Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited today announced that it has begun construction of a 50MW solar power plant on former mining lands in in Huangshi City, Hubei Province, China. It is the first project developed by Yingli on land that has been degraded by mining activities.
The 50MW power plant occupies over 100 hectares of land in western Huangshi City. The project will contain about 170,000 YGE 72 Cell Series multicrystalline solar panels that are expected to generate approximately 55,000MWh of clean electricity annually, which will offset the consumption of nearly 22,000 tons of coal and the emission of over 50,000 tons of carbon into the atmosphere. The system is scheduled to interconnect with the local utility grid and begin operations in the fourth quarter of 2015.
"This highly replicable project shows how solar power can be integrated into ecological restoration programs, stimulating the local economy and providing clean power to the community while simultaneously aiding in land revitalization," commented Mr. Liansheng Miao, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Yingli Green Energy. "We're pleased that our first project on degraded mining lands will deliver concrete economic and environmental benefits to the surrounding community."