Harsh Goenka impressed by China's floating solar farms: World's second-largest economy is turning water bodies into renewable energy hubs

Industrialist Harsh Goenka recently posted a video on X showing an expansive floating solar installation in China, describing the sight as “Mind boggling.”

The clip captioned 'Mind boggling! Solar panels on water in China….' shows what appears to be an endless stretch of solar panels spread across water bodies, forming a massive floating energy grid.'

User Reactions to Harsh Goenka's China Solar Panel Video

The video triggered a wave of reactions across social media, with many users admiring the scale of the project.


One user wrote: “Hate it, love it, but we can’t just ignore the amazing stuff that China keeps on doing.”

Another user commented: '2011 : We (India) can compete with China; 2026 : We are better than Pakistan,Bangladesh'.

Another commented: 'China is 50 years ahead of india...while we are busy in installing statutes ...!!!'

Why Put Solar Panels On Water Bodies?

Floating solar installations place photovoltaic panels on platforms or pontoons over water instead of land.

The concept is designed to:

• Use unused water surfaces for energy generation
• Reduce pressure on land availability
• Enable large-scale solar expansion near demand regions

Reuters reporting highlights that floating solar systems are increasingly being explored as a solution for space-constrained areas while still supporting energy production close to consumption hubs.

Benefits Of Floating Solar Projects

Floating solar systems offer several practical advantages:

• Reduced land use pressure in densely populated regions
• Potential cooling effect from water improving panel efficiency
• Proximity to industrial or urban demand centers
• Large-scale renewable expansion without land conflicts

These factors have made offshore and floating solar a growing part of global renewable energy planning.

China’s Offshore Solar Push: From Gigawatt Projects To Global Scale

Recent developments show China expanding aggressively into offshore photovoltaic systems. According to Reuters from November 2024, China’s state-owned CHN Energy began power generation at a 1 GW offshore floating solar park located about 8 km off Dongying in Shandong province. The project is capable of generating around 1.78 billion kilowatt-hours annually, enough to power approximately 2.6 million urban residents.

In another major development reported by Reuters, China National Nuclear Corp began construction of a 2 GW offshore solar plant in Jiangsu province, marking one of the largest projects of its kind under development.

Earlier reports also show China Energy Engineering Corp proposing a 1,000 MW floating solar plant in Zimbabwe, indicating international expansion of the technology.

Largest Offshore Photovoltaic Projects Under Construction

According to a latest Reuters report, construction activity has also been documented at large-scale offshore photovoltaic sites, including the CNNC Tianwan mudflat photovoltaic demonstration project in Jiangsu province, where work is underway on extensive offshore solar infrastructure.

(Disclaimer: This article is based on a viral social media post and online reactions. The Economic Times cannot independently verify the authenticity of the content and does not claim or endorse it.)