Unlocking 4 Solar+ Innovations — #4 Will Blow Your Mind!
May 15, 2025
Solar+ refers to the deep integration of photovoltaic (PV) power generation with traditional industries, also known in academic terms as "Photovoltaic+". This includes not only synergy with conventional sectors but also hybridization with various forms of power generation. The approach broadens the application scenarios of solar energy and improves overall economic efficiency. This article takes you through four applications of "Solar+" and shows how clean energy is reshaping traditional industries.
So, which "PV+" models have we explored so far?
1. Solar+ Agriculture, Forestry, Animal Husbandry, and Fishery
What lies beneath the solar panels?
Golden fields of marigolds, grazing sheep in small herds, fish swimming leisurely in cool waters, and clusters of lush green trees forming a canopy of shade...
The "photovoltaic+ Agriculture, Forestry, Animal Husbandry, and Fishery" model creates a multi-layered system: power generation above and planting or breeding below. Whether it's farmland, hillsides, grasslands, or ponds - they all grow greener under solar power.
1.1 PV+ Agriculture
In Baishui, Shaanxi Province, a PV power project with an installed capacity of 20 MW generates about 27.5 million kWh of green electricity annually. Shade-tolerant crops are planted beneath the panels, achieving an organic integration of solar power generation and modern agriculture.
1.2 PV+ Forestry
Ya'an, Sichuan Province, the Zhuma 100 MW forest-PV complementary project stands out among the green mountains. It comprises 31 grid-connected PV units and connects to the national grid via the Zhuma 220kV substation after voltage boosting.
The PV panels are mounted on elevated brackets, allowing sufficient space for vegetation to grow underneath. This method does not occupy or alter the original forest or grassland, enabling dual land use. It minimizes ecological disruption during construction, supports long-term forest resource protection, and boosts the local collective economy through land leasing arrangements.
1.3 PV+ Animal Husbandry
In Shuangliao, Jilin Province, the Fuxian PV power station adopts a "PV+ animal husbandry" model. PV modules are installed on the roofs of agricultural greenhouses and livestock shelters, as well as in the spaces between them. With a total capacity of 190 MW, it is the largest agro-PV project in Jilin Province.
1.4 PV+ Fishery
In Ma'anshan City, Anhui Province, a 260 MW fishery-PV complementary power station has been established. Solar panels generate electricity above, while the water surface below is used for aquaculture, raising fish and shrimp, and growing aquatic crops.
2. Solar+ Ecological Restoration: Bringing Sunshine to Deserts and Subsidence Zones
PV power stations are not only a source of clean energy but also play a role in windbreak, sand stabilization, and ecological restoration. Vast "seas of blue panels" now cover once-barren deserts and unused water surfaces, turning desolate Gobi landscapes into sunflower-like fields and transforming coal-mining subsidence zones into "treasure basins" of green development.
In Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, a breathtaking "Galloping Horse" has emerged in the heart of the vast Kubuqi Desert. This is not a sand painting-it's the "Galloping Horse" PV power station, composed of 196,000 solar panels. Besides generating electricity, it contributes to desert control and ecological restoration, making it a symbol of harmony between technology and nature.
On the water surface of Dingzhuang Town, Dezhou, Shandong Province, rows of floating solar panels glisten under the sun. This is the Dingzhuang Floating PV Power Station, the world's largest floating solar project in terms of single-unit capacity, with a total installed capacity of 320 MW. The station offers several advantages: it doesn't occupy land, reduces water evaporation, blocks sunlight to inhibit algae growth, and naturally cools the panels and cables-enhancing power generation efficiency.
The Huainan Floating PV Power Station in Anhui Province is the largest such project on a coal-mining subsidence water surface in China. What was once idle, sunken land is now a green energy base integrating floating PV and aquaculture.
China's first floating PV station on high-salinity, high-mineralized mine water is located at the Ningdong Power Plant in Ningxia. Covering a lake area of 300 mu (approximately 20 hectares), this distributed floating PV station has an installed capacity of 17.94 MW and generates an average of 25.06 million kWh annually.
Similarly, the Yingshang Floating PV Project has transformed a former mining subsidence area into a floating solar power station. The Yingshang Runeng project has now completed a 130 MW floating PV station that is already connected to the grid.
3. Solar+ Architecture: More Than Just Rooftops and Facades
There are currently two primary technological paths for integrating green photovoltaics into buildings:
- BAPV (Building-Attached Photovoltaics): Solar PV systems installed on existing structures.
- BIPV (Building-Integrated Photovoltaics): Solar power generation products integrated directly into the architectural design-also known as building-PV integration.
Today, BIPV is rapidly gaining momentum with higher safety standards, longer service life, and increasing cost advantages.
Alongside the Huwu Expressway stands the Huaneng Longteng PV Power Station, China's largest large-span arched BIPV structure, covering 176,000 square meters-equivalent to 25 football fields. From above, it resembles a massive curved mirror. This pioneering project utilizes nearly 300,000 square meters of enclosed steel-grid structures to support a distributed solar system. It is the first domestic example of a BIPV support system on a large-span arched steel grid roof-featuring complex construction and high safety challenges, with no existing industry precedents.
Recently, the first solar-powered smart parking lot in the Three Gorges Dam area has officially entered operation. It is expected to generate 400,000 kWh of clean electricity annually, enabling not only convenient parking and smart charging but also energy self-sufficiency.
4. Solar+ New Energy: When Clean Energy Becomes Weatherproof
Traditional PV systems rely heavily on sunlight-no sun means no electricity, leading to unstable output. Now, "Solar+ new energy" solutions make solar generation more weather-resistant and even allow the sun to "work overtime."
Compared with regular solar projects, the Qinghai Gonghe Solar-Thermal Demonstration Power Plant offers a unique advantage: it converts sunlight into thermal energy before generating electricity, allowing it to continue operating even after sunset. Equipped with a 6-hour thermal storage system, the plant delivers uninterrupted clean power even during cloudy weather or at night.
Solar-powered hydrogen production helps smooth out fluctuations in solar output between day and night by storing surplus energy as hydrogen. This reduces the strain on the grid and stabilizes power generation curves. The Kuqa Green Hydrogen Demonstration Project in Xinjiang, which uses water electrolysis for hydrogen production, is set to become the world's largest green hydrogen project under construction, with an expected annual output of 20,000 tons of green hydrogen.
Final Thoughts
From rooftops to highways, from farmlands to the Gobi Desert, from small-scale charm to breathtaking megaprojects-photovoltaics are scaling new heights and diving into new depths, expanding into countless scenarios. So, what are your ideas for the next "Solar+" integration?
Let's talk "Solar+"! Share this article and see what your friends think about the future of clean energy!
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