Vanadium Flow Batteries: China's Largest All-Vanadium Storage Station Enters Commercial Operation
A 1,000 MW solar plant paired with a 200 MW / 1,000 MWh all-vanadium flow battery — 240 storage units, five hours of storage — has entered commercial operation in Xinjiang, and the operator's own account names electrolyte circulation among the systems under continuous monitoring.
Lead
The Jimsar 1,000 MW solar plant with a 200 MW / 1,000 MWh all-vanadium flow battery in Xinjiang has entered commercial operation, according to Xinjiang Daily. The newspaper describes the storage station as the largest of its kind in China.
Facts
The configuration. 1,000 MW of photovoltaic capacity with 200 MW / 1,000 MWh of all-vanadium flow battery storage; 240 storage units, each with a capacity above 4,000 kWh; five hours of storage duration; 318 PV generation sub-arrays, two flow battery stations and two 220 kV collection substations; N-type TOPCon bifacial modules; a site of about 28,300 mu. (Sources: Xinjiang Daily (新疆日报), 2026-07-05; China Daily Online (中国日报网), 2026-09-01.)
The operating record. The station is stated to reduce the paired solar plant's curtailment rate by more than 10% and to add more than 230 million kWh of generation a year, within a project total of about 1.72 billion kWh a year. It is also stated to save about 519,000 t of standard coal and to cut carbon dioxide emissions by about 1.424 million t a year. (Sources: Xinjiang Daily; China Youth Daily (中国青年报).)
The technology. The battery stores and releases electricity through changes in the valence of vanadium ions in a liquid electrolyte. The electrolyte is described as an aqueous system operating at ambient temperature and pressure, with a cycle life stated at more than 16,000 cycles and a service life above 20 years. (Source: Xinjiang Daily.)
What the operator monitors. The project team states that it has continued to optimise charge and discharge parameters after the switch to commercial operation, under a 24-hour inspection regime, and that it carries out dynamic monitoring of the electrolyte circulation, the temperature control system and the power conversion system. (Source: China.org.cn (中国网), 2026-08-28.)
The project's scale. Investment is stated at RMB 3.8 billion over about 28,000 mu, with the storage station built from 240 units and a five-hour duration. (Source: China.org.cn, 2026-08-28.)
The county's position. The county's development and reform commission states that 10 photovoltaic projects with a combined 2,010 MW are in operation locally, with 287 MW / 1,324 MWh of paired storage and a design generating capability of about 3.2 billion kWh a year. The operator adds that the storage station's role includes securing supply for enterprises in the Beiting industrial park in the same county. (Sources: China.org.cn, 2026-08-28; Xinjiang Daily.)
Where this connects on this site
- Why a wetted-material assessment for an acidic electrolyte is read against a grade and a temperature together: Chemical Compatibility Chart for Pumps: What the Grade and the Temperature Actually Mean
- The order the inputs are read in for a duty like this — risk first, medium second, duty point third: Chemical Pump Selection Guide: Risk, Medium and Duty Point — in That Order
- The selector: chempumpselect.com
Sources
| # | Fact | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,000 MW PV with 200 MW / 1,000 MWh all-vanadium flow battery, described as the largest such storage station in China; 20 MW rated power per station group and 1,000 MWh storage scale; single storage unit above 4,000 kWh; 240 units; five-hour storage duration; curtailment rate reduced by more than 10%; more than 230 million kWh added a year; about 1.72 billion kWh a year in total; vanadium valence change as the storage mechanism; aqueous electrolyte at ambient temperature and pressure; cycle life above 16,000 cycles and service life above 20 years; the technology described by the project lead at the operator's Xinjiang branch; the stated role of securing power supply for enterprises in the Beiting industrial park | 新疆日报（石榴云）, 2026-07-05 — https://xjrb.ts.cn/xjrb/20260706/259948.html |
| 2 | Site of about 28,300 mu; 318 PV sub-arrays, two flow battery stations and two 220 kV collection substations; N-type TOPCon bifacial modules; full-capacity production in January 2026 and entry into commercial operation on 22 June 2026, about a month ahead of schedule; about 1.72 billion kWh a year; about 519,000 t of standard coal saved | 中国日报网新疆频道（转载石榴云 / 新疆日报）, 2026-09-01 — https://xj.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202609/01/WS6a96b100e4b09a165c78761d.html |
| 3 | Entry into commercial operation on 22 June 2026; more than 1.72 billion kWh a year; about 519,000 t of standard coal saved; about 1.424 million t of carbon dioxide reduction a year; cycle life above 16,000 cycles; full industrial-chain domestic supply of the technology | 中国青年报 — https://wap.cyol.com/commonDetail/1471538 |
| 4 | Investment of RMB 3.8 billion; about 28,000 mu; five-hour storage duration; 240 storage units; dynamic monitoring of electrolyte circulation, temperature control and power conversion; 24-hour inspection regime; cumulative grid delivery above 300 million kWh; curtailment rate reduced by more than 10%; the county development and reform commission's account of installed capacity in the county | 中国网（联盟中国）, 2026-08-28 — https://union.china.com.cn/txt/2026-08/28/content_43483300.shtml |
Note on sourcing. This item reports a project's and a government-owned operator's account of a commercial start-up. We record the verifiable layer — the configuration, the capacity figures and the systems the operator states it monitors. We do not repeat benefit claims beyond the figures stated, and we do not rank or recommend suppliers.
What the source does not state
The accounts do not state the number of electrolyte circulation pumps installed, their flow, head or material specification, the pumping power consumed by the circulation loop, the measured round-trip efficiency, the maintenance interval, or the electrolyte volume in the system.
Correction note. The accounts do not agree on the date of the switch to commercial operation. Xinjiang Daily reports the event as recent in its 5 July 2026 edition without giving a day; the same newspaper's account republished by China Daily Online on 1 September 2026 gives 22 June 2026; a third account dated 28 August 2026 gives 21 May 2026. We record the dates as published and do not reconcile them.
Update note
This item is a dated record of a publicly reported commercial start-up. We append corrections rather than rewrite history; corrections are marked Correction with the date.