Plant	Yumen Xinneng-Xinchen
Location	China
Owner(s)	Yumen Xinneng Thermal Power Co., Thvom, Shanghai Electric
Capacity (MW)	50
Construction Start Date	2017
Construction End Date	2021
Generation Start Year	2022
Construction Cost ($)	1.790 bil
Cost pkWh ($)	5395.3
Heliostat Aperture Area (m²)	16
Heliostat Manufacturer	Jiangsu Xinchen
Heliostat Model	P3
Mirror Manufacturer	Taiwan Glass Yueda Solar Mirror
Heliostat Dimension	4.4m x 4m
Heliostat Facets (C x R)	4 x 4
Solar Field Area (m²)	208240
Heliostat Cost pm² ($)	172.72
Tower Height (m)	70
Receiver Fluid	Sodium Nitrate
Receiever Manufacturer	Jiangsu XinChen China
Receiver Model	Beamdown Receiver T1
Number of Heliostats	13015
Tower Position (Lat/Long)	(40.338, 97.276)

General Plant Data

·       Location: China

·       Owner(s): Yumen Xinneng Thermal Power Co., Thvom, Shanghai Electric

·       Capacity (MW): 50

Source: https://helioscsp.com/three-solar-modules-of-worlds-first-commercial-beam-down-tower-concentrated-solar-power-project-to-be-connected-to-grid/

Plant Timeline

·       Construction Start Date: 2017

·       Construction End Date: 2021

·       Generation Start Year: 2022

Plant Costs

·       Construction Cost ($): 1.790 bil

·       Cost pkWh ($): 5395.3

Heliostat Design

·       Heliostat Aperture Area (m²): 16

·       Heliostat Manufacturer: Jiangsu Xinchen

·       Heliostat Model: P3

·       Mirror Manufacturer: Taiwan Glass Yueda Solar Mirror

·       Heliostat Dimension: 4.4m x 4m

·       Heliostat Facets (C x R): 4 x 4

·       Solar Field Area (m²): 208240

·       Heliostat Cost pm² ($): 172.72

Source: https://www.cspplaza.com/article-20598-1.html

Tower/Receiver

·       Tower Height (m): 70

·       Receiver Fluid: Sodium Nitrate

·       Receiever Manufacturer: Jiangsu XinChen China

·       Receiver Model: Beamdown Receiver T1

Source: https://en.cspplaza.com/notice-about-holding-the-exchange-conference-on-innovative-beam-down-tower-csp-technology

Source: http://www.cspfocus.cn/en/study/detail_68.htm

Plant Layout

·       Number of Heliostats: 13015

·       Tower Position (Lat/Long): (40.338, 97.276)

Source: https://www.sohu.com/a/513284661_734062

Local Environmental Conditions

Yumen Xinneng project is located in Yumen, China. It has a cold desert climate with long and cold winter, very warm summer and abundant wind, light and heat resources.

Lessons Learned

·       Yumen Xinneng 50MW project is the first beam down CSP tower in China and also the first large-scale commercial beam down CSP project in the world.[1]

·       As an innovative modular molten salt tower concentrating heat storage technology, it places the receiver downwards and there is no receiver panel in the receiver, so there is no excess cost caused by placing the pipe very high, and the risks of low thermal efficiency, molten salt blockage and corrosion and overheating issues. Each module can be operated independently or removed, which improves the reliability and flexibility of the unit operation.[2]

Source：
[1] ---. “Three Solar Modules of World’s First Commercial Beam-down Tower Concentrated Solar Power Project to Be Connected to Grid.” HELIOSCSP, 14 Aug. 2019, helioscsp.com/three-solar-modules-of-worlds-first-commercial-beam-down-tower-concentrated-solar-power-project-to-be-connected-to-grid/. Accessed 18 Oct. 2023.
[2] “玉门鑫能50MW光热项目聚光集热储热系统全面投运 - 国家太阳能光热产业技术创新战略联盟.” Www.cnste.org, 2 Jan. 2022, www.cnste.org/html/xiangmu/2022/0102/8565.html. Accessed 18 Oct. 2023.