What seemed unviable just a few years ago —generating solar energy in dynamic and salty marine conditions— is now an operational reality on the Chinese coast. The state-owned oil company Sinopec, through its subsidiary Qingdao Refining and Chemical Company, has just inaugurated the first floating solar plant in open sea in the country on an industrial scale.
The solar park, located in Qingdao (Shandong province), extends over 60,000 m² of waters connected to the ocean and has an installed capacity of 7.5 MW, which will generate around 16.7 million kWh annually, enough to supply thousands of homes.
Floating solar plant: structural challenges and creative solutions
Operating a solar plant on the sea involves facing extreme conditions: salt spray, barnacles, waves, winds, and tidal variations. Sinopec, in collaboration with local materials and structures firms, introduced pioneering solutions:
- Resilient floaters to withstand saline environments and encrusting organisms
- Flexible marine anchoring system against typhoons (up to level 13) and tides up to 3.5 meters
- Movable solar panels that rise and fall with the tide, reducing the distance to the water to a tenth of the traditional standard
- Improved thermal dissipation and increased efficiency between 5 and 8% thanks to the cooling effect of seawater
- Protected and low-maintenance cables and structures, reducing operational costs
Expansion and strategic vision
Sinopec has already announced the expansion of the complex with a second 23 MW plant that will reinforce Qingdao’s renewable capacity. This adds to other milestones of the conglomerate, such as:
- The country’s first carbon-neutral hydrogen refueling station
- A pilot project for hydrogen production from seawater
- A national network of hydrogen stations and plans for 10,000 photovoltaic plants by 2027
Energetic reconversion and industrial leadership
Sinopec’s shift is not isolated. For two decades, China was one of the main global drivers of oil demand. Since joining the WTO in 2001, its urban and industrial growth intensified the use of fossil fuels. However, analysts predict that the country’s crude demand will peak in 2027.
Faced with this new situation, the leadership of an oil company in floating solar projects seems more than symbolic: it represents a possible roadmap for other fossil corporations in transition.
International context: a sea of solar panels
The Chinese project adds to a growing global wave of floating solar infrastructures:
- India already operates plants in reservoirs like Ramagundam
- Japan has hundreds of installations in urban lakes
- Singapore inaugurated in 2021 one of the largest floating plants on the Tengeh reservoir
Although most are developed on fresh and stable waters, Qingdao’s case challenges the paradigm by being installed on salty water with dynamic tides, opening a new frontier for the energy exploitation of the coastline.
