On October 17, the China Solar Thermal Alliance (shortened as “CSTA”) and the Solar Thermal Power Committee of Chinese Renewable Energy Society (shortened as “Solar Thermal Power Committee”) led more than 20 organizations to Changsha to visit Zhongnan Engineering Corporation Limited(shortened as “Zhongnan” ). The group held in-depth discussions on core topics such as CSP technology innovation, standards development and project cooperation. Wang Zhifeng—director of the Solar Thermal Power Committee, chairman of the CSTA and a researcher at the Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences—Liu Luping, vice-chairman of the CSTA, Zhong Yao, chief engineer of the New-Energy Engineering Design Institute of Zhongnan, and other industry experts attended. The meeting produced several consensuses: sharing project experience and data, jointly tackling common technical problems, and accelerating alignment between domestic and international standards, injecting fresh momentum into China's CSP industry.
Focusing on Three Directions to Solve Industry Pain Points
With “deepen cooperation and solve problems together” as the theme, researcher Wang Zhifeng highlighted three priorities in his speech:
1. Solar Thermal Power Committee /CSTA members should share CSP project experience and data to reduce repeated mistakes and improve project safety and economics.
2. Following the international SolarPACES model, special topics on common problems should be set up, led by one member and joined by many, so that industry–university–research collaboration can break technology bottlenecks.
3. Accelerate building a CSP standards system, draw on international standard drafting and trial experience, and promote convergence with international norms to raise industrial standardization.
While chairing the meeting, vice-chairman Liu Luping noted that the CSP sector is at a critical stage of opportunities and challenges. Under the “dual-carbon” goal, CSP’s dispatchable advantage is vital for the new power system, yet large-scale expansion and mature commercial models still require full-chain synergy. The event aimed to build a cooperation platform and pool consensus through idea exchange.
Zhongnan's Multiple Innovations Recognized by the Industry
Chief engineer Zhong Yao delivered a welcome speech, sharing his views and expectations for CSP. During the event, Xu Canjun—director of the Thermal Power Engineering Department, New-Energy Engineering Design Institute, Zhongnan—gave a presentation on “CSP Technology Research and Practice”, systematically showcasing Zhongnan’s engineering experience and technical breakthroughs. The talk focused on core technologies such as high-temperature molten-salt thermal-storage system design and solar-field integration optimization. By comparing U-type and Z-type molten-salt piping layouts in real projects, he summarized design lessons and introduced the results of digital and intelligent site-management practices.
As a core member of the CSTA, Zhongnan has undertaken EPC for four CSP plants: Lanzhou Dacheng 50 MW molten-salt linear Fresnel, CGN Jilin Baicheng 100 MW tower, PowerChina Xinjiang Toksun 100 MW tower, and CGN Ali 50 MW parabolic-trough. It has also performed numerous pre-feasibility and design studies. Its participation in the Dunhuang 50 MW molten-salt linear Fresnel plant and other projects demonstrates industry-pioneering spirit. Wang Zhifeng praised Zhongnan’s innovation capacity, noting that having two academicians on its technical team is rare in the sector, and its practices provide valuable samples for industrial development.
Precise Matchmaking Broadens Cooperation Space
At the forum, representatives from Aozhan Industrial CO.,LTD, Dalian SYP Gladd CO.,LTD, SunSum Technology CO.,LTD, Yuntu Molten Salt CO.,LTD, Hunan University, Jinagsu Feiyue Maching and Pumps Group CO.,LTD, SEPCOIII, Shandong Zhaowei Iron Tower Co., Ltd., Shanghai Yahe Valve Completion Co., Ltd., Wojin New Materials, Xiangtan University, Institute of Electrical Engineering (CAS), China University of Mining & Technology, and China Energy Engineering Group Central China Electric Power Test and Research Institute Co., Ltd. introduced their businesses and held lively discussions on R&D of key CSP equipment, material supply and project cooperation. Given the diversity of participants, vice-chairman Liu Luping adopted a categorized speaking mechanism: some firms focused on technical issues in the morning, while the rest concentrated on business matchmaking in the afternoon when they visited China Energy Engineering Group Central China Electric Power Test and Research Institute Co., Ltd., efficiently meeting different cooperation needs.
Before the meeting, delegates visited the Zhongnan Exhibition Hall, where physical exhibits, a digital cinema and other multimedia resources gave a full picture of the corporation’s achievements in energy & power, water resources & environment, and infrastructure. Its special 520 offshore survey vessel and other flagship businesses attracted wide attention.