China’s first molten salt solar plant hits maximum power

26 Jun, 2019

China’s first 100MW molten salt solar thermal power plant has successfully hit its maximum power levels. The facility serves as a solar thermal power generation demonstration project.

£345m project uses 12,000 mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto a receiver which is then used to heat the molten salt. It is capable of generating 390 million kW*h of clean power a year.

Unlike the intermittency associated with traditional solar energy systems, the molten salt allows energy to be stored and later used to generate power on demand.

Researchers suggest a new design of rechargeable battery created using salt could boost efficiency and reduce costs.

Other news