China's Northeast feels benefit of Qinghai's solar power supply

Northwest China's Qinghai province, a major clean energy hub, sent its first batch of renewable electricity to the country's northeastern region through a multi-provincial grid coordination mechanism on Monday.

The transfer, which will conclude on December 31, is set to total 18.76 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity. The transfer expands the number of provinces involved in Qinghai's medium- and long-term electricity transactions to 22.

With its later sunset, Qinghai can collect large amounts of solar power between 4 pm and 5 pm in the afternoon, resulting in surplus electricity that needs to be consumed. Conversely, the Northeast region has an earlier sunset and enters its peak electricity demand period of evening rush hour during the same time slot.

Designated a national clean energy demonstration province, Qinghai's solar and wind power capacity has been growing consistently in recent years.

As of the end of October, the province's power grid had reached a total installed capacity of 78.41 million kilowatts (kW), with clean energy capacity, including energy storage, accounting for 2.7 million kW, accounting for 92.72 percent of the total.