On September 26, Chinese state-owned utility Huanghe Hydropower Development (hereafter “Huanghe Hydropower”) successfully connected its 2.2 GW PV plant to the power grid in Hainan Prefecture, in northwestern China's Qinghai Province. This is the world's first ultra-high voltage power line to deliver 100% of renewable energy over long distances and also the world's largest single-site renewable energy project with the shortest construction time.
The milestone project achieved the highest level in the industry in terms of device selection, construction standards and technologies, setting the record for the largest single-site PV project in the world.
The plant is located in Qinghai Province at an average altitude of over 3000 m. Built in five phases, it is made up of 672 PV arrays with over 7 million PV modules. Three 330 kV booster stations were constructed and string inverters installed.
Huawei — the supplier with the largest project share — provided 1.6 GW of inverters. As the world's first ultra-high voltage power line to deliver 100% renewable energy over long distances, the project required inverters with high voltage ride-through (HVRT) capability to ensure the safety and stability of the power grid. Being the first to pass the GB/T 37408-2019 ‘Technical requirements for photovoltaic grid-connected inverters’, Huawei's smart string inverter supports short circuit ratio (SCR) as low as 1.5, without power derating during HVRT. It can also connect to weak grids and offers fault ride-through capability, guaranteeing stable operation in a variety of grid environments.
Besides cutting-edge inverters, this project also draws on the benefits of several intelligent technologies, such as MBUS power carriers, Smart I-V Curve Diagnosis 4.0, smart electro-luminescence (EL) detection, integrated application of trackers, bifacial PV modules, smart inverters and smart PV plant management. These technologies significantly optimize O&M efficiency, facilitate accurate fault prediction, and minimize the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). Through joint innovation, Huanghe Hydropower and Huawei have developed an industry-leading smart I-V diagnosis technology for global PV O&M, which has now been widely adopted worldwide.
Together, the two companies are at the forefront of leading the introduction of intelligent technologies for PV systems. This, and several other joint projects, have had a significant impact on the stable development and technological progress of the global PV industry.