China Just Built a 250-Acre Solar Farm Shaped Like a Giant Panda

中国建了个熊猫装的太阳能电厂，实力卖萌

Most solar farms align¹ their solar arrays in rows and columns to form a grid².

如今大多数太阳能发电厂中的太阳能都是成行成列地排列，最终组成形成一个电网。

A new solar power plant in Datong, China, however, decided³ to have a little fun with its design. China Merchants New Energy Group, one of the country's largest clean energy operators, built a 248-acre solar farm in the shape of a giant panda.

然而，位于中国大同的一家太阳能发电厂却在其外观设计上开了一个小小的玩笑。招商新能源集团是中国最大的清洁能源运营商之一，该公司将占地248公顷的电厂设计成了大熊猫的形状。

The first phase, which includes one 50-megawatt plant, was completed on June 30, according to PV magazine.

据《光伏杂志》报道，光伏电站于6月30日完成了第一期，目前电站发电能力为50兆瓦。

The project just began delivering power to a grid in northwestern China, and a second panda is planned for later this year.

该项目现在仅向西北中国西北地区输送电力，另一只“熊猫”将于今年晚些时候投入使用。

Called the Panda Power Plant, it will be able to produce 3.2 billion kilowatt-hours of solar energy in 25 years, according to the company.That will eliminate approximately million tons of coal that would have been used to produce electricity, reducing carbon emissions⁴ by 2.74 million tons.

新能源集团称，电站能在25年内提供32亿千瓦时的太阳能电力，将节省近百万吨的煤，并减少二氧化碳排放274万吨。

China Merchants New Energy Group worked with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to make the Panda Power Plant a reality.

这个熊猫发电站是由新能源集团和联合国开发计划署共同努力的结果。

The project is part of a larger effort to raise awareness⁵ among young people in China about clean energy, the UNDP wrote in a statement.

联合国开发计划署在一项声明中表示，他们正致力于提高中国青年群体的清洁能源意识，建造熊猫发电站则是该计划的一部分。

The groups hope to build more panda-shaped solar plants throughout China in the next five years.

新能源集团拟于未来5年再建几座这样的电站。