China Cementing Global Dominance of Renewable Energy and Technology

[JSCh]

Chinese investment boosts Croatian wind farm project
Source: Xinhua| 2018-11-21 04:39:57|Editor: Yang Yi

Photo taken on Nov. 20, 2018 shows a view of the Senj wind farm in Senj, Croatia. A Chinese-invested wind farm project near Croatia's Adriatic coastal city Senj officially kicked off on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Gao Lei)

SENJ, Croatia, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese-invested wind farm project near Croatia's Adriatic coastal city Senj officially kicked off on Tuesday.

The 156MW Senj wind farm project is operated by Energija Projekt d.d., a company specially set up to run the project in 2011. China's Norinco International Co. Ltd. signed an equity purchase agreement with Energija Projekt on Nov. 27, 2017.

According to the agreement, Norinco acquired 76 percent of the Croatian company's equity with around 32 million euros (about 36 million U.S. dollars), while the total investment in the project could reach 179 million euros.

The delivery of the company was completed at the end of September. In two years, 39 wind turbines will be built on the windy mountainous area eight kilometers northeast of Senj. The nearly 45-square-kilometer wind farm will be producing 530 million kilowatts of electricity annually.

Speaking at the commencement ceremony Tuesday, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said the project was a great example of economic cooperation between Croatia and China.

"I am sure that the project will be realized in the next two years as it is planned. That means that part of the work will be done by Croatian subcontractors and that at least 100 people will be employed in this project," Plenkovic said, while noting that Croatia wants to boost cooperation with China especially in infrastructure, railways and ports.

In an interview with Xinhua, the prime minister pointed out that despite the fact that Croatia is importing a fair amount of electricity, the country has never faced any shortage of electricity in recent years, while the wind farm project is an excellent contribution to the increase of renewable energy in Croatian electricity market.

Plenkovic also expressed confidence in entrusting Norinco International on the job. "We have full confidence... We believe it is an excellent example of direct Chinese investment in Croatia. We believe this example will lead other Chinese investors to look for opportunities and partners and projects in Croatian market."

"This is an important piece of mosaic of very solid and dynamic Croatian-Chinese cooperation in the years to come," he concluded.

Responding to trust from the Croatian side, Wang Yitong, Board Chairman of Norinco International, assured that his company will abide by local laws and regulations and work together with Croatian partners in order to present a high-quality project with efficiency.

Senj's mayor Sanjin Rukavina told Xinhua that the wind farm is an important project to the city because it is a very big investment.

"We support this project strongly... According to some estimates the city will earn more than four million kuna (about 612,000 U.S. dollars) per year once the wind farm is in function," said the mayor.

 

[JSCh]

CSUNPOWER signs EPC contract for 30MW solar power project in Pakistan
November 28, 2018

Abstract : CSUNPOWER, a Chinese clean energy solution provider, announced it had signed an EPC for a 30MW solar power project with Asia Energy (Private) Ltd. on November 26.

BEIJING, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- CSUNPOWER, a Chinese clean energy solution provider, announced it had signed an EPC contract and an O&M contract for a 30MW solar power project with Asia Energy (Private) Ltd. on November 26.

Located in Punjab, Pakistan, the project is invested by Asia Energy and will be constructed by CSUNPOWER and the installation engineering company under CSCEC.

The project will be equipped with solar tracking system, 132 KV high voltage booster substation, and supervised by a German company, which can effectively guarantee the quality safety, progress and investment returns of the project.

The project is scheduled to start constructing in June next year, and complete by the end of 2019. Upon completion, the project will provide Pakistan with about 58,000,000 kwh of clean electricity a year and power 100,000 houses.

Due to the energy gap, the strengthening of policy support and the cost reduction, the photovoltaic market in Pakistan has great potential. Liu Yunzhou, CEO of CSUNPOWER, said: "Pakistan is an important market for the localization operation of CSUNPOWER. We will continue to innovate and upgrade our products and services to provide local customers with the best new energy solutions." (Edited by Yang Qi, kateqiyang@xinhua.org)

 

[JSCh]

Thermal Energy Storage Is the Future of Energy Waste Reduction
BENJAMIN ROBERTS
DATE : DEC 03 2018/SOURCE : YICAI

Thermal Energy Storage Is the Future of Energy Waste Reduction​

(Yicai Global) Dec. 3 -- Most agree that in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions the world needs to shift the energy industry to renewable sources. Yet even if solar and wind energy systems are gaining momentum worldwide, their reliance on nature, which is unpredictable, limits their scope of application.

In 2016, China's National Energy Bureau and the National Development and Reform Commission stated that more than 50 billion kilowatts of wind energy were being wasted, half of that during winter. This would be enough energy to heat 500 square kilometres, or a surface area roughly the size of Spain.

To prevent such waste, a Chinese company, Pioneer Energy, has developed a thermal energy storage technology that can harvest energy through high-density phase change heat storage.

While this might sound confusing, the principle is actually simple: phase change materials (PCM) such as water or paraffin wax are substances able to transform from one physical state to another depending on the temperature. They can store and release thermal energy when they undergo a process of melting and freezing.

Imagine a wall filled with wax: energy input melts the wax, making its phase change from solid to liquid. Once you stop applying energy (from a solar panel, for instance) the wax will cool back to its solid phase, releasing the stored energy as heat.

Founded in 2011 in Zhangjiagang, in the province of Jiangsu, Pioneer Energy now applies its innovative technology to households, commercial and industrial buildings.

They supply entire agricultural freeholds with their heating solutions, as well as 15 government buildings and 22 schools in Qianxi County. In addition to heating shopping malls and modern high-rise office buildings, they cater to provincial energy needs. The company has also established a tech center to enhance and research phase-change material in Shanghai.

Pioneer Energy's founder and CEO, Hong Wang, previously worked in the energy, environmental and medical sectors. His company's business model now leans towards energy, relying on four major segments of the industry — energy production, transport, storage and application. It is positioned to capitalise on a rapidly growing market.

Valued at approximately USD 3.72 billion in 2017, the latent heat thermal energy storage market is expected to generate revenues of around USD 7.45 billion by the end of 2024, according to a Zion Market Research study. However, Wang believes the industry will outgrow these predictions.

The company's CEO identifies three intertwined areas, or "drivers," where he is hoping for Pioneer Energy to spearhead energy and environmental solutions. These are reducing air pollution, offering clean energy alternatives, and focusing on increasingly efficient energy generation and storage – since their unit cost by kilowatt-hour is three percent that of electrochemical batteries.

In addition, Pioneer Energy's proprietary Heatrix and Lansheen heating transference technology provides an easy way to offset the intermittency of renewable energy sources, balancing energy demand between daytime and nighttime, or summer and winter. It can heat houses and businesses as large as 1,200 square metres for 8 to 16 hours with stored energy.

Recently, the company helped convert the heating system of the Tianjin Tower, a major skyscraper in Tianjin City. Previously, the Tianjin Tower was paying USD 9.6 million per year for utilities. Since converting to Pioneer Energy's system, they have saved USD 5.5 million, or 70 percent of their original heating bill.

The good news for Wang is that phase change materials are likely to see an uptick in price as China's winter arrives. In terms of the financial market, the country fulfills its energy needs by paying spot prices for energy supply.

While market demands for energy are constantly fluctuating, Pioneer Energy is less vulnerable than other energy providers that must source their raw materials first, be it lithium for batteries or manufacturing panels for solar energy capture.

As the LNG price increases, the company hopes more consumers will be driven to use its technology.

Pioneer Energy's ambition is to become the largest distributed clean energy-heating provider in China. By extension, it could become the largest in the world, with the potential for positive environmental repercussions on a major scale.

Thermal heat storage presents distinct advantages over traditional green energy sources such as water, solar or wind. These all require a high initial outlay of investment in terms of infrastructure. Moreover, renewables still waste a lot of the energy they generate. Pioneer Energy's edge lies in its ability to store it.

Wang cites Peter Thiel's book Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future as an inspiration for Pioneer. He describes his company as "zero to one" in the clean energy field, saying it was an extraordinary feat that a relatively small energy company like his can heat a massive project such as the Tianjin Tower.

 

[TaiShang]

Thermal Energy Storage Is the Future of Energy Waste Reduction
BENJAMIN ROBERTS
DATE : DEC 03 2018/SOURCE : YICAI

Thermal Energy Storage Is the Future of Energy Waste Reduction​

(Yicai Global) Dec. 3 -- Most agree that in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions the world needs to shift the energy industry to renewable sources. Yet even if solar and wind energy systems are gaining momentum worldwide, their reliance on nature, which is unpredictable, limits their scope of application.

In 2016, China's National Energy Bureau and the National Development and Reform Commission stated that more than 50 billion kilowatts of wind energy were being wasted, half of that during winter. This would be enough energy to heat 500 square kilometres, or a surface area roughly the size of Spain.

To prevent such waste, a Chinese company, Pioneer Energy, has developed a thermal energy storage technology that can harvest energy through high-density phase change heat storage.

While this might sound confusing, the principle is actually simple: phase change materials (PCM) such as water or paraffin wax are substances able to transform from one physical state to another depending on the temperature. They can store and release thermal energy when they undergo a process of melting and freezing.

Imagine a wall filled with wax: energy input melts the wax, making its phase change from solid to liquid. Once you stop applying energy (from a solar panel, for instance) the wax will cool back to its solid phase, releasing the stored energy as heat.

Founded in 2011 in Zhangjiagang, in the province of Jiangsu, Pioneer Energy now applies its innovative technology to households, commercial and industrial buildings.

They supply entire agricultural freeholds with their heating solutions, as well as 15 government buildings and 22 schools in Qianxi County. In addition to heating shopping malls and modern high-rise office buildings, they cater to provincial energy needs. The company has also established a tech center to enhance and research phase-change material in Shanghai.

Pioneer Energy's founder and CEO, Hong Wang, previously worked in the energy, environmental and medical sectors. His company's business model now leans towards energy, relying on four major segments of the industry — energy production, transport, storage and application. It is positioned to capitalise on a rapidly growing market.

Valued at approximately USD 3.72 billion in 2017, the latent heat thermal energy storage market is expected to generate revenues of around USD 7.45 billion by the end of 2024, according to a Zion Market Research study. However, Wang believes the industry will outgrow these predictions.

The company's CEO identifies three intertwined areas, or "drivers," where he is hoping for Pioneer Energy to spearhead energy and environmental solutions. These are reducing air pollution, offering clean energy alternatives, and focusing on increasingly efficient energy generation and storage – since their unit cost by kilowatt-hour is three percent that of electrochemical batteries.

In addition, Pioneer Energy's proprietary Heatrix and Lansheen heating transference technology provides an easy way to offset the intermittency of renewable energy sources, balancing energy demand between daytime and nighttime, or summer and winter. It can heat houses and businesses as large as 1,200 square metres for 8 to 16 hours with stored energy.

Recently, the company helped convert the heating system of the Tianjin Tower, a major skyscraper in Tianjin City. Previously, the Tianjin Tower was paying USD 9.6 million per year for utilities. Since converting to Pioneer Energy's system, they have saved USD 5.5 million, or 70 percent of their original heating bill.

The good news for Wang is that phase change materials are likely to see an uptick in price as China's winter arrives. In terms of the financial market, the country fulfills its energy needs by paying spot prices for energy supply.

While market demands for energy are constantly fluctuating, Pioneer Energy is less vulnerable than other energy providers that must source their raw materials first, be it lithium for batteries or manufacturing panels for solar energy capture.

As the LNG price increases, the company hopes more consumers will be driven to use its technology.

Pioneer Energy's ambition is to become the largest distributed clean energy-heating provider in China. By extension, it could become the largest in the world, with the potential for positive environmental repercussions on a major scale.

Thermal heat storage presents distinct advantages over traditional green energy sources such as water, solar or wind. These all require a high initial outlay of investment in terms of infrastructure. Moreover, renewables still waste a lot of the energy they generate. Pioneer Energy's edge lies in its ability to store it.

Wang cites Peter Thiel's book Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future as an inspiration for Pioneer. He describes his company as "zero to one" in the clean energy field, saying it was an extraordinary feat that a relatively small energy company like his can heat a massive project such as the Tianjin Tower.

As important as generating clean energy is to store them. Because energy demand has peaks and lows. Sometimes, peak energy arrives when clean energy generation capacity is at the lowest. And vice versa. Then, storing clean energy when generation is high is crucial.

This is expensive and private companies often avoid it. Therefore, generally, generation infra always leads while storage infra lags. This leads to waste and inefficiency.

China's ministry of energy is working overtime to solve this problem. It is great to know that private companies are joining with innovative solutions.

If cheap and efficient storage tech is developed further, we will get a step closer to a East Asian regional energy grid network build-up.

@Mista , @Cybernetics

 

[JSCh]

Seraphim Plans to Open African First 500 MW PV Cell Plant
THURSDAY, 06 DECEMBER 2018

Jiangsu Seraphim Solar System Co. Ltd. (“Seraphim”), a world-class solar product manufacturer, recently announced the inauguration of a new 500 MW solar cell factory in the Coega Industrial Development Zone of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, along with 200MW half-cell module assembly expansion in Eastern Cape. This new cell factory will be the first in the African continent.

This is another step forward for Seraphim’s goal of expanding global production capacity, previously opening a 300 MW module plant in South Africa this past August. The new expansions will bolster Seraphim’s manufacturing supply chain in South Africa by directly supporting its growing module assembly plant already operating in Eastern Cape since last summer. The new factory equipment plans are a critical element in Seraphim’s globalization strategy to mitigate against unpredictable tariffs levied on Chinese manufacturers. The new factory and expansion is co-developed by both Seraphim and Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC), and will begin commercial operation in Q3 2019.

“We have continuously received purchase orders for modules from our 300MW factory in South Africa since it reached full production in September; building our own cell plant in South Africa is the ideal way to support our customer base by optimizing our production and reducing lead times” commented Polaris Li, President of Seraphim. “We are glad to cooperate again with IDC, a professional and reliable local partner. This new factory will strengthen mutual interests and optimize prosperity for our stakeholders.”

Seraphim have developed expertise in cell manufacturing since opening their first plant in Zhejiang province of China in 2015 and shall support the South African factory by sending their seasoned technical team to South Africa to accelerate construction and commissioning of equipment and to train local employees. “We are very excited about the opportunities that this new cell factory opens up for our operations in South Africa”, said David Nunez Blundell, co-founder of Seraphim Southern Africa. “This plant will be the first of its kind in Africa, and shall be a stepping stone towards the consolidation of a strong vertically-integrated operation that will see additional investments materializing in the near future. Together with the module assembly expansion, it will launch Seraphim into a new stage of evolution, strengthening our value proposition to clients in the South African and exports markets.”


https://www.seraphim-energy.com/seraphim-plans-to-open-african-first-500-mw-pv-cell-plant/

 

[JSCh]

More Than Air: Researchers Fine-tune Wind Farm Simulation
Dec 13, 2018

Wind power is on track to supply almost a fifth of the world’s demand for electricity by 2050, according to the Global Wind Energy Council. While wind turbines are generally thought of as a sustainable alternative to traditional energy sources, relatively little is known about the impact they have on their immediate surroundings.

A collaborative research team based in Beijing, China, is working to better understand the effect wind farms have locally and globally by examining the performance of predictive models currently being used to forecast their effect.

Their analysis will be highlighted on the cover of the February 2019 issue of Advances in Atmospheric Sciences.

"Observation and modeling studies indicate that wind farms can potentially influence local weather by contributing to air turbulence and reducing wind speed downstream of the farm," said GUO Zhenhai, an author on the paper and a professor from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "Direct observations are limited, though, so modeling techniques have become a valuable research tool to examine the impacts wind farms have."

Wind blows, moving the long arms of a turbine. As the arms spin, they transfer the energy of the wind's movement, called kinetic energy, to gears inside of the turbine. The energy eventually makes its way to a generator, where it's translated into electricity. Stronger winds help wind farms produce even more electricity. However, with the kinetic energy absorbed by turbines, the winds seem to die down by the time they reach land beyond the wind farm.

A change in wind could change critical factors for agriculture in local areas, such as the temperature and moisture levels in the air and soil, according to the researchers. But, due to the sheer size of wind farms, and the changeable nature of each wind speeds, topography, other influencing variables, there is very little observable data on exactly how wind farms influence their neighbors.

Scientists typically use climate models to see how certain parameter changes, such as an increase in temperature, might effect rainfall in a particular area, but they're heavily calibrated and validated against observable data. The two computational models used to predict how wind farms affect the environment around them don't have the same real-world information available to compare for accuracy, according to GUO.

The two systems, called, "Wind Farm Parameterization" and "Weather Research and Forecasting," are typically combined to better ensure similar behaviors across forecasts. As parameters change in different modeling scenarios, the researchers need to know if the predicted behavior is a result of a new variable or caused by a computational snafu. That determination is nearly impossible to make without proper validation.

In an effort to better understand how the models predict weather outcomes without hard data points, the researchers examined how to validate the resolutions of the model against itself. The resolution is the detail level of a specific study point of interest, such as precise geographic boundaries. A model with a low geographic resolution could run simulations of wind affect over hundreds of miles; a high resolution could narrow the simulations to more precise areas.

"While the coupled model is used widely, it isn't well validated because of the lack of direct observational data," GUO said. "In fact, in most of the studies where the coupled model is used, it is noted that the model resolutions play a major role in reproducing the few observational data sets that are available."

The study is selected as the cover paper of the February 2019 issue of Advances in Atmospheric Sciences. The cover image shows terrain and vegetation type of a wind farm. (Image by Advances in Atmospheric Sciences)

The choice of model resolution for certain variables over others can vastly skew the results, and, in order to recreate real-world conditions, modeling scenarios need varying resolutions for different parameters.

GUO and his team specifically examined vertical and horizontal resolutions, which control how the model simulates the wind flow throughout and beyond the wind farm. They found that higher vertical and horizontal resolutions impacted how the wind moved in simulations, and the horizontal resolution could significantly influence how surface temperature and water vapor behaved.

"We need more modeling and observational study over a longer period of time and a wider range of atmospheric conditions to understand how to deploy wind energy optimally," GUO said. "The validation process we've undertaken is an important step in specifying the boundary conditions to ensure the terms of the system can currently represent the observed situation.


More Than Air: Researchers Fine-tune Wind Farm Simulation---Chinese Academy of Sciences

 

[JSCh]

Inner Mongolia's PV power station to help reduce carbon emissions
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-15 19:24:34|Editor: ZX


HOHHOT, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- The first project of the large-scale photovoltaic power station in the Kubuqi Desert in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has recently joined the national power grid, which is expected to reduce 800,000 tonnes of carbon emissions every year.

The Dalad PV Power Base was approved by the National Energy Administration in November 2017. Construction of the base has been divided into three projects.

Located in Dalad Banner, the annual power generation of the base is estimated to reach 4 billion KWH after completion, and the output value is expected to exceed 1.5 billion yuan (217 million U.S. dollars).

The first 500 megawatts PV project can generate over 800 million KWH per year, which is able to power a medium-sized city, and can reduce 300,000 tonnes of coal, said Zhang Zhiguo, an official who has participated in the construction of the base.

"PV panels can also weaken the force of the wind, so that the sand below the panels won't move. The base can help stop the expansion of the desert," said Liu Guiwen, deputy director of development and reform department of the banner.

High-technology such as big data, artificial intelligence and drones have also been used to patrol, review and manage the first project.

​

 

[JSCh]

Thursday, July 19, 2018, 10:34
Hydropower plant shows off domestic expertise
By Zheng Xin

This photo taken on July 11, 2018, shows the construction site of the Baihetan hydropower station, the world's second-largest hydropower project, which is located on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

The world's second-largest hydropower project using China's domestically made equipment will help the country export its construction and equipment know-how around the world, analysts said.

The Baihetan hydropower station is located on the Jinsha River, on the upper section of the Yangtze River straddling Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. It will use 16 turbines made by Chinese companies, each with a capacity of 1 gigawatts, according to Tu Yangwen, an official with China Three Gorges Corp, the project's contractor.

China's wide-ranging know-how and experience when it comes to the construction of hydroelectric plants is second to none given the nation had already installed 313 gW by the end of 2017

Joseph Jacobelli, Senior analyst of Asian utilities, Bloomberg​

The Baihetan hydropower plant is expected to enter operation by 2021, and will be second only to the Three Gorges Dam in terms of total installed capacity, according to China Three Gorges Corp.

Baihetan is expected to generate more than 60 terawatt hours of electricity per year, around two-thirds of Beijing's consumption in 2015. Thermal power generating capacity of more than 62 tWh and 19.68 million metric tons of coal will be replaced every year after the hydropower station starts operation.

"The country is also self-sufficient when it comes to the equipment for such plants thanks to its deep understanding of hydro plants, and it has already been successfully exporting its construction and equipment know-how abroad in recent years too, such as in sub-Saharan Africa."

"China's wide-ranging know-how and experience when it comes to the construction of hydroelectric plants is second to none given the nation had already installed 313 gW by the end of 2017," said Joseph Jacobelli, a senior analyst of Asian utilities at Bloomberg.

Chinese companies' cost control abilities will also provide the country with an advantage in exploring clean energy markets abroad, as Chinese clean energy companies continue to expand their presence overseas, he added.

READ MORE: A big market for clean energy firms

Domestic turbines are as good as those from overseas companies, according to China Three Gorges Corp. The company added the country's hydropower equipment has made great strides in recent years and become a strong competitor in the international market.

The Baihetan hydropower station, a major west-to-east electricity transmission project in China's resource-rich western region, will meet the power demand in Yunnan and Sichuan, while supplying power to the East China Power Grid, Central China Power Grid and China Southern Power Grid.

Wang Hao, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said Baihetan dam's operation will substantially boost the share of hydropower in China's energy mix, as the country is rich in hydropower resources.

The Baihetan project will be an important direction for China's energy consumption in the future, as the country currently still relies on fossil energy, Wang said.

China has vowed to raise its installed capacity for hydropower to 380 gW by 2020, as it is a cheaper and cleaner alternative to coal, as part of efforts to phase out polluting fossil fuels.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1076574952348942336

People's Daily, China‏ Verified account @PDChina
The stay ring of a 1 million-kilowatt turbine unit at SW China's Baihetan Dam, the world's 2nd-largest hydropower station, has been successfully installed, marking a major breakthrough in the construction of the plant (Xinhua)

4:27 AM - 23 Dec 2018

 

[JSCh]

China's farthest offshore wind farm is under construction in the Yellow Sea
CGTN
Published on Oct 4, 2018

China's farthest offshore wind farm is being built in the Yellow Sea off the coast of eastern China's Yancheng City. The farm is scheduled to be completed by the end of November and it is expected to generate 870 million kwh of electricity per year.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1048224289793744896

https://twitter.com/x/status/1076999551343419393

SPIC‏ Verified account @ChinaSPIC
All 72 turbines of #Shanghai Electric Power Dafeng H3 offshore wind power project were connected to the grid on Dec 20, setting three records of the same scale offshore wind power projects—starting construction, finishing construction and yielding profit within the same year.

8:34 AM - 24 Dec 2018

 

[JSCh]

Live: Field of mirrors in Gobi Desert helps generate power超级镜子照亮大漠 百兆瓦光热发电站投产运营
CGTN
Streamed live 2 hours ago

A pilot project in the Gobi Desert that generates energy out concentrated solar power by using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight onto a small area, is the first of its kind of China and breaks a number of records in Asia, in terms of installed capacity, tower height, light concentration, heat storage and construction duration. It is able to continuously generate electricity for 24 hours and can help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 350,000 tons each year. Join CGTN to see how it works.

 

[JSCh]

China's first 100-megawatt solar-thermal power plant comes online
China Plus Published: 2018-12-27 19:13:48

China's first 100-megawatt solar-thermal power plant successfully connected to the national grid on Thursday.

The 100-megawatt solar-thermal power plant in Dunhuang City, Gansu Province during its construction on May 17, 2018. [Photo: VCG]

The plant in Dunhuang City, Gansu Province is powered by 12,000 mirrors that concentrate sunlight onto a receiver at the top of a solar tower. The heat collected is used to create steam that turns a turbine and generator like a traditional thermal power plant.

The new power station can generate 390 million kilowatt-hours annually. It can generate power at nighttime using heat stored in the form of molten salt.

The plant covers an area of 7.8 square kilometers, which is equivalent to 1,120 standard football fields.

 

[JSCh]

Two solar power bases launched in northwestern China
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-29 23:26:38|Editor: Yang Yi


XINING, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Two solar power bases in northwest China's Qinghai Province, with a total installed power generating capacity of 1 GW, were launched and connected to the grid Saturday.

Each of the two demonstration bases directly managed by the National Energy Administration in the cities Delingha and Golmud, the Mongolian-Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Haixi, has a generating capacity of 500 MW.

The Golmud base sells its electricity at 0.316 yuan (5 U.S. cents) per kWh, lower than the 0.325 yuan benchmark price of electricity generated by coal-fired power plants.

This is unprecedented nationwide for solar power plants, offering hope that solar power could be price competitive.

Chen Yuan, deputy director of the prefecture development and reform commission, said the two bases can generate 1.5 billion kWh of electricity each year, helping save 478,000 tonnes of standard coal.

This could help reduce annual emissions of dust by 6,494 tonnes and cut annual emissions of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, said Chen.

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle air pollution, China has been trying to use more renewable energy.

But due to higher costs, poor grid connections and the grid's preference for more predictable coal-generated power, some of the new energy generating capacity could be left idle.

 

[JSCh]

China's first tidal power unit connected to grid for one year
Source: Xinhua| 2018-06-01 16:15:41|Editor: Li Xia


HANGZHOU, June 1 (Xinhua) -- China's first tidal power station has been connected to the grid for a year, the longest stable use of the renewable energy, according to the developer.

The 3.4 mega-watt generating unit built by Hangzhou Lin Dong Ocean Energy Technology Co. Ltd. in Zhoushan City, east China's Zhejiang Province, has sent over 800,000 kilowatt hours of electricity to the grid.

Lin Dong, chief engineer and chair of the company, said on Thursday that when all turbines of the generating unit are installed in November, it will have an annual power output of 6 million kilowatt hours, enough for supplying electricity for 3,000 households annually.

The previous record of tidal energy power generation was set in Britain with a four-month supply in 2015.

He said the company is aiming at building a 15 mega-watt or 20 mega-watt power unit that can break even the cost, making the sustainable energy feasible.

Lin is expecting foreign orders, with representatives from Canada and New Zealand interested.

China's LHD tidal power project makes another leap forward
New China TV
Published on Dec 31, 2018

The 3rd-generation LHD horizontal axis modular generator set was successfully installed offshore on Saturday in Zhoushan, east China's Zhejiang Province. It marked the commissioning installed LHD tidal power capacity reaching 1.7 megawatts, which makes it a leader across the world.

 

[JSCh]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1076574952348942336

People's Daily, China‏ Verified account @PDChina
The stay ring of a 1 million-kilowatt turbine unit at SW China's Baihetan Dam, the world's 2nd-largest hydropower station, has been successfully installed, marking a major breakthrough in the construction of the plant (Xinhua)

4:27 AM - 23 Dec 2018

 

[TaiShang]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1076999551343419393

SPIC‏ Verified account @ChinaSPIC
All 72 turbines of #Shanghai Electric Power Dafeng H3 offshore wind power project were connected to the grid on Dec 20, setting three records of the same scale offshore wind power projects—starting construction, finishing construction and yielding profit within the same year.

8:34 AM - 24 Dec 2018

That's amazing. To turn into profitability in renewable energy is quite difficult and requires many years of waiting.

Part of the problem is that the storage and distribution networks lag generation. Hence, a lot of generated energy goes to waste.

It is great to know that now they consider grid as part of the initial investment.

The quicker the generated energy reaches to the markets, the better