Chinese module manufacturer Yingli has broken ground on a 50MW project on a former mining site in eastern China.
The company said it was the first project it had developed on a site degraded by mining activity. The 100-hectare site near Huangshi City, Hubei province, is expected to be connected to the grid in the fourth quarter of 2015. It will use around 170,000 72-cell multicrystalline modules.
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“This highly replicable project shows how solar power can be integrated into ecological restoration programmes, stimulating the local economy and providing clean power to the community while simultaneously aiding in land revitalisation,” said Liansheng Miao, chairman and CEO, 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,” he added.
The project is a pilot for a national programme to reclaim former mining land and industrial sites.
Yingli, which announces its full-year results next week, said it would also build an educational visitor centre alongside the completed power plant.