The 500-megawatt photovoltaic power station of China Datang Corporation Limited (China Datang) was put into operation on May 2 at the company’s cloud data center in Zhongwei City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
The power station is the country’s first large-scale green power direct-supply project under a “computing-electricity coordination” model. Under the framework of the “East Data, West Computing” initiative, the project can transform rich wind and solar resources in the desert into electricity to meet the needs of China Datang’s cloud data center.
The 500-megawatt photovoltaic power station of China Datang Corporation Limited has been built to supply clean electricity to the company’s cloud data center in Zhongwei City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The first phase of the project, built with an investment of 8.7 billion yuan ($1.28 billion), is designed to have 2,000 MW of installed capacity, with 500 MW in PV power and 1,500 MW in wind power. A dedicated transmission line connecting the PV power plant and the data center is established to alleviate the latter’s incremental load. In this way, the electricity produced at the PV power station can be directly delivered to the data center, instead of being routed through the main grid. Accompanying energy storage systems retain surplus electricity.
During periods of solar generation, electricity is supplied primarily through direct photovoltaic delivery, and wind power compensates when solar generation is unavailable, creating a complementary wind-solar system capable of around-the-clock energy supply. This enables computing parks to use clean, low-cost, and stable green electricity, helping enterprises reduce costs, improve efficiency, and lower carbon emissions.
Currently, the 500-MW PV power station achieves full-capacity connection, while the 1,500-MW wind power sub-project is expected to achieve full-capacity connection to the grid in September. Upon full operation, the four power plants will be able to meet the cloud data center’s annual power demand of 2.29 billion kilowatt-hours.
The second phase of the project will have 4,600 MW of installed capacity with a total investment of nearly 20 billion yuan ($2.94 billion).
(Executive editor: Zuo Shihan)
