China's First Seawater Floating Photovoltaic System Has Been Completed and Put Into Operation.
Connect the industrial chain to form a new energy industry pattern of "photovoltaic green electricity generation, and green electricity to green hydrogen production"
On July 2nd, the Sinopec Qingdao Refining and Chemical's full seawater environment floating PV system was completed and put into operation. This is the first full seawater environment floating photovoltaic system in China to achieve industrial operation. In conjunction with the previously commissioned pile-based surface photovoltaic system, it has become the largest surface photovoltaic power station of Sinopec. The overall project generates 16.7 million kwh of green electricity annually, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 14,000 tons, equivalent to planting 750,000 additional trees. It has a significant demonstration effect on the promotion of floating photovoltaic systems in the full seawater environment of coastal and shallow sea areas.
Tap into the potential of land use and forge a new model of "dual-purpose land use". The floating photovoltaic system is situated in waters connected to the sea, harnessing the surface space of seawater for power generation. Located within the Qingdao Refining and Chemical Hydrogen Energy "Production, Research, and Refueling" Demonstration Park, the project boasts advantages such as zero emissions, high efficiency, and low cost. Covering an area of approximately 60,000 square meters, it boasts an installed capacity of 7.5 megawatts. The project innovatively employs a floating photovoltaic structure, featuring a design that synchronizes the elevation of photovoltaic panels with tides. This design shortens the distance between the panels and the water surface to only about 1/10 of that of traditional pile-based structures, maximizing the use of seawater for heat dissipation. Through the cooling effect, it enhances power generation efficiency by 5% to 8%.
Three major innovations have cracked the challenges of industrial application of seawater photovoltaics. In an all-seawater environment, photovoltaic systems face issues such as seawater corrosion, biological adhesion, and tidal fluctuations. To address these application challenges, the research and development team collaborated with leading domestic material research, development and floating body production enterprises to tackle technical difficulties, resulting in three major innovations: the development of specialized floating bodies and supports that are resistant to salt spray corrosion and barnacle adhesion. The research and development of an underwater anchoring system that can withstand level 13 winds and adapt to a tidal range of 3.5 meters, reducing investment by about 10% compared to traditional pile-based photovoltaics. The positioning of photovoltaic panels and cables close to the water surface inspection channel, significantly improving safety, reducing costs during operation and maintenance compared to traditional pile-based photovoltaics. These technological innovations will provide standardized solutions for photovoltaic development in coastal and shallow sea areas, driving down the cost of new energy projects.
Facilitating the high-quality coupled development of hydrogen energy and photovoltaics. Previously, Qingdao Refining and Chemical has established the country's first "carbon neutral" hydrogen refueling station and the nation's first industrial seawater hydrogen production project. The comprehensive completion and commissioning of the water surface photovoltaic project has opened up the most crucial link in Qingdao Refining and Chemical's new energy industry chain, forming a new energy industry pattern of "photovoltaic production of green electricity, and green electricity production of green hydrogen".
This is conducive to the high-quality coupled development of hydrogen energy and photovoltaics, laying a resource foundation for the green hydrogen refining and green hydrogen transportation industries. Next, Qingdao Refining and Chemical will leverage its advantages in the new energy industry to expand and construct a 23-megawatt floating photovoltaic project, strengthening the supply capacity of new energy.
In recent years, Sinopec has accelerated the construction of a clean and low-carbon energy supply system, cultivating new growth poles for high-quality development. The company has vigorously implemented a green and clean development strategy, adhering to ecological priority, green transformation, and clean development. It has comprehensively promoted the purification of fossil energy, the scaling of clean energy, and the low-carbonization of production processes. It has launched the "10,000 Solar Stations" action plan, aiming to build approximately 10,000 photovoltaic (PV) stations by 2027, promoting the deep integration of new energy and traditional energy industries. It has continued to deepen its involvement in the geothermal field, achieving a geothermal heating capacity of 120 million square meters, making it China's largest geothermal energy development and utilization enterprise. Focusing on hydrogen energy transportation and green hydrogen refining, it has accelerated the establishment of a full hydrogen energy industry chain, completed and put into operation China's first 10,000-tonne PV green hydrogen demonstration project, and has built 144 hydrogen refueling stations, becoming the enterprise with the largest number of operational hydrogen refueling stations globally.
In 2024, Sinopec's new energy supply amounted to over 5.8 million tons of standard coal equivalent, promoting the coordinated development of traditional oil and gas industries and new energy businesses.
