In the depths of the vast Gobi Desert, a giant power bank quietly rises. With wisdom and perseverance, the builders of China Electric Power Construction have turned the carbon dioxide energy storage technology in the laboratory into a green engine on the Gobi Desert, bringing long-term energy storage technology from blueprint to reality and lighting up thousands of lights.

Project implementation achieves commercial leapfrogging

Recently, the Xinjiang Mulei million kilowatt compressed carbon dioxide energy storage comprehensive energy demonstration project, which China Electric Power Construction participated in, was successfully connected to the grid. This Gobi giant power bank is the first 100 megawatt level compressed carbon dioxide energy storage project in China, marking the transition of China's long-term energy storage technology from a laboratory to a 100 megawatt level commercial application.

The project is located in the core area of Shagehuang New Energy Base in Xinjiang, with a planned capacity of 600000 kilowatts of wind power, 400000 kilowatts of photovoltaic power, and a supporting 100000 kilowatt/1 million kilowatt hour energy storage power station. It covers an area of about 848 acres and is equipped with gas storage warehouses, liquid storage, and thermal storage units. Built with the participation of China Electric Power Construction Henan Engineering Company and designed by Hebei Institute.

Mature technology connects the entire chain of applications

The first 100 megawatt level CO ₂ gas-liquid phase change energy storage project in China, connecting the entire process of energy storage and power generation. Adopting non supplementary combustion closed cycle technology, energy storage takes about 7 hours, maximum power generation takes 10 hours, and operation is nearly zero carbon. We have independently developed a carbon dioxide turbine unit with an efficiency exceeding 92%, which is the highest level of similar units in China. Keywords: energy storage, green power, grid peak shaving

The construction team completed the complete installation tasks of the host, pipelines, electrical equipment, etc., overcame multiple engineering difficulties, and formed multiple complete construction methods, which can be used as a reference for similar projects. After the project is put into full capacity operation, the annual power generation will be about 200 million kilowatt hours, saving 50000 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 170000 tons per year. Storing green electricity during low periods and transmitting electricity during peak periods to enhance the peak shaving capacity of the power grid, providing energy storage guarantees for the consumption of new energy in Xinjiang and the transmission of electricity from the west to the east.Editor/Gong Ziwei