China’s largest linear Fresnel CSP-PV hybrid project online

China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) has fully grid-connected its 1 GW ‘CSP + PV’ project in Hami, Xinjiang. The plant is expected to generate an average of 2.067 billion kWh annually. According to CTG, it is the largest linear Fresnel concentrated solar power (CSP) hybrid demonstration project in China, adopting a multi-energy complementary model.

The project uses approximately 260,000 reflectors to concentrate sunlight, which heats molten salt stored in thermal tanks to a temperature of 550°C. The heat released from the molten salt is used to produce high-pressure steam that drives a turbine generator to generate electricity. The use of CSP enables 8 hours of stable storage-based power generation, helping effectively mitigate PV intermittency.

In August, China Datang started operations at the ‘country’s first’ demonstration base for integrated PV and CSP development in the desert-Gobi-wasteland region (see China Solar PV News Snippets).