On February 4th, the third CSP Photography Competition, hosted by the CSTA and supported by the Solar Thermal Power Committee of Chinese Renewable Energy Society, officially completed its results announcement. A total of 11 outstanding photographic works focusing on CSP collection technology emerged from this competition, winning special prize, first, second, and third prizes respectively.
Award-Winning Works of the Third CSP Photography Competition
On January 30th, the organizers held an online public selection meeting. After rigorous and standardized evaluation and scoring by the judges, 58 shortlisted works were reviewed, and the proposed award-winning works entered a 5-day public announcement period. During the announcement period, the organizers received no objections or related comments, and the selection results officially took effect.
As a culturally influential event within the industry, the CSTA has successfully held two previous CSP Photography Competitions (Autumn Colors and Spring themes). This year's competition ran from September 30, 2025 to December 31, 2025, with "CSP Collection Technology" as its core theme. It solicited works from global photography enthusiasts, energy industry media journalists, professional photographers, CSP industry practitioners, and green energy advocates. The competition aimed to capture the stability and reliability of technical equipment such as parabolic trough vacuum tubes, heliostats, and tower collection fields through the lens, showcasing the artistic charm of CSP coexisting with nature, and promoting industry cultural dissemination.
To ensure continuity in evaluation standards, the competition maintained the 7-member interdisciplinary expert judge panel from the previous two editions. Professor Wang Zhifeng, Chairman of the CSTA, stated that the photography competition is an important component in building solar energy culture. It uses the power of light and shadow to enrich the sustainable development path of the solar thermal industry, bringing the value and charm of CSP into the public eye and continuously enhancing the industry's social influence.
Appendix: Appreciation of Award-Winning Works
Special Prize: "Thermal Snow Realm"
This photographic work was taken at the mirror factory of Dunhuang Shouhang Energy Saving New Energy Co., Ltd., capturing the unique scenery of a CSP station after snowfall. The snow-covered rectangular facilities arranged in stepped formations, combined with hollow designs, offer both visual impact and technological sophistication. This symbolizes not only the layered progression, precision, and efficiency of CSP technology but also demonstrates the unlimited potential of clean energy, highlighting its important position in the future energy structure.
First Prize: "Facing the Future"
At the 110MW CSP project site in Akesai, Gansu, the photo features two heliostat commissioning personnel, captured with a high-speed shutter as they walk toward new energy against the morning sun, creating a silhouette effect.
First Prize: "Gobi Light Tower"
Thousands of mirrors converging light, one tower harnessing energy! The solar thermal power station in the northwestern Gobi Desert stands as China's bold testament to new energy development.
Second Prize: "Dawnlight Casting Tower"
The lens was fixed at the solar thermal and photovoltaic park in Wutumeiren Township, Golmud, Qinghai. A chance passing allowed the capture of the sunrise moment at a CSP station under construction: dawnlight piercing through morning mist, sunlight flooding over the heat absorption tower and mirrors, creating a thickness and luster comparable to gold foil.
Second Prize: "Snow Falling on Ten Thousand Mirrors, Tower Standing in the Sky"
Snow scene at the SunSum Guazhou project.
Second Prize: "Sky Mirror"
Under the clear sky, heliostats stand silently, their mirrors reflecting clouds and sky light, blending reality and illusion like a painting. This contains both the technological texture of clean energy and the leisurely poetry of harmonious coexistence between heaven and earth. Named "Sky Mirror," it captures the harmonious embrace of light and environment.
Second Prize: "Crown of Blazing Light"
At the SunSum Guazhou CSP station, the mirror field is operating at full capacity with focused light. Both east and west heat absorption towers are simultaneously receiving focused light and heating salt. From a distance, they appear like two blazing crowns.
Third Prize: "Mirrors Bearing the Galaxy"
The heliostats of the CSP station at night—their mirrors like a giant "star curtain," reflecting the Milky Way and countless stars, while the heat absorption tower between the mirrors glows with faint light. The industrial facilities that chase and gather light during the day now become a "star-picking platform" under the starry sky, where energy engineering and cosmic romance overlap.
Third Prize: "Tower of Fire and Light"
The work captures both the traditional "fire" tower of a thermal power plant and the "light" tower of CSP in the same frame. The two towers stand side by side—one representing the thermal power force that has supported energy needs for decades, the other symbolizing the sun tower of future clean energy. At this moment, they are no longer in competition but become joint witnesses on the road of energy transition.
Third Prize: "Morning Light Supporting the Tower"
Taken on July 29, 2025, at the molten salt tower CSP station in Naomao Lake Town, Yiwu County, Hami City, Xinjiang. Above the flat Gobi, morning light breaks through dawn, the CSP station's tall tower holds up the morning glow, and the mirror array reflects the sky—clear and magnificent.
Third Prize: "Twin Towers · Dawn"
At sunrise, the morning sun leaps above the horizon like a fireball, draping the world's first "twin towers, one machine" CSP station in morning glow, lighting the prelude to CSP.