On April 22, deep in the Gobi Desert of Nanhu Township, Yizhou District, the largest “linear Fresnel” solar thermal integrated energy demonstration project in China – the Three Gorges Energy Hami “Linear Fresnel” Solar Thermal Integrated Energy Demonstration Project – is entering its final construction phase. With 98% completion of the 800,000-square-meter solar field featuring 260,000 sun-tracking reflectors spreading like silver waves, core equipment such as steam turbines has entered the testing phase.
Li Qianjun, chief engineer of the project, stated that as the power generation unit, the smooth progress of the solar field is crucial for the project’s early grid connection. The solar collection field is scheduled for full completion by late April, equipped with 46 parallel “linear Fresnel” circuits designed to allow single-circuit maintenance without affecting overall operations.
Developed by Three Gorges Energy with a total installed capacity of 1,000 MW – including 100 MW of solar thermal storage and 900 MW photovoltaic – this pioneering project adopts China’s first “linear Fresnel + molten salt storage” configuration. Its 8-hour molten salt thermal storage system enables round-the-clock stable power generation. This multi-energy complementary model addresses renewable energy intermittency challenges, quadrupling system regulation capability compared to conventional photovoltaic systems. Scheduled for full-capacity grid connection by November 30, the project will generate 1.86 billion kWh annually – enough to power 830,000 households while reducing CO₂ emissions by over 1.5 million metric tons, equivalent to reforesting 82,000 hectares.
“Since construction began last August, civil engineering has been largely completed,” Li noted. “With major equipment like steam turbines installed and entering commissioning, preparations for molten salt melting will begin in May. Full-system debugging starts in September, aiming to achieve grid connection by late November.”
