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China installs thousands of heliostats for a 100 MW molten-salt solar plant
The project is designed to store excess solar power in molten salt to help cut curtailment and waste during peak production hours.
China has been expanding solar capacity rapidly, but uneven buildout of supporting infrastructure has contributed to curtailment during peak hours and larger volumes of wasted clean energy, OilPrice reports.
The outlet says a new molten-salt thermal solar project in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region is meant to address that gap by combining solar collection with longer-duration energy storage.
According to OilPrice, the 100-megawatt, 8.6 million square-foot facility has reached a milestone by installing 15,927 heliostats across its solar field. The mirrors track the sun and focus its rays on a central tower to heat molten salt, which can then be converted into electricity.
OilPrice adds that molten-salt storage can hold excess energy longer than traditional lithium-ion batteries, allowing the plant to generate after sunset and better align output with demand. The story notes this capability could reduce energy being wasted during times when solar production peaks.