Photo shows a 100MW tower-type solar thermal power plant in Amdo county, Nagqu, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Wu Yuren)
The world's highest-altitude molten-salt solar thermal power plant, located in Amdo county, Nagqu, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, recently completed the installation of 15,927 heliostats in a solar field covering an area of around 800,000 square meters, marking a key step toward grid connection scheduled for October this year.
With a capacity of 100 megawatts (MW), the solar thermal power plant is the first tower-type solar thermal power plant in Xizang and the world's first tower-type solar thermal power plant built in an ultra-high-altitude region characterized by extreme cold and a weak power grid.
Leveraging more than 2,800 hours of annual sunshine in the region, the facility adopts molten-salt tower solar thermal technology to convert solar energy into heat and then electricity. The solar receiver tower is 210 meters high.
To overcome challenges posed by harsh plateau conditions, including severe cold and strong winds, the construction team optimized construction plans and developed techniques suited to high-altitude conditions.
An intelligent control system has also been deployed to improve operation and maintenance efficiency and ensure stable performance.
Beyond clean energy generation, the project has supported local development by providing specialized training for farmers and herders, which is expected to help local residents increase their income by 118 million yuan ($17.47 million).
Once operational, the plant is expected to generate 255 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, saving 60,000 tonnes of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 165,000 tonnes each year.
Photo shows neatly arranged heliostats at a 100MW tower-type solar thermal power plant in Amdo county, Nagqu, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Wu Yuren)
Photo shows rows of photovoltaic panels beside a 100MW tower-type solar thermal power plant in Amdo county, Nagqu, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Wu Yuren)
Photo shows a 100MW tower-type solar thermal power plant in Amdo county, Nagqu, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Wu Yuren)
Photo shows a 100MW tower-type solar thermal power plant in Amdo county, Nagqu, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Wu Yuren)