On May 28-29, 2025, sbp sonne once again participated in CSPPLAZA in Hangzhou — China’s largest and most prestigious international conference dedicated to concentrated solar power (CSP). As the sector’s most influential annual event, CSPPLAZA brings together leading industry players and is widely recognized as a key barometer for CSP development worldwide.
As a long-term participant, sbp sonne values this annual gathering as a key opportunity to gain first-hand insights into the Chinese CSP market and to engage in direct dialog with clients, partners and experts from across the industry. At this year’s conference, our team held strategic discussions with key stakeholders, explored emerging market trends, presented innovative technologies, and deepened our understanding of current customer needs.
A highlight of our participation was the keynote speech delivered by our Senior Engineer, Axel Schweitzer, titled: “Solar Collectors for High-Temperature Process Heat – A Comparison of Available Solar Options.” In his presentation, he introduced sbp sonne’s CSP technologies and provided a comparative analysis of the levelized cost of heat (LCOH) for “Molten Salt CSP + Thermal Energy Storage (TES)” and “PV + TES” systems across three different regions in China. His findings showed that the “Ultimate Trough + Molten Salt” configuration offers clear economic advantages in areas with high direct normal irradiation (DNI), while PV systems with single-axis tracking are more cost-effective in regions with high global horizontal irradiation (GHI).
As part of the event, the recently completed DBC Stellio Aksay project also came back into focus – a strong example of the successful implementation of innovative CSP technologies in China. The plant combines concentrated solar power with photovoltaics and thermal energy storage.
By actively participating in CSPPLAZA, sbp sonne reaffirms its commitment to supporting the global energy transition and contributing cutting-edge CSP technologies to China’s renewable energy sector.
We look forward to returning to CSPPLAZA next year to continue driving innovation, building partnerships and shaping the future of sustainable energy together with the CSP community.
