The Xinghuo water-based photovoltaic demonstration project at the Daqing Oilfield has generated over 2 million kWh of electricity in total

There are many such water surfaces in the southern region

The Xinghuo water surface photovoltaic project at the Daqing Oilfield is a pilot project that actively responds to the **\"dual carbon\" goals and China National Petroleum Corporation’s overall strategy of \"clean alternatives, strategic succession, and green transformation\"; it aims to establish a demonstration base for the green, low-carbon, and sustainable development of the Daqing Oilfield. This project makes use of two water surfaces, covers a construction area of 400,000 square meters, has an installed capacity of 18.73 megawatts, generates 27.5 million kWh of electricity per year, and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 22,000 tons. From the completion of project approval to its commissioning, it took just over 4 months, enabling efficient and on-time operation.

The project makes use of two water surfaces, covers a construction area of 400,000 square meters, has an installed capacity of 18.73 megawatts, generates 27.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, and reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 22,000 tons. From the completion of project approval to its commissioning, it took just over 4 months, enabling efficient and on-time operation.

This photovoltaic project built on water surfaces is the first of its kind in the Daqing Oil Field and even within CNPC. Faced with the challenges of lacking mature construction experience and familiarity with the relevant processes, the engineers working on the Daqing Oil Field project had to figure things out as they went. Over a period of 133 days, they broke through ice and waded through water, striving toward their goals, and thus blazed a path for development in the field of new energy. How difficult is it to install photovoltaic systems on water surfaces? It takes 3 seasons to go from driving piles into the ice surface to laying the cables for a single photovoltaic panel, involving 8 different steps; each step must be carried out with precision, with no room for errors. Tong Xiaoqing, the technical supervisor of the Xinghuo Aquatic Photovoltaic Project at the 15th Engineering Department of the Oilfield Engineering Division of the engineering construction company, said that if ranked by construction difficulty, ice pile driving and cable laying on water surfaces come at the top; “This is something we’re doing for the first time, with no experience at all.” Construction began in bitter cold with howling north winds; the cold wasn’t the biggest challenge – what was difficult was having to complete 6,129 piles before the ice melted. “The tallest pile foundations on the ice surface are 15 meters high; it’s impossible to transport them in their entirety, so they have to be welded on site. Additionally, a theodolite and level are used to ensure that they are properly aligned horizontally and vertically,” said Tong Xiaoqing. After working all day, a team can install at most 6 piles. How is it possible to complete the task under such conditions? To address this issue, the project team held meetings whenever possible, discussing various solutions. “Believe it or not, we eventually came up with a ‘homegrown solution’ – we used channel steel to create a mold for the pile head, secured it with set screws, and then lifted another pile and guided it into place using that mold. ”By using this \"traditional method,\" the piling speed of each work team in the project department increased by nearly 4 times; the piling task was completed in just 51 days, 3 days ahead of the planned schedule. Piling on the ice surface was accomplished, but new challenges arose immediately: the ice turned into water, making it difficult to walk; how could construction proceed? Engineering workers, who were skilled at work on land, now had to tackle challenges related to working in water for the first time. “To travel by water, one obviously needs a boat. ”Tong Xiaoqing pointed to several homemade floating boats at the scene and revealed the answer to the journalists. “The first time, we tied empty metal drums together to create a floating boat, but people could not stand steadily on it, making it impossible to carry out any work. ”Tong Xiaoqing said that everyone drew \"inspiration\" from online videos and decided to use foam boards and compressed wooden boards to build \"larger\" floating boats that are 3 meters wide and 6 meters long. This \"giant\" can not only move freely among pile foundations spaced 4 meters apart, but also allow 4 operators to work at heights on board simultaneously. It features good stability and a high safety factor. The progress of cable laying on the water’s surface is 7 kilometers per day, matching the speed of laying on land. Boats can move steadily on the water's surface, but construction in muddy areas is extremely difficult. Although the 15th Engineering Department has been engaged in electrical construction for 58 years and possesses extensive experience in this field, this is the first time it has taken on a project with such complex conditions and challenging circumstances. When laying cables in the muddy areas, it happened to be the rainy season; it was raining, and water was flowing on the ground. The workers wore waterproof boots as they stepped into mud up to their knees, and it was impossible to tell whether what covered their bodies was mud, rainwater, or sweat. Yet even so, they carried out the drainage and laying work according to the blueprints, with the position and dimensions being exact to within a centimeter. On June 30, within the allotted time frame, the project team successfully completed the installation of 6,129 square piles on the ice surface, assembled 28,812 photovoltaic panels on the water’s surface, and laid 187 kilometers of cables, thereby enabling the project to begin generating electricity as scheduled. ““This construction project is not only about facing challenges but also about gaining experience. We will continue to uphold the fine tradition of being conscientious and striving for excellence, and keep contributing to the development of green energy in oil fields!” said Liu Hongbo, deputy manager of the 15th Engineering Department of the Oil Field Engineering Division of the engineering construction company.