Hybrid project combines a 100 MW Linear Fresnel-Concentrated solar power (CSP) with a PV facility of 900 MW, which delivers 24-hour output and demonstrates large-scale storage integration.
China Three Gorges Group has a 1 GW hybrid concentrated solar power (CSP) and photovoltaic complex in Hami, Xinjiang, connected to the grid in what is described as the world’s largest integrated facility of its kind.
Before this performance, the world’s largest CSP-PV factory was the Noor Energy 1 project in the VAE, with a total capacity of 950 MW, of which 700 MW CSP and 250 MW PV.
The project, built on 1,817 hectares of desert on the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains, consists of a 100 MW linear fresnel CSP factory with eight hours of melted salt storage and 900 MW solar PV. With an average annual sunshine of more than 3000 hours, the region offers optimum conditions for large-scale solar development.
Construction began in 2023. The PV section was completed and connected to grid at the end of 2024, while the thermal factory worked completely in September 2025, 42 days earlier than planned. The total investment is CNY 3.53 billion ($ 480 million), with the Northwest Institute of China Energy Engineering and other domestic suppliers supplying the EPC services and technical systems of Kern -EPC.
The Thermal Factory implements 260,000 highly accurately curved reflectors that concentrate on 800,000 m² of absorber tubes, heating molten salt up to 550 C. The design improves the efficiency of the heat container to 10% compared to conventional fresnel systems. A modular configuration of 46 loop makes a continuous effect during maintenance, while innovations in salt circulation make reliable performance in the winter conditions possible that reach minus 20 ° C.
The hybrid system is designed to offer continuous food. During the day, the PV field generates electricity with full load and at the same time charging the thermal storage system. At night or in low light circumstances, the stored heat steam turbines steams to deliver a stable generation. A centralized control platform assigns the output between PV and thermal sources with the accuracy of the frequency scheme of approximately 0.02 Hz and response times under a second.
At full capacity, the facility is expected to produce 2.07 TWH from electricity annually, sufficient to provide 830,000 households with power. It will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.63 million tonnes per year and improve the grid integration of renewable energy sources in Xinjiang, so that regional usage percentages above 95%are levied.
The project also offers local economic benefits, with around 500 jobs created and associated industries in stimulated solar equipment and technical services. Ecological recovery measures are underway, with drought-resistant vegetation that has been planted across the site to combat desert formation.
Beijing has identified hybrid projects that combine PV with thermal storage as a strategic technology for balancing intermittent renewable energy sources. The Hami factory sets worldwide benchmarks in the implementation of Fresnel and molten salt performance and is included in the national list of advanced low-carbon demonstration projects of China.
Three Gorges Group is planning to extend the Hami base to 3GW in a second phase and to replicate the model in the provinces of the resources, including Inner Mongolia and Gansu. Analysts say that such integrated projects can become an essential pillar for the long -term energy transition and offer a scalable route for the development of deserts and grid stability.
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