China has ushered in a new era of solar energy storage with the 1 GW Hami project in the Gobi Desert. Instead of lithium batteries, the facility uses molten salt technology, allowing it to generate electricity continuously for eight hours after sunset. The hybrid system combines 900 MW of conventional photovoltaic panels with a 100 MW concentrated solar power unit, making it the world’s largest project of its kind by capacity. Expected to generate 2.07 TWh of electricity annually, the facility aims to prevent 1.63 million tonnes of CO2 emissions and increase the share of renewable energy used in the region to more than 95%.
Managed by China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG), the Hami project is a massive energy complex covering 1,817 hectares on the southern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains. Built with an investment of approximately $480 million, the facility uses 260,000 tracking mirrors to concentrate sunlight and heat molten salt to temperatures of up to 550°C. The stored thermal energy is then used to drive turbines and generate electricity after sunset. The project aims to address the intermittency of solar power through thermal energy storage rather than chemical batteries.
The facility began commercial trial operations on July 1, although it had already been connected to the grid and started operating on September 18, 2025. So far, the complex has supplied 6.54 million kWh of electricity to the regional grid. Once operating at full capacity, it is expected to meet the electricity needs of approximately 830,000 households. Project director Niu Jianle noted that lithium batteries are suitable for short-term peak loads, while molten salt technology offers a more efficient solution for industrial-scale applications due to its large capacity and long discharge cycles.
From a technological perspective, the facility uses a linear Fresnel design, which increases heat conversion efficiency by 10% compared with conventional systems. CTG plans to increase the project’s capacity to 3 GW in its second phase, while other energy companies in the region have also begun developing similar hybrid models. Experts say operational data in the coming years will determine whether thermal storage technologies can compete with lithium batteries in terms of cost competitiveness.
Source: Solarbaba – In Turkish
