Concentrating Solar Thermal Power in China: 2025 Review and Outlook

Abstract

Abstract. China has become a global leader in the development of concentrating solar thermal power (CSP), taking advantage of state support, localized supply chains, and integration within hybrid renewable energy bases. By mid-2025, China's installed CSP capacity reached 1.14 GW, with a pipeline exceeding 8 GW across the provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang. Recent policy frameworks, including the 14th Five-Year Plan and the 2025 Energy Law, elevate CSP alongside photovoltaics and wind by mandating long-duration thermal storage and performance-linked incentives. Analysis of operational projects demonstrates CSP's strategic role in grid stability, enabling peak-shaving up to 80%, ramp rates of 3–6%/min, and synchronous inertia—capabilities not supplied by short-duration batteries. China's CSP supply chain is now over 90% localized for critical components and targets annual production equivalent to 5 GW annually, though challenges remain regarding workforce readiness and deployment in remote desert regions. While installed capacity has lagged earlier targets, CSP is increasingly valued for reducing renewable curtailment and displacing coal peaking units. If even half of the announced projects are realized, China could surpass Spain as the world's largest CSP market by 2030. This trajectory underscores both opportunities and risks: cost reductions through economies of scale and hybridization, alongside talent shortages and financing constraints. The findings provide context for policymakers and researchers evaluating CSP's role as a complementary, dispatchable solar resource within China's energy transition.