Important meeting organized by National Energy Administration，National Development and Reform Commission
Willows grew green leaves, and springtime bloomed anew. CSP technology briefing organized by National Energy Administration (NEA) was held on Feb. 18, 2014. Mr. Liang Zhipeng, deputy director of New Energy & Renewable Energy Department of National Energy Administration, chaired the meeting. Liu Qi, deputy director of National Energy Administration; Zhu Ming, deputy director of New Energy & Renewable Energy Department; Li Caihua, deputy director of price department of National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and heads from relevant offices of NEA and NDRC attended the meeting. Representatives from Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Power Investment Corporation, Zhejiang SUPCON Group, CGN Solar Energy Group, China Huadian Corporation, Shenzhen Jinfan Energy Science & Technology Corporation, China Datang Corporation Renewable Power Co., Limited, China Renewable Energy Engineering Institute, Electric Power Planning & Engineering Institute, and China National Renewable Energy Center attended the meeting.
Entrusted by NEA, Dr. Wang Zhifeng introduced the development status and trends of global and China’s CSP science, technology, industry and market, and also vision of commercialization of China’s CSP technology. Attendees introduced the progress of solar thermal power projects in their own companies. All of these indicate that international CSP technology develops rapidly, and industry and market are well-regulated. From 2006, all countries started to promote technology research and market expanding, up to now the installed capacity of running solar thermal power plants has reached approximately 3700MW. United States’ 392MW Ivanpah tower plant was put into operation in Feb. 13, 2014, which is a big deal in CSP world. In China, due to the insistence of more than 20 years, especially the efforts in the past five years, CSP technology and industry have made a new leap. Since 2000, the amount of China’s SCI papers on CSP has been in the first place in the world, surpassing the United States, Germany and Spain. Among the top ten SCI scientists in CSP field, three are Chinese. And also among the top ten SCI research institutes, three are from China. China’s amount of patents in this field has ranked among the leading countries in the world. Up to now, China has five solar thermal power systems in operation. China has about 25 sets of solar thermal collecting experiment facilities, and there are 14 companies that can produce parabolic trough vacuum receivers, 4 companies that can mass produce trough glass reflectors, 2 companies can provide the EPC for tower type collector systems, 2 companies can produce dedicated turbine for thermal power generation. And also China has exported a number of materials and equipments for solar thermal power to foreign commercial power plants. There are five class-A design institutes that have taken part in the designing work of CSP plant, four units that have undertaken the installation and overall commissioning of CSP plant. Some China national funds, such as national 863 plan, 973 plan, support plan, National Nature Science Foundation of China, Innovation Fund for Technology Based Firms, all give long term support to CSP technology. Local governments, Chinese Academy of Sciences and other national research institutions, universities have also given much support to CSP technology. With the rapid development of CSP industry, Solar Thermal Energy Alliance is named as National Solar Thermal Energy Alliance.
Leaders from NEA express appreciation for China’s progress in CSP technical research, especially for private economy’s investment in CSP field. Price department of NDRC has also made clear that they will help to promote the industrialization of CSP technology. After understanding the characteristics of CSP technology, developed countries’ large investment in CSP field, and the dedication and achievements of many enterprises, competent authorities in China affirm that CSP technology is a technology that should be implemented at a large scale, and this technology has commercial development prospects. This is the first time national competent authorities to affirm CSP technology’s position in China. From now on, with the guidance of government, drive of market demand and promoting of practitioners, CSP technology, which has powerful vitality and bright application future, will steadily march into commercial development track. Under this keynote, CSP technology, investment and price policy need new research and new layout. And a set of experimental projects will be launched in the second half of 2014.
On behalf of the NEA, director Liu Qi expressed his gratitude to all the practitioners in CSP field, and he declared that NEA will give strong support for CSP technology!
The ice that blocks the development of CSP technology has melted, spring is striding toward us, and everything comes to life!!
