China switches on mega solar farm

China is known for being one of the most heavily polluted countries in the world, with many residents in its cities forced to wear masks to protect their lungs from the thick smog. There are many causes of China’s smog problem, including pollution caused by traffic and the burning of coal to produce power. In an attempt to reduce the high levels of pollution, last month the Chinese government switched on the largest floating solar farm on Earth.

Solar farms are places where lots of solar panels are used to generate electricity from the Sun’s light. The panels can provide power to thousands of homes and businesses. This reduces a country’s reliance on fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas. Each of these fuels will one day run out – and converting them into power causes a lot of pollution.

Located in Huainan, central China, the huge solar farm’s panels float on a lake formed over what was once a coalmining town. Putting solar panels on water means that they don’t take up space on land. The water naturally keeps the panels cool, which saves money that would otherwise be spent on cooling equipment. It’s believed that this new solar farm will generate power for around 15,000 homes.

The Chinese government is determined to become a global leader in renewable energy – sources of energy that are constantly produced by nature, such as wind and sunlight, which cannot be used up and will therefore never run out. At the beginning of this year, the Chinese authorities announced that by 2020 they would be investing more than £280 billion in renewable energy.