Sinopec Launches China’s 1st Offshore Floating Solar Project

Sinopec Launches China’s 1st Offshore Floating Solar Project

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) has brought into operation the country’s first commercial offshore floating photovoltaic (PV) project in a full-seawater environment, in collaboration with the Shandong provincial government and the Qingdao municipality.

The project, now operational, marks a significant milestone in China’s renewable energy efforts, combining an earlier pile-based floating PV installation to form Sinopec’s largest floating solar power station to date.

Located in a sea-connected area, the facility spans roughly 60,000 square metres and has an installed capacity of 7.5 megawatts. It is expected to generate around 16.7 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually—enough to cut carbon emissions by about 14,000 tonnes.

“This is a pioneering step to promote the deployment of floating solar power in coastal and shallow sea regions,” the company said in a statement.

The offshore PV array features a high-efficiency, low-cost design with zero emissions. The photovoltaic modules are mounted on a system that adjusts with the tides, keeping the panels close to the water’s surface—about one-tenth the gap seen in traditional pile-based designs. This enhances seawater cooling, improving power generation efficiency by 5–8 percent.

Sinopec highlighted three core innovations that made the project possible:

• Saltwater-Resistant Design: Floats and supports are specially engineered to resist salt mist corrosion and barnacle accumulation.

• Anchoring System: A submerged anchoring setup withstands typhoon-grade winds (up to force 13) and tidal variations of up to 3.5 metres, while lowering investment costs by around 10 percent compared to traditional models.

• Simplified Maintenance: Streamlined access paths to panels and cables near the water surface boost safety and reduce operating and maintenance costs.

The development complements Sinopec’s broader clean energy strategy, which includes China’s first carbon-neutral hydrogen refueling station and a large-scale seawater electrolysis hydrogen project.

The company plans to expand the current offshore installation with an additional 23-megawatt floating solar facility to strengthen its renewable energy portfolio and integrate PV-based green hydrogen production.