China's giant Gobi solar plant runs after dark on salt, not batteries

China Three Gorges Corporation's 1-gigawatt Hami hybrid solar-thermal plant in Xinjiang entered commercial trial operation July 1, pairing 900 MW of PV with 100 MW concentrated solar power using molten-salt storage to deliver power for up to 8 hours after sunset. The plant is projected to generate 2.07 TWh annually, offset 1.63 million tons of CO₂, and surpass the 950 MW Noor Energy 1 hybrid as the world's largest.