China has brought into operation the world’s first gigawatt-hour scale vanadium flow battery energy storage system, featuring 200 MW of power capacity and 1,000 MWh of storage duration. The facility, located in Jimusar County, Xinjiang, is designed to help reduce curtailment in a region characterized by high solar and wind generation alongside transmission bottlenecks. The battery installation is co-located with a 1 GW solar photovoltaic plant.
Developed by Huaneng Xinjiang Jimusar Power Co., the project represents a total investment of CNY 3.8 billion (approximately USD 520 million) and occupies a 1,870-hectare site. PowerChina Northwest Engineering Corp. led the engineering and system integration, completing construction in mid-2025. The integration of storage and solar generation on the same site aims to stabilize output and improve grid reliability in this remote area.
Rongke Power, a Dalian-based specialist in vanadium flow batteries, supplied the five-hour duration energy storage system. The storage solution is engineered for intensive daily cycling and is expected to enhance the utilization of renewable energy produced on site. According to Rongke Power, coupling the flow battery with the photovoltaic array should enable the use of an additional 230 GWh of renewable energy each year by absorbing excess generation during peak production periods.
Vanadium flow batteries offer distinct advantages for long-duration storage applications, including independent scaling of power and energy capacities and a long operational lifespan with minimal degradation. By buffering intermittent solar output and smoothing fluctuations, the installed system in Xinjiang is poised to demonstrate the practical benefits of large-scale flow battery technology in supporting the regional grid and advancing China’s renewable energy objectives.
Source: PV Magazine
