SolarPACES

[Ed: This 100 MW CSP Tower project at Jixi, Baicheng is one of two 100 MW Tower CSP plants to be connected to one of China’s Ultra High Voltage (UHV) DC lines, the Lugu line, for extremely long-distance transmission of renewable energy. The 1.4GW New Energy park at Jixi Base will deliver 1.4 GW on the Lugu transmission line, including 800MW of wind power, 400MW of PV, and 200MW of CSP.

Here's what dispatchable solar looks like. This gigantic solar thermal energy storage tank holds enough stored sunlight to generate 1,100 MWh/day from stored solar power. The cheapest way to store solar energy over many hours, such as the five to seven hour evening...

The 350MW solar project at Delingha solar park in Qinghai by CGN will combine 3 Towers with Trough CSP [Ed: Till now, Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) using parabolic Trough technology has been limited in efficiency by the temperature limit of the heat transfer oil to around 400°C. Tower CSP with molten salts can achieve 565°C without degradation, for greater efficiency.

Abstract: Integrating renewable energy is critical for maintaining grid stability while striving towards global climate goals. Concentrating solar power tower plants offer a promising solution but their competitiveness is currently hindered by high operational costs, limited data availability and slow adoption of emerging technologies.

Abstract: Solid solar absorption/storage material (SSAM) is the crucial component for next generation concentrating solar power (CSP) system, which could promote global carbon neutrality. However, the comprehensive absorption/storage performance of SSAM at low cost has not been realized, thereby hindering its practical application.

With China’s massive state-owned energy (SOE) conglomerates like China General Nuclear, PowerChina and Three Gorges (famous for the 22MW dam) completing 26 full-scale concentrated solar power (CSP) projects in recent years, and with even more under construction, the country is the new global leader in CSP deployment.

Concentrated solar power researchers have long known that porous ceramic “volumetric” receivers can deliver very high temperatures. What a new study from Cranfield University shows is that the internal shape of the cavity impacts heat retention. After testing different polygonal internal geometries, they found that the nine‑sided design – the nonagon – holds onto more of the sun’s energy than the simpler internal geometries, pushing outlet air temperatures above 1,500 K.

Source: Powder2Power The Powder2Power project has reached a major milestone at the Themis solar tower in Targasonne, France, where the project MW-scale fluidised particle-based Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) prototype is approaching completion. Over the past two years, the consortium has transformed the existing Themis research infrastructure into a new demonstration platform designed specifically for Powder2Power.

Source: CSPPlaza On May 19th, the Hami Molten Salt Tower 50MW CSP Project generated 1,167.6 MWh in a single day, its all-time highest since commencing operation, according to offtaker Shenergy Power. China Solar Thermal Alliance had noted a previous one-day record of 1.0315 MWh in 2024. Hami was an early adopter of the SolarPACES Technology Award-winning Stellio heliostat invented by sbp Sonne.

The new SolarPACES-CSTA database of all current CSP in China map enables a visualization of the locations of all 43 of China’s concentrated solar power (CSP) projects. The link is under the WORLDWIDE CSP tab. There are currently 26 CSP projects online and 17 under construction as of 2026. At least another seven are out to bid, which will be added once construction begins.