Paw Power: China Opens Panda-Shaped Solar Power Plant

Taking the obsession with the cuddly bear a step further, a panda-shaped solar power plant opened to public in China. The power plant is just one of the 100 solar farms that a Chinese energy company plans to build.

The 50-megawatt solar plant has already been connected to the grid in the northern province of Shanxi, which accounts for a quarter of China's coal reserves.

Built with darker crystalline silicon and lighter-coloured thin film solar cells, the plant resembles a cartoon giant panda from the air.

According to ecns.cn, the idea for the design of the power plant came from a 17-year-old student who said that the panda design would inspire people to think about using clean energy to protect the environment.

Another peculiar feature of the solar plant is the "panda's smile". The angle of solar cells, which can be changed with the movement of the sun, can make the panda appear like it is smiling.

The firm Panda Green Energy Group is currently in talks with Canada, Australia, Germany and Italy to launch more panda-shaped power stations.

Here's an aerial view of the solar farm



(With inputs from Reuters)