China Cementing Global Dominance of Renewable Energy and Technology

[JSCh]

China's Yongfu to Build Its First Solar Park in Vietnam to Expand Horizons
TANG SHIHUA
DATE : JAN 02 2019/SOURCE : YICAI

China's Yongfu to Build Its First Solar Park in Vietnam to Expand Horizons​

(Yicai Global) Jan. 2 -- China's Yongfu Power Engineering will construct a solar power station in Binh Thuan province in southeast Vietnam to spread its influence over Southeast Asia.

Yongfu signed a USD47 million contract with Truong Thanh-Binh Thuan Solar Power, the owner of the Binh Nguyen Solar Power Project, that has a planned capacity of 49 megawatts, the Fujian-province based firm said in a statement yesterday.

Yongfu will design, procure equipment, build and commission the project as well as provide warranty after completion, the statement added. The construction will start on Jan. 15, be completed at the end of May and start generating power on June 30.

This is Yongfu's first project in Vietnam, which will enhance its competitiveness overseas while improving its business performance, the firm added.

 

[JSCh]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1080384204821544960

SPIC‏ Verified account @ChinaSPIC
Mohe 850,000 kWh Wind Farm, China’s largest single unit wind farm, was successfully connected to grid in China’s #Qinghai on Dec 31, 2018. Simultaneously connected with Naren 100,000 kWh Wind Farm, Mohe&Naren wind farm becomes world’s largest one-time capacity connection project.

4:44 PM - 2 Jan 2019

 

[JSCh]

Delingha 50 MW Tower CSP has successfully connected to the grid
2019.01.03 From: HELIOSCSP

On 30th,December,2018, Supcon Solar Delingha 50MW Tower CSP has successfully connected to the grid. Supcon Solar has delivered its promise of on-time grid-connection to the National Energy Administration.

Supcon Solar Delingha 50MW Tower CSP is one of China’s first batch CSP Demonstration Projects. The project is developed, invested, designed, constructed and will be O&M by Supcon Solar. The project is equipped with technology developed by Supcon Solar independently, and Supcon Solar owns all the intellectual property rights. The project has officially kicked off on 15th,March 2017, and been delivered on time in spite of the harsh environment, which is with altitude of 3017m, lowest ambient temperature of -40℃. On the basis of successful experience from Supcon Delingha 10MW Tower CSP, Supcon Delingha 50MW will prove to be another milestone for CSP industry.


Delingha 50 MW Tower CSP has successfully connected to the grid | CSPfocus

 

[JSCh]

State Grid set to ramp up clean energy efforts
By Zheng Xin | China Daily | Updated: 2019-01-09 08:09

State Grid employees inspect cables in Chuzhou, Anhui province. [Photo by Song Weixing/For China Daily]​

The State Grid Corp of China, which runs the majority of the nation's electricity distribution networks, is constructing five pumped storage power plants to increase domestic new-energy power generation.

The move comes amid the nation's determination to move away from coal power to combat air pollution.

Such storage plants transfer water from a reservoir at a lower elevation to a higher reservoir during the night when demand is low, by using off-peak power production from sources such as wind power. The water is then released from the higher reservoir to generate enough power to meet demand at peak hours.

The plants will not only boost the economy for the long term, but also play a significant role in boosting the nation's share of clean energy, and contribute to a stable and effective modern power system, the State Grid said.

The five plants have received a total investment of 38.68 billion yuan ($5.64 billion), and once completed will offer a total installed capacity of 6 gigawatts.

They are located in Funing of Hebei province, Jiaohe of Jilin province, Qujiang of Zhejiang province, Weifang of Shandong province and Hami in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Construction is scheduled to be completed by 2026, complementing the fast development of irregular renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, the State Grid said.

Analysts said the State Grid, as well as other grid companies, are likely to raise their investments in pumped storage in the coming years.

The companies are likely to increase such capacity because it is critical for grid balance given the massive amounts of additional intermittent power generation, including solar and wind, being commissioned, said Joseph Jacobelli, a senior analyst of Asian utilities at Bloomberg Intelligence.

"It is also likely they will be looking at other energy storage solutions, including battery-based storage," he added.

The State Grid had 19.23 GW of pumped storage power plants in operation and 30.15 GW under construction in 2018.

China is looking to speed up the construction of pumped storage power plants, aiming for 60 GW of newly installed pumped capacity between 2016 and 2020, with 40 GW of pumped capacity in operation in the period.

 

[JSCh]

China announces plans for world’s biggest windfarm on Mongolian border

The State Power Investment Corporation (Spic), one of China’s top five energy generators, has announced plans to build a 6GW windfarm in the north of the country, close to its border with Mongolia.

Spic announced that is has received planning approval for its project from the Ulanqab Municipal Development of Inner Mongolia. If it goes ahead, it would install turbines across an area of 3,800 square kilometres, roughly the same size as the UK county of Suffolk, at a construction cost of about $6.8bn.

The aim is to deliver almost 19TWh of unsubsidised electricity to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei triangle.

Spic has not given details of the schemes schedule, but it said that it would be completed in time for the 2022 Winter Olympics, which are due to be hosted in Beijing.

As well as installing turbines, it will be necessary to build 12 ultra-high-voltage transmission grids to support the scheme.

Image: The Inner Mongolian grassland (Shizao/CC BY-SA 3.0)


China announces plans for world’s biggest windfarm on Mongolian border - News - GCR

 

[Han Patriot]

State Grid set to ramp up clean energy efforts
By Zheng Xin | China Daily | Updated: 2019-01-09 08:09

State Grid employees inspect cables in Chuzhou, Anhui province. [Photo by Song Weixing/For China Daily]​

The State Grid Corp of China, which runs the majority of the nation's electricity distribution networks, is constructing five pumped storage power plants to increase domestic new-energy power generation.

The move comes amid the nation's determination to move away from coal power to combat air pollution.

Such storage plants transfer water from a reservoir at a lower elevation to a higher reservoir during the night when demand is low, by using off-peak power production from sources such as wind power. The water is then released from the higher reservoir to generate enough power to meet demand at peak hours.

The plants will not only boost the economy for the long term, but also play a significant role in boosting the nation's share of clean energy, and contribute to a stable and effective modern power system, the State Grid said.

The five plants have received a total investment of 38.68 billion yuan ($5.64 billion), and once completed will offer a total installed capacity of 6 gigawatts.

They are located in Funing of Hebei province, Jiaohe of Jilin province, Qujiang of Zhejiang province, Weifang of Shandong province and Hami in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Construction is scheduled to be completed by 2026, complementing the fast development of irregular renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, the State Grid said.

Analysts said the State Grid, as well as other grid companies, are likely to raise their investments in pumped storage in the coming years.

The companies are likely to increase such capacity because it is critical for grid balance given the massive amounts of additional intermittent power generation, including solar and wind, being commissioned, said Joseph Jacobelli, a senior analyst of Asian utilities at Bloomberg Intelligence.

"It is also likely they will be looking at other energy storage solutions, including battery-based storage," he added.

The State Grid had 19.23 GW of pumped storage power plants in operation and 30.15 GW under construction in 2018.

China is looking to speed up the construction of pumped storage power plants, aiming for 60 GW of newly installed pumped capacity between 2016 and 2020, with 40 GW of pumped capacity in operation in the period.

When countries like India go into renewable without investing in storage solutions like pumped storage and UHV grid, it is bound to fail. People think just by building windfarms and solarfarms, the switch will flick on. This is a multi decade endeavor. If it weren't for the Chinese push for renewables and electrification of transport, the oil lobby would still be dictating the future. China was the one responsible steering the world towards renewables and electric vehicles.

 

[JSCh]

Turbine of world's 1st mln-kw hydroelectric generator delivered
New China TV
Published on Jan 11, 2019

The turbine of the world's first million-kilowatt hydroelectric generator, which took Chinese scientists more than 10 years to develop, has been delivered in Sichuan, SW China

 

[Han Patriot]

Turbine of world's 1st mln-kw hydroelectric generator delivered
New China TV
Published on Jan 11, 2019

The turbine of the world's first million-kilowatt hydroelectric generator, which took Chinese scientists more than 10 years to develop, has been delivered in Sichuan, SW China

As recent as 10 years ago, we still needed foreign expertise for high kw generators. Now we make these ourselves.

 

[JSCh]

Uganda to commission Chinese constructed power plant
Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-15 18:53:04|Editor: zh

KAMPALA, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Uganda's electricity generation agency on Monday said plans are underway to commission the Chinese constructed Isimba Hydropower Plant in the central part of the country along River Nile.

Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited (UEGCL) said in a statement that current physical progress of the 183 Megawatt Isimba power plant is estimated at 98.5 percent.

"For sure, the progress of the Isimba HPP (Hydropower Plant) is incredible," said Proscovia Njuki, chairperson Board of Directors UEGCL.

Njuki said the contractor, China Water and Electric Corporation Limited, has moved fast to ensure that three out of the four generating units are on the national grid.

She was concluding a routine appraisal of the 568 million U.S. dollars power plant located in Kayunga district.

According UEGCL, the power plant is scheduled to be launched on Jan. 24.

Construction of the plant started in 2015, after Uganda secured a loan from China Export Import Bank. Uganda got the loan to address the country's power shortage, which economic experts said was stalling economic development.

 

[JSCh]

Feature: Chinese firm helps build world's largest solar power complex in Morocco's desert
Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-20 01:14:15|Editor: yan

RABAT, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- In the early morning of January, as the snow covering the Atlas Mountains in central Morocco remains unmelted, the Chinese staff of the NOOR Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) projects in Ouarzazate, a city south of the mountain range, have already started a day's work despite the freezing temperature.

In May 2015, Shandong Electric Power Construction Co., Ltd (SEPCO III), a subsidiary of Power Construction Corporation of China, undertook the construction of NOOR II and NOOR III CSP projects in Ouarzazate, the gateway of the Sahara Desert. After more than 1,000 days and nights of hard work, both projects have already been put into commercial operation.

The two power stations have achieved stable full-load operation with hundreds of millions of kilowatt-hours of electricity already delivered to the Moroccan grid, said Zhou Hejun, vice president of the Middle East region of SEPCO III, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

According to Liang Xinfeng, chief engineer of the NOOR II project, the 200-MW Noor II has the world's largest installed capacity as a parabolic trough power plant, while the 160-MW installed capacity of the NOOR III is the largest among the world's tower power plants.

As the first 100-megawatt tower CSP project built by Chinese enterprises overseas, the NOOR III has put a severe test on the construction.

"But through the unremitting efforts, we have overcome various problems and obtained valuable experience about how to integrate key facilities such as Solar Field, Center Tower, Power Block and Molten Salt Tank," Zhou said.

Wang Guangchun, a general manager of the NOOR II and NOOR III projects, told Xinhua that his company attaches great importance to fulfilling its social responsibility in Morocco, as the two projects have offered more than 13,000 job opportunities for local residents in over three years.

Khadija Agoujdam, a human resources manager of the NOOR II and NOOR III projects, said the "openness" and "inclusivity" of the Chinese firms have impressed her.

"Unlike other companies, they are willing to recruit labor with zero work experience and to spend time in training them to be skilled workers," added Agoujdam, who has worked for the two projects for more than three years.

According to her, many Moroccans have gained work experience and better professional qualities at the NOOR II and III projects.

In October 2018, the government of Ouarzazate Province gave two awards to the NOOR II and NOOR III projects for actively fulfilling social responsibilities and promoting economic development in the region.

"Chinese companies respect local employees and encourage them to acquire more skills. I hope more and more Chinese companies will come to Morocco to help us develop the economy," Agoujdam said.

The bird's view of the Noor III Concentrated Solar Power project in Ouarzazate, Morocco, with the world's tallest solar tower standing in the middle, shot on Sept. 3, 2018. (Photo provided by China's Shandong Electric Power Construction Co., Ltd)

 

[JSCh]

Nation switches on to renewable energy - Chinadaily.com.cn
By ZHENG YIRAN | China Daily | Updated: 2019-01-29 07:35

Aerial view of a floating solar energy farm at a photovoltaic power station in Chunjiangyuan village, Jiande city, Hangzhou city, east China's Zhejiang province, May 17, 2018. [Photo/IC]

By the end of 2018, China's installed capacity for renewable energy reached 728,000 megawatts, up 12 percent on a year-on-year basis. It took up 38.3 percent of the total installed capacity, growing 1.7 percentage points year-on-year, demonstrating that the alternative role of renewable energy has become increasingly important.

The data were released on Monday during a media briefing held by the National Energy Administration. The installed capacity of hydropower stations, wind power stations, photovoltaic power stations and biomass power stations in 2018 reached 352,000 MW, 184,000 MW, 174,000 MW, and 17,810 MW respectively, growing 2.5 percent, 12.4 percent, 34 percent and 20.7 percent year-on-year.

"The utilization rate of renewable energy is constantly going up," said Li Chuangjun, deputy director of the new energy department of the NEA.

According to the NEA, in 2018, power generated by renewable energy totaled 1.87 trillion kilowatt-hours, 170 billion kWh higher than the previous year. Renewable energy generated 26.7 percent of the total power, up 0.2 percentage point year-on-year.

Hydropower generation grew by 3.2 percent year-on-year to 1.2 trillion kWh, and wind power generation surged 20 percent to 366 billion kWh. Meanwhile, photovoltaic power and biomass power generation reached 177.5 billion kWh and 90.6 billion kWh, growing 50 percent and 14 percent year-on-year respectively.

Also, as revealed by the NEA, in 2018, total hydropower wasted reached 69.1 billion kWh, and the national average hydropower utilization rate was around 95 percent. Wind power wasted totaled 27.7 billion kWh, and the curtailment rate dropped 5 percentage points to 7 percent. Solar power wasted in 2018 reached 5.49 billion kWh, and the curtailment rate was 3 percent, down by 2.8 percentage points.

"Ever since the government introduced guidelines on renewable energy consumption, large electricity companies such as the State Grid Corp, the China Southern Power Grid, and the Inner Mongolia Power (Group) Co Ltd, have been continuously improving system adjustment capabilities, and optimizing operations, so that the utilization rate of renewable energy grew significantly, and the situation of hydropower, wind power and power curtailment has eased to a large extent," Li said.

On Jan 15, the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration jointly launched a guideline on China's clean energy consumption from 2018 to 2020, with a goal of achieving significant results in clean energy consumption in 2018, and basically solving the problem of clean energy consumption by 2020.

According to the guideline, by 2018, China's wind power utilization rate should be higher than 88 percent, while photovoltaic power and hydropower utilization should both surpass 95 percent.

By 2019, wind power utilization rate should surpass 90 percent, the utilization rates of both photovoltaic and hydropower should be over 95 percent.

Furthermore, the nation aims at raising both its wind power and hydropower utilization rates to 95 percent.

Li Li, energy research director at market consultancy ICIS China, said: "To achieve the goal, in addition to industry's efforts, reform of institutional mechanisms is also necessary."

"Clear positioning should be offered to the best application scenarios of different types of energy. Relevant supportive policies are also essential," she added.

 

[JSCh]

30 Jan 2019 | 18:00 GMT
Iron-Platinum Catalyst Keeps Fuel Cells Clean, Even in Cold Weather - IEEE Spectrum
A novel catalyst protects fuel cells from contaminants, and could help China catch up in battery-free EVs

By Peter Fairley

Photo: Imaginechina/AP
This bus in Zhengzhou, a city in central China's Henan province, is powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

Batteries are currently outpacing fuel cells in the technological race to power the electric vehicle. Lithium batteries keep getting cheaper, while fuel cells remain hampered by pricey, short-lived platinum catalysts. An advance reported today in Nature by researchers in China suggests that adding a bit more platinum—albeit in a novel form—could help fuel cell cars catch up.

The report from a group at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), in Hefei, also shows that China is catching up to fuel cell leaders such as Japan and Korea. China’s automakers already make the majority of the world’s battery electrics, and the government is keen to see them dominate in fuel cells, too. Last year Beijing and local governments provided US $12.4 billion in subsidies for fuel cell vehicles, according to the Financial Times.

Platinum catalysts drive the core reaction inside proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (the kind used in cars) that sustains their electric circuit—the same reaction that creates the water that dribbles out of vehicle tailpipes. Junling Lu, a professor with USTC’s Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, says they have found a way to protect those platinum catalysts from a ubiquitous contaminant: carbon monoxide. It tightly binds to platinum, blocking the catalytic action.

The carbon monoxide is present because most hydrogen fuel is produced from hydrocarbon fuels. Even after costly purification, hydrogen fuel contains up to 0.2 parts per million carbon monoxide (CO). Over time, it builds up on the catalyst, slowing the fuel cell reaction, and such ‘poisoning’ snowballs each time a fuel cell vehicle starts up in cold weather. “Even the highest grade hydrogen has trace amounts of CO that can eventually deactivate the fuel cell electrodes,” says Lu.

Lu and his colleagues found a solution by designing a novel catalyst—platinum particles peppered with iron oxide—that can rapidly burn away CO in hydrogen. The catalyst selectively converts CO to harmless CO2 and, critically, it works across a broad temperature range. Their testing confirmed a 200-fold reduction in CO between -75 and 107 degrees C, which he says is a huge improvement over previous CO-selective catalysts. “All the catalysts in the literature were only operating above room temperature,” says Lu.

In the near term, Lu imagines their catalysts extending the operating life of fuel cell vehicles’ costly stacks. Down the road, he says onboard fuel clean-up could allow the use of lower-grade hydrogen fuel with a lower price that “all of the people can bear.”

“They may have a good solution here. It looks like it could work,” says William Goddard, director of the California Institute of Technology’s Materials and Process Simulation Center and a designer of fuel cell catalysts who was not involved in today’s advance.

That said, Goddard notes that the CO problem should eventually go away as hydrogen production shifts from stripping fossil fuels to applying electrolysis to water using renewable or nuclear energy. He adds that what’s really needed to make fuel cell vehicles competitive are cheaper catalysts within the fuel cell stack. The platinum-rich stack contributes to the hefty $85,000 price tag on Toyota Motor’s Mirai fuel cell sedan.

China’s government seems to expect that goal to be reached sometime within the coming decade. By 2030, its plans call for 1 million fuel cell vehicles to be cruising China’s roads. To get there, it is financing domestic research such as USTC’s and also providing rich subsidies to spur development by Chinese companies—up to $30,000 per vehicle plus additional local subsidies according to the Financial Times report.

Over the past two years, several Chinese firms have bought stakes in foreign fuel cell firms and set up joint ventures to access advanced technology. Most recently, in November 2018, Chinese engine and auto parts manufacturer Weichai Poweracquired 20 percent of Canadian fuel cell pioneer Ballard Power Systems. In a separate deal it acquired a 20 percent stake in U.K.-based fuel cell maker Ceres Power.

 

[JSCh]

China-funded solar-powered milling plants constructed in Zambia
Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-31 20:12:35|Editor: ZX

CHINGOLA, Zambia, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- About 1,830 solar-powered milling plants have so far been constructed in various parts of Zambia out of the earmarked 2,000, an official said on Thursday.

The construction of the milling parts, which is being funded at a cost of 200 million U.S. dollars from China, is intended to ease the problem of access to milling plants, especially in rural parts of the country.

Bright Mapipo, president of the Zambia Cooperative Federation, which is spearheading the project, said the Chinese contractor, Shandong Contractor, has been faithful in executing its mandate and that the milling plants were operational, with only 170 remaining to be completed.

"The solar-powered hammer mills will reduce the cost of mealie-meal, especially in rural and peri-urban areas where most of our small-scale farmers are concentrated," he said.

The Chinese contractor, he said, has also completed the construction of provincial centers for hammer mills operators, warehouse for spare parts and installation of hammer mills.

The building of provincial training centers is part of the package by the Chinese contractor to ensure that locals are able to man the milling facilities and as part of skills transfer, he added.

He said the bilateral relationship between Zambia and China was bearing fruits as seen in the construction of the solar-powered milling plants across the country.

 

[JSCh]

Chinese consortium won Greece M.I.N.O.S. CSP 50MW Tower Project EPC contract
2019.02.01 From: CSP Focus

As the project developer Nur Energie indicates, a 50MW CSP tower plant on the island of Crete is under development, the first of its kind in Greece. The site on Crete is one of the best areas in Europe for solar energy projects as it presents the highest solar resource potential. Greece currently offers a feed-in-tariff regime for CSP with a 25-year-term PPA. Crete is an autonomous island and so electricity prices to consumers are high.

Recently, the official announcement by China Gezhouba Group International Engineering Co., Ltd. & Zhejiang SUPCON Solar Technology Co., Ltd. has stated that the EPC consortium has signed the framework agreement with the project developer Nur-MOHHeliothermal S.A. (JV of Nur Energie & Motor Oil Hellas). Sourced by CSP Focus, ESE Engineering Services for Energy S.r.l. will also join this project and play the role as Owner's Engineer.

Greece M.I.N.O.S. CSP 50MW Tower Project Overview:

Name: M.I.N.O.S CSP project
Location: Crete, Greece
Solar resource: 2150kWh/m2/year DNI long term average
Area: 160 hectare
Capacity: 50MWe
Technology: CSP central receiver tower with molten salt storage
Developer: Nur-MOHHeliothermal S.A.
Ower's Engineer (O.E.): ESE Engineering Services for Energy S.r.l.
EPC consortium: China Gezhouba Group International Engineering Co., Ltd & Zhejiang Supcon Solar Technology Co., Ltd​

​

Chinese consortium won Greece M.I.N.O.S. CSP 50MW Tower Project EPC contract | CSP Focus

 

[JSCh]

Chinese company inks over 40 mln USD accord with Ethiopia's grand hydro-dam project
Source: Xinhua| 2019-02-20 04:59:26|Editor: Mu Xuequan

ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese construction and engineering company, China Gezhouba Group Co. Ltd. (CGGC), has signed a contract agreement with the Ethiopian government to take part in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

According to the contract agreement involving 40.1 million U.S. dollars, CGGC will take part in pre-power generation activities of Ethiopia's grand hydro-electric dam, which will be regarded as Africa's largest hydro dam upon completion with a total volume of 74,000 million cubic meters, the Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) revealed on Tuesday.

Ethiopian Electric Power head, Abrham Belay, said during the signing ceremony in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa that the agreement with CGGC is expected to speed up construction of the dam.

EEP also on Tuesday revealed that it signed another agreement with Voith Hydro Shanghai, which is part of the Voith Hydro that headquartered in Germany with specialization on manufacturing of turbines and turbine generator sets, for the installation and commissioning of six turbine generators at the GERD.

The energy sector is one of Ethiopia's priorities as the country envisaged to become a light manufacturing hub in Africa together with a middle-income economy by 2025.

Officials at the Ethiopian Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy (MoWIE) recently told Xinhua that the East African country is working to reach 17,300 MW of energy by the end of 2020, from the current 4,280 MW of energy through energy projects in hydro, wind, geothermal and biomass energy.

Another Chinese company, Poly-GCL Petroleum Group Holdings Limited (Poly-GCL), last week also signed an agreement with the Ethiopia Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) to construct the 767-km Ethiopia-Djibouti natural gas pipeline.

In April, the Ethiopian government announced plans to generate 1 billion U.S. dollars annually from the extraction of natural gas and crude oil deposits.

The company is expected to install a pipeline to transport gas from the fields in landlocked Ethiopia up to ports in neighboring Djibouti in two years. Around 700 kilometers of the natural gas pipeline will be located in Ethiopia, while the rest of the natural gas pipeline will be located in Djibouti.