Hami: A 1,000-megawatt power project combining solar thermal and photovoltaic power generation has been connected to the grid in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, marking a significant step in the region's renewable energy development. The project, the largest of its kind in China, was fully operational in the city of Hami on Thursday, serving as a model for leveraging renewable energy.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the project features a 100-megawatt molten salt solar thermal section employing the advanced Linear Fresnel technology. This technology utilizes light reflection and refraction principles to convert solar thermal energy into electricity, generating 148 million kilowatt-hours of clean power annually. This clean energy initiative is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 1.3 million tonnes. Huang Longfei, a deputy manager of the project's solar thermal section, explained that the technology allows molten salt to store heat collected from 260,000 mirrors during the day and generate power at night, ensuring continuous electricity supply and cost reduction.

Xinjiang, China's largest provincial-level administrative region, boasts abundant solar and wind resources. As China aims to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and attain carbon neutrality by 2060, more companies are venturing into clean energy projects in Xinjiang, fostering green development, job creation, and contributing to national carbon goals. A white paper issued last year highlighted that clean energy accounted for 26.4 percent of China's total energy use in 2023, a notable rise from 15.5 percent in 2013. Additionally, the share of coal in China's energy consumption has decreased by 12.1 percentage points over the past decade, with clean energy contributing significantly to the growth in electricity consumption.

Yuexin Green Energy Group, a wind turbine manufacturer, has invested 4 billion yuan (approximately 562 million U.S. dollars) to establish an assembly line and a blade production base in Xinjiang's Turpan City, recognizing the potential of wind power in the region. According to the group's general manager, Qiu Yong, Turpan's strategic location in Xinjiang's major wind power zones reduces transport costs. The company secured an order for 200 wind turbines from Kazakhstan shortly after commencing construction of the blade production base last year, creating around 2,000 jobs.

Local resident Maraba Mahmut, who works as an administrative specialist for the company, appreciated the opportunity to work near home, earning about 6,000 yuan a month. Qiu Yong also noted that the company has attracted upstream and downstream firms to invest in Turpan, completing the industrial chain for wind turbine manufacturing in the city. "With an industrial cluster being established, we are quite confident about the business prospects here," he said.