200MW! Chongqing’s largest mountain photovoltaic project is fully connected to the grid for power generation

On December 29, the largest installed mountain photovoltaic project in Chongqing, the Three Gorges Energy Wushan County Sanxi Liangping Phase II 200MW agricultural (forest) photovoltaic complementary power generation project, achieved full-capacity grid-connected power generation.

The project involves more than 6,000 acres of land in more than 10 villages. The terrain in the site is steep, and the weather in the high mountains of Wushan is rainy and foggy, which brings considerable challenges to construction, transportation, safety, and management.

Three Gorges Energy Wushan County Sanxi Liangping Phase II 200 MW Agricultural (Forestry) Photovoltaic Complementary Power Generation Project started construction on April 1, 2023. The first batch of 80 MW grid connection was completed on October 30, and the entire project was completed on December 29. The installed capacity is 200 MW connected to the grid. The average annual power generation of this photovoltaic power station in the next 25 years is about 170 million kilowatt-hours. It can save 62,900 tons of standard coal every year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 152,400 tons, achieving a win-win economic and ecological benefit.

Chongqing is located in southwest China, with average sunshine hours of 1,000 to 1,400 hours and average precipitation of 1,000 to 1,350 mm. It belongs to one of the five categories of solar energy resource areas in my country.

Chongqing’s solar energy resources have more sunshine than normal. The number of sunshine hours per month in various parts of the city is 160 to 334 hours, and the sunshine percentage is 39.6% to 82.4%. Compared with the same period in previous years, the number of sunshine hours is 2 to 6 hours longer, and the lighting conditions are better in most areas.

Chongqing, known as a mountain city, lags far behind other provinces in the use of solar energy resources. Due to its unique geographical location, it is low in the middle and high on all sides. Most areas are surrounded by mountains and are surrounded by clouds and mist all year round. Compared with other areas, if Chongqing installs photovoltaic power stations, its power generation efficiency will only be 50%, and the power generation capacity will be large. Due to the discount, Chongqing's photovoltaic installed market has been stagnant.

Chongqing has a single energy structure and cannot meet its own energy supply, relying on surrounding provinces to supply electricity. The high temperature in summer is also the peak period of electricity consumption in Chongqing. The large-scale increase in electricity load directly leads to insufficient power supply and power outages in various regions, seriously affecting residents' lives and enterprise production.

Chongqing urgently needs to install photovoltaic power stations and other renewable energy power stations to improve this situation. These green power systems can not only increase additional power generation, but also expand energy access and alleviate the pressure on electricity consumption in various regions. Therefore, Chongqing’s photovoltaic market is about to usher in new opportunities.

Currently, Chongqing is accelerating the construction of distributed photovoltaics and injecting green momentum into industrial development. As of the end of October this year, the installed capacity of wind and solar new energy in Chongqing reached 3.2 million kilowatts, including 1.17 million kilowatts of photovoltaics, an increase of 90% compared with the end of the "13th Five-Year Plan". It is expected that by 2025, Chongqing's new energy installed capacity will exceed 7.5 million kilowatts. An increase of 450% compared with the end of the “13th Five-Year Plan”.

On June 16, 2023, the first seven power stations constructed in the Chengkai Expressway distributed photovoltaic project were connected to the grid for power generation, marking the initial success of the construction of Chongqing's first full-road traffic energy integration demonstration project. The project plans to build 12 distributed photovoltaic power stations along the entire Chengkai Expressway, with a total designed installed capacity of 2,704 kilowatts and an annual power generation of approximately 2.28 million kilowatt hours. After completion, it can effectively guarantee the electricity demand for lighting, monitoring, testing and other equipment along the road, and realize "self-use and surplus electricity on the grid". It can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 2,000 tons and save about 1,000 tons of standard coal every year.