POWERCHINA Connects 1-GW Gonghe Solar PV and Molten-Salt Tower Project in Qinghai to the Grid

POWERCHINA connected its 1-GW Gonghe project in Qinghai province to the grid on October 1, combining a 900-MW photovoltaic plant with a 100-MW molten-salt tower solar thermal plant. The project is expected to deliver about 2.2 billion kWh annually and cut CO2 emissions by roughly 2.07 million tons.

• 900 MW of PV paired with a 100-MW molten-salt solar thermal tower
• 10,310 heliostats with ~500,000 sq m of reflective area around a 219-m tower
• Expected output of about 2.2 billion kWh per year
• Power sent to Henan via the ±800-kV Qinghai-Henan UHVDC line