In 2025, China's first 100 megawatt molten salt tower solar thermal power station located on the vast Gobi Desert in Dunhuang, Gansu has been operating stably, becoming an important demonstration project in the field of clean energy in China and even globally. This major project, known as the 'Super Mirror Power Station', not only demonstrates China's leading level in the field of solar thermal power generation technology, but also provides innovative solutions for the sustained and stable supply of renewable energy.

The total investment of this project is about 3 billion yuan, covering an area of 7.8 square kilometers, equivalent to 780 standard football fields. The core of the power station consists of 12000 solar panels, which resemble giant "smart sunflowers". Each panel is composed of 35 concave mirrors, with a total area of 115 square meters. The entire power station uses 420000 mirrors arranged in concentric circles to accurately track the trajectory of the sun and efficiently convert sunlight into clean energy.

The power station adopts advanced molten salt heat storage technology. During the day, the solar mirror reflects sunlight to the top of the 260 meter high central absorption tower, heating 30000 tons of molten salt inside the tower to an ultra-high temperature of 565 ° C. The 11 hour molten salt thermal storage system equipped in the power station is like a giant "power bank", releasing stored heat energy at night or on cloudy days, generating high-temperature and high-pressure steam through heat exchange, driving the steam turbine to generate electricity, achieving 24-hour uninterrupted operation, and completely solving the problem of clean energy "relying on the weather to eat".

The completion and operation of the Dunhuang molten salt tower solar thermal power station marks that China has become one of the few countries in the world that has mastered the technology of hundred megawatt level solar thermal power stations. This power station not only delivers a large amount of clean electricity annually, but also provides valuable technical experience and engineering demonstrations for the development of clean energy in China and even globally. As an important practice in exploring the path of sustainable development for humanity, the "Super Mirror Power Station" on this Gobi Desert is showcasing China's light and heat in the field of new energy to the world with its innovative technology and grand scale. Editor/Yang Beihua