Recently, the CGN Ali “Solar-Storage-Thermal-Power” Project, for which China Power Engineering Consulting Group Central South Institute Co., Ltd. serves as the EPC contractor, successfully achieved a major milestone in molten salt commissioning. The project completed the critical solid-to-liquid molten salt conversion process, laying a solid foundation for thermal cycle system heating operation, subsequent integrated system commissioning, and full-unit startup.
The Ali project relies on a 205MW molten salt electric heating system and large-capacity thermal salt tanks to realize efficient “solar-electricity-thermal-storage” energy conversion. During daytime operation, solar energy is used for direct power generation. Surplus electricity is partly stored in electrochemical energy storage systems, while the remaining electricity is used by a 205MW molten salt electric heater to heat low-temperature molten salt into high-temperature liquid molten salt, which is then stored in thermal salt tanks with a diameter of 38.5 meters. During nighttime operation, the high-temperature molten salt drives the steam generation system to produce high-pressure steam, which powers a 50MW steam turbine generator unit for stable electricity supply.
The demonstration project plans to construct a 50MW solar thermal power generation and heating plant adopting molten salt parabolic trough technology. The project is designed with 480 solar collector assemblies, divided into 160 collector loops, with a total solar field aperture area of 825,600 m², 16 hours of thermal energy storage capacity, and an installed capacity of 50MW.
Phase I includes the construction and commissioning of 108 collector loops, with a solar field aperture area of 557,280 m². The phase is also equipped with a 16-hour thermal energy storage system, steam generation system, high-temperature ultra-high-pressure reheat extraction condensing steam turbine generator system, and other auxiliary facilities.
