China has launched its first large-scale photovoltaic (PV) technology demonstration and validation base on desert land, marking a significant step in the country’s renewable energy development. The base began operations on Friday in Otog Front Banner, located in the city of Ordos in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The area is rich in solar and wind energy resources, making it an ideal location for the new base. Constructed by the State Power Investment Corporation, the base builds upon the existing three-million-kilowatt Mengxi Blue Ocean PV Power Station, China’s largest single-capacity PV power plant developed on a former coal mining area.
The demonstration base features an advanced technology zone and a conventional validation testing zone. It integrates 10 mainstream domestic PV mounting structures and 36 types of PV panels in various combinations, creating over 150 experimental schemes. These efforts aim to support the high-quality development of China’s PV industry and reduce technology selection risks for large-scale PV power stations.
“The Mengxi Blue Ocean PV Demonstration and Validation Base, with a total capacity of 133 megawatts, conducts systematic full-lifecycle performance validation for core power plant components,” said Li Jinyuan, head of the Mengxi Blue Ocean PV Power Station. “By evaluating metrics such as the levelized cost of electricity and investment risks, it effectively mitigates technology selection risks for large-scale PV power stations.”
In addition to the solar base, several major energy projects are rapidly progressing toward grid connection across the country. China Huaneng Group announced that the nation’s first million-kilowatt-level onshore high-wind-resistance wind power project in Turfan, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has been connected to the grid at full capacity.
The wind power project comprises 131 wind turbines with capacities of seven megawatts or higher. Equipped with innovative wind-resistant hub technology, these turbines can withstand extreme wind speeds of up to 57 meters per second—about 14 percent stronger than conventional units. This advancement addresses the severe high-wind conditions in deserts and arid regions.
“Operating at full capacity, the project can provide 2.2 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually, supplying affordable green energy to over 700,000 households,” said Zhou Jianwu, the project leader. “This is equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1.91 million tons each year or planting approximately 5,600 hectares of trees.”
Furthermore, China’s first 2×350 megawatt ultra-supercritical cogeneration unit is set to begin commercial operations at the Tongliao Power Station, also operated by the State Power Investment Corporation in Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia.
The new unit can lower the comprehensive electricity consumption rate by three percent and reduce coal consumption for power generation by 38 grams per kilowatt-hour. It is expected to save 120,000 tons of standard coal annually, conserve 5.21 million tons of water, and meet the demands for centralized heating and industrial heat load over an area of 18.5 million square meters.
“The newly constructed 445-megawatt wind power project in Tuquan County has increased our renewable-to-thermal power capacity ratio to 47.9 percent,” said Sun Wen, general manager of the Tongliao Power Station. “This project pioneers a coal-power-and-renewables hybrid operation model, setting a new paradigm for the transition of coal power characterized by low-energy-consumption supply assurance and high-flexibility regulation.”
These initiatives exemplify China’s commitment to transforming its traditional thermal power sector and accelerating the development of renewable energy sources, contributing to global efforts to combat climate change.
