In order to fully implement the relevant decision-making and deployment of the National Energy Administration, promote the safe and reliable replacement of new energy, and ensure the safety and stability of electric power, the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration recently issued the "Guiding Opinions on Strengthening the Construction of Power Grid Peak Regulation Energy Storage and Intelligent Dispatching Capacity" (hereinafter referred to as the "Guiding Opinions"). The "Guiding Opinions" mainly clarify the key tasks in the coming period from the aspects of strengthening peak regulation capacity building, promoting energy storage capacity building, promoting intelligent dispatching capacity building, strengthening market mechanism and policy support guarantee, etc., and is an important guiding document to promote the large-scale and high-proportion development of new energy and accelerate the construction of a new power system.
1. The great significance of the issuance of the "Guiding Opinions".
(1) Regulation capacity building is an important guarantee for the high-quality development of new energy
The regulation capacity of the power system continues to increase, which strongly supports the efficient consumption and utilization of new energy. Since the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan", new energy has entered a stage of large-scale development, and the problem of insufficient system regulation capacity has gradually emerged, and there has been a more serious problem of curtailment of wind and solar power in some areas. During the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, multiple measures were taken to fully tap the peak regulation capacity of the existing system, increase the planning and construction of peak regulation power supply, optimize power dispatching operation, and vigorously improve the response capacity of the power demand side, so as to effectively support the utilization rate of new energy to remain at a high level of more than 95% since 2019.
(2) Under the new situation, it is of great significance to strengthen the capacity building of system regulation
In July 2023, the second meeting of the Committee for Comprehensively Deepening Reform deliberated and adopted the "Guiding Opinions on Deepening the Reform of the Electric Power System and Accelerating the Construction of a New Power System", proposing to accelerate the construction of a clean, low-carbon, safe and abundant, cost-effective, supply-demand coordination, flexible and intelligent new power system.
The large-scale development of new energy urgently needs to fully tap the potential of the source, grid, load and storage sides to regulate resources. At present, the problem of consumption in some areas and some periods is gradually emerging. First, it is relatively difficult to absorb new energy in some areas. In 2023, Moncey (93.)2%), Qinghai (942%), the utilization rate of wind power is relatively low; **78.0%), Qinghai (914%), the utilization rate of photovoltaic power generation is relatively low. Second, the new energy projects of large bases will greatly increase the pressure on system consumption. With the completion and operation of the project one after another, it is expected that the utilization rate in the northwest and Mengxi regions will be at greater risk. Third, the explosive growth of photovoltaics has caused great pressure on noon consumption. Henan, Shandong, Hebei and other regions are increasingly difficult to absorb photovoltaics during special periods such as the Spring Festival when the load is low and the traditional power supply is less turned on. Under the "dual carbon" goal, it is expected that the proportion of new energy power generation will increase to more than 20% in 2027, and it is necessary to accelerate the construction of regulating resources on all sides of the source, grid, load and storage on the basis of further tapping the potential of stock regulation capacity.
The construction of intelligent dispatching capacity in the new power system needs to be accelerated urgently. At present, new energy storage, multi-energy complementation, source-grid-load-storage integration and other new models and new formats are mainly restricted by factors such as the scheduling mechanism is not straightened out, and it is difficult to give full play to the comprehensive effects of the system's capacity support and new energy consumption, resulting in new energy has not yet formed a safe and reliable alternative capacity, which can only partially replace the power generation of traditional power sources, but can not replace its reliable capacity. In the future, the new power system needs to strengthen the observable, measurable and controllable ability of massive resources, and realize the flexible interaction and coordination and optimization of source, grid, load and storage through intelligent dispatching capacity building, so as to support the safe and reliable replacement of new energy.
Under the new situation, the promulgation of the "Guiding Opinions" is of great practical significance, which will provide important guidance for ensuring the safety and stability of power and the large-scale and high-proportion development of new energy, and provide important support for promoting the construction of new power systems and the clean and low-carbon transformation of energy and power.
2. Scientifically optimize the planning, construction, dispatching and operation of regulation capacity, and support the construction of a new power system
The power system is a whole, and it requires systems thinking. On the one hand, the "Guiding Opinions" put forward key measures from the source, grid, load storage, dispatching and operation and other links to jointly improve the power system regulation capacity. On the other hand, the "Guiding Opinions" proposes to "formulate an implementation plan as a whole", which can effectively prevent the risk of a significant decline in utilization rate caused by the mismatch between the regulation capacity and the pace of new energy development by strengthening the top-level design and coordinating the development of new energy with systematic thinking.
(1) Take multiple measures to consolidate the physical foundation of the system's regulation capacity
The power supply side is the main factor in the current system's regulation capacity. The "Guiding Opinions" proposes to "focus on improving the peak regulation capacity of supporting power sources" and "comprehensively improve the peak regulation capacity of renewable energy", and jointly improve the system regulation capacity from both fossil power and non-fossil power sources. The first is to further promote the flexible transformation of coal-fired power units, which can optimize the energy structure and give full play to the role of coal as a "ballast stone" to ensure energy security. Second, new energy, as the main body of new installed capacity, needs to rely on technological innovation to build a system-friendly new energy power station in the future, reduce the demand for power grid peak regulation, and have a certain capacity support capacity.
The power grid is a platform for the optimal allocation of system regulation capacity. The "Guiding Opinions" proposes to "give full play to the role of the large power grid as a platform for optimizing resource allocation". First, by optimizing the grid at the sending and receiving ends, exploring and applying new transmission technologies, etc., we can effectively support the efficient transmission and consumption of a high proportion of renewable energy in the Shagehuang area and optimize the allocation. Second, by strengthening the construction of liaison lines, we will enhance the ability of mutual assistance and sharing between regions and provinces, and optimize the allocation and adjustment of resources on a larger scale.
The load side is an important addition to the system's ability to regulate. The "Guiding Opinions" proposes to "comprehensively promote the normalization of demand-side resources to participate in the peak regulation of the power system". In the future, power users are not only the service objects of power security, but also an important regulation resource of the power system, and it is necessary to promote the transformation of terminal load characteristics from the traditional rigid and pure consumption type to the flexible, production and consumption type.
Energy storage is an important support for the regulation capacity of the system in the future. The scale of new conventional power supply will be limited in the future, and pumped storage and new energy storage will become the main force of the new system regulation capacity. The "Guiding Opinions" first put forward the direction of scientific development in the future. Pumping and storage has high requirements for site sites, large scale of single stations, and long construction periods, so it is necessary to optimize the development layout based on system requirements, and coordinate the optimal allocation of pumping and storage and other regulating resources, especially new energy storage. The second is to put forward the development direction of new energy storage on all sides of the source, grid and load. It is necessary to optimize the layout of new energy storage on each side of the source, grid and load in combination with system demand and technical economy, and give full play to the diversified role of new energy storage in supporting the development and delivery of new energy bases, improving system support and regulation capabilities, and improving the local consumption capacity of distributed new energy.
(2) Promote the construction of intelligent scheduling capacity of the system, and ensure that the adjustment capacity is fully utilized from the operational level
The "Guiding Opinions" put forward the direction of system intelligent dispatching capacity building and dispatching operation mode optimization from the aspects of cross-provincial coordination of large power grids, local balance of distribution networks, and coordination of multi-resource varieties.
The first is to improve the cross-provincial and cross-regional coordination and dispatching capabilities of large power grids. At present, the protocol curve is mostly used in the channel curve, and the potential of inter-provincial regulation resources has not been fully explored, so it is necessary to break down the inter-provincial barriers and establish a new dispatching model with dynamic optimization of the transmission curve and coordinated regulation at both ends of the channel.
The second is to strengthen the local balance dispatching capacity of the distribution network. With the rapid development of distributed new energy, the dispatching mode of the distribution network needs to gradually adapt to the active development trend, and gradually have the ability to balance on the spot and actively provide support for the large power grid, so as to alleviate the pressure of large power grid regulation.
The third is to explore the collaborative scheduling mechanism of multi-resource varieties. The integration of multi-energy complementary bases and source-grid-load-storage is an important development mode for new energy in the future, and the overall external characteristics can be improved by establishing a multi-energy variety coordination and source-grid-load-storage collaborative scheduling mechanism, which can effectively improve the level of new energy consumption and utilization and power support capacity.
3. Strengthen innovation in technology and institutional mechanisms to ensure the effective play of the system's ability to regulate
With the deepening of energy and power transformation, the functional positioning and characteristics of each link of source-grid-load-storage will be significantly adjusted, and it is necessary to rely on technological and institutional mechanism innovation to fully mobilize the resources of all aspects of source-grid-load-storage to ensure the effective play of system regulation capabilities.
(1) Accelerate the development of key technologies for new energy storage
The Guiding Opinions put forward the key development direction of new energy storage technology characteristics. With the significant increase in the proportion of new energy and the prominent demand for large-scale and long-term regulation of the system, it is necessary to accelerate the promotion of various energy storage technologies such as power storage, heat storage, cold storage, and hydrogen storage to make major breakthroughs in safety, capacity, cost and other aspects, so as to realize the large-scale application of safe, flexible and economical new energy storage technologies in the power system.
(2) Promote the upgrading of digital and intelligent technology of the power grid
The Guiding Opinions propose to promote the wide application of advanced digital information technology in all aspects of the power system. Through technological transformation and upgrading, it can effectively improve the observable, measurable and controllable ability of source, grid, load and storage, and support the dispatching operation and management of orders.
1. The traditional mode of passive monitoring has gradually changed to a smart mode of collaborative and active monitoring, and the scheduling decision-making has changed from "source-to-load" to "source-network-load-storage multiple interaction".
(3) Improve the protection of ** and market mechanisms
The "Guiding Opinions" proposes to "actively promote the participation of all kinds of regulatory resources in the electricity market" and "establish and improve the best mechanism for promoting the development of regulatory resources". It is necessary to give full play to the decisive role of the market in the allocation of resources, play the key guiding role of the first policy, coordinate and fully mobilize the enthusiasm of resources on all sides of the source, network, load and storage, and effectively give full play to their own advantages to participate in system regulation.
Text丨Wang Yating Tang Lanxi, working in the Electric Power Planning and Design Institute
END Editor丨Li Huiying.