The Guohua RuiTe Solar Power Station, operated by China Energy Group, is located in Shangshawu Town, Jingtai County, Baiyin City. From an aerial view, the solar panels resemble a vast sea.
At the beginning of the new year, a visit to the station's main control room revealed staff monitoring flickering numbers on computer screens. They frequently communicated via telephone with grid dispatchers to coordinate power generation parameters.
Station Manager Fan Jinrong pointed to the power data on the screen and explained that the grid dispatch department had issued a total active power command of 36 megawatts for the entire station, equivalent to a generation capacity of 36,000 kilowatts. Under ideal conditions, this translates to 36,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity generated per hour, which is approximately one-tenth of the station's total installed capacity of 350,000 kilowatts.
When asked why such a large facility was operating at only ten percent of its capacity, Fan Jinrong clarified, "Our power station was connected to the grid on November 25 last year and is currently undergoing a three-month grid-connection testing phase. This phase primarily evaluates the performance and safety of the equipment interfacing with the power grid. During these tests, the station operates at about 10% of its output capacity. After the testing is complete, it will enter full-capacity generation. During midday hours with sufficient sunlight, the station will generate 350,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per hour."
Regarding the destination of the electricity once at full capacity, Fan Jinrong elaborated, "We are part of the Baiyin supporting new energy project for the 'Gansu Power to Shandong' initiative. At full output, the electricity will be transmitted sequentially through the 330-kilovolt RuiTe Substation, the 750-kilovolt Qinchuan Substation, and then connected to the Qingyang Converter Station. From there, it will feed into the transmission lines of the Gansu Power to Shandong project, sending power directly to Shandong. Finally, it will be distributed throughout Shandong and the broader East China region via the Shandong power grid."
Zhang Siqun, a specialist from the Development and Planning Department of the State Grid Baiyin Power Supply Company, provided further context. The total capacity of the Baiyin supporting new energy projects for the Gansu Power to Shandong initiative is 4.5 million kilowatts. Annually, this is expected to transmit approximately 8 billion kilowatt-hours of green electricity to the load centers in East China. This output is equivalent to saving 990,000 tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 6.33 million tons.
To ensure the full grid integration of all 4.5 million kilowatts from the Baiyin new energy projects supporting the Gansu Power to Shandong initiative, the Baiyin Power Supply Company has successfully achieved a seamless connection between these new energy projects and the ultra-high voltage main grid. This effort has established a complete energy industrial chain characterized by "resource development in the west - concentrated transmission via the power grid - terminal consumption in the east."
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