Valves Used for Five Major Clean Energy Sources
Solar valves
At present, the utilization of solar energy mainly includes photovoltaic and photothermal power generation. The report released by the China Photovoltaic Industry Association predicts that from 2022 to 2025 showed that the average annual installed capacity of photovoltaics in the country will reach 85 million kilowatts to 101.25 million kilowatts, 10 times that of 2013, equivalent to the installed capacity of four Three Gorges power stations. In the field of photovoltaic power generation, polysilicon is the most important upstream raw material. The commonly used valves are disc valves, metal seated ball valves, soft-seated ball valves, pulse cleaning valves, and triple-eccentric butterfly valves.
Photothermal power generation has a great demand for valves, and it has shown a rapid growth trend in China in recent years. According to the IEA forecast, China's solar thermal power generation market will reach 29GW installed capacity by 2030, 88GW by 2040, and 118GW by 2050, becoming the fourth largest market in the world after the United States, the Middle East, India, and Africa.
In solar thermal power generation projects, the demand for valves mainly includes heat transfer oil valves, molten salt valves and other valve products, among which molten salt valves include molten salt gate valves, molten salt globe valves, molten salt butterfly valves and molten salt regulating valves. Heat transfer oil valves include heat transfer oil bellows globe valves, heat transfer oil bellows regulating valves and heat transfer oil butterfly valves.
Under the impetus of double carbon and other policies, solar thermal power generation will continue to maintain a rapid growth trend, and it is a rapidly growing segment of the market.
Valves used for water energy
Water energy is a renewable energy source, which is mainly used for hydroelectric power generation. The water system of a hydropower station mainly includes two parts: a water supply system and a drainage system.
The valves commonly used in water supply systems
Technical water supply: double eccentric butterfly valves and cast steel gate valves
Fire water supply: signal butterfly valves, soft seated gate valves, pressure reducing valves and safety valves.
Domestic water supply: stainless steel butterfly valves, cast iron gate valves, soft seated gate valves and globe valves.
The main valves used in the drainage systems
Leakage and drainage: turbine butterfly valves, knife gate valves, soft seated butterfly valves and swing check valves.
Maintenance and drainage: wafer butterfly valves, flanged butterfly valves and check valves
Plant drainage: knife gate valves, double eccentric butterfly valves and cast iron gate valves
The Medium and Long-Term Development Plan for Pumped Storage Energy (2021-2035) issued by the National Energy Administration in 2021 proposes that by 2030, the total scale of pumped storage will reach 120 million kilowatts; the planned layout will include 340 key implementation projects with a total installed capacity about 420 million kilowatts; and reserve 247 projects with a total installed capacity of about 310 million kilowatts. Correspondingly, as of the end of 2021, the installed capacity of pumped storage in operation nationwide is only 36.39 million kilowatts.
Nuclear power valves
According to the "14th Five-Year Plan and 2035 Long-term Target Outline", by 2025, China's nuclear power operating installed capacity will reach 70 million kilowatts.
In addition to future planning, two nuclear power projects were approved not long ago, which confirmed the development potential of nuclear power. The executive meeting of the State Council held on September 13 proposed that improve energy security capabilities and promote green development, the people decided to approve the Zhangzhou Phase II in Fujian and the Lianjiang Phase I nuclear power projects in Guangdong that have been included in the plan and have mature conditions. With the approval of 2 new nuclear power projects and 4 units, a total of 5 new nuclear power projects and 10 units will be approved in 2022, exceeding the previous market expectation of 6 to 8 units.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the development of nuclear power will still be carried out steadily and strengthened, and the demand for nuclear valves will continue to increase, such as globe valves, diaphragm valves, gate valves, check valves, safety valves, regulating valves, butterfly valves, ball valves and other valves.
