The "Liquid Sunshine" project in Uxin Banner, Ordos, started its foundation work on Nov 6.

Liquid sunshine refers to utilizing renewable energy sources like solar and wind power to produce green hydrogen through electrolysis. It then converts carbon dioxide, purified from chemical plant emissions, and green hydrogen into methanol, achieving large-scale consumption of green electricity and green hydrogen while enabling the utilization of carbon dioxide resources.

The project is a cooperation between Ordos Energy & Chemical Co of China National Coal Group Corp and Academician Li Can's research team from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It is the first of its kind in China, with fully independent intellectual property rights and an annual production capacity of 100,000 metric tons.

The project's construction site. [Photo/WeChat account of Nuan news]

The production process of the project. [Photo/WeChat account of Nuan news]

The project is scheduled to be completed by October 2026. It will consist of a 625-megawatt renewable energy power plant, a water electrolysis hydrogen production and storage plant with an annual production capacity of 21,000 tons, a carbon dioxide capture & purification plant with an annual production capacity of 150,000 tons, and a methanol production facility with a yearly production capacity of 100,000 tons, as well as supporting infrastructure and auxiliary facilities.

Once operational, the project will reduce standard coal consumption by 140,000 tons and carbon dioxide emissions by 500,000 tons annually, compared with a coal-to-methanol project of the same scale. The project will set a prominent example and provide solutions for reducing carbon dioxide emissions and utilizing resources in high-energy-consuming and high-carbon-emission industries.