China Huadian and PowerChina have completed the world’s tallest solar power plant by height, a 100 MW facility in Tibet, combined with 20 MW/80 MWh of battery storage.
China Huadian Corp., a state-owned energy producer, has commissioned the second phase of its Caipeng solar storage plant in Shannan, Tibet. The project, at an altitude of 5,228 metres, is the world’s tallest solar installation, surpassing the first phase, which was built at 5,100 metres.
Previously, the world’s highest solar-plus-storage project was a 4,700-meter installation in Tibet. It was completed in 2020.
The second phase of the Caipeng Solar-Storage Power Station, covering 1.4 square kilometers, will add 100 MW of capacity with 170,000 solar panels. It is expanding the initial 50 MW phase that started in December 2023 and has since generated more than 60 GWh. Together, these project phases aim to alleviate winter and spring energy shortages in central Tibet.
PowerChina, the project contractor, completed the project 42 days ahead of schedule in just 115 days by using pre-installed supports and on-site assembly lines, increasing construction efficiency by 40% despite the challenges of the plateau environment.
The project includes n-type bifacial tunnel oxide passivated contact panels (TOPCon), which offer higher conversion efficiency and take advantage of the region’s high snow reflectivity for improved energy generation.
The partners said a 20MW/80MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) from Sungrow incorporates cutting-edge ‘stem cell storage technology’, providing ultra-fast voltage and frequency regulation and grid stabilization. Features such as liquid cooling and AI thermal management improve system safety and drainage performance by more than 8%, they said.
In December 2022, China Huadian commissioned a 120 MW solar power plant at an average altitude of 4,500 meters in Tibet.
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