The Qinghai SUPCON Solar Delingha 50 MW Solar Tower Plant, financed and constructed by SUPCON Solar Power (Qinghai) Co., Ltd., is located in the West Delingha Export Solar PV Park in Qinghai Province. This plant is equipped with a 7-hour molten salt TES system and a heliostat field with an aperture area of 542,700 m2, and its design annual electricity generation is 146 GWh. Once put into full operation, the plant can save 46,000 tons of standard coal and reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 121,000 tons each year. The plant uses the core technology for solar electricity generation with molten salt TES independently developed by Cosin Solar Technology Co., Ltd. and complete with intellectual property rights. More than 95% of the plant equipment is domestically manufactured.
The plant was connected to the grid on December 30, 2018, started operating at full load on April 17, 2019, and was handed over for production in July 2019. The cumulative electricity generation of the plant in the first full year after its handover is 122 GWh, which is the highest level of electricity generation of similar plants around the world in the same period. For both 2020 and 2021, the annual electricity generation of the plant is more than 100 GWh, accounting for more than 95% of the plant’s design annual electricity output if the impact of steam turbine problems is excluded. The annual electricity generation of the plant in 2022 is 146.4 GWh, accounting for 100.3% of the design annual electricity output. From September 28 to October 7, 2022, the plant was shut down for 10 days due to grid maintenance. If the impact of the shutdown is excluded, the annual electricity generation of the plant in 2022 can reach 103.18% of the design annual electricity output.
The annual electricity generation of the plant in 2023 is 152.4 GWh, accounting for 104.38% of the design annual electricity output. In 2023, the plant operated stably throughout the year, and its electricity generation reached the design annual electricity output 10 days ahead of schedule. Despite the fact that the total direct solar irradiance in 2023 is slightly lower than that in 2022, the annual electricity generation of the plant in 2023 is still 4.13% higher as compared to 2022.
The monthly electricity generation of the plant in 2023 is shown in the figure below. The monthly electricity generation of the plant in November 2023 was 18.18 GWh, which is the highest level achieved since the startup of the plant. In addition, the ratio of the actual daily electricity generation of the plant for 129 days of the year to the planned/design daily electricity output is higher than 100%. The monthly electricity generation of the plant for May and June 2023 is relatively low. The main reason is the decrease in total direct normal irradiance (DNI) during the rainy season. Another reason is the 7-day shutdown of the plant due to the inspection of special equipment such as molten salt and steam pipelines performed by the local institute of special equipment inspection, resulting in a decrease of 2.11 GWh in the plant’s electricity generation in 2023 (if the impact of such inspection is excluded, the electricity generation of the plant in 2023 is expected to reach 105.83% of the design annual electricity output).
Since its handover for production in July 2019, the plant has operated stably for four years and six months. Through continuous optimization of the operation strategy, the plant has set new records for daily, monthly, and annual electricity generation. As of the end of 2023, the plant has generated 573.8 GWh of electricity. The exceptional operating performance of the plant has fully demonstrated that China’s core CSP technologies and equipment are advanced and reliable, providing a solid foundation for the implementation of large wind power and CSP projects.
