China will have the world's largest biomass power plant by 2020
The work will be innovative in terms of architecture and will be open to the public
Image: disclosure
A waste-to-energy plant will be the largest in the world, with the capacity to incinerate five thousand tons of waste in just one day. Construction is expected to start by the end of 2016 in the city of Shenzen, China, and is expected to open by 2020.
The companies responsible for the project are the Gottlieb Paludan and the Schmidt Hammer Lassen, both Danish, who won a competition that selected the best model for the plant. The companies intend to make the project a world reference in the production of energy from waste, both in the use of innovative technology and to be an example of more sustainable energy production, as China usually suffers from high rates of pollution from burning of waste. fossil fuel in cars and in power generation. The plant will be built in a mountainous region of the Chinese city.
The plant's roof will have a circular shape of 66,000 m² and will have more than half (44,000 m²) of its length covered by photovoltaic panels to generate energy, enough to keep the plant in operation. If the panels generate more energy than the internal demand, it will be destined for the city.
Image: disclosure
The circular structure will house all parts of the waste treatment process in a single building. The change from the traditional rectangular structure in which sectors are far apart is aimed at reducing environmental impacts and the region's excavation work, said Gottlieb Paludan architects.
The plant will also be open for public visits. Thus, citizens will be able to learn about the energy production processes and also be alerted about the need to reduce the daily production of waste.
China business
China is the country with the largest population contingent and has the third largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the world, losing only to the United States and Japan. In addition, it also has remarkable characteristics in relation to its energy potential.
In 2010, China consumed about 14% of all energy in the world and had one of the largest reserves of coal (one of the most polluting sources of energy) responsible for 70% of global distribution. According to the World Bank, the nation is home to 20 of the 30 most polluting cities of all.
To try to change this image, China has been investing heavily in alternative forms of energy. In 2009, an investment of 35 billion dollars was made in this sector (exceeding even the United States).
With this investment, the country started using, in that same year, 9% of all its energy as clean and intends to reach the 15% range by 2020 (the year of completion of the Shenzen plant).
