CTG’s Golmud solar power project delivers stellar performance since inauguration

Golmud solar power plant, operated by China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) has been running smoothly since it was connected to the grid on December 29 last year and generated a total of 0.39 TWh electricity by October, according to the operator.

The solar power project, located in Golmud, Qinghai, in western China, has an installation capacity of 500 MW. It adopts solar PV panel 310Wp, double-side power generation components, and 1,500V inverter system to deliver the optimal performance to maximize the power generation and reduce the cost per unit, Dong Weiping, the field manager said.

Compared with traditional coal-fired power plants, the average on-grid price of Golmud project is 0.316 yuan/KWh, or 0.01 yuan lower than the local benchmark coal-fired electricity price of 0.3247 yuan/KWh, serving as an important milestone in driving the high quality development of China’s solar power industry.

Qinghai in China’s western part, where is rich in energy resource, is well-positioned to tap the full potential of abundant, low-cost, clean energy resources like solar. CTG is committed to building a large-scale clean and renewable energy base in the region and transmitting the electricity generated there through the ultra-high voltage transmission to the east region.

By employing the smart micro-grid technology and energy storage technology in the economically developed eastern region, CTG aims to achieve efficient use of the clean energy generated in the west.

China’s total capacity of solar power connected to grid is expected to reach 210 GW by the end of 2019, according to the 2018 China Renewable Energy Development Report published by China Renewable Energy Engineering Institute.

The average cost of photovoltaic units will go down to 4,000 yuan/KW and the average conversion efficiency of mainstream silicon photovoltaic battery will increase to about 22 percent. China is likely to hit the goal of securing unsubsidized on-grid solar power on the supply side between 2019 and 2020, ahead of schedule, it said.

The Golmud solar project, which is believed to lead China in solar installations, can power 567,000 urban and rural households. The clean electricity it produces is equivalent to cutting 756,000 tons of carbon dioxide, 234 tons of sulfur dioxide and 54 tons of smoke and dust emissions annually.