Delingha, Qinghai, with an altitude of over 3000 meters, has snow on the top of Kunlun Mountain that has not melted, and the wind is hunting in the Gobi hinterland. On this seemingly barren land, there is a huge 'Kingdom of Mirrors' hidden. Nearly 20000 heliostats are neatly arranged like silver sunflowers, and as the sun's trajectory rotates precisely, they converge the boundless light into the heat energy at the top of the tower. This is the CGN Delingha Solar Thermal Base, which is also the location of China's first large-scale commercial solar thermal demonstration power plant. From the first trough type power station connected to the grid in 2018 to the full capacity production of a 1000 MW integrated project today, this Gobi Desert has become a witness to China's solar thermal power generation technology from scratch.

The pioneer who fills the gap

On June 30, 2018, CGN Delingha 50 MW trough solar thermal demonstration power station was connected to the grid for power generation, filling the gap in large-scale solar thermal technology in China. The total investment of this project is about 1.7 billion yuan, covering an area of 2.46 square kilometers. It has 190 trough type collector circuits and is equipped with a dual tank binary nitrate heat storage system. This configuration enables it to meet the full load operation of the steam turbine generator unit for 9 hours, truly achieving 24-hour continuous and stable power generation, with dual capabilities of basic load and peak shaving power supply, effectively solving the problem of intermittent power supply for new energy.

The operational data has proven its reliability. As of April 2026, the cumulative power generation of the power station reached 731.5 million kilowatt hours. In 2024 and 2025, the on grid electricity of power stations will reach 141 million kilowatt hours and 146 million kilowatt hours respectively, ranking first in the industry in terms of utilization hours for two consecutive years. What is even more remarkable is that the power station once set a world record of continuous operation for 230 days, with a maximum daily power generation of 1.16 million kilowatt hours. The feasibility and stability of large-scale commercial application of trough solar thermal power generation technology have been verified through real operating data.

The largest single tower power station

Leaving the trough power plant, the focus shifted to the CGN Delingha 1000 MW solar thermal storage integration project. As one of the Top 100 New Industry Projects of the State owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, this project has a total investment of about 4.5 billion yuan and adopts an innovative solution of photovoltaic power generation and tower type solar thermal molten salt energy storage. The project includes an 800000 kW photovoltaic power station and a 200000 kW tower solar thermal power station, which have been fully put into operation for power generation.

Standing under a 200 meter high heat absorbing tower, looking up, nearly 20000 solar mirrors around accurately reflect sunlight onto the top heat absorber. As of now, the cumulative power generation of the project is 461.9 million kilowatt hours, and the on grid electricity has reached 457.6 million kilowatt hours. It is expected that the annual on grid electricity consumption will reach 1.8 billion kilowatt hours, equivalent to saving about 550000 tons of standard coal consumption and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 1.3 million tons. Among them, the 200000 kilowatt tower type solar thermal power station has become the largest tower type solar thermal power station in China in terms of single unit operation.

The 'Day Chasing' Password for Independent Innovation

At the Delingha base, the complete set of equipment for the world's largest opening, the 8.6-meter solar thermal molten salt trough collector independently developed by CGN, has completed technical verification. This marks China's comprehensive mastery of the core technology of molten salt trough solar thermal collection, laying a solid foundation for the large-scale development of domestic molten salt trough solar thermal projects.keywords:New energy latest reports，New energy information network

The secret of chasing the sun lies in the precise control system. The controller independently developed by CGN is equivalent to equipping each mirror with a GPS positioning system. By using built-in astronomical algorithms and inputting parameters such as altitude, latitude, and longitude, the real-time calculation of the sun's angle over time is achieved, which is then transmitted to the hydraulic drive mechanism for precise sun tracking. This technological breakthrough not only improves power generation efficiency, but also drives the common development of about 600 upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain, promoting the upgrading of traditional industries and the cultivation of emerging industries.

CGN's innovative practice in Delingha not only creates a complete solar thermal industry chain integrating technology research and development, equipment manufacturing, engineering construction, and operation and maintenance, but also leads China's solar thermal industry towards high-quality development, providing solid support for accelerating the construction of a new power system and ensuring national energy security.Editor/Yang Meiling