China: Mega solar thermal plant in Gansu powers China's green energy ambitions.
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Summary
With its rich and diverse renewable resources, northwest China's Gansu Province is powering itself and the whole country with wind, solar, thermal power, and new-type energy storage systems. One project in Dunhuang City includes the country's first 100-megawatt molten-salt tower solar thermal plant. It includes 12,000 heliostats that are arranged in concentric circles. They track the sun light constantly, reflecting it onto the top of a 260-meter solar power tower. Inside the tower is a molten salt fluid that absorbs the intense heat turning it into a massive thermal battery. Each mirror is more than 100 square meters. Some are positioned as far away as one and a half kilometers away from the tower, so precision in angle adjustments is paramount to keeping the reflected sunlight on target. Last year, the city achieved a total green electricity supply with the tower playing a large role in the accomplishment. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]
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