Electricity generated by the solar station will be comsumed by the shipyard for its offices and workshops. The original roofs of the workshops were due for replacement and BIPV panels were selected as the ideal solution. The old roof panels were removed and replaced by glass-coated PV modules fastened by aluminum alloy brackets and stainless steel fasteners. This ensures a light-weight and durable rooftop structure. Integrating the solar panels into the roof structure helps reduce the overall construction cost. Over seventy-two-thousand PV modules were installed and the lifetime total power output is estimated to be more than 418 million kWh. The project is not only the largest BIPV project in the world, but also the largest distributed solar station in Zhoushan City.

Tsuneishi Group, with over one-hundred years history, was founded in Japan in 1903. The group is the sixth largest shipbuilding company in the world, with four shipyards currently — two in Japan, one in the Philippines, and one in Zhoushan, China. Tsuneishi Zhoushan Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. was established in 2003. The grid connection of Tsuneishi Zhoushan solar station marks the official operation of the world’s largest shipyard solar station.

Under the ACC cooperation model, ACC invests and owns the system and undertakes the design, construction, and long-term system maintenance during the contract period. The electricity generated by the solar system will be sold to the Tsuneishi Group at an agreed price to ensure operational savings throughout the lifetime of the system.

Solar PV systems turn free solar resources to electricity. In addition to monetary savings, the system will significantly promote the local ecological environment. Each year during its 25-year life cycle, ACC’s solar system can reduce approximately 5,841 tons of coal, 13,907 tons of CO2, 8.72 tons of SO2, and reduce approximately 25,700 tons of water consumption—compared to conventional coal-fired power stations.