The virtual power plant, the new star of the smart energy system, is like a dancer, dancing on the stage of communication and computing resources. Compared with traditional power plants, it relies more on the algorithm capabilities of the Internet platform to transmit a large amount of data with the help of communication channels to achieve faster, more flexible and more extensive power dispatching.
In the dance of the virtual power plant, the communication base station and data center, as an important part of the information and communication technology, not only provide the necessary communication resources for the virtual power plant, but also become the party to be dispatched. They are like a group of dance partners, working together to perform this wonderful dance.
Among them, the energy storage device of the communication base station is the star of this dance. Due to its relatively low frequency of use and long-term standby mode, it can provide power to the virtual power plant at any time, demonstrating a high degree of flexibility. Moreover, the base of China's communication base stations is huge and the scale is considerable, which is undoubtedly an important force to seize the virtual power plant track.
In this dance, China Tower, China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom, Huawei Digital Power and other communication operators and digital energy providers have become major participants. Together with Kunyu Power, Shuangdeng Group, Haisida, Xiongtao Co., Ltd., etc., they performed this wonderful virtual power plant dance together with Kunyu Power, Shuangdeng Group, Haisida, Xiongtao Co., Ltd., etc., through the effective integration of load aggregators, as well as the assistance of energy management companies such as Sermatec Energy and Ligao.
Sleeping resources are quietly waking up, like "gathering sand into a tower", being subtly awakened. At present, the reliability of the power supply of the domestic power grid is as stable as a rock, and there are few interruptions in power supply. However, behind this stability, the battery system of the communication base station has been in standby mode for a long time, as if it has been forgotten. They have a single application scenario, low frequency of use, and most of the time they lie there quietly, like sleeping giants. This not only results in low utilization of assets, but also a waste of resources.
Communication energy storage, a typical bidding market, the bidding situation in 2023 is like autumn water, and there are not many projects as a whole. This may indicate that there is a potential risk of continuous decline in communication energy storage. Therefore, it is particularly important to develop profit channels for communication energy storage. The connection of communication energy storage to the virtual power plant can not only bring additional income to it, but also shorten the profit cycle of the communication base station.
It is a matter of pride that the number of communication base stations in the country has reached the standard that can support the large-scale application of virtual power plants in various regions. According to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, by the end of 2023, the number of 5G communication base stations in the country has reached 33770,000. Some key cities have deployed 5G base station aggregation and connected virtual power plants to participate in peak regulation and frequency regulation, demand-side response, etc. For example, in 2023, in Hubei, 13,000 5G base stations will be connected to virtual power plants, and computing power will be used to build an integrated regulation and control system based on virtual power plants, with an adjustable load of more than 380,000 kilowatts In Shenzhen, the energy storage system of 4,692 5G base stations under the tower is connected to the Shenzhen virtual power plant management center, and the adjustable load is expected to reach 150,000 kilowatts
Looking forward to 2024, various provinces and cities are in full swing to lay out a new round of bidding for communication base stations and communication energy storage. For example, Jiangsu plans to build a total of 280,000 5G base stations in 2024; At the end of January, China Telecom Guilin Branch also issued a bidding announcement for the selection of 5G base station equipment and on-site design and implementation services for the aggregation response of virtual power plants. These new tenders will undoubtedly inject new vitality into the telecom energy storage market, and also indicate that the combination of virtual power plants and telecom energy storage will be closer.
Pioneering the application of virtual power plants, we see the brilliant prospects of communication energy storage batteries and digital technology. Nowadays, communication energy storage batteries are mainly used in the construction of communication base stations and data centers, as a typical capacity application, its mainstream battery products are 50ah, 100ah prismatic or soft-clad iron lithium batteries. However, as the energy consumption of 5G base stations increases, the requirements for cell capacity also increase, and may even reach 200AH.
Looking to the future, if communication base stations are widely connected to virtual power plants, there will be higher requirements for the timeliness and flexibility of resource mobilization, and there will also be higher standards for the power and energy density of communication energy storage. In this context, multiply batteries and 280ah, 300ah+ large-capacity cells will have the opportunity to shine in this field.
From the perspective of other performance of the battery, sodium batteries have more advantages than lithium batteries in terms of rate and low temperature characteristics. For example, at room temperature, the rate discharge efficiency of sodium batteries above 2C is as high as more than 90%, which can fully meet the needs of communication energy storage to quickly respond to start and access to virtual power plants. For example, the sodium iron sulfate cell NFS-A2 has the ability of 2C instantaneous charging and discharging. Its low-temperature characteristics mainly meet the requirements of communication base station construction in high-altitude and high-latitude areas.
As a smart energy system, the integration of virtual power plants and communication base stations will prompt us to put forward higher requirements for communication technology, edge computing, cloud computing, digital technology, energy management technology, etc. Specifically, the linkage between the virtual power plant platform and the communication base station requires us to create an efficient communication protocol to realize real-time data processing and interaction. In this regard, companies with capabilities or related products such as energy management platforms, big data processing and AI will have the opportunity to delve into this field. For example, Sermatec's cloud-edge system and Redco's IEMS intelligent management platform.
It is worth mentioning that as a leading enterprise in domestic communication energy storage, Kunyu Power will create a joint venture with Norwegian battery manufacturer HAGAL to create an energy storage company in 2023. HAGAL is building battery management technology to create a virtual power plant (VPP) platform, Entheos Cloud. The two sides will carry out more diversified cooperation based on lithium batteries, EMS, BMS and other tracks. This cooperation will undoubtedly further promote the development of virtual power plant applications, and bring a broader development space for communication energy storage batteries and digital technology.
The development models of communication energy storage and virtual power plants in various parts of China show diversified characteristics. At present, the business model of domestic virtual power plants is mainly invitation-based, with ** institutions or power dispatching agencies issuing invitation signals, and load aggregators and virtual power plants organizing resources to respond to demand such as peak shaving and valley filling to obtain grid electricity price subsidies. With the promotion of national policies, various localities are actively exploring the path for virtual power plants to participate in electricity spot trading. Among them, a number of large-scale virtual power plant pilot projects have been operated in northern Hebei, Shenzhen, Shanghai and other places. The virtual power plant in North China has aggregated a variety of resources, with a maximum regulation capacity of 2040,000 kilowatts The Shenzhen Virtual Power Plant Management Center in South China has signed cooperation agreements with a number of companies and expects to build a virtual power plant with 1 million kilowatts of adjustable capacity by 2025. The Shanghai virtual power plant in East China has successfully gathered 5G base stations and other resources for peak shaving and valley filling, and the total number of 5G base stations in the city will reach 9 by the end of 202320,000, providing strong resource support for the development of virtual power plants. The successful operation of these pilot projects not only promotes the development of communication energy storage and virtual power plants in China, but also indicates its broad market prospects.
Virtual power plant