China's Largest Centralized PV Power Generation Base Completed

The second phase of the Dalad photovoltaic (PV) power generation base was recently completed and together with the first phase became the largest desert centralized PV power generation base in China.

Located in the Kubuqi Desert in Dalad Banner in Ordos, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, the base was contracted by China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC).

Home to rich and high-quality solar resources in China, the desert has intense solar radiation and long sunshine duration, receiving sunshine for more than 3,180 hours annually on average.

With a designed capacity of 2 million kilowatts, the base is one of the PV generation bases of the third Top-Runner-Program, a special support program for PV industry in China.

Construction of the first and the second phases of the project started on May 29, 2018 and Oct 12, 2019. The former went into operation on Dec 10, 2018 and the latter is now ready for service.

Compared with those used in the first phase construction, the second phase engineering and power generation technologies were greatly improved. The use of PV plates with double-faced and glazed modules improved power generation efficiency by 15 percent.

In addition to making full use of the solar resource, the Dalad PV power generation base also plays a role in local ecological protection and development of the desert economic industry.

The base is expected to produce 4 billion kWh of power annually with an output value of more than 1.5 billion yuan ($223.35 million).

What's more, it is a player in desertification control and environmental protection.

Once it's up and running effective, desertification of more than 120,000 mu of area will be realized and 3.2 million tons of carbon dioxide and 700,000 tons of dust will be reduced annually.

It's worth mentioning that more than 1,100 local residents increased their income by feeding cattle with the help of powered machinery. Thanks to the base, the collective economy in villages in affected areas is growing.

A view of the vast desert installation using PV plates in the Kubuqi Desert in Dalad Banner in Ordos in Inner Mongolia [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)