More than 92,000 solar panels in the shape of plum blossoms, floating on the surface of a reservoir in South Korea, offer a vision of how land-scarce developed nations can overcome local resistance to giant renewable-energy projects.
The 17 giant flowers on the 19-kilometer-long (12-mile-long) reservoir in the southern county of Hapcheon are able to generate 41 megawatts, enough to power 20,000 homes, according to Hanwha Solutions Corp., which built the plant.
It’s one of the biggest floating-solar plants in the world, and it’s in a nation that has been a laggard in adopting renewable energy — even though South Korea’s industrialized economy relies heavily on imported fossil fuels.