Session:
For more information: www.hydropower.org/congress
Joint Development Mode of
Hydropower and New Energy
Study and Application
Upstream Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd.
Zhang Jun
May 2015 Beijing
Hydropower Planning and Development in the Upper
Reaches of the Yellow River
New Energy Planning and Development of Huanghe
Company
Study on and Application of Joint Development Mode
of Hydropower and New Energy
The river reach from Longyangxia to Qingtongxia is totally 918 km in length and 1,324 m in drop, with 25 large- and
medium-sized hydropower plants with a total installed capacity of 17,010 MW in planning. So far, in this river reach 21
power plants have been completed, including Longyangxia, Laxiwa, Lijiaxia, Gongboxia, Jishixia, Sigouxia, liujiaxia,
Yanguoxia, Bapanxia, Xiaoxia, Daxia, Wujinxia, Shapotou and Qingtongxia. Cascade power plants in the river reach
from Longyangxia to Qingtongxia have been substantially completed.
The river reach until Longyangxia is totally 1,600 km in length and 1,670 m in drop. It is planned to build 14 cascade
hydropower plants with the use of the water head of 1,241.3 m and a total installed capacity of 8,026.4 MW. Currently, in
the upper reaches of Longyangxia, only the Banduo hydropower plant has been completed; the Yangqu and Maerdang
hydropower plants are under construction; the Cihaxia hydropower plant is still in early stage of the project, and other
plants are still in the stages of planning or feasibility study.
Overall Layout and Planning of Hydropower Industry
of Upstream Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd.
There are 15 hydropower plants in place
with a total of 10,772.8 MW
S/N
1
2
Plants in place
Banduo hydropower plant
Longyangxia hydropower
plant
Capacity（10
MW）
36
Location
S/N
Qinghai
1
128
Qinghai
3
Laxiwa hydropower plant
420
Qinghai
4
Lijiaxia hydropower plant
200
Qinghai
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Gongboxia hydropower
plant
Suzhi hydropower plant
Jishixia hydropower plant
Yanguoxia hydropower
plant
Bapanxia hydropower plant
Qingtongxia hydropower
plant
Nazixia hydropower plant
There are 3 hydropower plants in
construction
with a total of 3,842 MW
150
Qinghai
22.5
Qinghai
102
Qinghai
49.28
Gansu
2
3
Plants in
Capacity（10
construction
MW）
Yangqu hydropower
plant
Cihaxia hydropower
plant
Juting hydropower
plant
120
Location
There are 5 hydropower plants in
planning
with a total of 1,342 MW
S/N
Gansu
30.9
Gansu
8.7
Qinghai
Capacity（10 Locatio
MW）
n
27.99
Qinghai
18
Qinghai
19.2
Qinghai
18
Qinghai
51
Qinghai
Qinghai
1
260
Qinghai
4.2
Shaanxi
2
3
Mentang
hydropower plant
Senna hydropower
plant
Tagel hydropower
plant
Yushu hydropower
4
22
Planning projects
plant in Tongtian
River
Genzhuo
5
hydropower plant in
Tongtian river
Longyangxia
(1,280 MW)
Banduo
(360 MW)
Lijiaxia
(2,000 MW)
Lawaxi
(4,200 MW)
Suzhi
(225 MW)
Gongboxia
(1,500 MW)
Yanguoxia
(500 MW)
Jishixia
(1,020 MW)
Qingtongxia
(302 MW)
Bapanxia
(220 MW)
Advantages of Hydropower
Resources
Renewable
green and
clean energy
Optimization
for the
allocation
pattern of
water
resources
Recycling
and endless
freshness
Improvement
for ecological
environment
Energy-saving
& emission
reduction and
substitution
for fossil fuels
Flexible and
convenient startup
and shutdown
operation,， quick
response to load
regulation，and
large regulation
range
Flood control,
drought relief
and disaster
reduction
In the power
grid, serve as
peak regulation
& frequency
modulation and
emergency duty
A reservoir with a strong regulation capacity and a hydropower
plant with a large installed load play a very important role in a
safe and stable operation of the power grid
Cascade Scheduling Method
The upper reaches of the Yellow River are a river reach where China's earliest pattern of cascade hydropower plants has been formed and
the joint dispatching has been carried out. Since 1999, a unified water regulation of the Yellow River has been carried out by the Yellow River
Conservancy Commission , and Longyangxia reservoir and Liujiaxia reservoir are two targets of the regulation.
Currently, of the daily power generation scheduling in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, large-sized hydropower plants are under
control of the State Grid Northwest Electric Power Control Sub-center, and medium-sized hydropower plants are under control of Power
Control Centers in Qinghai, Gansu and Ningxia provinces (regions).
Advantages of Cascade Hydropower Plants in the Basin
• There is a good natural condition in the upper reaches of the Yellow River Basin.
All cascade hydropower plants in the river reach are substantially connected with
respect to water level, almost same drops, abundant water, stable runoff, small
flood flow and small sediment.
• Several years of regulating effects of Longyangxia reservoir make that the
guaranteed power of all cascade hydropower plants in the lower reaches of the
river reach accounts for 80% of the average annual electricity output.
• A reservoir group with an enormous regulation ability is formed for cascade
power plants in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, which has the advantage of
scale, stable quality of power supply, strong reliability and flexible operation
mode; and it can achieve the optimal allocation of resources in a larger context.
• Cascade hydropower plants have become the main power supply primarily used
for the peak regulation, frequency modulation and emergency duty in the power
grid, which ensure an economic, safe and stable operation of the power system.
• These plants have huge social benefits, such as, flood control, ice prevention,
irrigation, water supply and alleviation of discontinuous flow in the lower reaches.
Advantages of Solar Resources
China has a vast territory and rich solar energy resources. Judging from the distribution of the total national annual
solar radiation, the total quantity of solar radiation in the western region is very large, especially the total quantity of
solar radiation in the Qinghai-Tibet plateau region is the largest. Qinghai province is rich in solar energy resources,
which has the total annual radiation of 5,800~7,400 MJ/m2, the direct radiation accounts for more than 60% of the total
radiation, the theoretical annual resource reserves is 67 trillion kwh, and the solar energy of surface absorption per year
is equivalent to the standard coal energy of about 82.4 billion tons. In Qaidam Basin, the annual sunshine hours are
3,200～3,600 h, and total annual radiation is 7,000~8,000 MJ/m2. It is a second-highest region by values all over the
country.
Geographical Advantages
There is an obvious advantage to develop the PV power generation in China. Because China has a large area of
desert resources and a desertification land area of 2.62 million square kilometers. Qinghai province is located in the
northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Most regions have a vast territory with a sparse population, flat terrain and
unexploited area of desertification land of more than 200,000 square kilometers. These regions are mainly
distributed in the Sanjiangyuan region and Qaidam Basin with rich solar resources. The desertification land used
for the construction of PV power generation in the Qaidam Basin is about 100,000 square kilometers, and the
theoretical installed capacity reaches 3,000 GW.
Qaidam Basin
Population density<1 person/square kilometer
Desertification area >200,000 square kilometers
Exploitable area ≈100,000 square kilometers
Theoretical installed capacity = 3,000 GW
Characteristics of PV Power Generation
Daily variation characteristics of PV power generation are mainly affected
by seasonal factors, day/night, weather, temperature and others. The daily output
variation of a PV power plant is featured with volatility, randomicity and
intermittence to some extent. In a sunny day, the output curve is in smooth
parabola with a downward opening; in other days, the output curve is in
serration with different fluctuation ranges.
Planning and Development of PV and Wind Power by
Upstream Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd.
S/N
1
2
Gridconnected
PV
projects
Plants in service
Capacity (MWp)
Location
620
Qinghai
500
Qinghai
Longyangxia hydropower-solar power mix PV power
plant (phase-I and phase-II)
Golmud PV power plant (phase-I, phase-II and phaseIII)
3
Gonghe industrial park phase-I PV power plant
200
Qinghai
4
Ulan grid-connected PV power plant
50
Qinghai
5
Delingha PV power plant (phase-I and phase-II)
50
Qinghai
6
Gonghe concession PV power plant
30
Qinghai
7
Henan concession PV power plant
8
Jingtai PV power plant (phase-I and phase-II)
20
Qinghai
19.8
Gansu
9
Jinta phase-I PV power plant
9
Gansu
10
Linze phase-I PV power plant
9
Gansu
11
Wuwei PV power plant (phase-I and phase-II)
59
Gansu
12
Zhongning phase-I and phase-II PV power plant
10
Ningxia
13
Sangri PV power plant
10
Tibet
14
Yangqu PV power plant
16
Qinghai
15
Gongboxia PV power plant
3.5
Qinghai
16
Laxiwa PV power plant
12
Qinghai
17
Xining distributed PV power plant
0.081
Qinghai
Capacity as planned under
construction
4,710 Mwp
S/N
1
Name of project
Capacity (MWp)
Hydropower-solar power mix PV power plant in Cihaxia
and Yangqu river reaches
Location
4,000
Qinghai
2
Gonghe industrial park
550
Qinghai
3
100 MWp solar power generation demonstration base
100
Qinghai
4
Wind Power Projects
By the end of
2014, 25 PV
power plants
are built, with
a total installed
capacity of
1620.1 MWp
Golmud PV power plant phase-IV
60
Qinghai (Under
construction)
6 wind farms have been put into production, with the production capacity of 297 MW, and 3 wind power
projects are under construction, with the scale of installed capacity of 148.5 MW.
Study on and Application of Joint Development Mode of
Hydropower and New Energy
 Study on and Application of Coordination Operation of Longyangxia
Hydropower-Solar Power Mix
 Study on Hydropower Cluster-PV, Wind Power and Electric Power Mix in the
Cihaxia-Yangqu River Reach
The hydropower-solar power project relies on
Longyangxia hydropower-solar power mix PV power
Longyangxia hydropower plant has a total installed
Longyangxia hydropower-solar power mix PV
plant and Longyangxia hydropower plant. The PV
capacity of 1,280 MW, a unit capacity of 320 MW,
power plant has the installed capacity of 850 MWp,
power plant is deemed as the fifth, sixth and seventh
an average annual electricity production of 6000
and the 320 MWp of phase-I was completed for
units for the extension of Longyangxia hydropower
GWh, a reservoir capacity of 24.7 billion m3 and a
power generation in 2013; the 530 MWp of phase-
plant, and it is connected to a 330 kV idle backup bay
regulating reservoir capacity of 19.35 billion m3; it
II is under construction, and it is planned to fully
of Longyangxia hydropower plant with a one-circuit
has an excellent perennial regulation performance. It
put into operation in July 2015. The average
330 kV line of about 53 km; and through the
was constructed in January 1976; the first unit was
perennial electricity production of the plant is 1,303
regulation of hydropower in Longyangxia, it is
put into operation in 1987, and four units were put
GWh, and the annual utilization hours are 1,556 h.
transmitted to the power grid with a combined electric
into operation in June 1989, which undertakes main
power of two power supplies via the outgoing channel
tasks of peak regulation and frequency modulation
of Longyangxia hydropower plant.
for the Northwest Power Grid.
By mixing water energy and solar energy and relying on the quick regulation capability of water turbine
generator set and regulation capability of the reservoir of hydropower plant, the active power output of PV is adjusted
and the hydropower-solar power mix power generation is performed, to achieve a smooth and stable PV curve,
effectively compensate for the deficiency of an independent PV power plant, improve the security and stability of the
power system, and make the PV power generation become the high-quality power energy that is comparable to the
hydropower. Annual utilization hours of the outgoing line in Longyangxia hydropower plant have been improved
from the original design of 4,621 hours to 5,019 hours.
A set of methods for coordinating operation and control of grid-connecting PV power plants and large-scale
hydropower plants in a large scale has been developed. The methods fill the gap of key technologies in the massive
hydropower-solar power mix, promote the development of domestic and even international massive hydropowersolar power mix technologies, and lay a foundation for follow-up joint development of large-scale intelligent
scheduling and of joint control technology of wind, water and sunshine.

Analysis on characteristics of PV power generation in Gonghe region of
Qinghai

Analysis on characteristics of power generation at Longyangxia hydropower
plant

Analysis on water balance in coordinated operation of hydropower-solar power
mix

Analysis on effects of hydropower-solar power mix operation on the power
grid

Study on adaptability of hydropower plant equipment after connection to the
hydropower-solar power mix

Study on control strategies of coordinated operation of hydropower-solar
power mix

Study and test on coordinated operation of hydropower-solar power mix
 Software development: curve simulation software for PV power generation,
regulation and assessment software for hydropower-solar power mix, curve
generation software for power generation plan of combination of hydropower and
PV, power control system software for coordinated operation of hydropower-solar
power mix (AGC, AVC).
 Improving the security and stability of the power grid；
 Reducing the spinning reserve capacity of the power grid；
 Enhancing comprehensive benefits；
 Improving the consumption and transmission ability of the power grid and realizing
the application of storage and transmission integration of water & sunshine.
Study on Hydropower-New Energy Mix in the
Cihaxia-Yangqu River Reach
Three cascade power plants planned in Cihaxia-Yangqu river reach in the main stream of the Yellow River
respectively are Cihaxia (2,600 MW), Banduo (360 MW),Yangqu (1,200 MW). The planned total installed
capacity is 4,160 MW, and it is planned to transmit all the power through the 750 kV pooling station in Yangqu
hydropower plant. Meanwhile, the 4,000 MW PV project is built in the Tala Beach near the pooling station, and
the 1,000 MW wind farm is built in the Chaka area, Gonghe County. Making full use of experience and study
results gained in Longyang hydropower-solar power mix project, to carry out a study in a larger scale on
hydropower plant cluster-PV , wind power and electric power mix.
Tala Beach
4,000 MW PV
project
Yangqu
hydropower plant
Banduo hydropower
plant
Wind power
project in
Chaka area
Yangqu hydropower plant
750 kVpooling station
Cihaxia
hydropower plant
Longyangxia
hydropower plant