China builds world’s first dual tower solar plant with 24% increased efficiency
- China is building a world-first solar power plant with two 200-meter towers.
- Thousands of mirrors focus sunlight onto the towers to generate electricity.
- The overlapping mirror design increases efficiency by 24%.
A Chinese power company is at the forefront of world-first technology by integrating two endothermic towers to achieve a significant efficiency boost.
China Media Group (CMG) released a video on Tuesday showcasing the impressive project near Guazhou County in Gansu Province. The two towers, each standing 200 meters tall, have nearly 30,000 mirrors installed on the ground. These mirrors form two vast, overlapping circles that focus sunlight onto each tower.
Similar to a traditional coal plant, the concentrated sunlight heats water to generate electricity. Unlike other thermal power plants, this design can produce power at night. Molten salt stored within the towers acts like a thermal battery, retaining extra heat collected during the daytime and releasing it to keep the generators running continuously.
The mirrors are made of special materials, whose reflection efficiency can reach an impressive 94 percent.
China’s venture into solar thermal power began in 2016, but this new project advances it further with its dual-tower design. “The mirrors in the overlapping area can be utilized by either tower,” explains plant project manager Wen Jianghong. “This configuration is expected to enhance efficiency by 24 percent.”
The CMG video demonstrates the mirrors’ remarkable ability to track the sun’s movement. They concentrate the sun’s rays on the eastern tower in the morning and automatically adjust westward in the afternoon.
According to the CMG report, the innovative design isn’t limited to the two towers. It has the potential to involve multiple towers for even greater efficiency gains. The plant is expected to be operational by the end of 2024.
The plant is part of a clean energy complex with solar, thermal, and wind power plants that will work together to generate over 1.8 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year and save 1.53 million tonnes of carbon emissions.
Watch the vedeo below to get a close-up look omn the plant;
