On 17 October, under the leadership of Prof. Wang Zhifeng (Chairman of the China Solar Thermal Alliance and Director of the Solar Thermal Power Committee of Chinese Renewable Energy Society, IEE CAS), and Mr. Liu Luping (Vice Chairman of the CSTA), the CSTA and the Solar Thermal Power Committee visited China Energy Engineering Group Central China Electric Power Test and Research Institute Co., Ltd. (“Central Power Testing Institute”). They were warmly received by Mr. Xiao Zhenjiang (Party Secretary & General Manager), Mr. Chen Chao (Party Committee Member & Deputy General Manager, General Manager of the Complete-Set Commissioning Division), Mr. Li Yang (Executive Manager of the Complete-Set Commissioning Division) and other executives. Experts from China Energy Engineering Group Hunan Power Construction Co., Ltd (hereafter referred to as HPCC), including Mr. Li Wei (Party Committee Member & Deputy General Manager), Mr. Wei Jia (Deputy General Manager of Market Development Dept.) and Senior Technical Expert Mr. Cao Zhengang, also attended the exchange.
The seminar was chaired by Mr. Liu Luping. Prof. Wang Zhifeng shared his commissioning experience at the 1 MW water/steam tower CSP plant at Yanqing Badaling, Beijing, describing how the steam turbine was kept “on the run” at 4 000-4 500 rpm without tripping, and how the first-ever solar thermal power generation was finally achieved—highlighting both the importance and the challenges of commissioning.
In his welcome speech Mr. Xiao Zhenjiang introduced that Central Power Testing Institute is a National High-Tech Enterprise, a Hunan “Specialized & New” SME, and an AAA-credit enterprise in China’s power sector. Its core businesses cover power-plant commissioning, equipment inspection & testing, power generation operation, and technical services & consulting. The institute has seven functional departments, four business divisions (Complete-Set Commissioning, Power Grid, Power Generation Operation, New Energy) and six technical institutes (Electrical, Boiler, Steam Turbine, I&C, Chemical & Environmental, Metrology & Testing). Relying on commissioning of all types of generating units, it focuses on new-energy technical services, integrated energy and energy storage, and is willing to deepen industry–university–research–application collaboration with the Committee, the Alliance and their members to solve industrial pain-points and contribute to the “dual-carbon” goals.
Mr. Li Yang then gave a detailed briefing on the institute’s profile, commissioning technologies and O&M track record, with emphasis on three representative CSP achievements: an in-house Standardized CSP Plant Commissioning Manual, a large-scale CSP “one-click start-stop” (APS) system, and participation in drafting three molten-salt equipment codes/standards for the CSP industry, which triggered lively Q&A.
During the open discussion, delegates spoke actively on real-world needs and technical pain-points of the CSP industry. Mr. Huang Zhimin, General Manager, and Ms. Zhao Ningning, Director, of Aozhan Industrial Co., Ltd.; Mr. Tan Fulin, CSP Sales Manager of Dalian SYP Gladd Co., Ltd.; Mr. Li Zhenguo, Deputy General Manager of SunSum Technology Co., Ltd.; Mr. Guo Qiang, General Manager, and Mr. Zhou Ping, Business Manager, of Yuntu Molten Salt Co., Ltd.; Prof. Li Zhengnong of Hunan University; Mr. Li Zhihai, General Manager, and Mr. Ye Pengcheng, Manager, of Jinagsu Feiyue Maching and Pumps Group CO.,LTD; Mr. Liu Jingwei, Deputy General Manager of Shandong Zhaowei Iron Tower Co., Ltd.; Mr. Wu Wenjin, Manager of Shanghai Yahe Valve Completion Co., Ltd.; Mr. Jia Bin, Director of Wojin New Materials; Dr. Zou Qiong, Associate Professor of Xiangtan University; Dr. Guo Minghuan, Associate Professor of IEE CAS; Dr. Sheng Nan, Associate Professor of China University of Mining & Technology and Visiting Scholar at IEE CAS; and Mr. Xu Canjun, Director of the Thermal Power Engineering Department, New Energy Engineering Design Institute, ZHONGNAN ENGINEERING CORPORATION LIMITED, exchanged views on molten-salt products, high-temperature molten-salt pump life and other issues, with Mr. Xiao Zhenjiang and his colleagues responding to each point.
Mr. Li Wei of HPCC added that his company had joined the Dubai CSP project in 2019 and is currently involved in CSP projects in Xinjiang and Tibet, noting the declining cost of CSP and related industry concerns.
In his closing remarks Prof. Wang Zhifeng put forward four suggestions: (1) invite the institute to participate in frontier CSP R&D; (2) let the CSTA launch projects to tackle common problems; (3) promote data sharing through solicited papers; and (4) recognize the institute’s technical-service value. He thanked Central Power Testing Institute for its hospitality, praised it as “a small giant with a great cause”, and looked forward to its commissioning & O&M technologies playing an even bigger role in scientific research.