4 The Transition of China’s Power System
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The overriding trend at the source side is the shift toward a clean power supply.
The booming development of renewable sources such as wind and solar (over 30%
of local power generation), full development of hydropower, the re-positioning of
thermal power for peak load shaving, and the steady development of nuclear power
will contribute to a new and sufficiently clean power supply.
Power electronization of the grid is a rapidly accelerating trend. Long-distance
transmission and on-site balanced power supply work in tandem as local conditions
demand. Hybrid AC/DC grid is widely used. A range of new equipments in the
distribution networks are emerging and technologies for DC distribution are being
developed at a breakneck pace.
There is multiple uncertainty in terms of electric load. The emergence of
distributed generations, electric vehicles, distributed energy storage and bidirectional
load have brought out the interactive and dynamic nature of the entire power system
comprised of power source, grid, load and storage. Uncertainty has become the core
issue facing the planning and operation of power system.
4.1.2 Trends and Key Technologies of China’s Power System
Transition
4.1.2.1 The Trends of China’s Power System Transition
The development of power systems in the past decade and, more specifically, the
rapid adoption of wind and solar photovoltaic in electricity generation, the massive
construction of UHV DC lines under the West-East Electricity Transmission Project,
and the rise of distributed generations located on the consumers’ side, multi-energy
complementarities for integrated energy utilization and the energy internet exemplify
the technological characteristics of the new-generation power system. A high share
of renewables in overall power production, the prevailing application of power electronics, multi-energy complementarities for integrated energy utilization, a smart
grid and energy internet featuring a high degree of cyber-physical integration are
what distinguish the new-generation power system from its predecessors.
(1) A high share of renewables in power generation
In 2019, new installation of grid-connected wind power capacity reached
25.74 million kW, of which 23.76 million kW originated from onshore wind farms
and 1.98 million kW from offshore wind farms. At the end of 2019, the nationwide
cumulative installed capacity of wind power amounted to 210 million kW, including
204 million kW from onshore and 5.93 million kW offshore. Wind power accounted
for 10.4% of total generation installation. In 2019, China’s wind power production
exceeded 400 billion kWh for the first time, reaching 405.7 billion kWh, or 5.5% of
the country’s total electricity generation. The country added 30.11 million kW of new
PV capacity in 2019, a year-on-year decline of 31.6%. Newly installed centralized PV
capacity slid to 17.91 million kW, down by 22.9% year-on-year while newly installed
103
The overriding trend at the source side is the shift toward a clean power supply.
The booming development of renewable sources such as wind and solar (over 30%
of local power generation), full development of hydropower, the re-positioning of
thermal power for peak load shaving, and the steady development of nuclear power
will contribute to a new and sufficiently clean power supply.
Power electronization of the grid is a rapidly accelerating trend. Long-distance
transmission and on-site balanced power supply work in tandem as local conditions
demand. Hybrid AC/DC grid is widely used. A range of new equipments in the
distribution networks are emerging and technologies for DC distribution are being
developed at a breakneck pace.
There is multiple uncertainty in terms of electric load. The emergence of
distributed generations, electric vehicles, distributed energy storage and bidirectional
load have brought out the interactive and dynamic nature of the entire power system
comprised of power source, grid, load and storage. Uncertainty has become the core
issue facing the planning and operation of power system.
4.1.2 Trends and Key Technologies of China’s Power System
Transition
4.1.2.1 The Trends of China’s Power System Transition
The development of power systems in the past decade and, more specifically, the
rapid adoption of wind and solar photovoltaic in electricity generation, the massive
construction of UHV DC lines under the West-East Electricity Transmission Project,
and the rise of distributed generations located on the consumers’ side, multi-energy
complementarities for integrated energy utilization and the energy internet exemplify
the technological characteristics of the new-generation power system. A high share
of renewables in overall power production, the prevailing application of power electronics, multi-energy complementarities for integrated energy utilization, a smart
grid and energy internet featuring a high degree of cyber-physical integration are
what distinguish the new-generation power system from its predecessors.
(1) A high share of renewables in power generation
In 2019, new installation of grid-connected wind power capacity reached
25.74 million kW, of which 23.76 million kW originated from onshore wind farms
and 1.98 million kW from offshore wind farms. At the end of 2019, the nationwide
cumulative installed capacity of wind power amounted to 210 million kW, including
204 million kW from onshore and 5.93 million kW offshore. Wind power accounted
for 10.4% of total generation installation. In 2019, China’s wind power production
exceeded 400 billion kWh for the first time, reaching 405.7 billion kWh, or 5.5% of
the country’s total electricity generation. The country added 30.11 million kW of new
PV capacity in 2019, a year-on-year decline of 31.6%. Newly installed centralized PV
capacity slid to 17.91 million kW, down by 22.9% year-on-year while newly installed