Chinese steel company switches from coal to solar power

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A steel company in central China's Wuhan has been generating a significant amount of its energy needs from solar power instead of coal.

WISCORN processes steel as part of the China Baowu Steel Group Corporation. Its solar power generator was developed as a joint effort with Asia Clean Capital, which provided investment, design, construction and maintenance.

The annual power generation in the first year of operation is expected to be 13 gigawatts, and it is projected to cut 220,000 tons of carbon emissions in its lifetime. The solar power system uses free rooftop space, and the energy it generates can be used directly by its owner.

Wang Long, Project Manager of Asia Clean Capital, told CGTN that with the current efficiency rate, the conversion efficiency is 18 percent. So far, total power generation is about 120 megawatts.

Wuhan is in central China, a region with a lot of rain and not much sunlight. But high-efficiency modules solve that problem. The system was up and running just six months after the deal was signed, despite adverse weather conditions.

Solar power generators can be adapted to all kinds of roofs as long as they can bear the load. That includes residential buildings. Asia Clean Capital has worked with other manufacturers in eastern China.

WISCORN’s solar power project is just one part of efforts to cut pollution in the iron and steel industry.