China launches first large-scale solar test base on barren land

China's first large-scale photovoltaic (PV) technology demonstration and validation base in deserts, including the Gobi and other arid areas, started operations on Friday in Otog Front Banner in the city of Ordos, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, promoting the high-quality development of the country's PV industry, according to the State Power Investment Corporation. 

The area boasts abundant solar and wind energy resources. The base was constructed based on the operational three-million-kilowatt Mengxi Blue Ocean PV Power Station – China's largest single-capacity PV power plant built on a coal mining subsidence area.

The base comprises an advanced technology demonstration zone and a conventional validation testing zone. It integrates 10 mainstream domestic PV mounting structures and 36 types of PV panels in various combinations, creating over 150 experimental schemes to support the high-quality development of China's PV industry.

"The Mengxi Blue Ocean PV Demonstration and Validation Base, with a total capacity of 133 megawatts (MW), conducts systematic full-lifecycle performance validation for core power plant components, including PV panels and mounting structures. By evaluating metrics such as the levelized cost of electricity and investment risks, it effectively mitigates technology selection risks for large-scale PV power stations," said Li Jinyuan, head of the Mengxi Blue Ocean PV Power Station under the State Power Investment Corporation.

Meanwhile, multiple major energy projects nationwide are rapidly progressing toward grid connection. 

China Huaneng Group announced on Friday that the country's first million-kilowatt-level onshore high-wind-resistance wind power project in Turfan, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, was connected to the grid at full capacity. 

The project comprises 131 wind turbines with a capacity of seven MW or higher. All turbines are equipped with innovative wind-resistant hub technology, enabling them to endure extreme wind speeds of up to 57 meters per second – about 14 percent stronger than conventional units. This advancement effectively addresses the severe high-wind conditions in deserts, the Gobi and other arid areas.

"After operating at full capacity, the project can provide 2.2 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually, offering affordable green energy to over 700,000 households. This is equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1.91 million tons each year or yielding ecological benefits comparable to planting around 5,600 hectares of trees," said Zhou Jianwu, person in charge of the project. 

Moreover, China's first 2×350 MW ultra-supercritical cogeneration unit is set to commence commercial operations at the Tongliao Power Station, operated by the State Power Investment Corporation in Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia. 

The unit can lower the comprehensive electricity consumption rate by three percent, reduce coal consumption for power generation by 38 grams per kilowatt-hour, save 120,000 tons of standard coal annually, conserve 5.21 million tons of water, and meet the demands for centralized heating and industrial heat load of 18.5 million square meters. 

"Meanwhile, the newly constructed 445 MW wind power project in Tuquan County of Xing'an League has increased our enterprise's renewable-to-thermal power capacity ratio to 47.9 percent," said Sun Wen, general manager of the Tongliao Power Station. 

The project pioneers a coal-power-and-renewables hybrid operation model, setting a new paradigm for the transition of coal power characterized by "low-energy-consumption supply assurance and high-flexibility regulation." This is a good practice for transforming China's traditional thermal power sector.