China's new solar plant made with 15,927 mirrors will power 50,000 homes while saving 60,000 tons of coal annually

China has completed the construction of the world's highest solar thermal plant on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, located at the height of 15,258 feet in Amdo County. The 100 megawatt (MW) project is designed to operate in an environment characterised by strong winds, sub-zero temperatures, and high ultraviolet radiation. According to information released by CGTN, the Tushuo plant has become the highest-altitude concentrated solar thermal facility ever built in the world. It is also the first tower-type solar thermal plant developed in this region. It has installed 15,927 mirrors, called heliostats that occupy approximately 800,000 square meters and need to direct solar radiation to virtually the same point: a receiver installed atop a 210-meter-high tower. Here, the concentration of energy raises the temperature of molten salts to approximately 1,040°F.A system made up of nearly 16,000 mirrorsThe principle of this solar plant is different from that found in photovoltaic solar parks around the world. Instead of directly converting sunlight into electricity, the Chinese installation first transforms solar radiation into thermal energy. Each heliostat tracks the sun’s apparent motion an...