will endeavor to contribute to mitigating global warming by promoting solar power.”