Construction of solar farms is taking place worldwide, particularly in countries where there is plenty of sunshine and available land.
China plans to build a 2-gigawatt solar farm in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, while India is to construct a 5-gW facility in the Ladakh region.
In Egypt, the $4 billion Benban Solar Park will use 5 million photovoltaic panels and generate 1.8 gW of electricity, the same amount as two nuclear plants.
Japan has proposed a project in outer space, with a large-scale 1-gW solar farm being created in conjunction with the country's space agency, JAXA.
But in the United Kingdom, solar farms and wind turbines are seen as a blot on the landscape, and politicians have taken steps to limit the number of such projects in rural areas.
A massive solar energy grid project could link China, South Korea, Russia and Japan in the future, while another project in Europe could span the continent by next year.
In the United States, the states with the largest amount of installed solar capacity include California, which has 23 gW, and North Carolina, with 4.5 gW, according to a report by the Solar Energy Industries Association.
The largest plant in the US is the Solar Star facility near Los Angeles, which produces 580 megawatts of power, enough to supply 150,000 homes.
Editor:Cherie
