China operates solar thermal power plant in the middle of the desert

Nearly 27,000 mirrors focus sunlight onto two towers, powering a single turbine, resulting in greater efficiency and cost savings.

The east tower catches the morning sun and the west tower catches the afternoon sun - Photo: HANDOUT

China has officially put into operation the world's first solar thermal power plant in the Gobi desert. This project is considered to use efficient and cheaper technology, and has the potential to expand in scale.

Built by the China Three Gorges Corporation in Guazhou County, Gansu Province (northwest China), the plant uses two towers to power a single turbine - marking the first time this model has been applied in the world.

Nearly 27,000 mirrors have been installed to focus sunlight onto two 200m-high towers, about 1km apart.

The concentrated light generates intense heat, melting and storing the salt at temperatures of up to 570 degrees Celsius. This energy is then used to generate steam, operate turbines and maintain a continuous supply of electricity, even after sunset or on cloudy days.

According to CCTV , the twin tower design allows the eastern tower to receive morning sunlight and the western tower to receive afternoon sunlight, increasing efficiency by about 25% compared to a single tower. The two overlapping mirror fields also help reduce the number of mirrors needed, significantly saving on construction costs.

This design – and possibly future multi-tower systems – has broken the capacity limits of single-tower plants, opening up new avenues for scaling up solar thermal power development in China.

Unlike many previous solar thermal projects in Europe and the US that operate on their own, the Chinese plant is part of a larger clean energy complex. Combined with giant wind and solar farms already in the region, the complex is expected to power about half a million homes a year.

Solar thermal power has a distinct advantage over photovoltaic (PV) cells, thanks to its ability to continue generating electricity after dark.

China has previously invested heavily in cheap wind and solar power in sunny and windy regions such as Gansu, Xinjiang and Qinghai, but these sources are unstable and cannot meet demand at night or on cloudy days.

According to Mr. Wang Zhifeng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences , solar thermal power is not intended to compete with, but complement PV batteries, helping to fill the gaps of other renewable energy sources.

China has built 21 commercial solar thermal power plants, with a total capacity of 1.57 million kilowatts, CCTV said. An additional 30 projects are under construction, adding another 3.1 million kilowatts.

Globally, the largest operating solar thermal power complex is the 700-megawatt Noor Energy 1 project in the United Arab Emirates.

China has also contributed to major plants such as the Noor complex in Morocco and Cerro Dominador in Chile, where solar power remains part of the national clean energy strategy.

XUAN THAO

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/trung-quoc-van-hanh-nha-may-nhiet-dien-mat-troi-giua-sa-mac-20251009164539348.htm