World’s largest integrated solar thermal storage project kicks off construction

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According to Sinochem New Network, on April 1, the photovoltaic section of the 1,500-megawatt \"Light (Heat) Storage\" project in Hami, which is part of the second batch of large-scale wind and solar power facilities built in desert and arid areas – and which is also the world’s largest integrated \"solar thermal storage\" project constructed in a single phase – officially commenced construction. This project was developed with the participation of Gezhouba No. 3 Company under China Energy Engineering Group. The project is located in Bariqun County, Hami City, Xinjiang, covering a total area of about 50,000 mu. The project adopts an integrated coordinated model of \"photovoltaic + solar thermal + heat storage\", with 1,350 megawatts of photovoltaic capacity and 150 megawatts of solar thermal capacity; it also includes one heat absorption tower, two 220 kV step-up substations, as well as transmission lines. China Energy Engineering Group Gezhouba No. 3 Company is responsible for constructing Section 4 of the photovoltaic area for this project. The main scope of work includes the construction of a photovoltaic array with a capacity of 406.97 MWp, covering all aspects of the process such as site clearing, land leveling, construction contracting, grid connection of the project, inspection, and ensuring that it meets quality standards. This project addresses the challenges posed by the extreme conditions in the Gobi region, achieving multiple key breakthroughs. The thermal power section of the project is equipped with an 8-hour high-temperature molten salt heat storage system. Through the combined operation of thermal power and photovoltaic systems, along with an intelligent scheduling system and a \"bidirectional energy storage\" mechanism, it is possible to achieve a 24/7 power supply scheme in which photovoltaic generation takes place during the day while thermal power compensates for the energy needs at night, thus enabling deep integration between heat storage-based thermal power systems and photovoltaic systems. Upon completion of the project, it is estimated that the annual electricity generation will be around 3 billion kWh, of which approximately 2.8 billion kWh will come from photovoltaic power generation and about 200 million kWh from concentrated solar power generation ； It can save 868,000 tons of standard coal per year, thereby reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 2.256 million tons.