QAZAQ GREEN.  China has connected the 1 GW Gonghe solar energy complex in Qinghai Province to the power grid. According to CCTV, it is the country’s first megawatt-scale clean energy project to combine photovoltaic generation, thermal energy storage and electric-to-heat conversion.

The complex was connected to the grid on October 1, 2026. It combines photovoltaic panels with solar thermal installations that store energy collected during the day and use it to generate electricity during evening peak-demand periods.

By integrating these technologies, the project is expected to make solar power supply more flexible and help address the intermittency associated with weather conditions and daylight hours.

Once fully operational, the complex is expected to generate an average of 2.2 billion kWh of electricity annually. It is also projected to save around 690,000 tonnes of standard coal and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 2.07 million tonnes a year.