China’s 100MW solar power plant

China’s first 100-megawatt solar power plant has gone into operation in Dunhuang in the northwestern province of Gansu. The molten-salt solar-tower plant covers 7.8 sq km, and uses 12,000 large movable mirrors, to concentrate sunlight on a 260-metre tall tower that absorbs heat. China has set a goal of using renewable power to produce at least 35 per cent of the nation’s energy by 2030. The plant is described as an alternative source of energy that can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 350,000 tons per year.