China Huadian Corp., a state-owned power generator, has commissioned the second phase of its Caipeng Solar-Storage Power Station in Shannan, Tibet. The project, at an altitude of 5,228 meters, is the world’s highest-elevation solar installation, surpassing the first phase, which was built at 5,100 meters.
Previously, the highest utility-scale solar-plus-storage project in the world was another installation at 4,700 meters in Tibet. It was completed in 2020.
The second phase of the Caipeng Solar-Storage Power Station, spanning 1.4 square kilometers, adds 100 MW of capacity with 170,000 solar panels. It expands upon the initial 50 MW phase that started running in December 2023 and has since generated more than 60 GWh. Together, these project phases aim to alleviate central Tibet’s winter and spring power shortages.
PowerChina, the project contractor, completed the project 42 days ahead of schedule in just 115 days by using pre-installed mounts and on-site assembly lines, which increased construction efficiency by 40%, despite the challenges of the plateau environment.
The project features n-type bifacial tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) panels, offering higher conversion efficiency and leveraging the region’s high snow reflectivity for enhanced power generation.
The partners said a 20 MW/80 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) from Sungrow includes cutting-edge “stem cell storage technology,” providing ultra-fast voltage and frequency regulation and grid stabilization. Features such liquid cooling and AI thermal management improve the system’s safety and discharge performance by over 8%, they said.
In December 2022, China Huadian commissioned a 120 MW solar plant at an average altitude of 4,500 meters in Tibet.
