12,000 mirrors blaze in China’s desert — No solar panels, just pure concentrated power

This is amazing energy revolution in the Gobi Desert of China whereby thousands of perfectly spaced mirrors produce a spectacular show of concentrated solar energy. Unlike the traditional photovoltaic installations this amazing facility captures the sun’s rays with a totally different method that helps make the barren desert environment into a dazzling array of reflective surfaces.

How desert power revolution is formed by thousands of heliostats

The Delingha plant runs on a complicated array of computer-guided mirrors known as heliostats, which are 20 square meters in size and track the sun’s path throughout the day. The advanced reflective technology takes place in absolute coordination to channel the focused solar radiation to a central tower to the receiver tower 200 meters above the desert floor. High precision Engineering: The system features high precision engineering that each time this system operates, the mirrors move in a position continuously, ensuring maximum solar concentration no matter the position of the sun.

It is a radical solution unlike the traditional solar panels, which directly interact sunlight with electricity. Instead, the concentrated solar power system feeds the thermal energy into the system to heat the molten salt to over 540 degrees Celsius. The superheated salt is then used to make steam to drive turbines to produce electricity even after sunset thanks to stored thermal energy.

Major elements of concentrated solar power

• 27,135 heliostats following the sun’s path;
• Total reflective area of 542, 700 m 2.
• Tower of 200 meters containing the central receiver;

The revolution that molten salt storage brings to renewable energy

The plant’s molten-salt thermal storage technology is pioneering for its ability to ensure steady renewable yielding power, with the amount of heat collected being able to be used to produce electricity for as long as seven hours in a row without sunlight. This feature overcomes the main drawback of the conventional solar power by ensuring a continuous supply of energy even during cloudy periods and during the night.

I checked out the installation of the Delingha plant and came across the fact that what’s claimed in the headlines is just a fraction of the actual benefit achieved: 12,000 heliostats, but Delingha has installed about 27,135 of them, making a completely impressive scope of mirror technology on 2.47 square km of desert. As the molten salt mixture is made up of sodium and potassium nitrate, the solution remains liquid even in high temperatures yet, it is able to store thermal energy for long periods of time.

“This revolutionary storage technology basically allows the power plant to work like a traditional power plant where electricity is given when needed rather than when the sun is shining.”

What this technology signifies for the energy future of the world

The success of the Delingha plant is further proof that concentrated solar power has the ability to change desert areas all over the world into giant power stations. The plant produces 146 GWh each year which serves 80,000 households and also lessening the carbon emission by 121,000 tons/year. The plant has been certified by one of the world’s leading engineering consulting firms, Germany’s Fichtner, confirming that the plant meets the highest technical standards in the world and confirms China’s ability to produce concentrated solar power on a large scale.

The desert mirror installation in china is not just a technological breakthrough but a sign of how mankind can tapping on the most power source that nature has to offer by means of innovative technology. With the emerging concentration solar power market and decreasing costs such shining mirror panels can become habitual to the deserts of the globe and the desolate areas can be converted into energy powerhouses, producing clean energy.

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