China's largest "Linear Fresnel" concentrated solar power integrated energy demonstration. The 1-million-kilowatt integrated concentrated solar-thermal power (CSP) and photovoltaic (PV) energy demonstration project in Hami, in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has commenced power generation and connected to the State Grid, a spokesperson from the Northwest Electric Power Design Institute of China Power Engineering Consulting Group, the project's contractor, told the Global Times on December 22. Photo: Zhang Yiyi/GT

The 1-million-kilowatt integrated concentrated solar-thermal power (CSP) and photovoltaic (PV) energy demonstration project in Hami, in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has commenced power generation and connected to the State Grid, a spokesperson from the Northwest Electric Power Design Institute of China Power Engineering Consulting Group, the project's contractor, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The project is the site of China's largest "Linear Fresnel" concentrated solar power integrated energy demonstration, which includes 260,000 sun-tracking reflective mirrors designed to maximize solar energy capture.

Once fully operational, the CSP plant will function as a baseload power source, in conjunction with the integrated photovoltaic system to establish a multi-source clean energy hub, the spokesperson said. The project is projected to generate 1.86 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity per year, helping cut CO2 emissions by over 1.5 million tons annually.

The project will convert solar energy into thermal power during the day, enabling stable power generation for up to eight hours during nighttime.

Linear Fresnel is one of the most advanced concentrated solar power technologies, harnessing the principles of reflection and refraction to convert solar energy into electricity.

The linear Fresnel collector system features a simple design, strong wind resistance, efficient land use, and minimal impact on the original landscape during construction, the spokesperson said. With flat reflective mirrors and fixed collector tubes, it ensures lower construction costs and simplified maintenance.

The demonstration project currently under construction has a total installed capacity of 1-million kilowatts, featuring a 100,000-kilowatt 'Linear Fresnel' CSP thermal storage plant and a 900,000-kilowatt PV power station.

As of now, more than 30 CSP plants are under construction in China, with their total installed capacity hitting roughly 3-million kilowatts, China Media Group reported on Sunday.

Global Times