China’s largest single-unit tower-type solar thermal project under construction, the 200-megawatt solar thermal energy storage power generation project of China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) in Delingha, has seen the solar thermal steam turbine unit in place at the construction site and is undergoing installation and adjustment.
The project is located in the Photovoltaic (Solar Thermal) Industrial Park in Delingha City, Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, within the Qaidam Basin. With a total installed capacity of 1,000 megawatts, the project includes 800 megawatts of photovoltaic (PV) power generation and 200 megawatts of solar thermal energy storage power generation, equipped with a 100-megawatt PV curtailment heating and storage device. It utilizes China’s first domestic 200-megawatt solar thermal steam turbine.
“Currently, all core equipment is in place, and 80% of the construction progress has been completed. The project is expected to be finished within this year,” introduced Li Haoshan, the project manager. The project adopts a molten salt tower-type concentrating solar thermal power generation technology route, supported by a surplus power utilization system to absorb PV curtailment.
“Upon completion, it will achieve large-scale collaborative power generation from PV, solar thermal, and energy storage, capable of generating 200,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per hour,” Li Haoshan said. “The multiple safeguards of PV, solar thermal, and energy storage will smooth power output, compensate for fluctuations in PV power generation, and enhance the stability and reliability of power grid operation.”
It is reported that after the project is put into operation, the annual power generation will reach 1.8 billion kilowatt-hours, saving 550,000 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1.3 million tons each year.
