On October 14, the 2026 Science and Technology Innovation Conference of Northwest Electric Power Design Institute Co., LTD, of China Power Engineering Consulting Group (CPECC Northwest) was held in Xi'an. Themed "Energy Innovation, Creating the Future with Intelligence," the conference coincided with the institute's 70th anniversary. Two technological innovation achievements were unveiled at the conference. Among them, the next-generation, independently developed Qingguang-1 8.741-meter high-temperature molten salt trough collector marks China's transition of its core trough concentrated solar power (CSP) equipment from technology import to independent innovation.
The Qingguang-1 8.741-meter high-temperature molten salt trough collector is a self-developed core CSP equipment by CPECC Northwest, featuring efficient light concentration, wide-range adaptability, and fully domestic R&D, with core parameters reaching internationally advanced levels. The product is suitable for a wide range of applications: it can serve as the main power generation equipment for large-scale molten salt CSP plants, support wind-solar-thermal-storage multi-energy complementary projects, and meet the needs of demonstration projects under extreme ultra-high-altitude conditions. The collector has already been deployed in the Dangxiong 800 MW PV + 100 MW CSP integrated project, one of the world's highest-altitude CSP plants.
