The first tower-type solar thermal experimental power plant, under independent intellectual property rights in China, is ready to be connected to the power grid.
The heliostat field covering 80mu (around 53,333.6 square meters) at the Badaling tower-based solar-thermal power station. A China-developed solar power station in Beijing’s suburb is qualified for operation after 6-years of research and construction. The tower-based solar-thermal power station is located in Badaling in northern Beijing. The station is the largest of its kind in Asia. It covers an area of about 19,200 square meters "We are now communicating with the power supply department and the electricity generated from our station will be included in regional power grid when the project is approved," said Ma Guangcheng, the director of the solar-thermal power station. Due to the establishment of the Badaling solar power station, China becomes the fourth country to possess the technology of tower-based solar-thermal power generation following America, Spain and Israel. Ma revealed that compared with traditional coal-fired power generation, the power generation through solar means is able to conserve 663 tons of coal and reduce the emissions of CO2 and SO2 by 2,336.6 tons and 17.5 tons respectively every year. "The energy generated from solar power will be easily reserved and will not be affected by the climate. Its scale of power generation will reach 1 megawatt and the annual energy output will hit around 1.95 million kilowatts according to the amount of the solar radiation resources in Badaling," added Ma.
