First high altitude photovoltaic demo project begins construction in China's Sichuan

The world's first ultra-high altitude photovoltaic demonstration project started construction on Tuesday in Southwest China's Sichuan province, said its operator, China State Power Investment Corp.

The demonstration project, with a total installed capacity of 400 MW, is expected to be put into operation by the end of September next year, it said. The average altitude of the location is 4,000 meters.

The high altitude and mountainous climate will impact solar projects located in  mountainous regions, affecting equipment operating efficiency and insulation performance of the equipment, said SPIC.

The project, once put into operation, will increase experience in the country's high altitude solar project development, it said.

SPIC has been actively developing clean energy projects in the past few years. Its installed capacity of clean energy reached 60 percent as of the end of November, up from 43.3 percent in 2016.

The company vowed to boost the percentage of installed capacity in wind, hydro, solar and nuclear power in the years ahead.