Zhejiang is making “Day by Day” Gobi New Energy Highland
Release date: 2019-07-02
50,000 square meters of mirrors chase the sun to generate electricity, providing electricity for more than 80,000 households.
Zhejiang is making “Day by Day” Gobi New Energy Highland
On the barren Gobi desert, tens of thousands of bright mirrors are arranged neatly, and the reflected sunlight is always aimed at the tower standing in the center of the field … This spectacular scene was recently seen by reporters in the power station of Qinghai Zhongkong Solar Power Generation Co., Ltd. in Delingha.
It is reported that this power station is the core technology and equipment of the whole process of tower molten salt energy storage photothermal power generation by Zhejiang Zhongguang New Energy and Zhejiang Zhongkong Solar Energy. It is the first tower molten salt energy storage photothermal power station in China and the third one in the world that has been put into operation in Delingha, Qinghai, and has exerted great influence at home and abroad. Xu Huifen, the operation director of Zhejiang Zhongguang New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. and vice chairman of Qinghai Zhongkong Solar Power Co., Ltd., came to Qinghai from Zhejiang six months ago. She said, “Solar power generation is green and environmentally friendly, which is in line with the national development strategy. Delingha Photothermal Power Station is the largest single investment project in Zhejiang’s counterpart support to Qinghai, and it is also a vivid testimony of the organic combination of Qinghai’s resource advantages and Zhejiang’s capital and technology advantages.”
3373 mirrors that will “shake their heads”
According to the reporter’s understanding, the western town of Delingha in the hinterland of Qaidam Basin is short of water resources, but it has another unique advantage-plenty of sunshine. The power generation method here does not need to consume energy, and there is no emission, so it is an ideal place to use solar energy.
In Delingha, Qinghai Province, a photovoltaic power station covering an area of 3.3 square kilometers, there are 1,135 large mirrors of 20 square meters and 22,238 small mirrors of 2 square meters, which are distributed in three sites, chasing the sun like sunflowers and reflecting thousands of sunlight to the tower in the center of the site. There is a big round jar at the top of each tower, which is filled with high-temperature molten salt. There is also a huge cold salt tank underground at the bottom of the tower, with a maximum reserve of 10,000 tons. The temperature of “cold salt” is actually 280-290 degrees Celsius. On each tower, there are two thick pipes connecting the round tank at the top and the cold salt tank at the bottom.
“Just like solar water heaters used at home, these two pipes are like hot water pipes and cold water pipes. Cold water goes up and hot water goes down.” Fan Yuhua, chief engineer of Qinghai Zhongkong Solar Power Generation Co., Ltd. said. After 3,373 mirrors gather the sunlight, the molten salt in the round tank at the top of the tower will be roasted, the temperature will rise to 565℃, and then it will come down through the “hot water pipe”. After a series of complicated transformations underground, the heat energy will be converted into electric energy. The molten salt that has completed this round of mission is circulated back to the cold salt tank, ready to be baked by the next round of sunshine.
After 10 years of research and development of “day by day” technology
Relevant data show that this solar thermal power station, which is jointly invested by Zhejiang Zhongguang New Energy and Zhejiang Zhongkong Solar Energy and located in the Gobi Desert of Haixi, is the first solar thermal power station in China to realize large-scale commercial application. On December 30th, 2018, the tower photothermal power station with a total installed capacity of 50MW was successfully connected to the grid, with an annual power generation of nearly 150 million kWh. Compared with thermal power plants of the same scale, it can save 46,000 tons of standard coal and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 121,000 tons annually, which can provide electricity for more than 80,000 households. Compared with solar photovoltaic power generation, thermal power generation can store thermal energy. At present, the thermal energy of Delhi Electric Field can be stored for up to 7 hours at most. This means that power generation can be continued at night. Moreover, the molten salt is recycled, so the running cost is very low.
It is reported that in order to build this project, R&D personnel have gone through nearly 10 years of technical development, and have overcome technical difficulties in terms of mirror field technology and equipment: in order to make tens of thousands of mirrors achieve high-precision focusing, researchers have developed high-precision intelligent tracking heliostat equipment, so that each mirror automatically follows the trajectory of the sun and “turns its head” once in a few seconds; The mirror needs to be kept clean, so a matching “face washing” robot is designed. Two rows of mirrors will “stand” face to face. Robots spray water from both sides, and one trip can clean two rows of mirrors … Many components of this project are independently researched and manufactured by local enterprises in Hangzhou. After numerous conquers, they finally succeed “day by day”.
Zhejiang enterprises lead the new energy industry
In recent years, Zhejiang enterprises have taken the lead in technology, talents, manufacturing and capital investment in the field of new energy.
“In terms of new energy applications, photothermal conversion is more efficient than photoelectric conversion, and Zhejiang’s photothermal application technology is at the forefront of China.” The relevant person in charge of Zhejiang Venture Capital Association told the reporter that the enterprises of the association had invested in this project a few years ago. It is understood that some funds have also begun to intervene in this industry.
“In addition to large projects like Delingha Photothermal Power Station, new energy technologies such as solar drip irrigation, solar sprinkler irrigation and solar DC appliances are also widely used in many cities in the west.” Mr. Hou, the head of Zhejiang Zhenneng New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. said, “Zhejiang enterprises have a keen sense of smell and strong innovation ability. Applying new technologies in the past can activate many industries.”
(Source: qianjiang evening news)