On June 26, 2026, a project announcement quietly appeared on the official website of the Zhundong Economic Development Zone in Changji, Xinjiang. The dish style solar thermal hydrogen production project, jointly developed by Xi Xinjiang New Energy and Sinopec, has truly pushed the cutting-edge technology of solar thermal combined with RSOC from the laboratory to large-scale industrial sites.

24/7 hydrogen production becomes a reality

Unlike traditional electrolysis of water for hydrogen production that relies solely on electricity, this project has come up with a new approach. Relying on self-developed disc spotlight and Stirling power generation technology, coupled with a high-temperature thermal storage system, it can achieve stable hydrogen production around the clock. After the completion of the first phase, the zero carbon green hydrogen production capacity of 2 tons per day and 660 tons per year will be directly converted into industrial grade fuel through the on-site purification system.

Private enterprise technology finds export

This cooperation is a typical strong alliance. Sinopec expands its market and channels, and deeply cultivates the energy market in Xinjiang; Hexi New Energy provides technology and solutions to solve the core conversion problem of solar thermal hydrogen production. Both sides should not only focus on hydrogen production, but also connect downstream scenarios such as coal chemical coupling and hydrogen refueling station construction, so that green hydrogen is no longer nowhere to be placed. Keywords: New Energy News and Information, Thermal Hydrogen Production

Expansion of Xinjiang Green Hydrogen Territory

660 tons is just the starting point. As a large-scale demonstration base for regional green hydrogen, once the project is launched, it will completely change the situation in Xinjiang where the scenery is infinite but difficult to convert into high value-added hydrogen energy. It not only provides a sample for Sinopec's energy transformation in the local area, but also provides a tangible lever for the large-scale application of green hydrogen and the implementation of dual carbon goals in western China.Editor/Gao Xue