Which Is The Largest Renewable Energy Plant In The World?

Renewable energy comes from natural sources that are constantly replenished, such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat. Large renewable energy plants are being built to meet the growing demand for clean energy and reduce dependence on fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas, which produce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Some benefits of large renewable plants include lower costs due to economies of scale, more reliable power generation, and the ability to power entire cities or regions. This article will explore some of the largest renewable energy plants in the world.

What is Considered a Large Renewable Energy Plant

A renewable energy plant is generally considered to be large if it has a capacity of hundreds or thousands of megawatts. For context, 1 megawatt is enough to power around 750 average U.S. homes. Some examples of very large renewable energy plants include:

The Three Gorges Dam in China, which is the world’s largest hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 22,500 megawatts (Wikipedia).

The Gansu Wind Farm in China, which is one of the largest wind farms with a capacity of over 6,000 megawatts (Visual Capitalist).

The Tengger Desert Solar Park in China, which is one of the largest solar plants with 1,500 megawatts capacity (Wikipedia).

So in general, renewable energy plants with at least 500-1,000 megawatts capacity could be considered quite large.

Solar Plants

Solar power plants use photovoltaic panels to convert sunlight into electricity. Some of the largest solar power plants in the world include Tengger Desert Solar Park in China, Bhadla Solar Park in India, and Noor Abu Dhabi Solar Park in the United Arab Emirates. The Tengger Desert Solar Park in northwest China is currently the world’s second largest at 1,547 MW capacity. It covers an area of 43 square kilometers and utilizes polycrystalline silicon solar cells. Bhadla Solar Park in India is the world’s largest solar park at 2,245 MW capacity. It spans over 14,000 acres and provides enough electricity to power about 1.2 million households.

Some other massive solar parks include Longyangxia Dam Solar Park in China (850 MW), Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park in India (1000 MW), and Solar Star in the United States (579 MW). The rapid growth of large-scale solar parks demonstrates the viability of solar energy to meet electricity demands around the world.

Wind Plants

Some of the largest renewable energy plants in the world are wind farms. For example, the Gecama Wind Project in Spain has a capacity of 350 MW, making it one of the largest in the country as of April 2023.

However, even larger wind farms can be found in China. The Gansu Wind Farm in China is one of the biggest in the world with an installed capacity of over 6,000 MW. When fully completed, it is expected to have a capacity of 20,000 MW generated from 7,000 wind turbines. This massive wind power plant demonstrates China’s heavy investment and rapid growth in wind energy.

Other major wind farms around the world include the Alta Wind Energy Center in California, the Roscoe Wind Farm in Texas, and the London Array offshore wind farm in the UK. But the Gansu Wind Farm currently stands out as the largest wind power plant on Earth.

Hydroelectric Plants

Hydroelectric power plants capture the energy from flowing water to generate electricity. The flow of water spins a turbine connected to a generator to produce electricity. Hydroelectric plants range greatly in size from small run-of-river facilities to massive dams and reservoirs. The world’s largest hydroelectric plants in terms of generating capacity are enormous dams and reservoirs.

The largest hydroelectric power plant in the world is the Three Gorges Dam in China. The Three Gorges Dam spans the Yangtze River and has a generating capacity of 22,500 megawatts (MW). Construction on the dam was completed in 2006 after a decades-long construction process. The dam includes a massive reservoir that stretches over 370 miles and displaces over 1 million people. While the Three Gorges Dam provides huge generating capacity, the project has also raised environmental and social concerns (reference).

Other massive dams round out the top three largest hydroelectric plants. The Itaipu Dam on the border of Brazil and Paraguay is the second largest at 14,000 MW generating capacity. The Guri Dam in Venezuela is third largest with a capacity of 10,200 MW (reference).

Tidal Power

Tidal power harnesses the energy from the natural rise and fall of the tides to generate electricity. Tidal power stations are typically built across estuaries or inlets where there is a significant tidal range. As the tide comes in and causes water levels to rise, it flows through turbines to spin a generator and produce electricity. Then as the tide goes out and water levels fall, the flow is reversed through the turbines again to continue producing power. According to “Tidal turbine development ebbs and flows”, the world’s largest tidal power plants are currently located in South Korea and France, generating 254 MW and 240 MW of electricity respectively [1]. The Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station in South Korea is fitted with 10 turbines and was completed in 2011. In France, the Rance Tidal Power Station has been operating since 1966 and remains one of the world’s first and largest tidal power plants.

Geothermal

Geothermal energy comes from harnessing the natural heat from within the earth to generate electricity. Some of the largest geothermal power plants in the world include:

The Geysers in California is one of the oldest and largest geothermal power plants in the world. Located in the Mayacamas Mountains north of San Francisco, The Geysers has an installed capacity of over 2,000 MW, making it the largest complex of geothermal power plants in the world.

The Cerro Prieto Geothermal Power Station in Mexico is another massive geothermal power plant, with an installed capacity of 720 MW. It is located in the Mexicali Valley and has been operational since 1973.

In Kenya, the Olkaria Geothermal Power Station is located in the Great Rift Valley and generates over 280 MW of electricity. It is one of the largest geothermal plants in Africa.

Bioenergy

Bioenergy plants utilize biomass resources like agricultural waste, forest debris, and dedicated energy crops to generate renewable electricity and heat. Some of the largest bioenergy plants in the world are found in Europe, which has strong policy support for renewable energy.

One of the biggest biomass power plants is located in Naas, Ireland. The plant has a capacity of 44 megawatts and uses recycled wood as fuel. It generates enough electricity for 50,000 homes (Source).

In Finland, the Toppila Power Plant in Oulu is one of the largest bioenergy plants. It has a capacity of 215 megawatts and runs on forest-based biomass like wood chips and bark. Advanced technology like sampling robots help optimize operations at the plant (Source).

The Drax Power Plant in North Yorkshire, UK is among the world’s largest biomass plants at 660 megawatts. It utilizes compressed wood pellets and provides 12% of UK’s renewable power.

The World’s Largest Renewable Energy Plant

The largest renewable energy plant in the world is the Noor Complex in Morocco, consisting of three concentrated solar power plants. The entire Noor complex has a total capacity of 580 megawatts (MW) 1.

The three plants that make up the Noor Complex are Noor I, Noor II, and Noor III. Noor I was the first plant completed in 2016, with a capacity of 160 MW. Noor II was completed in 2019 with a capacity of 200 MW. Finally, Noor III was finished in 2021, adding another 220 MW of capacity.

The Noor Complex uses parabolic trough technology to concentrate the sun’s energy and heat a transfer fluid, which creates steam to run electricity-generating turbines. Located in the Sahara desert, the region has some of the highest solar irradiation in the world, making it an optimal location for a large-scale concentrated solar plant.

Previously, the largest renewable energy plant was the Three Gorges Dam hydroelectric plant in China, with a capacity of 22,500 MW 2. However, Noor’s concentrated solar capacity surpassed Three Gorges as the largest single-technology renewable electricity plant.

The Noor Complex stands out not just for its immense size, but for the technological advances it has brought to concentrated solar power. The project highlights Morocco’s leadership in renewable energy and the potential for large-scale solar projects worldwide.

Conclusion

In summary, the world’s largest renewable energy plant is currently the Three Gorges Dam in China, which has a massive capacity of 22,500 MW. Hydroelectric power plants like Three Gorges provide clean, renewable electricity on a vast scale. However, all renewables have an important role to play in building a sustainable energy future, from solar and wind to geothermal, tidal and more. As the costs of renewables fall and technology improves, we will continue seeing larger and more ambitious renewable energy projects around the globe. The environmental and economic benefits of transitioning to renewables are clear. With committed investment and policy support, renewables can become the dominant energy source globally while helping address climate change.