Where is China's first dual-tower solar thermal plant located?

China Three Gorges Corporation An aerial view of the world's first dual-tower solar thermal plant in northwest China's Gansu Province. /China Three Gorges Corporation A Chinese power company is pioneering world-first technology by combining two endothermic towers to achieve a significant efficiency boost.

What is China's new dual-tower solar power project?

China's foray into solar thermal power began in 2016, but this new project takes it a step further with its dual-tower design. "The mirrors in the overlapping area can be utilized by either tower," explains plant project manager Wen Jianghong. "This configuration is expected to enhance efficiency by 24 percent."

What is a twin tower solar power project?

The project's twin tower configuration and adaptable mirror array are poised to enhance solar thermal power generation efficiency and reliability. Anticipated annual output is 1.8 billion kilowatt hours, contributing to a reduction of 1.53 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

What is the thermal efficiency of solar power towers?

2.3. Thermo-economic data Regarding efficiency values and as a general overview, it can be highlighted that thermal efficiency (solar to mechanical) is estimated between 30% and 40% for solar power towers.

What is a solar power tower?

Solar Power Towers (SPT), also denominated Central Receiver Systems (CRS), are set up by a heliostats field which reflects solar radiation into a central receiver located atop a tower. These heliostats track the Sun with two axis. They are also considered as point focus collectors.

What is the capacity of solar power towers?

The overall capacity of under construction and development solar power towers reached around 5383 MWh e in 2019, with an average power capacity of 207 MWh e . The reason of that growth is the capacity of SPT to achieve higher temperatures in comparison to PTC and, thus, greater solar to electric efficiencies .