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World's Largest Concentrated Solar Thermal System

Kunlewan International Tourism Resort, which opened in May 2024, is located in Handan city in the northern Chinese province of Hebei. It hosts the world's largest concentrated solar thermal system, with a total of 4,159 solar collectors installed across the 114,000 square metre solar mirror field i . Adjusted by a sun-tracking system, the mirrors focus sunlight onto receiver tubes, heating oil that stores thermal energy at 150-180°C. The heated oil is then piped to the energy conversion system, which supplies heating and cooling for the leisure resort through plate heat exchangers, ammonia absorption chillers and lithium bromide absorption chillers.

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© Xuchen Energy

Energy generated from the solar system is stored in two types of units: heat storage tanks and cold storage tanks. For system control and management, the energy data control centre connects all equipment across the resort with a tracking system and a distributed control system (DCS) for industrial automation. This enables continuous 24-hour operation, even when unattended. A dedicated system adjusts the project's energy distribution based on varying weather conditions. The space beneath the solar collectors is used as a car park with more than 3,000 parking spaces and over 400 electric vehicle charging stations.

114,422MWh of thermal energy produced annually

This approach enables year-round operation and consistent indoor temperatures, demonstrating how renewables can provide stable, climate-resilient infrastructure for public amenities across all seasons. Kunlewan's four core components – an aquatic recreation centre, indoor ski hall, commercial plaza and hotels – consume around 117,708 megawatt-hours (MWh) of thermal energy annually for water heating, air conditioning, and ice and snow production. The solar mirror field captures around 114,422 MWh per year, meeting up to 97% of the demand and avoiding an estimated 38,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.

As the first demonstration project integrating large-scale renewables in China's tourism sector, Kunlewan is supported by both public entities and the private sector. It is invested and developed by Handan Jianxu New Energy, established jointly by Inner Mongolia Xuchen Energy (the technical supplier and operator of the solar field) and Handan Jiaojian Zhanghe Development Co., Ltd. (a local state-owned enterprise). A total of USD 734.2 million (CNY 5.3 billion) was invested in the project, including USD 165 million (CNY 1.2 billion) ii in corporate bonds issued by Handan Construction Investment Group, a wholly state-owned enterprise.

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© Xuchen Energy

i The solar thermal capacity of the field is an estimated 77 megawatts.

ii Investment amounts are converted using exchange rates as of April 2024.

Source: See endnote 76 for this section.

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