China builds the world's highest grid-connected solar thermal power station

China News Service, Beijing, November 6 (Reporter Pang Wuji) The reporter learned from China General Nuclear Power Group on the 6th that on that day, the 50,000-kilowatt solar thermal power demonstration project of CGN’s Alibaba Snowy Plateau “zero-carbon” solar thermal storage power station was connected to the grid to generate electricity for the first time, becoming the highest-altitude grid-connected solar thermal power station in the world. This is Tibet's first solar thermal project connected to the grid for power generation. The power station is equipped with molten salt electric heaters of the world's largest solar thermal power plant.

According to reports, the project is located in Shiquanhe Town, Gar County, Ali Prefecture, Tibet, with an average altitude of 4,300 meters, a total investment of approximately 2.4 billion yuan (the same below), and a total installed capacity of 150,000 kilowatts. Among them, the 100,000-kilowatt photovoltaic power station has been connected to the grid at full capacity, and the 50,000-kilowatt photothermal power station will start construction in July 2024. It will be equipped with off-grid photovoltaic, molten salt electric heaters, 14-hour molten salt heat storage systems, lithium battery asynchronous interconnection devices, and two 25,000-kilowatt steam turbine generator units dedicated to molten salt electric heating systems. The No. 1 steam turbine generator unit of the solar thermal power station will be connected to the grid to generate electricity this time. According to the project construction plan, the No. 2 steam turbine generator unit will be connected to the grid within the year.

"This power station is the world's first solar thermal power station that adopts the technical route of 'photovoltaic + molten salt electric heater + asynchronous interconnected energy storage'. The molten salt electric heater configured in the project has a capacity of 205,000 kilowatts." Ding Hong, engineering director of CGN New Energy Alibaba Company Liang said that the project adopts a thermal storage cogeneration operation mode: during the day, the electric energy generated by photovoltaics is converted into thermal energy through a molten salt electric heater, and is stored in high-temperature molten salt. Relying on the steam generation system of the power station, it can achieve continuous power supply and urban heating day and night. At the same time, the power station has the ability to operate in both grid-connected and off-grid modes. It is connected to the large power grid to play a regulating role under normal working conditions. It can quickly switch to an independent power source under special working conditions to ensure the power consumption of regional core loads and provide innovative solutions for energy security in plateau areas.

The project construction has been deeply integrated into local development, creating more than 500 jobs for local farmers and herdsmen, using 27 local machinery and equipment, and helping local people generate more than 20 million yuan in income. By participating in project construction and skills training, many traditional herders have transformed into industrial workers and achieved stable income increases. After the project is fully completed and put into operation, the annual power generation is expected to be approximately 270 million kilowatt hours.

Tan Xiangfeng, director of the Ngari District Energy Bureau, said that this project is the first approved "photovoltaic + solar thermal" integrated project in the Tibet Autonomous Region, and it is also a key energy supply project in the autonomous region. The project was successfully connected to the grid to generate electricity, providing strong support for ensuring energy supply in the Ali region and providing replicable experience for solar thermal construction in high-cold and high-altitude areas.