Focus on Asia |


Sinopec takes the lead on H2


Above: Sinopec’s Kuqa green hydrogen production facility


Sinopec (China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation) has announced that its Kuqa green hydrogen pilot project has started operation. Located in Kuqa City, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the facility uses PV generated power to produce green hydrogen via electrolysis. It marks a major stride forward in the production of clean hydrogen, says Sinopec and “empowers the country to transition to a greener and more sustainable energy system.” Spearheaded by Sinopec’s New Star Company, the mega project, the first of its kind in China, is thought to be the world’s largest solar-to-hydrogen project to date. The project takes advantage of “the wealth of photovoltaic resources in Kuqa”, says Sinopec, to produce 20 000 tons per annum of green hydrogen, along with the capacity to store 210 000 cubic meters of hydrogen and transport 28 000 cubic meters per hour. It supplies green hydrogen to Sinopec’s Tahe refinery, substituting it for hydrogen produced using fossil-fuel-based electricity. Sinopec says it “aims to launch itself to become a new energy powerhouse that pioneers hydrogen production innovation in China,” helping China and other countries achieve carbon reduction targets in the coming years.


Sinopec, with an annual hydrogen production and utilisation capacity exceeding 4.5 million tons, has developed its own MW scale PEM electrolysis technology.


1 GW of salt–PV completed


The Huadian Haijing salt–PV power plant, installed capacity 1 GW, has been fully connected to the grid in Tianjin, China. The project is said to be the world’s largest standalone project of its kind, equipped with 2190 Sungrow high-power


Right: Sungrow SG320HX inverter at Huadian Haijing salt–PV facility


string inverter units, type SG320HX, installed in some 1333 hectares of salt fields. The completion of this project not only contributes to power supply in North China but also “explores a compound industrial model combining PV power generation, salt production through water evaporation, and underwater aquaculture,” says Sungrow.


Sungrow, founded in 1997 by Professor Cao Renxian, describes itself as “the world’s most bankable inverter brand”, with over 340 GW installed worldwide as of December 2022 in 150 countries.


Formosa 2 goes commercial


JERA has announced that its second offshore wind project in Taiwan, Formosa 2, 376 MW, has achieved commercial operation.


Nathalie Oosterlinck, head of global renewable energy at JERA, remarked that the company “has built a diverse and experienced team with strong expertise in the offshore wind market. Building on this foundation, we anticipate expanding our renewable energy activities and projects worldwide including in Asia.”


Formosa 2 is the first large offshore wind farm


project to reach commercial operation as part of Taiwan’s Round 2 development.


Formosa 2 has been jointly developed by JERA (49%), Macquarie Asset Management’s Green Investment Group (26%) and Synera Renewable Energy (25%). GIG is supported by its portfolio company, Corio Generation.


JERA has an equity interest in Formosa 1, 128 MW, Taiwan’s first operational utility scale offshore wind farm, along with Ørsted, Macquarie and Swancor.


Bringing Eco Wave Power to Taiwan


Eco Wave Power has signed a memorandum of understanding with maritime engineers Lian Tat Company to bring Eco Wave Power’s wave energy technology to Taiwan.


According to the terms of the agreement, Eco Wave Power and Lian Tat Company will enter into negotiations regarding the establishment of a joint venture company to develop wave energy projects in Taiwan.


The partnership aims to leverage Eco Wave Power’s wave energy conversion technology, which has been deployed in several locations worldwide.


Left: Eco Wave Power Port of Jaffa installation


30 | September 2023| www.modernpowersystems.com


The first stage of the project will be the development of a 20 MW wave energy power station in Taiwan, which would begin with a 100 kW pilot and then expand in stages. “With Eco Wave Power’s innovative technology, our collaboration will establish a benchmark project that will demonstrate the viability and scalability of wave energy in Taiwan, especially with the country’s 1566 kilometers of coastline,” said Lian Tat Company chairman CY Huang. Eco Wave Power’s wave energy project at the Port of Jaffa, Tel Aviv, EWP-EDF One, has recently


Largest hydro–solar plant


With the installation of 523.1 MW of Astronergy’s ASTRO photovoltaic modules, the first phase of what is said to be the world’s largest hydro–solar power plant started operation in June in China. Located on the West Sichuan Plateau, at an altitude of 4600 m, the Kela solar power plant is also described as “the world’s highest power station of its kind.”


It is constantly impacted by extreme weather conditions such as strong winds, blizzards, and freezing, which places extremely high demands on the reliability and durability of the PV modules.


Kela solar plant (photo: Astroenergy)


The hydro power component of the facility helps smooth instabilities in the solar power supply, providing “stable and high-quality clean electricity for the power grid,” says Astroenergy.


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