Many of you will be aware of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant catastrophe that took place in the 1980s resulting in the death of many people. It also meant that several hundred thousand people had to be evacuated from their homes over a wide area and re-housed.
Will a solar power plant be built in the vicinity of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant?
Well, apparently, Ukraine is considering using the 1,600 square miles of land that is presently uninhabited due to the above disaster to house solar panels to help generate electricity. It is estimated that 4 gigawatts of electricity could be generated from the solar power plant that would make it the largest plant of its kind on the planet.
Ukraine already uses solar power in the country and will no doubt be very keen to do all that it can to further reduce carbon emissions that should help further improve the environment. It will be interesting to see if they do decide to use the vast area to install solar panels as surely this could only be done if it was considered safe for personnel to enter the area without becoming ill as a result of what happened back in 1986.
There are many locations that are being used to house solar panels around the world including on top of the roofs of domestic and commercial premises. In addition, solar farms are appearing in farmers’ fields and can often be seen close to motorways here in the UK. They are also being constructed in the desert, on the surface of reservoirs and the sea. They have also been constructed in some public car parks where the power generated is being utilized to help charge electric cars.
It will be interesting to see where else solar farms are installed in the coming years as countries around the world look to find ways to help meet renewable energy targets and lower carbon emissions. We will keep our readers informed.
